Thank you to: MySoulIsYoursTakeIt, Little-bad-Angel, TeamTHEFT, S. Hatake, Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja and anonymous for reviewing, you guys are the greatest!

Chapter 21

"What did you think about the class then?" Kakashi asked as they slowly strolled back up to the house hand in hand. "Wanna keep going?"

"Yes," Sakura grinned ecstatically, the happiest that Kakashi had seen her since they had arrived. "It was awesome, and not just to see you naked."

Kakashi chuckled and pulled her close, She was completely herself again, if only slightly bolder. Then again, she always had been slightly lax in controlling what she said around him.

"Sak, you don't have to draw me to see me naked." He drawled, and Sakura blushed again. She'd been doing that a hell of a lot around him lately and he liked the dusting of pink on her. Of course, he preferred it when she wasn't in henge, but the mere fact that it was Sakura was good enough. She struggled with a response for a while before he laughed under his breath and took mercy on her. "Want to go grab something to eat?"

Sakura turned towards the café that he gestured towards and immediately felt slightly giddy. It was a cute, delicate looking place suited to posh old ladies and new couples who wanted their surroundings to reflect the way they felt. It was the kind of place where she as a hardened ninja felt that she didn't belong and shouldn't want to, but she secretly did anyway.

"Yes," She squeaked out and half dragged Kakashi over there grinning like a small child. As per usual for them, they immediately went on search for the loneliest corner possible, which ended with them on a table for two that was a little smaller than the others, forcing their legs close together. There was less than an inch between their legs as it was, and if one of them were to shift slightly then their legs would be resting together. Kakashi noticed this, as well as the slightly embarrassed Sakura, and immediately took advantage, sliding one of his legs between hers, but not moving too close yet. Small kisses and cuddles they had done more than he could count, but he wasn't sure how she might react to anything else, particularly in public.

Although it was a slight shock to have Kakashi's leg somewhere so close to being intimate, Sakura found that it was actually quite pleasant, and subconsciously rubbed her own against it slightly as she lifted up the menu that a passing waitress had placed on the table.

Sakura let out a small gasp of surprise as her eyes focused on a single item on the menu, and Kakashi lifted his head to smile quizzically at her happy expression.

"What is it?" He asked curiously, his own eyes returning to his own menu to search for what had prompted such a response from her. Sakura giggled, slightly giddily, knowing that he would not find it. He carried on looking until the waitress came to take their order.

"Apricot and banana pie please!" Sakura ordered excitedly, her expression a whole type of happy that Kakashi had never seen before.

"Ah, - same please." He ordered baffled as the rotund brunette turned to him. Sakura beamed as the woman left, taking away their menus.

"What's with apricot and banana then, Sakura?"

She smiled softly now, the excitement in her eyes fading into a quiet calmness that looked fitting, but at the same time slightly out of place on her.

"My mother used to make it when I was small. I don't remember much about my parents, but I remember that. She only made it when she was happy or when she wanted to cheer me up. I helped her sometimes. It was something that we did together..." Sakura leant forwards slightly, resting her hands in her lap. Her gaze was directed down to the table but every few seconds or so it would flick up to meet his. She was leaning but not hunched over; she was entirely relaxed.

Unsure of what to say, Kakashi reached under the table for her hand and wrapped both of his around it firmly, using his fingertips to caress the skin until their plates arrived.

"As good as you remember?"

"Almost?" Sakura replied sadly. "My mum always drizzled honey on the top and made a flower out of spare banana and apricots. It's probably just the presentation, but it's just not the same you know?"

Kakashi smiled knowingly and nodded. When the waitress came back a little while later with the check he asked how much of the pie they had left.

"Um… nine slices?" She replied unsurely.

"We'll take them," Kakashi grinned again. "And do you have any spare bananas and apricots?"

"Um, I'll go check." She rushed off again, and when Kakashi and Sakura left about 15 minutes later, it was with 10 slices (apparently the waitress had wanted to keep one for herself) but unfortunately no spare bananas or apricots.

The cool late-evening breeze hit them gently and Kakashi sighed. "I suppose we'd better be heading back."

Sakura nodded, and Kakashi noted, even as they turned away from the town, left the small buzz of people, and walked through that tall door, the small smile on Sakura's face didn't fade.

888

"Hm hm hm, hm hhhmmmmm" Sakura hummed as she cleaned a small, intricate black table that stood in the hallway. She had opened all of the curtains here as well, as she couldn't see any reason why these ones ought to be closed.

This was something that occupied her time when she was in a completely tranquil mood, much like cooking. She had the area to herself, as she often did, and in her recent calm state she felt comfortable being out here. No one was out here, so there was no point in her constantly hiding, or sneaking around, afraid. She was absolutely fine here.

"Hmm hm hmmmm… and if I told you I loved you…."

Thud!

"Would it make you wanna stayyyy? I'm sorry for the way…"

Thud.

"I make you feel day after day…."

Thud.

"It's nice to hear a girl sing."

Sakura froze, dropping the cloth onto the surface momentarily before picking it up and continuing, happy that she had her back to the man and he couldn't see her response. She finished polishing the surface, and moved down to reach the legs, feeling slightly vulnerable and wary of her position, forcing her body to remain lax as she waited for the man to leave.

He would leave…

She felt rather than heard him moving closer to her; he moved silently.

Stalking the prey.

"Huhhhh," Sakura fought to keep her breathing inaudible; she didn't want to encourage him, she wanted him to leave. But her gasps were getting louder as panic hit and soon enough she stopped polishing, certain that he could hear her. Hell, he'd have to be deaf not to hear her. She couldn't help it, and didn't dare to turn around. How close was he? Too close?

Sakura felt her skin turn clammy and cold, a brutal frozen fear smashing over her body like ice and leaving her weak and afraid. It hurt, she as shaking, she was hurt already! Why couldn't he leave her alone?

She made to turn around, only to find strong hands gripping her hips and hindering her movement, caging her in, seemingly oblivious to her frightened attempt to push them off.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Ah,… uh." Sakura let out small gasps of words, unable to make the syllables form properly. She could hear her heart pounding, made only worse by the fact that he could too, that he was trained as she had been, that he could smell her fear.

That that excited him.

His rough hands trailed inwards to push up her stomach, disgust trailing up with it to linger in her throat and eyes, and if it weren't for the dry feel that her mouth currently held she might've been sick.

'At least that might make him leave us alone…'

"Please don't!" Sobs wracked her body in inelegant uncontrollable waves. "I-" She stopped trying to talk, but the crying stayed, silent now and she looked at her, at how vulnerable she was, at how much she needed her.

She stayed like this until it was over, until he left, until crying was all that was left for both of them.

"I'll stay for you." She whispered. "And one day, I'll be strong enough for us to leave."

Sakura shook, her fingers fumbling again as she tried to pry his hands off of her. She knew it wouldn't work. He was a ninja, he was stronger than her. She couldn't use chakra.

"Please stop!"

"Please stop!"

She gasped out the words, amazed that she'd even managed that much. It was like she didn't exist, that this was someone else's body and she was just feeling it. Her presence had no effect on the events.

Nothing would effect the coming events.

One hand grabbed her right breast, rougher than Torao had ever been, and now she really knew the difference. His hand crushed in like a claw, tearing into the delicate flesh and sending a piercing pain through her. It was like a deep tear and sting, like someone had cut her open and probed the wound violently with stinging nettles. It felt wrong. It hurt, violated, she couldn't stop him-…

She felt the other hand slide into her trousers without preamble and grip her harshly through her panties, squeezing, nails digging in in the same way that they were on her chest. She could feel that familiar, foreign control rush over, providing a strength that made her feel power in parallel to her vulnerability. She could hurt him, she could make him scream.

She could kill him.

Without thought her chakra tried to break the bindings that she herself had put on it, expanding in the little space that it had, moulding perfectly to how she desperately wanted to use it. How she desperately wanted to use it to hurt him, to free herself, to protect herself.

'No!'

She had to focus on the mission, she couldn't just blow everything now. She had to help them…

"I'll stay for you." She whispered. "And one day, I'll be strong enough for us to leave."

She could do that too, because she had to, and because no one deserved to live with this. She would have to let him hurt her, so that she could stop him from hurting the others.

As these thought washed over her, she was met with an inane sense of calm. She knew she shouldn't be, and yet she now was.

Because it was her choice.

She didn't have to force herself not to react now. She felt but didn't feel him pushing her underwear aside and slamming his fingers inside her. She heard but didn't hear his laughter as he pushed and pulled her body around like a puppet. Only a small part of her noted with fear the sound of him pulling down a zipper.

All of her noticed a familiar chakra entering the room at the same time as his body was removed from her. All of her recognised the outraged roar that followed.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Kakashi shook the man, smacking his head repeatedly against the wall before pulling back a fist, meeting the man's face with a sick, satisfying crunch as boned shattered and blood poured out. He drew back again, and the man cried out, blood pouring from his mouth as the next punch landed his groin.

Then Kakashi dropped him, his attacks now hitting everywhere, a kick forcing the man to be airborne momentarily before he hit the wall.

"Touch her again and I'll fucking kill you."

The man was left bleeding, broken and crying, but as Kakashi lifted Sakura into his arms and held her close, neither of them could feel any remorse, and he carried her to their room silently, neither of them looking back.

Some people deserved to hurt.

Some people deserved to die.

A/N - Over a week, again :L In my defence, this was supposed to be up on Friday, but I only finished it now. Because I am occasionally a busy bee! I shall try to have another chapter up on Tuesday, and it should definitely be nicer than this one… *wink wink*

Aaaaaaaaand… I have over 50 reviews! Thank you guys! ^.^

S. Hatake - Thank you very much for the lovely review! *hug*

MySoulIsYoursTakeIt - Same :L I have tactfully (kinda) managed to avoid most swimming lessons in the last few years, so God knows how I would be if I had to get naked :L Probably very grumpy and I might have an odd dissappearence…

LittleBadAngel - Hahaaa, neither do I if I'm honest, but it seemed like a good idea :P If I ever actually come across one I'll probably pee myself laughing :L My art group isn't even really trusted with partial nudity for our GCSE's. We're that immature :L

Akatsuki'sBloodyNekoNinja - Thank you for your review, and I'm happy that you like it! ^.^

Team THEFT - Haha, thanks for the review, and good luck with both the trip to France and finding employment! (Finding a job seems to be a real bitch at the moment!)

Some helpful person who did not give me their name - I know I allow anonymous reviews, but a name is nice! :L Thank you for your review, and those are points that I have considered. I have actually considered deleting the first few chapters - they only really make sense when paired with some later chapters. I know that I missed off the ages, and I put a list in in chapter 10 (?). I thought about explaining the bell test fully, but that is going to be a part of a later chapter as I didn't want Sakura's power to be too obvious from the start. I think that that would spoil her character and at times her innocence and naivety. Torao's role comes in more in chapters after that and especially if we compare him to Kakashi. Thank you for your well thought out, balanced review.

Oh, and also, there will be the chapter of Sakura's parents very soon, and then all the suspense will be over :P

Reviews are love guys! Hit that little button ;)

Kashi-Cookie-Monster

xxx