Next chapter of Blossom in a Cage of Bones. Both unhappy about their situation, Kimimaro and Sakura have to deal with the ramifications of their upcoming wedding.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"Why are you angry Kimimaro?" The figure in the cell said as he looked on as Kimimaro stood across from him outside it. The Last of The Kaguyas sharpening his bone sword, which since the weapons were always sharp when he pulled them out was enough of a hint that something was wrong.

"It's nothing Juugo." Kimimaro told The Prisoner who had been put in it so he wouldn't harm anyone else.

"You're lying Kimimaro." Juugo told him playfully in a song sung voice as he clung to the bars. Kimimaro rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"No point in hiding it, I'm being married the day after tomorrow." He said to him.

"Hmm? But aren't weddings suppose to be happy? How come you're upset?" Juugo said in confusion.

"It's a wedding I'm forced to take part in, I don't wish to marry the girl."

"How come? Is she ugly?"

"No, she's pretty I'll say that but she as well is being forced to marry me against her will." Kimimaro explained to him of what had happened with him and Sakura Haruno. "She doesn't want to marry me either, as she's a prisoner forced into it. We haven't even interacted with one another since Orochimaru announced that he is making us wed and expects us to conceive a child."

"Ooh, a baby." Juugo said with a smile. "Can I see it?" He asked hopefully.

"No, it'd be nine months before the child would be born." He told him. "Orochimaru is expecting me to…rape her against her will to get her pregnant. I don't wish to harm her, she doesn't deserve this." Kimimaro said to him.

"But his word is final." Juugo said to him, he noticed that his friend didn't add sama to his name as much anymore.

"Would you do it against a girls' will?" He asked him as he continued to sharpen his sword which could slice through a limb with ease. "Take her when she doesn't want to be taken?"

Juugo didn't respond as he looked on at him. "Kimimaro, can I come to the wedding?" He asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid with as many people who'd be there that they wouldn't want you there."

"Why?" Juugo asked getting upset.

"So in case something happens and you have another bout you wouldn't risk harming yourself and others."

"I can control it!" Juugo claimed angrily and his body started to change. "Let me see your wedding!" He said as he started to snarl. "I shouldn't be in here!" He said grasping the bars trying to tear them off.

"Juugo! Restrain yourself!" Kimimaro said harshly and he realized what he was doing and reverted back.

"Sorry, I hope your wedding is nice Kimimaro." Juugo said and sat back down on his cot.

Kimimaro looked at him, Juugo was the one person in Oto and perhaps the world he could consider a friend. And Kimimaro was the only person who could stop him when he went into one of his berserker rages. Juugo's body and affect it had on him caused him to snap at times and so he had to be confined in the cell to prevent him from harming anyone. Orochimaru used his body in his work with The Cursed Seals. Aside from Kimimaro, the only companion Juugo had was the mice that occasionally came into his cell as he was gentle with animals.

Looking on he said his goodbye and turned and exited the room.

#######

Sakura stared out the window as she looked on at the village. How much different it was from Konoha, Konoha was a place of peace where a person could walk through the streets with no worries or fear. She saw no one in the village of Oto outside Orochimaru's mansion and compound that housed his soldiers and experiments, the few she did were careful as if expecting something to happen to them at any moment as she noticed that many of them had hidden weapons.

Sakura had been moved from her cell to a better and more furnished room with a cot where she'd be staying at until the wedding and she had been given food that was actually decent to eat as well which she had taken, them telling her that they didn't want her to appear sick and thin for the wedding and making sure she had eaten it. She had been allowed to go wherever she wished throughout the compound but the lines were still on her arms preventing her from using chakra so if she tries anything she'd be unable to defend herself when they came after her.

Her green eyes that had been so vibrant and full of life before had changed, they were now dull and unfeeling as if the fire in them had been snuffed out as she didn't feel any joy or happiness even when she tried to think of better times.

Sakura had lost the will after what she had been told. Being told that she would wed Kimimaro Kaguya, a man she did not know or had ever seen before.

She tried to recall what Rock Lee had said to her when he had gotten back, how he during the failed mission to bring back Sasuke had fought against a ninja who had the ability to use his own bones as weapon. He had told her in wild detail of their fight and how he nearly got skewered and had to enlist Gaara's help in it to battle him and in the end they still had nearly been killed by him if not for the last moment he passed out.

Sakura shuddered, someone who could get past Gaara's defenses and nearly kill him, and she was going to have to marry him against her will. What kind of man was his like? Would he force her to do whatever he wanted? Make her against her will indulge in perverted acts for his own amusement and beat her if she refused? She did not know and didn't want to know. She just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and be back in The Leaf with her friends.

"Damn it move already!" A voice shouted at her surprising Sakura and she whipped around as she turned to the source of the voice. "Do you want me to run you over?" The figure said to her in irritation.

A red headed female looked on at her with a scowl of irritation and annoyance. Sakura looked back at her as she was wearing a red shirt that matched her hair and long pants to cover her legs as well as a cap over her head. Sakura noticed first and foremost that she was seated in a wheelchair.

"Oh its you, you're the one bone boy is going to wed the day after tomorrow." The girl said to her.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked as she didn't recall seeing her before. Though she seemed vaguely familiar.

"My names' Tayuya though I doubt you'd care. Few do anymore." The girl said to her. "I remember you, you're the Uchiha's cheerleader." She said recalling her. "I was sent on the mission three years ago to bring the Uchiha prick here, thanks to that Pineapple haired jackass and that blonde slut I'm now like this." She sourly said mentioning to her state of having to use a wheelchair if she wanted to go anywhere.

"Pineapple haired?" Sakura said in confusion but quickly realized that she was talking about Shikamaru.

Tayuya was still alive, but confined to a wheelchair now. He kept her alive to make use of her mind for tactics and strategy. But Orochimaru had ordered Kabuto not to restore her legs leaving he unable to walk as punishment for failing to bring back Sasuke in the time she had been told to bring him back. Tayuya however, despite being crippled and no longer able to walk was no easy target for anyone who'd thought she'd be as she still possessed her flute.

"So you're the bride to be?" Tayuya asked her as she rolled her chair over to her. "Another one of his sick jokes I suppose." She told her and Sakura lowered her head.

Sakura examined Tayuya's legs carefully, she saw they were damaged but Tsunade could have healed them within a half hour, even Kabuto as well. Perhaps if she could have access to her chakra and medical abilities even she could do it. Remove the damage done to them and restore her ability to walk.

"You seem miserable." Tayuya said to her looking on at Sakura who stared back at her eye to eye.

"You think I should be happy?" Sakura asked her skeptically.

"No, but at least show some life, you look like a puppet that thinks its damn real." Tayuya said to her.

"Kimimaro, what's he like?" She asked her and Tayuya winced as she remembered that he had told her he would kill her when she didn't return in time three years

"Kimimaro, he's a sticker for loyalty and expects others to be the same like him. Or he was." She said to Sakura. "When he got brought back from the dead by Kabuto and his disease removed and discovered the asshole showed up something seemed to have come over him. He's still dangerous, even moreso now that he ain't knocking on Hell's door anymore. But I can tell just be looking at him when he was told Orochimaru no longer desired him as a vessel something overcame him. Kimimaro's whole life it seemed was to be his next body." She told Sakura who mentally shuddered thinking of Orochimaru taking control of Sasuke's body.

Possessing and using a person like that, so he could cheat death and never age. Of the Sannin, Jiraiya was the only one who actually looked to be over fifty. Tsunade had used Genjutsu to cover herself and remain beautiful, while Orochimaru…he stole people's bodies taking them as his own as if he was a parasite and they were a host. Working with Tsunade she had read about insects who could infect and do that to other ones and it sounded similar to what he did.

"Since that time Kimimaro has mostly kept to himself the bastard has. He doesn't seem to have no ambition of life of his own anymore. It's almost as if the past three years he's just been waiting for the day that he dies either in battle or if he gets another illness as he knows Orochimaru no longer cares for him anymore."

Sakura looked on as she was told about him and pity found its way into her heart for a moment. "He sounds miserable." She mentioned of how his life had been like now.

Tayuya's features softened for a moment. "Everyone's miserable here anymore. Word of advice Sakura," She said softly to her as one would a friend. "Stay away from Karin, she's a complete bitch unlike myself."

Sakura nodded her head at her. "Try to enjoy your life here, Kimimaro despite his clans' reputation and the zealously he had once for him, is one of the few people here who have some shreds of decency in him. He won't do anything to you." Tayuya said to her and shifted her chair around and strolled away.

######

"Ugh, this tastes awful!" Naruto said as he spat out the cold food back into the bowl

"It should, you've been letting it sit there for a half hour before you even took a bite." A voice said and Naruto turned to look at a bun haired girl who was staring at him.

"TenTen how long have you been here?" He asked in confusion.

"Long enough to see you stir that bowl more times than enough." She told the blonde boy.

"Sorry I've haven't had much of an appetite anymore." Naruto told her quietly. "Not since…Sakura." He said thinking of his second missing teammate he had lost.

It should've been an simple task. There was talk of Sound Ninjas being spotted near Wave and Naruto and his team and sensei had gone to investigate it. Sure enough The Sound Ninjas were there and a battle had broke out against them.

Naruto had faced them numerous times before with Sakura and Kakashi and they had always come out on top, this shouldn't have been any different at all. But something had gone wrong during it as Kabuto had appeared during it making things much more deadly as he used a Jutsu to summon a creation of his that was a mixture of an ox with giant horns and tiger fangs and had a tail of a live snake on its back.

Naruto had to rely on The Fox's power in order to destroy the beast defeating it and had congratulated Kakashi and the others on what they had done, but to their surprise Sakura was not counted amongst them. They had looked for and called out their name, she along with others had been knocked away while fighting the beast but she should've emerged unharmed and ready to go back home. But she never appeared despite looking for her and they had came to the conclusion when Kakashi's dogs had picked up her scent but realized that it was mixed with several other scents including Kabutos.

She had been captured…

"I can't believe this, it's my fault. I should've kept an eye on her." He said bitterly and TenTen put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "So busy on that monster I didn't notice what was going on and what had happened to her." He said and banged his fist on the table. "I'm pathetic." Naruto said in disgust. "Some great ninja I've turned out to be, your future Hokage ladies and gentlemen."

TenTen removed her hand from his back bringing it back,

And whacked him upside the head with it making him snap forward and knock his head against the counter.

"OW! Geez!" Naruto shouted clutching his forehead as there was a bruise from it hitting the counter. "What the heck you'd do that for?" He shouted at TenTen who smiled.

"Finally some life," She said to him. "I saw there was nothing else that was going to work so I went with that, Sakura would've done the same thing to you if she saw you like that." The Bun Haired girl told him who glared at her. "Naruto you can't stew in your misery, what happened was an accident and not your fault." She said to him.

"But-"

"Listen do you want to believe she's dead?" She asked him and he was quiet.

"Of course not," He said solemnly. "I still believe that Sakura is alive and well, I don't know where though or how to find her."

"Good as long as you believe than Sakura is still alive." TenTen told him. "Everyone; you, Ino, Kakashi, The Hokage, myself and others. We believe she's still alive and we're going to get her back no matter what from those Sound creeps. Call it a promise."

"I'm not that good with promises." Naruto solemnly said thinking of ones he made before that didn't work out and TenTen brought her hand back in a hitting motion again and Naruto quickly moved to duck. "O-Okay! I'll stop being an Emo like Sasuke! Just don't whack me again!"

"You'd better." TenTen said with a teasing smile. "Now c'mon quit sulking around. We've got work to do if we're going to find a way to get her back.

"Thanks, TenTen." Naruto said to her and left with her as he felt hope restored to him for the first time in days.

#######

"Orochimaru-sama, I must protest this." Kimimaro said as he was in his Master's throne room. Orochimaru who had just fed a mouse to one of his pet snakes raised his head to look up at him. "This wedding must not happen."

"Oh?" Orochimaru asked raising an eyebrow to him. "Tell me Kimimaro-kun, just why is it that you are not wanting this to happen?" He asked him with mild amusement in his voice. "Your attitude is most unbecoming of one who is getting wedded. As if you are unhappy with it."

"It's because of the girl," He said to him. "She's too young." Kimimaro protested to him. "She's still just a child."

"I've had her tested by Aya," Orochimaru told him referring to a person who he had used. Kimimaro turned his head and saw an old woman closer to ninety than eighty seated in the room. With stark snow white year and wrinkles covering her face and drooping eyes. Despite her fragile appearance she had a factor about her that freaked most out. Orochimaru had during when Sakura had been imprisoned had Aya examine her.

"She has reached womanhood the past month, she is now ready and able to bear children." The old woman said. "She can have and pass children through her body easily enough. She shall provide you with many sons." She said her voice creaking almost like a bird.

"And many soldiers for me to have as well." Orochimaru said with a smirk as he looked on at Kimimaro. "The wedding will go on, the day after tomorrow as planned." He said and noticed Kimimaro frowning. "Kimimaro-kun just why is it that you are against this? I believe this is the first time you've ever protested my orders, this is a new yet unwelcome development from you." He said narrowing his eyes as Kimimaro had always been obedient to a fault with him no matter what. Even when he was seemingly about to die he had gone on to bring Sasuke to him.

"Think of the girl as a conquest," Aya mentioned as she coughed in her chair. "The Kaguyas were always proud of their conquest and victories." She said smiling a crooked smile and Kimimaro looked at her with quiet disgust.

"That is a brilliant idea Aya," Orochimaru said with a cackle. "Just imagine her as another foe you have to defeat, only in the bedroom instead of in battle." He said with his trademark laugh. "There will be no further arguments about this Kimimaro. The wedding shall go as planned. Is that clear?"

"…Yes Orochimaru-sama." Kimimaro said and turned and walked away.

########

"What? A wedding? What is the meaning of this?" A voice said as he had returned from a week long trip by himself and had been told the news. "What joke is he getting at this time?" He said to the silver haired medic.

"Patience Sasuke," Kabuto told the person who had returned. "Orochimaru-sama has announced that Kimimaro is going to be wedded with one of the prisoners and made his bride." He said to Sasuke who looked on at him with mild surprise in his eyes. "So that The Kaguya clan can be reborn."

"Kimimaro?" Sasuke repeated thinking of The Kaguya, Orochimaru's other lapdog like Kabuto was. Sasuke during his time here had been made to work and train with Kimimaro and Sasuke had never beaten him when it came to sword fighting or Taijutsu much to his irritation as a healthy Kimimaro was nigh unbeatable. "Why is he letting him bed one of the prisoners of his experiments? Just have him go find a girl. There'd be better for him than a starved half mad loon."

"I'd wanted to wait but I suppose I must tell you now." Kabuto said with a shrug. "The girl he is marrying is Sakura Haruno, the new prisoner since you was gone?"

"What?!" Sasuke said in shock and surprise at the news of the girl who was once his teammate was here. He thought back to when he last saw her at Grass Country and had dismissed her and Naruto. "Where is she?" He demanded to know.

"Sasuke, I know you're intrigued but for now-" Kabuto wasn't heard as Sasuke walked off not listening to a word he said.

Sasuke Uchiha could not believe what he had just heard, and he immediately stomped his way through the compound looking for her. Ignoring anyone who got in his way and shoving past them without saying anything.

He looked and spotted a pink haired girl seated by the window a tiny bird in her hand gently stroking it with a finger.

"Sakura!" He called out after a few seconds of watching and the bird flew off at the sound of his voice and Sakura startled turned and pulled herself up.

"S-Sasuke?" She said in surprise upon seeing him as this was the first time the two had been alone together in years

"What are you doing here?" He said to her looking on at her. For a moment he thought about hitting her as if thinking it was another one of Orochimaru's Genjutsu tricks he enjoyed using on him showing people of his past. Telling him to caste the bonds of his past aside and forget about them as they would only hold him back and prevent him achieving what he desired as he could not have any distractions.

But as he looked at her he realized that she was the real thing. This was no Bushin or Genjutsu, Sakura Haruno was here in the Flesh.

Sakura looked on at him staring at him. She looked at his eyes and hoped to see the boy she had believed she wanted to spend her life with. But just like in Grass, she saw a completely different person who was far different than the one she knw.

"I'm forced to be here," Sakura told him. "I was captured and brought here." She said solemnly

Sasuke stared hard at her. "I heard about what's happened, do you have a thing for those who are the last of their clans? Is that why you chased after me?"

Sakura looked at him shocked at what he said. "I didn't ask for this Sasuke! I'm forced to marry Kimimaro, I never wanted to marry him! I-" She was about to say she had wanted to marry him at one time but stopped herself.

Sasuke stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head as if he heard her unspoken words. "Still naïve and weak…" He said and turned and walked away. "How long before the dobe, Naruto will be here as well?" He wondered out loud as he left.

Sakura watched him leave and disappear down the hall when a voice was heard.

"That was unpleasant." A voice said and Sakura said a red headed girl wearing a purple and black outfit with glasses walked towards her. "You poor thing." She said softly to her.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked the girl.

"You can call me Karin."

"K-Karin?" Sakura said and remembered what Tayuya had told her. Telling her to stay away from her.

"Yes," The girl told her with a smile. "I see you're still getting accustomed to being here." She said to Sakura. "Are you getting ready for your wedding?" She asked her gently.

Sakura didn't respond to her as it seemed everyone here knew about what was happening. "In the walls of this place you are safe, so long as you aren't in the dungeons or his labs you'll be unharmed." Karin told her assuringly with a comforting tone of voice. "Keep a low profile and Orochimaru and Kabuto won't think about using you in what they do after Kimimaro grows bored of you." She said to her. "Since its said you're a medic, you'll likely won't be used in any harsh means unless for when they are flooded with wounded."

Sakura looked on at Karin who's smile suddenly seemed less pleasant.

"However I'll give you a fair warning." She said to her. "One you should listen to very well and never forget."

"Involving Sasuke, I'll tell you now." Karin said to her and her voice became more unpleasant and her eyes threatening towards her.

"If you try anything at all with Sasuke, I'll see to it you're murdered in your sleep. He is mine now and he'll never be yours." Karin told her threatening to kill her. "I hope we'll be friends." She said pleasantly and walked away leaving her there.

Sakura all alone did not let the tears emerge or fall down her face. As it would do her no good.

A/N: That's it for this chapter. Review please.