Syaoran returned a little later than expected that night. Sakura was in bed when he entered, though she wasn't yet asleep.
She looked over as he set his things on the table and held her pillow to her chest as she sat up.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Sorry-it took a while to sort things out. I didn't think it would take so long." He murmured.
"Did something go wrong?" she asked.
"Yes, you could say that." He sighed. "The prisoner we were supposed to be talking to killed himself."
"I see." She murmured.
"Here," Syaoran walked over to her and handed her a small jar. "I wasn't entirely sure what to get you." He confessed.
She smiled, "Thank you."
He returned her smile and then moved to get undressed before slipping in beside her. Then, after dousing the lights, they eventually fell asleep.

…

Sakura felt incredibly relaxed once she was back working in the medical tent. As weird as it sounded, it was a place of comfort. She rushed about, filling in orders for medicine and helping tend to patients. The end of the day came fast, and she fell asleep quickly that night, waking in the morning to assist with packing up camp.

…

After a few days of travelling, they set up camp by a small lake. Sakura assisted the medical team as per usual and was making her way back to her tent went she spotted several prisoners being led into the black tent. Syaoran was speaking with one of the soldiers outside the tent and soon headed into the tent.

She bit her lip.

She knew she wasn't allowed to go near the tent, but curiosity got the better of her. She made her way around the back, making sure she wasn't spotted, and crouched low.
A shout of pain sounded, and Sakura clenched her fists in the skirts of her dress.
"She still won't talk. The barriers in her mind are strong as well."
Syaoran sighed. "Keep trying. We need to know why they want Sakura."
"Well, we're confident she knows something."
"Good."
Sakura bit her lip. What could they know?
There was another whimper of pain.
"Don't hold back." Syaoran ordered.
"Yes, sir."

Something rustled nearby, and Sakura looked up, seeing a rabbit run into the bushes. She swallowed. For a moment she thought she'd been caught.

"Why are you after Sakura?" Syaoran asked. "You won't be killed if you give us the information we want."
A low laugh sounded. It wasn't from the woman they seemed to be interrogating, but rather a man.
"You're wasting your time. She won't talk-not about that girl, anyway."
"You're familiar with Sakura?" Syaoran murmured.

Sakura felt she remembered that voice from somewhere but couldn't remember who it belonged to. She had been beaten and abused by many in her time held captive, some she remembered more than others.

"You could say that," the prisoner replied. "That girl is just a tool for us all to use."
"Interesting you should say that when you're the one who wanted her off your hands. Very interesting indeed." Syaoran murmured.

Sakura recognised the voice now. It was the leader of her former village.

"Keep working on her."
"Yes sir."

There were more whimpers of pain and Sakura flinched, remembering her own experiences of being tortured, but she hardly felt any sympathy for those in the tent.

"Trying to break into her mind is taking too long. Its been days. I don't really want to resort to this, but they are married..." Syaoran sighed.
"You think it'll work?" The soldier asked.
"We should try."

She heard them shifting around and she wondered what they were about to do. If it wasn't anything to do with sexual assault, she didn't care what methods of torture they used. As far as she was concerned, they deserved whatever they got.

"What are you doing?" The woman whimpered. "No, stop-!"
She heard something piercing skin and the man shouted in pain.

Sakura guessed from Syaoran's earlier comment that they were torturing the former leader in front of the woman to get the information from them.

"He'll die if you don't talk." Syaoran murmured. "So, what is it about her?"
"Please, stop..."
Sakura smiled bitterly. Begging wouldn't help.
Another shout of pain and the woman started sobbing.
It continued for a while.
Sakura didn't realise the sun had completely set.
"Will you talk, or will you let this go on?" Syaoran asked coldly.
"I'll tell you-I'll tell you, so please stop hurting him." The woman sobbed.
"Speak." Syaoran growled.
"They want her body-"

Sakura shuddered. Her body?

"Why? What's so special about her?" Syaoran asked.
"Something about her being able to store magic-"
The woman's words were cut off and a horrible gurgling sound followed.
"What do we do now?" the soldier asked.
"Wonder what they used to kill her?" Syaoran murmured. "That will do for tonight-I doubt we'll get much out of him."
"Alright."
"Have a medic come and clear this up." Syaoran added, "I have one more matter to tend to this evening."

She heard him leave the tent and she suddenly felt dread. It was well past sundown and she wasn't back at their tent.
Sakura moved carefully and quietly as she attempted not to be seen. She froze and ducked behind some crates as she heard footsteps.
Syaoran appeared around the corner and looked down at her. "Thought you were around here." He sighed.
She sighed and stood up.
"I thought I told you not to come near here?" he said.
"You did," she mumbled, "Curiosity got the better of me."
He sighed, "Let's talk about this elsewhere."

Sakura followed him back to their tent, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. He lit the lamps and removed his weapons from his belt.
"Have a seat," he murmured.
She did so, and he soon joined her at the table.
"I...I'm sorry for disobeying you." She said quietly.
"Are you disgusted?" he asked.
She looked up and saw he was staring at the table. She sighed softly, "Honestly, no..."
"I'm surprised." He murmured, "Considering what you went through."
Sakura smiled bitterly. "After what they did to me, give them hell."
Syaoran looked surprised. Then, his expression softened. "You said something similar once when I told you we were going to be destroying a few villages." He murmured.
"It's funny what being locked up and tortured for seven years can do to you." She replied.
"I can't believe you aren't bothered at all by this." He said.
She smiled, "Don't worry."
He sighed and decided to drop the subject. "Very well then."

"What do you think they meant by wanting my body...?" she shuddered and felt ill at the very thought of what they might want to do to her.
"The woman said that it had something to do with your ability to store magic power. Do you know anything about this?" he asked.
Sakura shook her head, "All I know about my magic is everything I've figured out on my own during the time I was held captive." She whispered. "They don't let you study anything about magic in that country. It's like some kind of taboo."
"Interesting that they would know so much about you then." He sighed. "Unless, of course, they figured it all out like you did."
"So... the experiments on me...?" she whispered, her body starting to shake uncontrollably.
He reached out for her, "I don't know. Possibly." He said as he stood and stepped closer to her.
She immediately started to feel calm with his touch.
"I don't know much about your magic," he said, "It would help if you'd-"
"Please, stop." She whispered.
Syaoran sighed heavily. "Alright,"
He held her as she started to sob, her body trembling, and put the entirety if the topic to rest.

Sleep that night wasn't so welcoming. Sakura tossed and turned, whimpered and pleaded for her abusers in her dreams to stop.
She jolted awake, looking around the tent in a state of disorientation. When she recognised where she was, she released a sigh of relief. She felt dreadful.
Her mind was scattered, and she struggled to make sense of it. She felt exhausted and her skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
She pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees.
It was nights like this she wished she couldn't remember.
Sakura hated how her mind tormented her, of how the memories of what they did to her kept her awake.

Syaoran shifted beside her and rolled over to face her.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly.
"No." She whispered.
He sat up and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Sakura lifted her head, "It feels like there's nowhere I can go where I can feel at peace. My mind torments me when I'm awake and it torments me when I'm asleep. I'm so tired of it," she whispered, "When will it stop?"
"I'm not sure." He murmured.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Do you ever get nightmares?"
"Yes, I do, from time to time." He answered honestly. "Usually of the time my dad died, and sometimes about the people I've killed."
"How do you deal with it?" She asked.
"Sometimes I try to read to take my mind off it. I've also found that talking about it can help a little too." He replied softly.
Sakura leant into his hold.
"It will get better, I promise." Syaoran said.

I wasn't kidding when I said it was short! (Laughs)