Just Call Me Cinderella
Chapter Thirteen
Shrill laughter echoed down the hallway as Sakura sneaked into the bathroom and locked the door. Kimiko and Daisy's words still echoed in her head.
"Have you seen Hinata? That girl has WAY too much on top."
"No kidding. Someday she'll trip and accidentally suffocate Naruto."
"At least she has something. Sakura will be lucky if she can get a man at all."
"Like that would happen. She's so weird looking. Who has natural pink hair? Not to mention, she's also flatter than a board."
"Any man would walk away instantly."
Sakura didn't try to fight the tears this time. They were tears of sadness instead of anger. All day Kimiko and Daisy gave her crap and she knew it was because she had messed up again. She had gotten too close to the Uchihas. The picture on Sasuke's phone had proven as much. Why was she so stupid?
The voices grew louder and Sakura held her breath so they wouldn't hear her behind the door as they passed. She didn't want them to see her be anything but strong.
"So, Madara made out with me last night."
Kimiko giggled at Daisy's revelation. Sakura's eyes widened. Daisy had made out with Madara? Wow, that girl moved very fast.
"Yeah it was hot and I thought maybe it would go farther but he stopped us and told me to come back tonight."
"You are so lucky. I thought getting Shisui was going to be a dream but apparently he's been talking to someone at school and they're getting pretty serious. He's also always with Itachi and his girlfriend. Whatever her name is." Kimiko's distaste was palpable.
"Ugh, don't remind me. At least she's going to be here tomorrow so we can determine if he made a good choice or not."
Sakura clenched her fist. How dare these women think they have any sort of say in who Itachi dates.
"Yeah, I mean at least Sasuke has good taste. That is if he keeps dating Karin. If he goes for that slut Sakura we'll know that he's lost all ability to think properly."
Kimiko burst out into loud, raucous laughter and soon Daisy joined her. They continued towards the front of the house yelling and laughing about what a slut Sakura was and how wide her forehead was.
Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath and made her way out of the bathroom. She looked up and down the hallway then walked out to make her way upstairs to check in on Rin and Obito.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kimiko was suddenly standing right in front of Sakura. She was several inches taller than Sakura so she stared down at her imposingly. Sakura couldn't move anywhere.
"I was going to see if Obito and Rin need anything tonight."
"I'm afraid we cant let you do that." Daisy appeared to Sakura's right with what looked like a pot of boiling water. Sakura's eyes widened and she tried to back away. What were they planning to do with that? Were they planning on hurting her? These women were insane.
"Why are you doing this? I didn't do anything to you." Sakura put her arms up but Kimiko grabbed them harshly and pulled them down. She grabbed part of Sakura's dress and ripped it. Sakura gasped as Daisy joined in and the two of them ripped her maids outfit to shreds while slowly backing her somewhere she didn't know.
"Didn't you though? You've been making moves on the Uchihas since the moment you got in this house. We've worked for years trying to find the right moment to make a move. The Uchihas are ours and if we can't have them we certainly are not going to let someone as ugly and revolting as emyou/em have them."
Daisy tossed the pot of water on Sakura and she screamed in agony. The water hit her chest and left arm, burning her skin. Sakura's skin was already turning a nasty shade of red and beginning to blister. She tried to move her right arm to cover the painful spot but Kimiko grabbed her wrist and squeezed with all her might.
"This is to remind you of your place Cinderella."
With that Kimiko threw Sakura by her wrist and she landed among flour sacks and other random food items. She was in the storage room. It was a room that was only used for big family functions and to receive deliveries of food. There was a layer of dirt on the floor from the constant in and out of the various cooks and delivery men.
Sakura shivered as she hit the floor. It was freezing in here and with her shredded clothes and burnt skin the temperature felt like she had been thrown straight into a snow drift. Visions of the little match girl flashed in her mind and she moved to run at the door but with the impact of the fall her ankle was definitely sprained.
Daisy laughed as she slammed the door shut and locked it. "Sleep well Cinderella."
Sakura pounded on the door and screamed out help with all her might but she was in the very bottom of the house where people barely went. All of the guests would be settling down for the night and the maids would be helping them. Sakura sank to the floor and felt around in her ripped pockets for her phone. Of course she had dropped it while they were ripping at her uniform.
Her arm started to hurt badly and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult in the chill of the room and the burnt skin of her chest. Sakura cried. She could not believe that this had happened to her. It was something straight out of a fairy tale to be treated so terribly. She pulled her legs closer to her chest for warmth but then regretted it the moment her knees made contact with her burnt flesh.
No one was going to find her until they started preparing the meal for Thanksgiving tomorrow. That was several hours from now and Sakura wasn't sure she was going to be able to make until then. Her body hurt like never before and she couldn't stop shivering.
Sakura looked down at the mauled skin before her. Her arm was covered in red and brown patches and her chest was just one big patch of ugly skin. Her tears increased this time. Who would want to look at her in this state? Who would find this beautiful? Sure she wasn't really hoping to date at the moment but no one would want to see her after this. No one would think she was beautiful.
Especially not someone like Sasuke who was so perfect and had seen nothing but perfect women. Kimiko and Daisy had made sure that Sakura was going to be scarred for the rest of her life.
Sakura's tears turned into sobs and soon she was hyperventilating because of the pain in her chest. She tried to calm down her breathing but it became more and more difficult.
Eventually she was able to calm down just enough to stop crying but her energy was spent. Sakura laid down as gently as possible on her right arm and against a flour bag and somehow fell asleep.
Sakura's chest had never felt so heavy in her life and the pain emanating from her left arm was unbearable. But she was warmer than she had remembered being the last time she was awake. Sakura carefully opened her eyes to see her chest wrapped in several white bandages. Her arm was in a similar state and she was in a comfortable bed in what looked like a pink room. Where were there pink rooms?
She tried her best to look around but it was getting harder to breath. She took a big, gasping breath and gentle arms helped her sit up a bit. She was able to breath more freely and finally look around at the room.
The gentle hands belonged to Rin who was looking worriedly at Sakura. Sakura was in the hospital she assumed but she had never seen this part of the hospital in her various tours.
"Is this the hospital?" She croaked out.
"This is the Uchiha private hospital."
"Oh." Sakura didn't know there was such a thing. They really were wealthy. "What happened?"
"That's what I'm wondering." Obito materialized next to Rin and took a seat. Both of them looked beyond concerned and Sakura couldn't help but feel like her parents were scolding her for something. "You never came to check on us last night so we reported to Mei to see if you were sick or something. Apparently no one had seen you since that morning. We looked all around for you but found nothing. At five thirty this morning the cook screamed bloody murder. We all immediately ran downstairs to see what had happened. There you were asleep, barely breathing, covered in the worst burns we've ever seen and ripped clothing. So, what exactly happened?"
Obito asked gently as he leaned forward but there was a look in his eyes that said he was going to find who did this and rip them to shreds. Sakura averted her eyes to the wall in front of her and tried to move her arm. She could but there was a shooting pain that threatened to make tears fall out of her eyes.
"I was in the kitchen and I happened to accidentally knock over a pot of water I was using to make some noodles. I walked to the storage room to see if there were any bandages and somehow got locked in."
"And your ripped clothes?" Rin was angry. Her brows were furrowed and she folded her arms.
"Got caught on something when I got surprised by the pot." She could tell they didn't believe her but that was okay. She might have started all this but she wasn't the vindictive type of person to get others fired. She wasn't going to tell on Kimiko and Daisy for now. In all honesty she was afraid what was going to happen when she did tell. What else would they do to her? Sakura fought down the frightened tears she could feel building. "What time is it?"
"It's only eight in the morning."
"When can I leave?"
"The doctor just wants to evaluate you now that you've woken up and give you some instructions for how to take care of your burns and then you can go." Sakura nodded as Obito rose to get the doctor. She wanted nothing more than to be curled up on a more comfy couch or bed. She didn't want to be here. She liked hospitals but not as the patient. She felt like she was under a microscope and she did not like it.
"Sakura, I'm glad you are okay. You were in a really bad condition when we found you. You weren't getting enough oxygen and your body was way too cold. If I hadn't have been there with my medical training it could have been a lot worse."
"Thanks Rin, I'm glad you were there and I'm sorry to make you two worry."
"Well we like you so we want to make sure you are okay." Rin smiled and held Sakura's right hand gently. Sakura felt so comfortable with the Uchihas and she was so grateful that they were the ones that found her. Wait, hadn't Obito said everyone ran when they heard the cook's scream?
"Rin, did Obito really mean everyone ran downstairs this morning?" Sakura's heart picked up and she willed it not to since she was hooked up to a heart monitor.
"Yep. Uchihas are businessman and police officers. They have intense hearing and vision and they can sense any sort of danger. The minute they heard the scream every door flew open like in a movie. Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto are the fastest so they found you first. Itachi consoled the cook while Sasuke and Naruto tried to make you more comfortable. I tell you what, I have never seen Itachi and Sasuke so mad in all my life. I think they care about you very much."
Rin smirked and Sakura frowned at this new information. She had made a big scene at the house again. She was sick of always being there and always being part of the household. Why did everyone have to wake up and see her like that? Angry tears fell down her face and Rin stood up and started to wipe them away.
"Hey, it's okay. No need to be angry. We care about you and you'll just have to accept that you've become somewhat part of the household."
"Thanks Rin."
"Ready for your evaluation?" Obito reentered the room with a doctor behind him. Sakura took a deep breath and nodded. She was just going to have to accept that she was part of the household. Could she do that?
Sakura gripped Rin's arm tightly and she let her. The pain in her arm, chest, and ankle was reaching an all time high as they made the way slowly into the Uchiha mansion. Sakura had begged for them to take her home and let her explain to Mei that she was going to be taking the day off. Rin refused on the grounds that she needed to change Sakura's bandages and keep track of her medicine.
"I don't need a personal nurse. I can take care of myself." Sakura grumbled once again as they entered the mansion.
"Nonsense. I want to take care of you and you will let me, got it?"
"That's some bedside manner you have there." Sakura frowned as Rin cackled and continued to help guide her forward. Obito was carrying the bags of medicine, ointment, and bandages that Sakura would need. Mikoto had already informed Mei that Sakura would not be working until Rin and the doctor deemed it safe for her to.
Rin turned directions and led Sakura to a part of the house she never used. It was a little past the garden living room. There were several bedrooms down here but they were never really used unless someone couldn't use the stairs since they were not as private as the rooms on the second floor. The first bedroom was decorated in vibrant greens so it almost looked like an extension of the gardens. There were giant windows all around that had a spectacular view of the rolling gardens and the dark skies.
"Wow, I can't stay here. It's too much. Take me to my bed in the maid's quarters."
"Absolutely not." Obito set the bags down on the dresser and turned to walk to the maids quarters. "Mei is gathering your things and we are moving you in here. We as a family feel that since you were hurt in our household, and it was no accident, no matter what you say, that we should take responsibility and make you as comfortable as possible."
"Thank you."
"You can thank us by being at dinner later." Obito stuck out his tongue and then ran down the hall like a crazy person. Rin and Sakura both laughed as Rin helped Sakura out of her coat into the bed.
"I'll leave you here to rest for a few hours. I'll be back at lunchtime."
"Thanks Rin."
Rin left the room and shut the door firmly behind her. Sakura really was tired. She had slept on a couch two nights ago and only for a few hours. And last night she had slept fitfully as she fought off the cold and the pain of her injured skin. She laid back against the pillows and within seconds was fast asleep. Obito tiptoed in quietly to put her things down without waking her up. He was going to figure out what had happened to her if Sasuke didn't beat him to it first.
The most tantalizing aroma filled Sakura's nose as she rolled over to her left side and immediately regretted that decision when pain erupted up her arm. She sighed and moved to sit so she was leaning against the headboard. The skies outside had lightened minutely but there was still the feeling that a storm was on its way.
Sakura reached over to the remote that was next to her on the nightstand. She turned on the TV and flipped through channels looking for something to catch her attention. Her phone was sitting next to her and she had a few messages from Ino, Tenten, and Hinata. Apparently Naruto had taken the liberty of texting everyone on her behalf. There was also a missed call and a message from her mother.
She stopped her channel flipping on some Curious George Christmas movie and picked up her phone to listen to her mother's message.
"Hey sweetie! Mikoto Uchiha called me this morning and said that you were severely injured but Rin Nohara was going to be taking care of you. I figured you'd be resting a bit. Call me when you can."
Sakura turned the volume down on the TV and called her mom. It seemed like it had been months since they had spoken.
"Sakura! How are you sweetie?"
A smile filled Sakura's face at her mom's voice. She had missed her much more than she had thought. "Mom, I'm okay. I'm feeling a lot better. The Uchiha's are taking care of me and set me up in a guest room that is beyond comfortable."
"I'm so glad to hear that sweetie. I also heard that Naruto's family is there too. I'm sure that they will make sure that you heal nicely and have a great Thanksgiving as well."
"I'm sure they will."
There was a pause as Sakura took a slow breath. Her chest was feeling a little better but the more she talked the more she was aware of the pain.
"How is Grandma?"
Her mother chuckled on the other end and Sakura heard a few pots and pans move around. "You know how she is. She's stressed to the max. Your aunt and uncle got here last night and they are making Grandma freak out more than normal with their little kids running around. But it has been fun seeing them. Tomorrow Grandma and I are getting up really early and going shopping and then we are all going to the tree lighting in downtown."
"That sounds so fun! I'm sad that I'm missing out on everything." Sakura couldn't help the sad twinge in her voice.
"I know honey. I'm sad you're missing it too and that you are so hurt. What exactly happened to you? Mikoto told me what you told Obito but she also said that he knew you were lying. What happened?"
Sakura watched George walk around in an over sized red coat and took another breath. "Mom, I'm honesty not ready to talk about it. Can we discuss it later?"
"Of course honey as long as we actually talk about it."
"I promise mom."
"Okay. Well I need to help Grandma with the stuffing so I got to run. I love you."
"Love you too mom."
Sakura hung up and turned the volume up to a level that she could hear better. It was just before one and she was waiting for Rin to come see her. She knew that they had their big Thanksgiving meal in the middle of the afternoon at three so she was sure that if Rin brought her anything to eat it was going to be small. Sakura nestled in more comfortably and continued to watch the movie. It was apparently on a loop and had just started over. Sakura couldn't believe that she was sitting in the Uchiha's house in pain watching Curious George on Thanksgiving day. What even was her life anymore?
A knock sounded on the door and Sakura bade them to come in. It opened an inch and Naruto smiled back at her. He came in and shut the door behind him. He made his way to sit on her right side and lean against the headboard.
"Hey Sakura! How are you feeling?"
"Better Naruto. How are you?"
"I'm doing good except Sasuke's been in the worst mood since he found you this morning. I did manage to get him to calm down which has made the day much better. And my mom and Mikoto have bullied the cook into letting them cook some dishes so I've been keeping my distance so I don't get something thrown at me. Are you watching Curious George?"
Sakura turned to look at Naruto and expected to see him laughing at her but instead he was smiling with childlike glee at the TV.
"Uh, yeah?"
"Curious George was totally my favorite book as a child!" Naruto pulled the covers and snuggled into the warmth next to Sakura. She laughed at his antics. The two of them just watched the rest of the short movie in silence all snuggled in the blankets. It was nice to have some time with just Naruto. It seemed like since they started high school he was always with the guys and she was always with the girls. But Naruto was definitely her best guy friend and she needed more time with him.
Sakura leaned over carefully so she wouldn't be in more pain and rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. It was comforting having him here and she was grateful to have someone so familiar in this big house with her. Especially when she was not in tiptop shape.
"You sure you're feeling okay Sakura?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired and my chest hurts."
Naruto reached over and rubbed her knee a little. There was another knock on the door and Sakura sat up. Rin opened the door and walked in with Sasuke at her heels. He looked nervous like he was unsure why he had followed her in the room.
"I should have known you'd be in here." Rin laughed as she set down a tray next to Sakura. There was a glass of water and a small bowl of some sort of soup.
"Where else would I be than watching kid's cartoons with my bestie?" Naruto smiled and gave a double thumbs up. Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved to lean against the wall as Rin came and sat on the edge of the bed.
"It's time to take your pills." She poured a few out of the bottle on the nightstand and handed them to Sakura with the glass of water. She took her pills with a grimace. Everyone in the room was watching her intently.
"Okay, please stop staring. I feel like a freak."
Naruto awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of his head as he turned his attention back to the TV. Sasuke kept his gaze on her and when she looked at him with her eyebrow raised he refused to budge.
"How do your burns feel?"
"They hurt but I must be getting used to it."
Rin nodded and looked over the bandages. "It seems that the blisters on your chest might be seeping. I'm going to have to change the bandage. Do you want them to leave just in case?"
Sakura thought about it for a minute. She actually hadn't looked at her own wounds yet. They were wrapped when she woke up this morning and last night they were just changing color. Sakura was nervous but she had already decided that Sauske would never want to look at her again and Naruto was like her brother. He would love her no matter what.
"It's okay."
"Good. I might need some help."
Rin helped Sakura take her shirt off. It was quite a process and Sakura requested that for dinner she wear a button up. It was not something she wanted to do until she was better healed. Rin then proceeded to unwrap Sakura. At first it was okay but soon she needed to move Sakura's arms up and the pain was too much for Sakura to keep it elevated.
"Naruto, hold her arm up please."
Naruto nodded and gently pushed Sakura's arm up. Tears welled in her eyes and it was all she could do to keep her breathing steady. Sasuke moved slowly over to the bed and knelt in front of Sakura the best he could. He gently grasped her face in his hands and made her look at him.
"Breath Sakura. It'll be over soon." She listened to his soothing, deep voice and took a few breaths. A few tears rolled down her cheeks but the pain was easier to manage now and Rin told Naruto he could put her arm down. Sasuke looked down at the area that was burned and his face contorted. Sakura knew that she was ugly now just from that one look. She reached up and removed Sasuke's hands. He looked at her confused for a second and then stood back up and made his way back to his old spot.
"Oh Sakura. I am so sorry this happened to you." Rin's voice was quiet and Sakura fought the urge to look down.
"Is it that bad?"
Rin's eyes met hers and she knew without ever even seeing it.
"I want to see it but I don't want to look down. I want to see all of it."
"Okay."
Rin stood and made room for Sakura to slide out of the bed. Sakura leaned against her arm and they made their way slowly to the bathroom that was attached. Sakura closed her eyes until she was sure she was ready to see it. Her body wasn't going to look like this forever but it would look scarred. She opened her eyes and soon her vision was blurred with tears. Her beautiful ivory skin was stained with red and brown. There were blisters and scabs all over and it extended from just below her neck down to almost her bellybutton. She was grotesque.
Rin rubbed her back slowly as she let Sakura cry for a few minutes. Sakura tried her best to think optimistically but everything was different now. She was going to have to live in tshirts and nothing else.
Rin managed to clean up Sakua's blisters and wrap her back up with Naruto's help again. Once she was done she found a button up and helped Sakura put it on. Naruto and Rin then left as Sakura drank her soup and started trying to fix her hair into something presentable.
Sasuke lingered and watched her cry as she brushed her hair. Whoever had hurt her was definitely going to regret it.
Dinner was a loud affair. The dining room table was beautifully decorated and each place had name cards. A second table was brought in so that conversation would be a bit easier with the size of the crowd. Everyone took their seats and the maids and butlers assigned to help with the dinner stood around the edge of the room.
Kimiko made eye contact with Sakura and smirked as she noticed the bandages wrapped around her. Sakura didn't have any sort of fight left in her for the moment and just stared at her blankly. Sakura averted her eyes and tried not to let it bother her that the people who had mauled her skin were barely ten feet away.
The seat next to Sakura was filled with one of the most beautiful brunettes she had ever seen. The girl's hair went practically to her waist and it was silky. Sakura figured she was just a cousin and decided to speak to her like everyone else.
Dinner was delicious and the conversation was even better. Sakura was happy that she was able to spend the day with the Uchihas and their friends but her burns were starting to hurt more than she wanted to admit. She tried her best to deal with the pain.
"So, I understand that I have you to thank for getting us together." The woman next to her smiled and turned to face her fully. Sakura was super confused. She tried to read the name card in front of her plate but she couldn't maneuver well enough. Who was this woman? Sakura looked at Itachi next to the mystery woman and the way he rested his arm on the back of her chair. Oh my goodness. I'm an idiot!
"Oh my gosh! Izumi! It's so great to finally meet you!" Sakura leaned forward to give her a hug but then remembered that she was severely burned. "Rain check on the hug."
"Of course. I was so excited to meet you too. Itachi talks about you like you're his little sister and I was sure we would get along."
Sakura laughed and enjoyed the second half of dinner even more now that she knew that she was sitting next to Izumi. They chatted and shared all kinds of stories and Itachi smiled as he silently watched them converse like old friends.
Fugaku tapped his knife to his glass and stood at his place at the head of the table. "We just wanted to thank you all for being here this year to celebrate with us. Now we are going to do pie in the living room. Mikoto figured we could put on a movie and have some games going simultaneously." Mikoto smiled at Fugaku and then joined everyone as they began to move and head to the living room.
Sakura smiled as she watched Itachi help Izumi stand and then lead her to the living room hand in hand. Everyone was so happy and Sakura didn't want to be the one person to bring the mood down. The minute she thought she was alone her smile dropped and she grimaced in her seat as she moved to get comfortable but her burns were aching and her ankle was not feeling much better than that.
Sasuke stood up and walked toward her. Her eyes widened as she realized that he had been sitting across from her the whole time but she was too engrossed in everyone else.
"Let me help you."
Sakura turned her body expecting him to take her arm and help her up. Instead he put his arm under her legs and placed his other arm gently at her back. He picked her up like she weighed nothing.
"Do you want to have some pie or do you want me to take you back to your room?"
The concern in his eyes was so sincere that Sakura's heart began to pound. He had never looked at her with such a soft expression and she was was sure she had never fallen more for him than she had in that moment.
"I want pie."
Sasuke laughed. Sakura had never seen him laugh before and her heart thumped faster. He turned and carried her towards the living room. There were voices coming from the room and the muffled sound of the TV but Sakura was focused on the man holding her. He was so handsome. His profile looked like it had been chiseled out of marble and he was obviously strong by the way that he was carrying her like she weighed nothing more than a doll.
It was at this exact moment that Sakura knew that she had been lying to herself. She had never really gotten over Sasuke when he had rejected her all those years ago. In the last few months their interactions had made her fall for him again.
Only this time it was stronger. He was nicer to her and it genuinely seemed like the ice cold, playboy persona that he had crafted for the last four years was melting. It didn't help that the kiss they shared had played through her mind more times than she cared to admit. It was something she had dreamed about for years.
Hearing that Sasuke was upset about her condition and having him there to comfort her through her tears while Rin tended to her burns made her heart flutter in a way it hadn't since she was in middle school. It was here in his arms that she could finally admit to herself that she was hopelessly in love with Sasuke Uchiha.
Oh crap.
A/N: I have a very limited knowledge of burns so if I get anything wrong in this chapter or others after it I am sorry.
Also,
Confession time. I have lost a little bit of my love for fanfic. I have quite a bit of this story already written and I plan to finish it. That being said, you might notice that my story will be a little disjointed and maybe going in weird directions. I apologize for this and hope that you enjoy what I do write!