Ch9. Is it real?

I gazed at him with innocent eyes, provoking him further. My heart was pounding faster with each second and I could tell his was too. We were so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my lips. His eyes had slipped shut as had mine, this moment had become primal, and we were simply fallowing our instincts now. That is until a round throat cleared itself a few feet from where the two of us stood far too close to be called enemies or even friends. Our position was something more that friendship.

Both of us stopped where we were, only a centimeter apart from touching. "Fraternizing with my daughter Sasuke-kun," a slithery hiss asked.

Sasuke took a step back away from me, "Of course not Orochimaru," he said with a sneer and the coldest tone I had ever heard. His voice was so cold now that I could feel the goose bumps rise on my arm and the hairs on my neck stand on end.

"Maybe I should have Kabuto watch over my dear daughter instead of you. He would not be so easily distracted," Orochimaru said. I could easily tell he was pissed off about fining me with Sasuke in the way he just had.

"Don't call me your daughter," I finally spoke to Orochimaru. "As far as I'm concerned there is no connection between myself and a snake like you."

Orochimaru snickered, "You and I dear daughter are more alike that you realize."

"Liar," I hissed.

"I would never lie to you," he said in a tone far too sugary sweet to be comforting. Rather it sent chills up my spine and made me want to go to the dentist to get a cavity fixed.

"Call me your daughter again and I'll so you just how much I can be like you; cold and cruel and unforgiving, merciless and calculating, killer," I said in a tone so cold it rivaled Sasuke's.

Orochimaru cackled softly his eyes never leaving mine. "You are so much like your mother. You are stubborn as a mule; you are smarter and stronger than what you look. If I did not know any better I would say you really are her." I did not realize Orochimaru had been walking towards me until his cold hand touched my cheek. His thumb stroked my face and I froze staring up at him as he smirked at my frightened reaction. "Don't touch me," I hissed and slapped his hand away. He scowled, "I've had just about enough of your attitude," he said right as his hand came back around to smack me.

My cheek burned in pain as Orochimaru slapped me. I knew there would be a mark later on; I fell to the ground right at Sasuke's feet. The breath rushed from my lungs as I hit the ground and at the same time I felt something rattle inside me. It was my ribs, they were not 100% healed yet and they had just taken a huge blow when I hit the ground at the speed that I did. I screamed in pain and my hands flew up to my chest where the pain was centralized. "Damn it," I hollered knowing full well that if my ribs did not get the proper care fast they would puncture my lungs and therefore drown me in my own life blood.

I felt warm hands slid beneath my neck and the back of my knees lifting me up and holding me close to a warm body, the hands tried not to move me too much seeming to know full well that I was in far too much pain. I groaned as the movement's jostled my insides a bit. "Try to stay still," I heard Sasuke's velvet voice whisper as he carried me bride style to lord knows where. Despite the pain coursing through my body I still came back with a retort, "Yeah, I'm just going to go throw a wild party now," I growled. I felt Sasuke's chest rumble with what felt like a small laugh. I never heard the laugh but I know I felt it.

Sasuke's pace quickened down the dark hallway when I groaned again, trying to get rid of the pain. I instinctively placed my hand over my chest willing chakra to come to me and fix the pain, but none came. Whatever drug Kabuto, that damn bastard, had used was doing a really good job, much to my disappointment.

"We are almost there," Sasuke's voice whispered as he noticed my feeble attempts to relieve the anguish.

"Where," I asked not even recognizing my own voice which was rough and quiet. I sounded like a pitiful child.

"I know you hate him, but Kabuto can fix you. I can't give you chakra this time; your wounds are too extensive."

I growled at the sound of Kabuto's name, the sound was like a really pissed off animal who was warning you not to come any closer.

"Please Sakura," Sasuke's voice came to me still soft like velvet but cold as ice, "Don't do anything stupid. If you piss him off you will die and there will be nothing I can do to stop him."

I huffed and nodded my head but winced noticing how even the tiniest movements seemed to radiate pain. I rested my head against Sasuke's shoulder focusing of his steady breathing in order to take my mind off of the pain. We eventually, though it seemed like eternity, came to a large metal door that automatically opened when Sasuke stepped in front of it.

The door slid open with a snakes hiss and shut as soon as Sasuke stepped over the threshold, with me in his arms. It closed with a sound that bounced off the walls, echo, echo. The room was cold like an ice cube and smelled like Clorox bleach. There was no light except that coming off of what looked to be computer screens. I shivered and tried to get closer to my heat source, Sasuke. He walked farther into the room and then stopped when he came to a metal slab that looked like a torture table. He placed me on it and I almost screamed as the coldness came in contact with my skin.

"Stay here and stay quiet," he told me then disappeared.

His footsteps hurried away and I found myself alone again. I was scared, I had been here when I was drugged up by the evil scientist and I did not know if I would make it out of here alive. Dying from my ribs or dying from the scientists experiments? Neither sounded pleasant.

I heard something crash far away as though someone had dropped something. A few banging sounds meet my ears as did some screaming. It was hard to make out words but from what I could tell it was two male voices.

"Why the hell should I help," one voice hollered.

"Because I said so," came a cold voice that showed no leniency. Sasuke's voice, that meant he was talking with Kabuto.

"There is nothing even you can do to make me heal that whore," yelled Kabuto.

I heard something else crash. It sounded like porcelain medicine bottles to me; I should know considering how many of the interns at Konoha's hospital had broken them.

"Fine, cool your temper Sasuke-kun. I'll help her. But not for you, for Orochimaru." Kabuto's voice was moving closer to me. Two sets of feet where moving closer too. One Kabuto's the other no doubt was Sasuke's. Through slight peripheral vision I saw silver, Kabuto's hair.

"Well, well, what has little Sakura gotten herself into," his sugary sweet voice asked.

I scowled at him but kept quiet, knowing to be careful otherwise he would cause permanent damage.

"Just do your job Kabuto," Sasuke said. His sharingan was activated meaning he was being careful with me around the mad scientist. He knew just as well as I that Kabuto could not be trusted. "Don't worry Sasuke-kun, she will be just fine," Kabuto said looking down at me.

Kabuto's hands came up to my neck and pulled down the zipper of my tank top revealing a black undershirt. He activated his medical scalpel and cut through the black fabric as well leaving me in nothing but my chest wrappings. I wanted to cover myself, being in the presence of two men with little clothing on, not the best situation.

Kabuto's hands touched my chest right where the main break of my ribs was. I hissed in pain as even his slight pressure hurt like a thousand red hot pokers piercing my skin. His hands being cold did not help either. I watched Kabuto's eyebrows twitch in concentration, then found it scared me even more watching him so I turned my head slowly as I could to where Sasuke stood leaning against a wall opposite where Kabuto stood. He seemed cold again, colder than the room, than the table, than Kabuto's hands, but he also seemed to concentrate. Suddenly my chest felt like it exploded, it was no longer cold. It was fire hot and excruciating pain. I screamed, I screamed loud. I could have shattered glass with my scream. Whatever Kabuto was doing made me wish for death.

I thrashed on the table, kicking and hitting best I could. "Stop it," I finally managed words. "Stop," it was so unbearable.

"Sasuke-kun, hold her down," I heard Kabuto's voice say above my yelling.

Warm hands where on my shoulders in an instant and I felt them hit the table with a 'thunk.' Still I fought wanting to get away from the unreal pain. The only coherent though that registered other than pain was, is this real? It felt like a dream, a painful one. I just wanted to wake up if it was one, but I could not. The heal of my foot meet the side of the table and I knew it would bruise, for my super strength was coming back because of all the chakra flowing through my veins trying to heal me. I was able to pry myself out of Sasuke's grip and rush to an upright position, Kabuto's hands still on my chest pushing chakra in. I closed my eyes and let out a blood curdling scream.

"Grab her! I can't stop the process or she will die!"

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die," my voice came like a mad women.

"Sakura, stop," my name and a clear command came through. My body was forced back against someone's rock hard one. It was warm, "Sakura, stop." It was Sasuke. He had his arms wrapped around me like a vice as I stayed for the most part upright but now slightly reclined against him. I still screamed and kicked but my range of motion was decreased. I could only wriggle my top half but that seemed enough for Kabuto because his chakra blared like a stereo and hurried to my wounds and healed faster, only causing more of that pain. I cried, sobbed like a baby into Sasuke's arms.

"He's almost done Sakura," I heard Sasuke's voice come through like he was trying to comfort me.

Soon I did feel the pain ebb away like tides current. I still cried, but this time it was steady tears, I was gaining control over myself. The monster that had roared was being drawn back in. I hiccupped and sniffed trying to calm down as the pain left. Kabuto's hands left my chest but Sasuke never let go. Then there was nothing. No pain, no sense of feeling, nothingness was back to absorb me into its depths.

"She will live, she will be fine. As though nothing ever happened," Kabuto's voice echoed as my vision blurred.

"Good," Sasuke's voice was shaky as he moved slowly; I remained still in his arms. Just before I was swallowed up into darkness I breathed a sigh of relief and spoke in a voice raspy from screams of pain and terror. "Don't let go Sasuke, please."