End of the first little bundle. Hopefully you guys are feeling it. 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.


Chapter Four

"Haruno. He wants to see you."

I nodded, following Kakashi out the door. Stopping me just short of the kitchen, he gripped my shoulders and looked me dead in my eye. His voice heavy with concern, he whispered, "Stay calm, be honest and you'll be fine. It's your first offense and I doubt he'll be too drastic but I'd advise you not to make a habit out of this. Understood?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "I understand."

Patting my shoulder, he ushered me forward.

Hands behind his back, the Head Iota took slow strides around the dining room table. I noticed the various rings adorning his fingers as they glided over each piece of furniture. Then finally, his eyes met with my own.

Extending a hand in my direction, he motioned for me to take a seat.

I looked to my left and right where I saw men watching me intently. No doubt they were guards of some sort. I carefully took my seat at one end of the table while he did the same at the other end. He clapped his large hands summoning one of the men to step forward. In his hands a medium sized rectangular box with an intricate black and gold design.

"Do you smoke, Sakura?"

Brow furrowing, I ignorantly asked, "Sir?"

His eyes hardened, giving me an impatient look before pulling a small cylindrical substance from the box. He rotated it in his fingers, twirling it about as I watched. I recognized it immediately. It was the same sort of cigar he had perched from his lips the first day we'd met.

Understanding his question, I shook my head, "No Sir."

Leaning back in his seat, he allowed the man to clip one end before offering it to him. A lighter made its way to the other end, a flame flickering to life and fading in a matter of seconds. He took a few drags, pulling it from his lips as smoke hazed out into a thick cloud before dissipating around us. With a sigh, he asked, "You know why I'm here?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good, for a moment I was worried. You see," he began, taking another few puffs of his cigar, "I don't like to have my time wasted. Let me stress that to you, very very clearly. I do not like to have my time wasted. Do you know, what this is Sakura? What this is we're doing right now?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, knowing the answer to his question yet not wanting to openly say it. Drawing in a steady breath, I nodded, "Wasting time?"

It was his turn to nod as he tapped the cigar, loosening the ashes as they fell to the floor.

"It would seem, Sakura, that you have forgotten just what it is I'm paying you to do. So I'll remind you. You are here, to protect my daughter, not to discipline her. That is my job, along with a million other things. More importantly, your job is to make my life easier," he continued, rising from his chair as he slowly strolled towards the large window.

He snapped his fingers and I turned slightly in my chair to see Kakashi escorting Ino from her room.

She claimed the middle seat at the table, eyes not once making contact with my own.

"Right now, you aren't making my job any easier. We need to fix that, any suggestions?" He asked, turning to face me once more. I shook my head, lowering my eyes to my lap, wishing for nothing more than for this to all be over. His footsteps echoed across the hardwood floor, creaking at the slightest pressure.

Before I knew it, he was right behind me.

A large hand squeezed my shoulder as a deep voice invaded my ear.

"No worries then. Lucky for you, I've already got one figured out," he said with an exhale, releasing a stream of smoke by my cheek. It slipped up my nostrils and I resisted the urge not to cough. The scent was disgusting but inhaling it and feeling it penetrate my lungs simply made matters worse.

But I'd mind my tongue, for now.

"Kakashi, bring it in," he commanded, patting the top of the table in front of me. My eyes followed Kakashi as he picked up a laptop, bringing it over and sitting it in front of me. Once everything was set up, he stepped aside and stood silently against the wall.

I scowled, trying to pick up the emotion in his face but it was a waste of time. Instead, he kept his eyes focused straight ahead, avoiding my gaze effortlessly.

Ino, on the other hand, found her eyes wandering. Ever so often, I could feel her gaze burning against my skin but when I would look, her eyes would be elsewhere.

Before my thoughts could run any further, the screen flashed as a small video opening up. I scowled deeply, trying to make heads of what it was I was seeing. A woman, sitting in a chair surrounded by men in masks appeared. I squinted my eyes, leaning in a bit before a sickening realization dawned upon me.

The woman, she was no stranger.

It was Lina.

Pressing a button on the keyboard, another screen popped up with a reflection of myself. Every movement and shift of my body, it captured. Chest tightening, I mumbled coldly, "What is this?" A soft chuckle was his initial response. Slapping his hands down on my shoulders forced me to jump slightly. "This," he began, "This is nothing, if not a lesson."

My heart began to race.

My palms were sweating profusely and no amount of drying them against my jeans could stop it.

"Sir…"

"Now, how about some introductions. Boys, remove the tape."

One of the men ripped the tape from her lips and I could just faintly make out a gasp for air. That alone was enough to force my jaw to tighten. Her hazel eyes flickered back and forth frantically before landing on the screen. Eyes wide with panic, she screamed my name, "Sakura! Sakura is that you?"

Before I could purse my lips to form words, Lord Inoichi spoke first. "That's right Lina, was it? We've got Sakura here. Reunited once again, how touching."

Pulling up a seat beside me, he spoke again. "You see, Lina. Sakura here, has made a terrible mistake. And while I am a very generous man, I can't in all good consciousness allow her to get away with it without any repercussions. So that, is why you are here."

My eyes fell back to my lap. I tried to make sense of what was happening but it wasn't coming as easy as I'd hope.

"I'll admit," he paused, eyes challenging me to look at him, "Pulling this off was harder than I expected. After all, typically we'd go straight for the loved ones. A brother or sister. Lover. Father or...mother." The way the word rolled off his tongue had me biting my own, knowing fully well that he was trying to coax a reaction out of me.

He licked his lips before pulling them into a crooked smile.

He took several quick puffs of his cigar and exhaled right in front of my face.

"But we can't exactly do that when that person has no one left, can we? No family, no friends. No one that cares. A tragic story really. But you see Sakura, my men are professionals. Once they got a little whiff about Lina, they jumped right at the opportunity. Doesn't get more loyal than that," he finished, coming to an abrupt halt.

In the short time, I found my eyes traveling to Ino's and for once, she didn't look away. Her brows were furrowed and jaw tight. This time, it was I who pulled away first. Unable to take her staring anymore, I forced my attention back on the screen.

"Now, we're going to make this really quick. I have a meeting to get to and I'd rather not be late. Since this is your first strike, we won't kill her. But they will, beat the living hell out of her, and you have yourself to thank for that."

He rose from the chair, sliding it back into it's place.

Suddenly a hand latched onto my head, gripping my hair tightly.

His voice was at my ear once more. The scent of his cigar emanating from his clothes and hair. "I want you to look, very carefully Sakura. Understand that in order for things to run smoothly, you need to learn your place." He stepped away, strolling over to Ino to press a gentle kiss upon her temple.

"If you cry…"

The beating of my heart picked up slowly.

"...if you scream…"

My teeth grinded together, almost ready to crack at any extra pressure.

"...if you close your eyes for one second other than to blink…"

I could feel my entire body trembling, almost as if I was freezing. As if I'd been cast out into the Arctic, no clothes on my back to protect me, almost as if time was ticking down until the last moment I drew breath. Time slowed down and the only indication I had to keep track of it was the rapid thumps reverberating in my chest.

"I'll have her killed," he finished and with his words, everything came back at once.

A shattering scream fill the silence around us as knife found its way into her thigh.

I wanted to look away. The sound of bones snapping one by one and blood pooling in her mouth was easily the worst thing I'd ever heard. The force of a punch sent her tumbling to the floor and I wanted nothing more than to rush back home and kill them myself.

I could feel the stinging in my eyes, tears devilishly creeping their way to the surface.

Lord Inoichi was in front of me in an instant. Patting my cheek with a sadistic grin and eyes wide with a sickeningly sweet pleasure, he uttered, "Ah ah ah. No tears, remember?"

I swallowed the bile building in my throat as I watched. Each strike seemed louder than the last, echoing off the walls surrounding us.

What made it worse?

How my name sounded falling from her lips.

Every punch, every kick, every crack. She whispered my name. Pleading with me to make them stop. But how could I? After all, this was my fault. As far as this man was concerned, my side of the story held no value here. He was teaching my place and I was learning it. Every trickle of blood down her pale skin, every purplish bruise tainting her body would forever be embedded in my mind.

"You're a tough one...I like that," he remarked cooly.

Next I know, there's a gun at my head.

I bit the inside of my cheek, watching with rage boiling beneath the surface of my skin as they all but threw Lina back into the chair she'd been sitting in. One of the men gripped her frosty colored locks in his hand, forcing her to hold her head up. She continued to mumble my name but the words that fell from her lips next struck me hard.

"Please...please…" she managed through the blood pooling in her mouth, "Don't kill her. Just kill me...I beg of you."

"How touching...even like this, she would rather plead for your life than her own," Inoichi chuckled.

He kept the gun aimed at one side of my head as he dipped to my other ear. In a chilling voice, he whispered, "Are you afraid yet? Have I made my point clear?" I decided against answering his question. Feeling the bile rise higher and higher in my throat burned and I knew it was a matter of minutes before my attempts to keep it down failed me.

"No?" He asked.

Trying desperately to stop my body from shaking, I bit my bottom lip, reveling in the taste of my own blood as it calmed me.

Piece by piece, I rebuilt myself until my body was once again still.

He scoffed and I shut my eyes.

He pulled the trigger but instead of my body growing limp, all I felt was the mimic of a gunshot sound in my ear as he pulled away slowly. "Like I said, I'm a man of my word. I'm glad we could have this little talk. Surely we won't have anymore of these problems?"

"No Sir." I blankly replied.

Patting my cheek, he grinned, "Thatta girl. Thanks for being a good sport too Lina, you did great. Fellas get her cleaned up and treated. Sweetheart, come here." Ino rose from her seat moving to stand beside her father. Gripping her chin lightly, he sternly voiced, "I love you sweetheart but don't call be down here again for anymore foolishness. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir…" she whispered softly, eyes avoiding his.

"Good," he mumbled, kissing her cheek and ruffling her hair, "Kakashi, I trust you to keep them both in line. I'll be off now and I'd like to leave a large gap between now and my next visit, hmm?" He patted Kakashi's shoulder and turned swiftly on his heel. I waited for the door to lock shut before I bothered to move.

Jaw tensing, I managed to croak out, "Lady Ino...might I be excused?"

I rose from my seat, turning to face her. She didn't so much as look my way. In the softest voice I'd ever heard from her, she whispered, "Yes...you may." I bowed, giving her my thanks, brushing off Kakashi's hand from my shoulder as I retreated to my room. It wasn't until I had heard everyone else retire to their own rooms that I dragged myself to the bathroom and heaved up the contents of my stomach.

And with my nails digging into my palms, I allowed my body to shake and shiver because that was the only method of coping I had left. Tears weren't allowed back in the Academy and I sure as hell wasn't about to start them now.


"Who's watching Ino if you're with me?"

Kakashi shrugged as he drove us to some unknown location. "I'm honestly not sure but it's definitely someone whom Lord Inoichi trusts completely for him to leave the young lady in their care." I nodded, returning to staring out the window with my chin resting in my hand.

As we approached a stoplight, Kakashi dimmed the music a bit.

I flickered my eyes over to him briefly before pulling them away, already knowing where this was headed.

"I don't want to talk about it," I responded tiredly. The images from a few nights ago was still fresh in my mind and I wanted nothing more to forget them. Drawing in a slow breath, I exhaled just as slowly, trying my best to pretend like the wound wasn't still fresh.

Thankfully, he let it go.

Switching the subject entirely, he asked, "Ready to make some friends?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be," I commented dryly. He chuckled, turning into a large parking lot. My eyes trailed off to the large tower in front of us. Was this where we'd be meeting everyone? It was definitely larger than I expected and if the outside looked this nice, I could only imagine the inside.

We walked up the steps, pushing through the revolving door. I followed Kakashi's quick strides as he made his way to the front desk. Scanning his badge at the front desk, he motioned for me to follow him behind a small door.

"Listen, I won't always be accompanying you hear so you'll need to remember this. You'll get your badge today after introductions and such. You will scan at the front desk twice, once the light flashes blue, you'll get clearance through this door. It will remain unlocked for fifteen seconds before relocking. When it does, scan here," he gestured to another car reader attached to the wall. "Then, scan three times until the light flashes green. It'll open up the secret elevator to your floor."

Sure enough, a bookcase shifted slightly to the left revealing an elevator.

Hopefully I'd be able to remember all this when I had to come here on my own.

"Scan once more and it'll bring up the scanner for your floor," he told me. Removing his glove, he placed his hand on the scanner and next I know we're moving. After a minute or so, we grew still. The doors slid open and I had to resist the urge to drop my jaw.

There were kids everywhere, lounging around and joking.

However, my attention was far more focused on the decor.

It was like some sort of luxury penthouse. No, scratch that, this was a pent house.

To the left was a large sitting area with a large screen projector hanging from the ceiling. Behind it, large open windows leading to a patio with an insane view of the city. Sofas, black and white lined the room with a large coffee table in the middle with magazines strewn about. I turned, spotting on my right perhaps the largest kitchen I'd ever seen.

Marble countertops accented with black appliances tied it all together. The kitchen curved, turning into a bar area with a shelf of all kinds of liquor.
That wasn't even all of it. I could tell from here that there was so much more but Kakashi's hand squeezing my shoulder brought me back to focus. Aware of my fascination, he chuckled, "No worries, you'll get to explore soon enough. For now, a quick meet and greet and some housekeeping rules."

I nodded, following him to the center of the room.

Bringing his finger to his lips, he effectively caught the attention of the others, motioning them to come and sit. I plopped down at the end of one of the sofas , slipping my hands in my pockets. A boy plopped down beside me, the first thing that caught my attention was his intense blond hair and sparkling blue eyes.

Just like Ino's.

Shaking her from my mind, I tore my eyes away back to Kakashi.

Once everyone was settled, he began with a clear of his throat. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I'll be in charge of you all during the next few years. We're going to go over some basics and then I'll allow you all to go around the room for introductions. Understood?"

Silent nods circled the room giving him the okay to continue.

"Alright. So this place is called, The Tower. Nothing fancy because after all, it's just a tower. You all will report here every Saturday for work purposes such a briefing, training and things of the like. After that has been completed, you all will have the rest of the day to do as you please here. In the event that your heirs have other priorities, you all will be staying here until they return. There's plenty of rooms and amenities for you all so no one will have to share, unless you decide to. You all have full access to every room here minus each other's rooms which you will need permission for. Questions so far?"

Again, more silence.

He nodded, continuing on.

"Good. There's a map that lets you know what levels contain what against the wall there. This place is a lot bigger than it looks and we'll go on a more formal tour later but in case you forget, that's where it is. Let me stress this next part very very carefully. You are not, under any circumstances, to bring anyone unaffiliated with our cause to this area. Should you do so, both you and whomever you bring will be executed on site, no questions asked. The heirs also have access to the other half which is exactly the same as your side, minus a few design alterations. The two sides may venture over but let me remind you that no romantic involvement between you and them is allowed to take place. Other than that, anything goes. Thrown your own parties, help yourself to drinks and whatever else. Just...try not to trash the place too much. If there are no further questions, we'll go ahead and introduce ourselves."

He looked around the room, though he didn't fool me.

I already knew that he'd pick me first.

With a toss of my hand and nod of my head, I spoke, "The name is Sakura. Sakura Haruno of Sector Iota."

The blonde kid next to me spoke next, "Sup guys! Naruto Uzumaki is the name!" I scowled at his peppered enthusiasm, rolling my eyes gently. What the hell was he so excited about? I suppose it wasn't his fault. Maybe that's just the kind of person he was, overflowing with excitement at all times.

More names followed, none of which captured my attention.

Though two names in particular did come up that I recognized.

Rin and Tenten. Those two I had met the other day. At the most, I'd probably come to get along with them. I couldn't say the same for the others but I was open to giving them a chance I supposed. After all, that stunt Ino pulled the other day sure as hell didn't put her at the top of my friend list. Not that she was interested in being friends anyway.

It didn't matter, after all, there's no way she'd be able to make it up to me anyway.

I didn't think she was that cold but I guess I was wrong, she had a whole other side that I never wanted to see again.


Hopefully that's all for the little bit of setup. Soon I think we can start getting into the real shit. Soon, we will allow chaos to take its rightful place in this story. Can't wait to get my hands dirty! Remember to review because I do take suggestions, feedback is very much appreciated. Time to play the Sims 4 because they have toddlers now and we all have been waiting for this, yes? xD Kat loves you all!