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Rainflakes
''Because sometimes, life can change in ways you least expect...''
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Sakura awakened from her deep slumber noting two different things. One – despite the fact that her weary eyes had opened, the room she occupied was still very dark. And two – her arms were braced above her head in metal shackles – presumably chakra infused – with her feet braced identically below her. She was immobile, her muscles ached, her head still hadn't stopped throbbing and she knew that she was in a whole lot of trouble.
"You're awake." Sakura jumped at the calm voice, yet at the same time feeling stupid for not sensing the presence in the first place. The voice was familiar and yet she couldn't place a finger on who exactly it was. It wasn't until the figure approached her, the only slice of light in the room spreading across his face, that the disbelief of her stupidity rose again. Kabuto – Orochimaru's loyal servant. He had been the one carrying her earlier. She had said that the silver-haired boy's arms were welcoming! She shivered at the memory and narrowed her eyes dangerously at the approaching servant.
"Stay away from me," she struggled against the bonds she had been tied with and hissed at Kabuto with distaste. He stood only a mere foot away from her and shook his head, pushing his circle-rimmed glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"Orochimaru needs his arms back to their original state and since the legendary Sannin is no longer in our grasp, we took the next best thing." Kabuto scanned Sakura's body, but not perversely. It was as though he was analysing her, trying to see whether or not she was fully compatible for the job. Sakura shook against the braces again and frowned angrily.
"I would never make the Third Hokage's sacrifice so pointless. You should have known that a medic such as myself would never sink so low to help you filthy criminals." She was surprised herself at the words that spurred from her mouth, but her lack of chakra, energy and stability made her mood all the more foul. Kabuto's lips twitched in humourless amusement and he raised his left arm, revealing a deadly looking contraption to her. It looked familiar and she scanned her memories for the time when she had seen it once before, keeping a careful watch on Kabuto as she did so.
He stepped forwards and she recoiled horribly, letting out a growl of frustration at the vulnerable state she was in. Kabuto reached his arm outward, ignoring her incoherent insults and evading. The machine clamped around her stomach and the moment it did, she realised just what exactly it was.
"Chakra drainer – " Her sentence was cut off as a searing pain ran through her, almost able to feel the last fragments of her chakra being drained away. Once again, it stole only the chakra she would have used for battle, not the healing chakra that she needed. Her throat began to grow coarse from screaming and slowly the pain ebbed aside, leaving her breathless. She leant forwards, her eyes screwed shut tightly and her bounded fists clenched. After recovering, she lifted her head back up to gaze toward the man that she had once fought alongside in the chuunin exams. And she almost fell back forwards with shock.
It was there, for the smallest of seconds, but she had noticed it. Whether it was her delirious mind playing up, or the trick of the light, she was sure she had seen a look of regret and sympathy in Kabuto's eyes. Deciding that it had been nothing more than a misread expression, Sakura allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.
"My chakra – you've split it into two. That shouldn't be possible." Sakura croaked, staring at the young man in front of her. Kabuto stared on at her blankly, his eyes sweeping upwards to her wrist.
"It shouldn't have been possible for that chakra bracelet to be broken either, but I broke it. That hostage jutsu was only created by that Akatsuki friend of yours and there was no chance for it to be broken. Yet, here you are, with Orochimaru's very own chakra bracelet on your arm to keep you in place."
Sakura's eyes' widened and she hurriedly look upwards at her bound wrists. He was right – instead of the sparkling blue that she had once seen, it was replaced with a dark red. Almost immediately, she felt the dark, malicious intent seeping from the bracelet that she had not felt with Kiko's. It made her shudder in disgust.
"This bracelet is the most revolting thing to have ever come into contact with my body." Sakura whispered more to herself than to Kabuto in front of her. She felt, now, the tiny fragments of Orochimaru's dark chakra that was connected to the cells of the medical chakra that she had been left with. It was disgusting – as though the beast was actually inside of her.
Another wave of intense pain ran through her and she screamed once again, the bolts from the chakra absorber piercing her skin like millions of pricks from needles. After recovering, she once again looked toward Kabuto, and saw a look of utter blankness on his face.
"There is no telling what Orochimaru will do to you if you refuse to heal his arms. It would be wise if you were to follow his orders and then leave, unharmed." Kabuto spoke coldly and tonelessly. Sakura clenched her fists.
"I will not help to revive the man who killed my parents. My decision is final." She stated boldly, gritting her teeth and knowing that, in refusing, all would not end well. Kabuto turned from her, opening the door to the windowless room she was occupying and letting a long ray of light shine in. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes now – Kabuto seemed almost sorry for her. She sighed and allowed herself to fall forward, the binds stopping her from falling to the floor completely.
~*~
She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep and for a moment, she was unsure of what had awoken her. It was then she felt the cold, harsh breath of the one man she had spent her entire life fearing, right beside the base of her ear.
"Good evening, Sakura. How are you enjoying your stay?" Sakura lashed out violently toward Orochimaru, his pointless jibe waking her from her tired state and arousing the short temper that she had inherited from her mentor.
"It's been bloody, frickin' amazing, you filthy snake." Sakura's voice was filled with pure venom and Orochimaru's eyes twinkled for a short moment.
"Ah, the anger you have. You would make a perfect teammate for me. Not only will I be able to indulge – " He purposefully scanned Sakura's slim figure with his golden eyes, causing her to almost tremble with revolution. " – I will also have such a strong... specimen to heal me when necessary-"
"I'll heal you the day Hell freezes over." Sakura bit back, interrupting him rudely. He wasn't fazed and seemed simply even more intrigued at the malice in her tone. He leant forwards quickly, his head within inches of her own. She tilted her head away, trembling with fear and anger simultaneously. The snake leant forward and pressed his nose against her long, slender neck, that she had revealed once having turned her head.
"Oh, Sakura. You are too much like your parents. You remember don't you? When they shouted at you to leave. Your mother said the very same thing." His lips moved against her neck, but the impact of his words countered the feeling of disgust.
"Go Sakura! Get out of here!" Her mother had shouted at her through the ANBU mask. Sakura remained sitting, traumatised, on the tree branch, her legs spread out behind her and her hands placed limply in front of her.
"Sakura. Go now!" Her father had shouted, while dodging away from Orochimaru's kunai. The pale-faced reptile looked thoroughly amused at the attempts to protect their daughter and looked at the pink-haired, young, kunoichi for more than a split second before stretching his long neck snaking toward her, a look of hunger in his eyes.
"I guess I should indulge in a little something before we continue this fight. Don't worry – it'll be over soon." Orochimaru had come so close. So very close to Sakura's limp, trembling body. But her mother had stood in the way. Orochimaru's sharp fangs had embedded themselves in her side and with every tightening of his jaw, she screamed in pain, her blood pouring from her wounds and onto the floor – onto Sakura.
"The day I let you get my daughter is the day Hell freezes over." Her mother had then grasped Orochimaru by the head and twisted it, relishing in the sickening crunch of his neck. But in a cloud of smoke, the figure was gone and left behind was nothing more than a grey stump. Sakura remained motionless, useless and utterly mortified as her mother fell from the branch and limply dropped 600 feet to her death. No tragic last words. No last wishes. Just one fatal attempt to save her scared daughter.
Sakura didn't realise the tears spilling from her face until Orochimaru made a noise of utter glee, while brushing his lips against the base of her collarbone.
"You will heal my arms for me, Sakura. And you know why?" He moved backwards so his icy face was almost nose-to-nose with Sakura, whom was still staring at a blank spot on the floor, silent tears falling down her pale face.
"I can bring your parents back."
~*~
She knew what it was. The one way of torture that can even break some of the strongest shinobi down to nothing but a whimpering mess. Mental torture – better than any physical torture. Although the chakra drainer was doing its fair share of the physical part, the one thing Orochimaru had said to her – was it a day or a week ago? – still echoed in her troubled mind. Human revival was impossible. Any jutsu's that could have been made in order to bring back the dead would involve sacrificing one's life in order to do so. And even then, only the most talented, ancient medic-nin could invent such a thing and it was known that such shinobi don't exist anymore.
So why? Why would Orochimaru put such a ludicrous idea into her head, saying that he can bring back her parents, if it wasn't possible? Her head ached from thinking and her ears itched for any sound coming from outside the dark, murky walls. She wanted to ask the snake so many questions – how? Why? If? But she didn't know how long it had been since she had last seen him, whether or not she would ever see him. Kabuto had fed her one soldier pill per day and gave her water, but he had refused to speak. Had refused to meet her eyes.
Once again, the door to the cell opened and she didn't even bother looking up in hope. She knew that Orochimaru was not planning to talk to her, to even bother explaining anything to her. It was strange – how for so long, she wished never to look into those cold, golden eyes ever again and yet she found herself needing desperately to see them.
"He can do it. It's not a lie." Sakura looked up in surprise at Kabuto, who approached her swiftly with a soldier pill and drink in hand. She eyed him warily, yet inside she was burning with excitement and curiosity.
"You can't revive the dead. What makes him so special?" She hissed, although slightly softer than usual. Kabuto winced against her deadly tone and leant forwards, gesturing for her to eat the pill. She obliged reluctantly. She had never liked taking soldier pills – they lacked the vitamins and vital minerals that allowed your body to stay healthy. Yet she didn't really have a choice and so she continued to crunch on the salty pill.
She was surprised when Kabuto lifted a reassuring hand to the strands of hair in front of her face, before brushing them back behind her ear. It was even more surprising when she didn't find herself flinching away.
"In exchange for the use of his arms, he would gladly revive your parents." Kabuto whispered softly, if a little emotionlessly, before reaching up to make her drink the water. Sakura kept her jade eyes on Kabuto, never taking them away from his face. What had happened to that cynical, ferocious boy that had attempted to kill Naruto that one time while searching for Tsunade?
"But if he uses those arms to put other people's lives in danger, then the deal would be selfish on my part." She spoke after having drunk the water that she needed. "I won't revive him, so I can live happily ever after with my parents while he strolls around, wreaking havoc. My parents died in honourable combat, trying to protect me. Bringing them back would be unnatural and cruel." Sakura spoke evenly, but inside she felt like curling up into a ball and crying like a little child. Since Orochimaru had said he could bring her parents back, she had felt nothing but a strange mix of joy, excitement, horror and fear. She had looked forward to seeing them again, and under the harsh reality of what she had just said, she realised that she wouldn't.
Kabuto's face was once again, expressionless and he held the glass she had drunk from in both hands. His eyes shone with an emotion she couldn't place and the words he spoke next were so quiet, she had to stretch her senses in order to hear them.
"If that is the case, I'm sorry. I am so sorry." Before she could question exactly what he meant, he left hastily, leaving Sakura alone in the room and his words sticking to the darkness.
~*~
Sakura bit back another yelp as pain punctured her cheek, sending her slamming to the floor. Yes, her shackles had been removed. But only so that Orochimaru could have the satisfaction of watching her being slammed against the wall. Two bracelets occupied her wrists and she was unable to use any chakra. The only chakra that seemed to seep through her hands was the dark, malicious chakra that the snake had infused with her own. It was no use to her – it would only work on the foul beast in front of her.
"My darling Sakura, just how much can that fragile body take?" Orochimaru was leant against the wall, watching as a burly stranger dressed in a black, hooded cloak beat her senseless into the ground. Sakura pushed her sore hands into the cold floor, rising back onto her knees and spitting the blood that had emerged from her bottom lip, onto the floor. Wiping away the blood with the back of her hand, she rose back onto her feet and stood in a fighting stance. She knew it was no use – the machine that was eating her chakra was draining all of her energy alongside it.
Evading another punch, she ducked and swept her leg around to bring the attacker to the ground. It failed, however, as the hooded man had jumped to easily avoid it. There was no doubt that this man was a shinobi. No other man could have detected such a fast movement. She was sent towards the wall again and she groaned as she landed roughly on her long, bruised arm. There was no doubt that it was heavily bruised and she automatically sent chakra to her hands to heal it, only to remember her current situation. Cursing under her breath, she rose back to her feet with difficulty, while pondering how exactly it was that people lived without chakra.
"I won't heal your arms." She panted out breathlessly as she bent double, clutching her knees to hold her upright. Orochimaru's lips upturned at the corners.
"You will. There is two options here; you can be beaten to a pulp everyday for the rest of your pitiful life or you can heal my arms and live the rest of your life with your parents. Tell me, which one seems to be the most logical choice?" His hissing, snake-like tone irritated Sakura to no ends, causing her teeth to grit with annoyance. She had made her decision – she would refuse until she died or was rescued.
Rescue... The thought of it brought a painful stab to Sakura's heart. Since capture, she had avoided thinking of him as she knew it would bring nothing but false hope. Itachi. No doubt by now, Hidan and Itachi would have noticed her missing, but there was also the minute possibility that they had been killed. It was unlikely and something she definitely didn't want to think about.
Her internal clock had switched off and she had no idea how long she had been in the hands of Orochimaru. She wanted to believe that the Akatsuki would rescue her, bring her back to safety. But when she thought about it in context, she knew the painful truth. Akatsuki were in no need of a medic. The loss of her affected them ever-so-slightly, but it was nothing that wouldn't go amiss. The only reason she had been kept was for the simple reason that she and Itachi came as a pair, or that if they were in need of some hefty cash, they could pass her over to the Leaf Village for a ransom. She didn't want to think of rescue, because that would also mean having to think about being left to die.
Another wave of pain sent her doubling over onto the floor again and she clutched her stomach, retching into the ground. She had been breathing too heavily and the air that had been released after being punched in the stomach now exerted all at once.
"Childish refusal is not something I take interest in. Take the easy way out, kunoichi." Sakura's eyed widened in fear as Orochimaru's voice echoed in her ear, his cold breath skimming along her sweaty skin. "Your parents and you living happily again, side-by-side. Far away from the Leaf Village and danger of the shinobi world."
Despite her efforts, the life that she could have flashed before Sakura's eyes. It couldn't be helped – the amount of times she had dreamt about living a carefree life with her parents instead of the dangerous one she was in now, was way into the four-figures.
She screwed her eyes shut and pressed the heel of her palms against them, entwining her long fingers into her pink, matted locks.
"Stop it. It's not right." She shook her head to emphasize and ducked lower, keeping the hold on her face and hair tight. Orochimaru smirked in victory as he knew that his form of torture seemed to be having a more desired effect.
"Think about it Sakura; no fights, no war, no death. Just happy families and the warm, comforting arms of your mother." He moved forward again, being careful not to move his wounded arms. Sakura was silent as she removed her hands from her face, the matted pink hair covering her eyes.
"I'll tell you what I think.." she began in a sad, hurtful tone. Orochimaru's smile widened as he began to feel his success shoot through the roof. Sakura turned around on her knees, almost as if ready to bow in front of Orochimaru and said:
"I think you're nothing but a worthless, pile of shit."
Sakura lunged forwards and sank her teeth deep into Orochimaru's neck. He yelled in pain and fell backwards, unable to push her off as his arms were disabled.
"Get her off me, idiot!" He shouted at the hooded man. The hidden shinobi went to lift his foot, but it never arose from the floor. He began to struggle viciously.
"Remember when you tried doing this to Sasuke? Remember when you told him that he could be stronger if he only had faith in you? Well, I'm returning the favour." She sank her teeth deeper into the snake's neck, feeling her stomach bubble with intense nausea as the warm blood began to seep around her mouth. His yells echoed in the cell.
A jagged pain in her stomach sent her off of Orochimaru and back into the dusty, dark wall. She yelled as a snap echoed in the cell, her rib now obviously broken. Orochimaru flipped over onto his front and struggled onto his feet using only his head, biting back the yells of pain that he felt coursing through his neck, arms and legs.
"You pathetic girl. What have you done?" He hissed into the darkness, stumbling back onto his front once again. Even with the pain that ran through Sakura's body, she still managed to release a sharp laugh.
"After having someone else's chakra inside your body for long enough, you can use it to your own advantage. The one place in your body that doesn't have a barrier of skin – the mouth. The dark venom in your malicious chakra is like a poison that you should be able to withstand. But since there are fragments of mine in there, it's twice as painful." She gazed over to the squirming Orochimaru. "Rule Number 3 in the shinobi rules – A shinobi must see underneath the underneath. Isn't that right, Legendary Sannin?"
The load yell of frustration that Orochimaru let out satisfied Sakura and she was still smiling as he stumbled toward her after having finally rose to his feet. He wasn't worried about composure as he brought back his trembling legs to kick her broken rib with force. The high she had received from her victory quickly fell as blinding agony tore through her.
"I've had enough of your refusing and disobedience. Now I have no choice but to use excessive force." Orochimaru quickly fell to his knees so he could look into Sakura's torn expression. His neck was bleeding profusely and no doubt the poison was spreading throughout his body quickly. Sakura knew it was not enough to kill him, just weaken his senses after the first minute of excruciating pain. But it had been a show of her rebellious nature and she was glad that he would leave the room with a wound. He leant forward so his lips were almost brushing hers. She attempted to flick her head away, but Orochimaru's pale, sweaty forehead was pressed firmly against her own.
"You are fiery, ferocious and a staunch pain. I have told you once before and I will tell you again, we could have been a great team and-" Sakura's ears pricked up as a sound in the distance brought her attention away from the clammy lips in front of her and the drawling words from Orochimaru. It had sounded like an explosion. Hope ran through her for the quickest of seconds, before she remembered that they were in an underground room. It was surely common – sounds from up above - judging by the way Orochimaru hadn't sensed it.
"- your parents would have liked you working alongside another Legendary Sannin. Oh, the possibilities... your strength and healing abilities combined with my S-ranked jutsu-"
There it was again. The crashing. And was that... voices? Sakura lifted her bruised leg up, kicking Orochimaru square in the chin before hauling herself back to her feet. Orochimaru stood back to his full height and was screwing his face shut tightly. She knew that the kick had no effect on him whatsoever, but it had shocked him nonetheless. That was what she had needed.
"Your incessant attempts to hurt me are futile, Sakura." Orochimaru opened his eyes into narrow slits and Sakura switched her gaze between the snake and the door.
"I may have to shackle you up in order to gain some of that obedience back that you seemed to have with my dear assistant Kabuto." He took a step toward her and Sakura mirrored it backwards, as though he was a magnet repelling her. She knew there was no chance of escaping now – she would be tied back into those bindings and would remain Orochimaru's pet until she committed suicide. The hooded man had managed to release one of his feet from the invisible string of dark chakra that Sakura had managed to squeeze out before it was restrained and was working hard on unbinding the other one.
A familiar itching appeared in her stomach as she mirrored yet another step of Orochimaru's and she froze, knowing what would come next. This would be the start of her downfall.
The chakra contraption on her abdomen flared into life and she screamed in anguish, falling onto all fours. With her broken ribs and bruised muscles, it made the process a whole lot more painful. Orochimaru took one step forward, the look of triumph sadistically showing on his face as he watched Sakura scream.
"My Sakura. My pet. My blossom-"
The door to the cell suddenly exploded into fragments and Orochimaru flung around in surprise. The screams of Sakura died down and her arms trembled with the effort to keep herself up. She raised her dizzy eyes toward the doorway. A familiar, blonde-haired man stood in the shadow of the light, his hand still raised in the air.
"I believe that's my blossom, yeah?"
To Be Continued...
A/N: Okay, I'm being honest... I thought the ending was dodgy. And there is probably THOUSANDS of loopholes in this, but I don't really care. Sorry for the lack of Itachi, but I have a good idea for the next chapter and if I do it right, it might turn out pretty good. Umm, if there's any mistakes, could you point them out? I've been real lazy with this chapter and I'm sure there's gotta be a couple in there.
Got two weeks of mock exams now, so I may or may not have time to update. Depends how much feedback I get... ;D
Nah, revision must come before fanfiction!
...
I keep telling myself that, but somehow it never seems to stick. WELL, anyway, I have an idea for a new fanfic! It will be a ItaSaku and definitely a non-massacre-ish. Ha, now you're curious. ;) I think me and the whole 'action/mystery' thing don't work out. Loopholes, loopholes, loopholes...
Keep an eye out for it! I may just begin the first chapter before I finish this!
Review, tell me if you like how it's going and OH, I'm sorry Kabuto is WAAAY out of character. I'll explain why later.
Flames appreciated maybe even more than reviews. Okay, I didn't mean that, but I would LOVE them anyway. Okay? That's this obscenely long authors note finished.
Cylinder - out.
