Origin of the Never Seen

Chapter 3


Next couple of weeks were dominated by healing of her wound. Her guards would go to extra lengths to keep it clean and they even didn't let her sit up for couple of days when the edges began to close to speed up the process.

Realizing that her muscles are withering away Sakura developed a training routine. There wasn't much that she could do, but she was moving her arms and legs as far as the chains allowed her. A hundred swings of the right arm sidewards, a hundred up and down. Same with the left. Then the legs. Manacles acted as weights and she was thankful for that.

When she was returned on to her futon for the night, she was repeating the training, because lying down the range of movements was a bit different and other muscles were put to work.

No one was coming to interrogate her. The old lady never returned. The torturers also, thank the gods, didn't make an appearance. Sakura was starting to curse her inquisitive mind as the unawareness served as the worst torture for her.

Until one day, someone new came into her cell and she regretted her curiosity.


He was not much older than her and he had very long hair. Even more strikingly, he was carrying them loose. Even in other circumstances this alone would ensure him her full attention. Hair so long was a display of power. Her cousin Hashirama grew his hair waist-long exactly because of that. Tobirama, her other cousin, never missed an opportunity to berate Hashi on the idiocy of such demonstrations.

A man sat on his heels in a formal distance from her and at first didn't say anything. He was taxing her, but also, it looked as if he was thinking what to say. "I'm here to inform you about your future," he announced in the end.

"Finally," said Sakura with a bit more of snide than she intended. "It took you forever. It's pretty clear you need me, just why did it take you so long, that I had to sit in this place for months..." She mocked. She was quite sure of her position, it was clear she had a high value, so she could allow herself to be snappy. And after all that time in a cell – she was.

The man weighted her words. "We need you… Well said, we do need you."

"For what?" Something in his tone set off an alarm in Sakura's mind.

The man didn't answer and it only made Sakura more nervous.

"What is it that you need me for?!"

"To carry a child."

Sakura's mind went blank for a long while. She tried to get it to work, she really did. She was staring at the man and tried to make sense out of his words. And then it all came down on her. The realization what will be done to her. The implications of it. The reasons why they have been treating her as they were. How is this going to look like. That she is not getting out for the nine months at least. And most pressingly – what has to been done to her that she conceives a child.

She wanted to react somehow, her visceral reaction was to get up, fight that man, and then all the guards, to start tearing through those corridors until she got out or got killed. To struggle. She strained her hands against the chains, not in an attempt to break them – she knew she couldn't, but to ground herself. To perform an action, any action.

She must have looked really bewildered as something shifted on the man's face. "Is there anything you would like to ask?"

Three minutes ago, she would have screamed: 'tons of things'. Now she only wanted to cry. But she should get herself in grip - it was the first time during her imprisonment that someone was talking to her. She should get as much as she could out of this man.

"Why me?"

"Cannot tell you this."

Sakura scowled. "What are you going to do with this child?"

"It will be safe and unharmed for time being. As safe and unharmed as it is possible in this unstable world."

He clearly didn't understand where she was coming from, mistaking her question for maternal concern (as if she had any!) so, she rephrased. "But why? Why do you need that child?"

"Cannot tell you either."

"What will you do with me afterwards?"

"It's still unclear, but I also cannot tell you this."

Sakura wanted to cover her face in desperation. She wanted to curl in a ball in the corner of the cell and cry.

"When?" She swallowed. "When is it going to happen?" She may still figure something out. She has much more info now. She didn't know exactly what, but still, she had her brain. Until now she didn't try any too risky maneuvers assuming that she was going to be either ransomed or pumped for knowledge about medical jutsu, which at this point she was more than willing to share. But knowing what was in store for her, she won't be playing safe anymore.

"Tomorrow."

She didn't hold it. She screamed. In retrospect she thought she was screaming 'no' and tried to get up on her feet. It lasted some time, it had the guards run in, had the man send them all away with a small but commanding gesture. At some point Sakura exhausted all her energy and slumped down.

"There is nothing you can do about it," said the man. "Maybe awareness of it can bring you some consolation…"

Sakura wiped her wet cheek against her shoulder. There was just one more question to ask. "With whom?" No answer came and then she knew. "With you?" she asked with trembling lips.

The man nodded.

She stared at him. And stared some more. And some more. Into the face of a man that was going to rape her. That was going to be the father of her child. She thought her brain would explode.

"In the end it won't be very different from what happens to any woman entering an arranged marriage."

"In an arranged marriage I wouldn't be chained to the floor," spat Sakura through clenched teeth.

"No. But there would be other chains holding you down even better than those." He gestured at her binds. "Like debts that your father would be finally able to pay with the money he had gotten for you. Or your new husband's army standing on the border of your homeland…"

Sakura scowled but she couldn't deny the truth in his words.

"We still have one issue to discuss."

Sakura re-focused with astonishment. He wanted to discuss something with her? About her rape and absolute objectification?

"We need to decide how is it going to happen. "

Sakura glared.

"I imagine what are you thinking about right now - a rape, with you screaming and fighting back. But this is not going to happen like that. There is a risk of injury and we need to care about your physical well-being. And I don't find pleasure it such displays of power." He added as if in afterthought. "So, I could put you under genjutsu. You will neither feel nor remember anything. That would be probably the kindest way. It was strongly advised to me, especially in the light of you tolerating our genjutsu so well. I'm being told you're not showing any signs of deterioration of your mental capacities." The man paused, clearly waiting for some comment from her side. When nothing came, he picked up. "But since you're a kunoichi, I thought… That maybe you would prefer not to be knocked out. In such a case, we could navigate it as any other man and woman would. Or, as close to it as the security measures will allow."

Fire sparkled in Sakura eyes.

He must have seen it. "No, I won't unchain you. Your fighting skill and your power is well recognized. That, and do you think me a fool – to come into such a close contact with a medic-nin? I've seen what chakra scalpels can do to people. I still value my life. And all my body parts."

Sakura bit down a curse.

"You don't have to decide now. Think about it until tomorrow," he added when she failed to answer.

And he left.


The rest of the day Sakura spent frantically going through her options. In last-ditch effort she tried once again to break the chains. It didn't work of course, she only hurt her wrists.

The noise she made combined with the state of her wrists alarmed her female guards, that promptly threatened her with putting her down with genjutsu if she didn't stop struggling. Seeing her distress, they took shifts in sitting with her, so even if she had had a plan it would have been be impossible to realize it. But she didn't have a plan. The only other option was to try a suicide - biting off her own tongue, choking on food. But Sakura was sure that one such attempt and she would end up gagged and fed through a tube till the end of her captivity.

And, frankly, she had zero intention of ending her life. She wanted to live. She wanted out! She wanted to come back home, back to her life. See her mother and friends. Visit her favourite spots in the forest. Go see that famous fireworks festival in the capital of the province with Ino. Finish developing that blood-replenishing jutsu she was working on before she had been captured. Finally beat Naruto in a spar. Fall in love… Get married? Have a child?

Oh, wait, that was going to happen very soon. In wrong order, this would happen in the wrong order. Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes.

Still, as she was weighting her options, being dead was far worse than being raped. Death was kind of a terminal solution. Not that she had put much thought into it before, but the threat of rape in the violent times like theirs, combined with her life as kunoichi – it was not that it was something unheard of. It was one of the dangers that a woman had to take into account when setting off on any mission.

So, left with no options she decided to face the unavoidable. If they wanted her pregnant, it meant she would be kept in good condition and unharmed. And at some point, an opening would appear. Now it was only the question of preserving her fighting capability. Both physical and mental.

And there was one more thing she could preserve, Sakura came to conclusion. She could preserve her dignity. Whatever happens she won't think about it as of a disgrace for her. Just as it isn't a peasant village's 'shame' when it is pillaged and burnt. Entire guilt and entire disgrace are on the side of the assaulter.

At least she won't have to pretend and play along as her older cousin, Tōka, had to.

Tōka had been married off to a high-ranking Hyūga three years ago. Butsuma negotiated this marriage long and hard, aiming at the Hyūga heir himself. When it failed, and Butsuma settled for his younger brother, Hyūgas thought they won. Until, a year and a half later, Tōka came back home carrying loads of top-secret intel. And a baby in her belly. Now the white-eyed brat was already learning to walk and Tōka stayed in the Senju compound in a permanent undercover – not to expose the ruse to the Hyūgas. Sakura heard that they still believed she had been kidnapped.

When Tōka had returned Sakura asked her all kinds of questions about her mission. Had it been difficult, she wanted to know, mindful that she might get a similar assignment one day.

Tōka claimed that it wasn't the acts themselves that were hard, even as she went a virgin onto this mission, but the necessity of acting as if she was enjoying. Her husbands dick wasn't much to fear, Tōka claimed, it was his ego that was the beast demanding to be fed.

She shouldn't be afraid, Sakura tried convincing herself. It will only be worse if she is. She wasn't a ninja for nothing in the end. And every injury hurts more when one is afraid. Plus, it can't be worse than this burning torture, that's for sure. That man seemed to be resolved not to harm her physically. And emotionally… well, that will be more difficult… But she needed to remember that whatever happens, it won't make her any different, any less. She will still be the same after that is done, still herself.

That man assessed her correctly – knowing one day earlier gave her time to mentally prepare. She won't get damaged by it. She will get through it and she will escape. Pregnant or not. And if pregnant, then she will be escaping with something of great value to them, Sakura thought seething.


AN: Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think...