Ha, Fanfiction!
I got around your stupid break down! Thanks so much to SasuSaku forever and ever.
Seriously, you're awesome hun!
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Author: xWrittenInBlood
The most amazing Beta ever: Destroyed Illusions
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"When you shoot, it's so damn risky. Dead in a ditch, but I hope you miss me."
Dead In a Ditch - Hollywood Undead.
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Chapter Eleven.
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She felt light-headed.
If she moved too quickly, the room spun. Even the darkness seemed to spin in circles and crowd her thoughts.
How long had it been now?
A day? Two days? Three? A week?
Maybe it was a week.
It felt like forever.
She shook her head slowly. The cynical thought creeping into her mind; At least you're keeping to your diet.
True, but that was one of the last things she was worried about now. All that mattered was Karin. She had to get Karin out of here, and to safety.
Even if Sakura herself died in the process. Karin would get out of here.
They had untied the girls now, thinking them too weak to even think of an escape, let alone make one.
Sakura had her back against the wall, Karin's head lay in her lap. The rosette untangled the older girl's red hair gently, careful not to stir her from her sleep. She wasn't having a nightmare for once. A miracle, really.
Sakura gritted her teeth together, a plan finally formulating in her head.
The next time those disgusting things - they could not be called humans - walked through those doors, she would swipe the keys.
The door creaked open slowly, light pouring into the dull room.
And it begins...
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Neji moved through the streets, a picture of Sakura and himself in his hands. He asked everyone he saw the same question,
"Have you seen this girl?"
"No, sir."
Then he'd move on to the next.
"Have you seen this girl?"
"I'm sorry."
"Have you seen this girl?"
"My, she's pretty. Unfortunately -"
He didn't bother listening. Unless they had seen her, he didn't care.
"Have you seen this girl?"
"Yes, she's our friend. We are looking for her. Do you even know who you're asking, Neji?"
"Shut up, Shikamaru. I was talking to the man behind you."
"Oh - Me? No, I'm afraid I have not seen her."
Neji grit his teeth together, sending an unpleasant surge through them. But he didn't care.
"Have you seen -"
"Neji, stop it. Let's go ask in another part of town."
He could not protest. All he wanted to do was track down the girl that held all of his little broken shards together. Still, he couldn't help the small spark of hope from fading even more.
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"Hey, hey! Are you listening to me? I said HEY!" A girl shouted, waving at the tall man. "Neji!" She yelled, earning his attention. Finally.
Neji turned, telling Shikamaru to walk on ahead and keep asking people that same dreaded question.
"Tenten, right?" The girl - Tenten - nodded with a smile.
"That's right. Anyway -" She was interrupted. Rudely.
"Have you seen this girl?" He thrust the picture in her face.
Maybe it was because he'd been asking the same question for hours on end now, but he was desperate. Asking complete strangers where his best friend was - when he should know, because after all they are best friends - was proof enough.
Tenten's eyes widened, a little hurt shining behind the brown orbs.
The pink-haired girl in the picture, she was so small, so skinny, stood in front of Neji, pushing her hands together and connecting the thumbs to make a heart, a huge smile on her face as she looked at the camera. Neji had his arms around her waist, bending down so he could rest his head on top of hers. A small, very small, smile playing on his lips.
"This is your girlfriend?" Her voice was hurt. Neji was normally a perceptive person, but his mind was so clouded. He didn't even hear the question.
"Have you seen her?" He asked again, desperation in his eyes.
Tenten's heart went out to him. She actually wanted to say, 'Yes. Yes, I have.' and tell him where she was, just to see a smile on his face. She wanted to make him smile like the pink-haired girl in that picture seemed to be able to do so easily.
But she didn't. Because she was a very truthful, honest person. She had never told a lie in her life.
Because honesty is the best policy, right?
And she knew how much that girl meant to him.
"No," She shook her head, looking at the ground. "But I can help you look for her."
Neji nodded greatfully with a sigh.
"So, who is she?"
"The most important person in the world."
"...Oh."
Perhaps if he had keener hearing, he could hear the sound of her heart breaking.
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"Have you seen this girl?"
"No."
"Excuse me, Sir! Have you seen this girl?"
"Leave me alone, you street-rat!"
"Please tell me you've seen this girl recently..."
"Get away from me, scum!"
"How fucking troublesome. I am not scum."
"I said get away!"
"Fine, fine. Whatever. Sheesh, Old Geezer. Excuse me, have you seen this girl?"
"Hmm? Oh yes! I have indeed. She was walking around here alone a few nights ago. Not a very bright thing to do. Then her lovely boyfriend carried her home. Such a nice young lad."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Boyfriend?
"Did you happen to see his features? Get a number plate of his car?"
"Erm... I didn't see a car, no. Sorry, my boy. But I did however see the man. Quite a tall young man. Odd hair though. It was dark purple."
"Tekuchi's..." Shikamaru growled. They were the only family in Konoha who had purple hair. Mr Tekuchi had two children. One girl, who was now 23, was Ami. Her younger brother, Reita, was 20.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"My pleasure, young man. Have a good day."
Finally, some hope.
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Her plan was working.
The man had come to take Sakura away, by now she was used to it.
He informed her of how many people wanted to buy her - she was the best yet. They were holding an auction at this very moment.
It sickened her how those things viewed people. Like objects. A trophy on the shelf.
It started talking again, "- and to get you cleaned up. So here's the shower. Clothes. Whatever." He was the only one that had no interest in her.
At least, no sexual interest. Maybe this one was different.
"Why?" Sakura asked, her voice raspy. The only time she used it was when she sang lightly to help calm Karin and herself.
He stopped, turning to look at her. This one wore no mask. His black hair falling over equally dark eyes. "I already saw you take the keys. Your friend is waiting in the closet. I told her to hide there. I will stand guard, as soon as you're done..." He smiled a little. Not one of those sick, sadistic smiles, a small, albeit fake, smile. But it reassured her. "I will get you out of here. Both of you."
"Why?" She asked again. She wanted to believe this one was different. But believe had the word 'lie' in it. There was always the potential this could go South. She hoped like fuck that it wouldn't.
He smiled again, though this, this one a little less fake.
"Because I know how you feel, Sakura."
"Thank you..."
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"Neji! I've got a lead."
The pearl eyed boy was in front of Shikamaru in record timing.
"What?" He demanded.
"Tekuchi Reita."
Neji glared.
"Fucking bastard. I'm gonna fucking tear his limbs apart, slash his fucking throat and have a parade in his tainted blood -" Shikamaru decided to intervene.
"He did say he'd get us back one day."
"All she did was reject him!" Neji defended.
"She fucked him, Hyuuga." Shikamaru almost yelled, but one of them had to be in control. Neji glared down at the ground. He never knew this.
"When?" He finally asked, after moments of silence.
"She didn't want me to tell you -"
"When?" Neji cut off Shikamaru, his eyes closed tightly and his fists balled at his sides.
A sigh. "Last year, at Ayame's graduation party. She wasn't going to tell you because she knew you hated the guy. Heh, I guess it didn't help she was high as a fucking kite and drugged out of her mind. Reita always had a thing for her."
"So he fucking drugged her up to get a fuck?" He was shaking now. Why the fuck had he been lied to for so long? How many other lies were there that he didn't know about? "How did she remember this, anyway? If she was so 'drugged'?"
"Woke up next to him in a bed with no clothes. Haven't we all done it before?" He asked with a subtle glance at the taller boy.
"Shut it, Nara."
"Just saying-"
"Well, nobody asked you, did they?"
"Hey, Neji! I asked everyone, but nobody even knew her!" Tenten threw her hands in the air. She looked between the two boys, noticing the tension thick enough to kill.
"Thank you, but we've found her." Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, before turning around and looking over his shoulder at Neji. "Are you going to help me find her or not?"
Should he really help? She had lied to him. Kept secrets from him. Hurt him. But he had hurt her, too. He remembered his suicide attempt. She stayed with him. Then why, after proving time and time again how close they were, would she hide this from him?
Even so, he barely even thought before the word passed through his lips, and his feet were striding forward.
"Yes."
"Shouldn't we be telling the Uchiha about this? She was getting pretty cosy with him, wasn't she?"
Neji glared harder at nothing in particular.
"No, she needs us. She doesn't need him."
Shikamaru spared a side glance, just before Neji quickened his pace, over taking the other boy. He sighed.
He wasn't stupid. Neji just needed to calm down. He would eventually.