Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
* * * * * *
"Fine," Sakura sighed, slowly getting used to the horrible chill in the air. "But I'd feel a hell of a lot better if I could see you," she added hopefully.
"You will not see me yet, dear Sakura-chan," the voice replied calmly. Sakura looked around in annoyance. "You'll see me soon enough."
"Alright then, whoever-you-are, what do you want to talk about?" Sakura asked dryly.
"Since you don't seem to want to tell me anything, I'll ask you a few questions," the voice called. "Now, Sakura-chan, why do you train yourself so much? Why put your supple young body through suck torture each day? What do you want to accomplish?"
"I only want to get stronger," Sakura replied, purposely withholding information and emotion. She wasn't feeling comfortable at all with this person's choice of words, calling her 'Sakura-chan' and 'supple'. It was very creepy, actually.
"Don't play with me- who are you trying to impress? What are you trying to prove?" The tone now seemed slightly annoyed, as was Sakura's. But the pink-haired girl inwardly gasped. How could anyone read between the lines like that?
"I want to become stronger so that when... I find this boy... that he won't think I am weak anymore." Sakura's breath came ragged as tear burned the back of her eyes, memories of Sasuke's cold words flooding her memory. "I want to find him and prove that I am strong."
"A blossom so lovely as yourself should not be put through such misery with training," the voice replied, its placid calm returning. "You do know that this method of training will takes years to grant you the desired results?"
"What would you know?" Sakura snapped. "As if there were any other way..." Her eyes hardened in bitterness- why couldn't she just be naturally strong like Naruto and Sasuke-kun? The scene was silent for a moment before the unseen visitor replied.
"What would you say if I offered you the means to gain strength ten times as fast? To become as strong as any jounin within months?" The voice now held a tone of obvious amusement as Sakura looked around, her eyes wide and wondering. "Perhaps, even... reunite you with this boy you seek?"
"How... could you do such a thing?" Sakura asked, voice quiet and curious.
"I have my ways. Now tell me, blossom- what would you give?" Sakura sat still, deep in thought.
'A chance to be with Sasuke-kun? To be strong? How far would I go?' Sakura thought, but her heart was crying out to her mind. 'Oh, isn't it obvious? That would be everything I've ever wanted!'
"Well?" drawled the voice slowly, the 'l' lingering on its tongue.
"What would you do for power? For the one you love? How far would you
go, Sakura- chan?" Anyone could see it now, Sakura was wrapped around
the stranger's finger, being bent anyway he wanted.
"Shut up!!! I would..." Sakura replied, her hands over her heart and
tears in her eyes. "I would give anything..." Her voice quavered with
despair and sorrow. "Excellent," chuckled the voice. "Could you really
give me that?" Sakura asked. "Could you really bring me Sasuke-kun?"
"Of course I could. But the question now is, are you really willing to
sacrifice yourself for all I have said before? Would you be willing to
start anew?" The voice held undetectable amounts of malice and raw
evil now.
"I would! I would! What do I have to do?!" Sakura cried, the tears
falling onto the stone below.
"Tell me! I will obey!"
"That is exactly what I wanted to hear," chuckled the voice darkly.
"First, unzip the top of your dress a little," the voice instructed.
"What?!" Sakura cried, protectively clinging to the cloth over her
chest.
"Not that far, girl, just so that the area above your heart shows,"
the voice replied in annoyance. Sakura, grumbling, obeyed and stood
up, modeling the slight modification.
"Now what?" Sakura asked.
"Just make a little cut on that spot now, Sakura-chan, deep enough so
that you bleed." Sakura's hand quivered as she brought one of her last
kunai up to her chest and made a quick little notch, gasping as
droplets of blood dripped down under her clothes.
"And...?" Sakura asked, gently fingering the bloody spot.
"That's it. Nothing more to do," the voice replied calmly.
"How can this make me strong for Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.
"That is only step one, Sakura-chan. The rest will happen tomorrow."
"What will happen then?" Sakura asked in curiosity as she zipped up
the rest of her dress to try and warm the exposed skin back up.
"Just train as you usually do, and I will handle it all from then.
There is nothing more you need to do, I will take care of the rest,
Sakura-chan," the voice directed. "Now that our little deal is made, I
must leave."
"What? I still have questions!" Sakura called as the warm slowly
permeated back into the training area.
"Tomorrow," the voice called from an obvious distance. Sakura just
gaped in awe and disappointment before she turned back to her tools.
She sighed and decided to go home for the day after she made a quick
bandage for her self- inflicted wound.
The blood-bind had been performed, the permanent scar inflicted, and
the pact with the devil signed.
* * * * * *
"Fine," Sakura sighed, slowly getting used to the horrible chill in the air. "But I'd feel a hell of a lot better if I could see you," she added hopefully.
"You will not see me yet, dear Sakura-chan," the voice replied calmly. Sakura looked around in annoyance. "You'll see me soon enough."
"Alright then, whoever-you-are, what do you want to talk about?" Sakura asked dryly.
"Since you don't seem to want to tell me anything, I'll ask you a few questions," the voice called. "Now, Sakura-chan, why do you train yourself so much? Why put your supple young body through suck torture each day? What do you want to accomplish?"
"I only want to get stronger," Sakura replied, purposely withholding information and emotion. She wasn't feeling comfortable at all with this person's choice of words, calling her 'Sakura-chan' and 'supple'. It was very creepy, actually.
"Don't play with me- who are you trying to impress? What are you trying to prove?" The tone now seemed slightly annoyed, as was Sakura's. But the pink-haired girl inwardly gasped. How could anyone read between the lines like that?
"I want to become stronger so that when... I find this boy... that he won't think I am weak anymore." Sakura's breath came ragged as tear burned the back of her eyes, memories of Sasuke's cold words flooding her memory. "I want to find him and prove that I am strong."
"A blossom so lovely as yourself should not be put through such misery with training," the voice replied, its placid calm returning. "You do know that this method of training will takes years to grant you the desired results?"
"What would you know?" Sakura snapped. "As if there were any other way..." Her eyes hardened in bitterness- why couldn't she just be naturally strong like Naruto and Sasuke-kun? The scene was silent for a moment before the unseen visitor replied.
"What would you say if I offered you the means to gain strength ten times as fast? To become as strong as any jounin within months?" The voice now held a tone of obvious amusement as Sakura looked around, her eyes wide and wondering. "Perhaps, even... reunite you with this boy you seek?"
"How... could you do such a thing?" Sakura asked, voice quiet and curious.
"I have my ways. Now tell me, blossom- what would you give?" Sakura sat still, deep in thought.
'A chance to be with Sasuke-kun? To be strong? How far would I go?' Sakura thought, but her heart was crying out to her mind. 'Oh, isn't it obvious? That would be everything I've ever wanted!'
"Well?" drawled the voice slowly, the 'l' lingering on its tongue.
"What would you do for power? For the one you love? How far would you
go, Sakura- chan?" Anyone could see it now, Sakura was wrapped around
the stranger's finger, being bent anyway he wanted.
"Shut up!!! I would..." Sakura replied, her hands over her heart and
tears in her eyes. "I would give anything..." Her voice quavered with
despair and sorrow. "Excellent," chuckled the voice. "Could you really
give me that?" Sakura asked. "Could you really bring me Sasuke-kun?"
"Of course I could. But the question now is, are you really willing to
sacrifice yourself for all I have said before? Would you be willing to
start anew?" The voice held undetectable amounts of malice and raw
evil now.
"I would! I would! What do I have to do?!" Sakura cried, the tears
falling onto the stone below.
"Tell me! I will obey!"
"That is exactly what I wanted to hear," chuckled the voice darkly.
"First, unzip the top of your dress a little," the voice instructed.
"What?!" Sakura cried, protectively clinging to the cloth over her
chest.
"Not that far, girl, just so that the area above your heart shows,"
the voice replied in annoyance. Sakura, grumbling, obeyed and stood
up, modeling the slight modification.
"Now what?" Sakura asked.
"Just make a little cut on that spot now, Sakura-chan, deep enough so
that you bleed." Sakura's hand quivered as she brought one of her last
kunai up to her chest and made a quick little notch, gasping as
droplets of blood dripped down under her clothes.
"And...?" Sakura asked, gently fingering the bloody spot.
"That's it. Nothing more to do," the voice replied calmly.
"How can this make me strong for Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.
"That is only step one, Sakura-chan. The rest will happen tomorrow."
"What will happen then?" Sakura asked in curiosity as she zipped up
the rest of her dress to try and warm the exposed skin back up.
"Just train as you usually do, and I will handle it all from then.
There is nothing more you need to do, I will take care of the rest,
Sakura-chan," the voice directed. "Now that our little deal is made, I
must leave."
"What? I still have questions!" Sakura called as the warm slowly
permeated back into the training area.
"Tomorrow," the voice called from an obvious distance. Sakura just
gaped in awe and disappointment before she turned back to her tools.
She sighed and decided to go home for the day after she made a quick
bandage for her self- inflicted wound.
The blood-bind had been performed, the permanent scar inflicted, and
the pact with the devil signed.