At the sound of her teammate's scream, Sakura sprang from her sleeping bag as quickly as possible. Her body was tense, as her emerald eyes searched for a threat.
She immediately noticed black clothed figures attacking her group. They were covered from head to toe in black garb that concealed their identities. They had no identifying features, not even a forehead protector that would establish what village they were from.
One of the figures came close to Sakura, focusing on a teammate next to her. The dark figure swiped at the nearby Konoha medic, who dodged the attack, albeit unsteadily. Sakura quickly moved forward and intercepted the enemy shinobi before he could make another move. Focusing her chakra into her right fist, she punched forward, sending the dark intruder backwards with enough force that they blasted through several tree trunks to land on the ground, unmoving.
The pink kunoichi had no time to think or recover as another enemy came at her, shooting senbon in her direction. She avoided the needles as she pushed her chakra into her foot and stomped down. The directed energy force caused the ground to create a spider web like instability and the dark ninja was thrown off guard by the shifting floor.
The move gave her time, so she began to make hand symbols for a devastating Earth release, when suddenly her limbs were paralyzed. Rough, vine like tendrils began creeping up her arms and legs, preventing her from any further movement.
Sakura struggled against them, but the tendrils were solid in their hold. 'No, no, no!' She thought as they pulled her further backwards, away from her group and into the darkness of the forest. Her eyes were wild as a sharp pain struck her arm and she looked toward the source, registering the senbon embedded in her skin.
Panic and anger flooded her mind before, soon, all she saw was black.
Gasping, the pink haired kunoichi stirred awake. Pain shot through her body from the slight movement causing her to clench her teeth. Her eye lids felt heavy as she tried to take in her surroundings.
She was laying on her side on a cold, damp floor. Her wrists and legs were bound together by what felt like scratchy metal chains. It was so dark that she could not see anything but never-ending blackness. She quickly did an internal scan for injuries, noting a trail of dried blood on the side of her face.
How long had she been here? Where was her team? She tried to push her chakra out into the darkness but realized that it was being restricted somehow. Anxiety rose up to seize her throat, but she quickly tried force it down with a deep, steady breath. It didn't really help... Ugh, she had to focus! Fear would not help her. She was a strong, capable kunoichi… or so she told herself.
Her little internal pep talk stilled as she heard someone, or something move in the darkness.
Even with her senses being restricted, Sakura could feel this thing's presence. The aura around them seemed to engulf her petite form, bringing about a feeling of slight suffocation. Sakura felt it's aura become almost unbearable as the figure was surely coming towards her. All she could do was hold her breath.
It stopped abruptly and she could feel the energy seem to insufferably focus upon her. She tried not to squirm and continued to hold her breath even though her lungs were screaming at her.
A voice broke through the tense silence, "Get up." It was deep, commanding and undeniably male.
Sakura attempted to stand and was surprised when she could. She felt extremely weak and swayed in her stance. The rough tendrils from before circled her arms to steady her. Starting to walk forward, the pink haired kunoichi gasped as she was quickly pulled toward the obscured individual and thrust into a nausea inducing whirlwind.
Holding in a shriek, Sakura willed her eyes to open as she materialized into a bright room. Before her eyes could even adjust to her surroundings, the pinkette was violently pushed, causing her to painfully land on her knees. She cursed at her weakened state. Her stomach rolled as she bit back some bile that rushed up her throat.
Peering around her person, she noted that she was in some sort of council room and she was being watched by several pairs of eyes. They looked at her as if she were a strange bacterium on a slide under a microscope, curious while also disturbed.
As the silence rang on, Sakura stayed there on her knees, attempting to discreetly gather information about her current location. Most of the council members had turban like head coverings on, with a piece that draped over the back of their necks. Their ages seemed to range from a few years her senior to almost ancient.
But if she had not figured out where she was from the appearance of the people around her, the giant symbol on the wall to her right was the only clue she needed… Sunagakure. She was in the desert village surrounded by a grueling hot sun and dry sand for as far as the eye could see.
Why would Sunagakure kidnap her? Did they kill her teammates and are going to use her to send a message to Konoha? Had her and her teammates unknowingly camped in Suna's territory? No, they had been far from where Suna claimed land and they had scouted the area before settling there for the night. They hadn't come across any enemies.
There was no question that the Sand and Leaf villages were not on friendly terms. They had been enemies since before Sakura was born, but now, the reason why was escaping her. She had been raised with a certain opinion about the Desert village and it's people. She was told stories about how ruthless the Suna shinobi were, taking people down without even an explanation. Leaving their victims in the desert to die from starvation while covered in their own wastes. Not to mention "The Desert Kaiju", Suna's deadliest weapon. She had never seen it herself, but it was the kind of thing whispered about over a campfire in the dark woods late at night. A large, sand like monster that only existed to kill. She wondered now where they kept the beast. Had it been in the dark with her earlier? The pinkette suppressed a shiver at the thought.
Finally, a man with small eyes spoke, "You must be rather confused."
Sakura just glared at the man. Thanks, captain obvious.
Unperturbed, the man continued, "We've brought you here because we felt we had no choice. Our village is in dire trouble."
The pinkette's eyebrows raised at his omission, "What kind of trouble?" She quickly realized how dry her throat was making her voice hoarser than usual.
"We believe some kind of strange, lethal disease has infected our village—"
"And you thought that attacking my teammates and kidnapping me would get me to help you?!", Her anger was felt like a whip on bare skin.
Another individual immediately snapped, "How dare you interrupt a superior, Leaf trash! Are you so stupid as to not realize who is in the position of power here?!", hatred shooting out of his eyes like kunai. Sakura glared back at him with equal reproach.
"Joseki, please, let me handle this." The man with small eyes spoke calmly, not wanting this situation to get out of hand. They needed the Konoha kunoichi on their side.
The hateful laser eyed man, Joseki she presumed, hmphed and looked away from her.
"Rest assured that we did not kill any of your teammates. We just disabled them long enough to bring you here."
"And how can I trust your words? You are an enemy to Konoha. Why should I believe anything you say!? And what if I refuse to help you?" Sakura was furious but she did hope that his words were true.
"... Honestly, you have no choice." The small eyed man stated plainly. The pinkette looked down at the ground, feeling like a deflated balloon. She was at the disadvantage here. If she even attempted to escape, they could catch or kill her quickly. She had never been inside Suna's walls, had no idea where she was or the layout of the village. She was also injured, and her chakra was being restrained… but none of those things meant that she had to be friendly. They obviously needed her alive so she figured she could push the boundaries a little.
Sakura sighed, her irritation not even slightly concealed, "What exactly do you want me to do?"
Eager to get to the heart of the matter, the man quickly began explaining what they knew and wanted from her. Suna had encountered a terrible disease that was wreaking havoc on the population and they didn't have the medical knowledge or skills to combat it. People were suffering and dying at an alarming rate. Children and elders too.
The heart on Sakura's sleave cried out. She felt compelled to help, especially with innocents involved.
"I am merely an unqualified government official, so I won't be going into the specifics of the disease with you. You will meet our Head medical officer tomorrow for that information. For now, you will be taken to your designated room to rest."
Her 'designated room'? She hoped he didn't mean the dark dungeon that she recently came out of.
"You will be supervised at all times." Stated Joseki, smugly. He looked behind her with a sinister smirk, "Gaara will watch you. So, I would be on my best behavior if I were you, weed girl."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at the man. 'Weed girl'!? Ugh. She really didn't like him. She peered behind her to see this Gaara person and immediately lost all train of rational thought. Her eyes drank in the sight of a lean man with tanned skin that stretched over the defined muscles of his exposed arms and dark red, unruly hair. He was currently looking down but as her eyes settled on him, he glanced up and they locked eyes.
Bright, sea foam green eyes captured her emeralds causing her to struggle to keep her expression neutral. He was devastatingly gorgeous, but in an unconventional way. He looked almost cruel, the angles of his face a bit too harsh.
A council member addressed the man that was to be her keeper and their connection was broken. Thank Kami! What was she thinking, ogling a Suna shinobi while she was their prisoner!? It must be the exhaustion and stress, she thought with comfort.
"Gaara, we are done here."
Before she even had time to consider her mental health and what was happening, the dreaded whirlwind was back, and she was transported out of the council room.
She materialized alone in a room with a bed and dresser. The room had marron and beige walls with gold trimmings along the edges and ceiling. A few elaborate paintings adorned the walls and some expensive looking vases sat on the dresser. She walked over to the bed and marveled at the soft texture of the comforter. Too bad she was in enemy territory… otherwise she would relish staying in such a luxurious room.
She went over to inspect the only window. Sure enough, there was an obvious sensory seal around the perimeter. She wasn't surprised in the least but the seal did bring a frown to her lips.
After the window, Sakura tried the door behind her to find it locked. Normally, a locked door would be only a minor inconvenience to the kunoichi, but without her chakra enhanced strength it was an insurmountable obstacle. That still didn't stop her from almost bruising her shoulder as she threw herself at the large wooden door a few times. Unfortunately, it barely budged.
She headed to the other door in the room and discovered a large bathroom with two sinks and a jacuzzi like tub. Her body ached and she seemed to become more aware of the dirt and blood on her skin than she was before.
The man said she was supposed to rest. She obviously could not escape so she might as well take a dip in the deep tub, right? It's not like she would betray Konoha by relaxing in an enemy's bath when she had no choice.
Making up her mind, the pinkette started running the bath water and striped from her clothing. She examined her body as she took off her clothes, looking for any major injuries. She examined the cut on her forehead and the trail of dried blood. Head injuries always bled like they were serious even when they weren't. Wiping off the blood in the sink, she was relieved to find the injury to be relatively superficial. Feeling satisfied with her inspection of her person, she went back to the bathtub. She sighed as she fully immersed herself in the warm, comforting water and tilted her head back.
Rubbing her skin clean, Sakura knew she had to figure out a way out of here. Or at least communicate with Konoha somehow. Even if Suna was suffering and needed her help, she knew that she would never be safe within their walls. And once they got what they needed, then what would become of her? What if Konoha never knew she was there? Then they could kill her and potentially get away with it. Sakura chewed on her bottom lip at the thought.
And what about the red headed man? Gaara, they had called him. He was supposed to supervise her… What did that entail exactly? Clearly, he wasn't going to be with her all the time… Suddenly, she felt self-conscious and sunk deeper into the tub water. Was he watching her right now somehow?! Glancing around, she certainly appeared to alone. The pinkette shook off the uncomfortable feeling and settled her head back again.
She had to get in touch with Konoha through whatever means necessary.
Ahhgg. Writing a story is much harder than I thought! I have looked at this chapter over and over and I don't really like it but whatever. I'm just trying this fanfiction thing out so I'm going to try not to be a perfectionist about it.
Please review and critique. Share any ideas at where you think this plot may be going.
Thanks for reading!