Cursed
Chapter Six
Bright Green in the Dark
She lay there with her jaded eyes wide open, unblinking. She felt dirty as she laid on the ground, her hair fanned out about her head on the dusty ground as she stared at the ceiling. Slowly, her pink dusty lips separated as she sighed.
Sakura found her thoughts going back to a week ago, when she agreed to help Sasuke. She had been pinned against the wall; she had been helpless in his hold. He had stared her down with his sharingan eyes. He had threatened to hurt Neji.
She had hated to agree and when she did, she had felt a small part of her soul die with that decision. She wasn't betraying Konoha; he would have forced her either way. Tsunade-sama would have done the same in her position.
After she had agreed she was told exactly what it was that she would be doing. The healing of Orochimaru's arms was up to her. In the past week that's what she had been doing. At first she was dragged to see him, the heels of her boots dug into the ground to try to stop herself from being drug. In the end, Sasuke looked her in the eyes and she was thrown into an illusion.
He had shown her Neji again, but this time Neji was being tortured. She's been doing whatever she's been told since in fear. She knew Sasuke would hurt him.
Coming back to the present, Sakura touched at her cheeks as she felt the wetness there. Angrily, she shook her head and put her hand back down on her tummy. She had almost started crying. She wouldn't allow herself to show weakness. Not here where they could take full advantage of her.
Soon, she knew she would get out. Everyday when she was allowed out of her cell, she would scan every area, every door, every shadowed nook in the hallways and she would save it for later information. She would use this information to hide herself when it was time to leave.
Though how she was going to leave, she didn't know. Her every waking moment was filled with thoughts of Neji or forming plans to get out. All of her plans proved they wouldn't work so far.
Sighing, Sakura stayed still as she laid on the floor. Her cell was old, rusty and dirty. There was no furniture so Sakura slept on the floor everyday which caused her body to be caked in piles of dirt and dust. Her once pale face was turning a bronze color from sleeping in the filth and her once shiny pink hair was now dull and had dust all in it.
She would have looked like a broken doll if it weren't for her eyes. Her green hues were the only part of her being that did not dull. They were as bright as ever and held a determination that could not be matched.
Grubby dusty lips parted as she heaved a sigh once more, her dirty clothes going up and down with the breath. And then she heard it. The jingling of keys.
Sakura didn't even look as a masked figure came into her cell and stood beside her expectantly. The same cloaked figure had came to get her for her sessions with Orochimaru everyday after that first day Sasuke had grabbed her and forced her to go.
The cloaked figure grunted slightly and nudged her arm with his dirty boot when she didn't get up. Scowling, Sakura turned narrowed eyes to him as she slowly got up to her feet. She faced the man, her eyes hard as she brought her wrists out in front of her. They always put her in handcuffs before she left the room.
The sound of the metal clicking was all she heard before she was pulled forward, the guard holding a leash that was connected to the handcuffs that pulled her along.
They walked silently. Nobody ever talked to her. She was a prisoner, after all. Jaded eyes scanned about everywhere and she took a look inside every open door as she passed. 'Finally! There is it. The weapons room.' She thought as she caught sight of a man leaving the room and was able to see inside room before the doors closed.
Slowly, plans started to formulate in her mind. Just maybe she could get out of here soon. But before she had the chance to really come up with a proper plan, she was in Orochimaru's room again. Turning, Sakura scowled at the guard as he took her handcuffs off. Slowly, she sat down in a large overstuffed chair.
"Good evening." Orochimaru's scratchy voice said as he looked her up and down. "You look terrible."
Rolling her eyes, Sakura crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, her dirty hands coming up to tuck away her filthy strands of hair. "Well, there isn't exactly clean clothes or a shower handy to me, now is there." She scoffed. She may have been doing this for Neji, but it didn't mean she was going to be nice about it.
"Let's begin." He said as he dismissed her statement entirely. Sighing, Sakura brought her chakra-encased hands to the man's arm.
It wasn't until late that night when she found herself walking down the hallways with the same guard her hands bound once more. Sakura sighed lightly as she walked. She was tired and weak. All she wanted was to sleep. This had been her daily routine for a week. Lay on the dirty floor until her guard came, go fix Orochimaru's arms until all of her chakra was gone, then go back to her cell to sleep on the floor.
So, when her guard stopped suddenly in front of a room she hadn't seen before and took her handcuffs off, she looked surprised. Slowly, Sakura peaked her head into the room. It was a bathroom. Blinking, Sakura turned to look at the guard who shoved her in and slammed the door shut in a swift move.
Shrugging her shoulders, she removed her clothes and started a much-needed bath. Slowly, she lowered her body into the steaming hot water. Once she was in all the way and laid down comfortably, the young girl heaved a sigh of nothing but pleasure. 'A bath… It seems like forever since I had one.' She thought as she ran the soap over her taunt muscles.
She rubbed the soap everywhere, her tiny hands coming up to splash more water on herself to wash it off. Sighing in ecstasy, she leaned back and let herself fall deep into the water until it was almost touching her lips.
Slowly, Sakura closed her eyes, letting her imagination and thoughts run wild for once. 'I wonder what Neji is doing..' She wondered to herself the thought bringing a soft pang to her heart at the thought of him. 'I imagine he carried out the mission and is already back in Konoha. I hope he's safe.' She added with hope.
With Neji being as professional as he is, Sakura knew for a fact that he carried out the mission and left. And for once, she was glad. He would be kept out of this and if something were to happen, it would take a lot to get him, as he would be protected by all the shinobi in Konoha.
Sighing lightly, Sakura dunked her entire head under the water, letting her pink strands turn to a dark pink color as they got soaked. When she came up, her slender hands grabbed a shampoo bottle.
As she lathered her hair and pilled it all on top of her head, Sakura's thoughts wondered to Sasuke. It was odd. When she first arrived here and she still thought that the illusions were dreams, Sasuke had taken on a different form in the so-called dream. He was… Different.
His skin had turned an almost gray-brown color. His hair wasn't the same ether as it almost resembled Jiraiya's spiky white hair, except his was a black-blue color. He even had something that resembled wings made of hands coming out of his back. But what scared her most was his eyes. Dark cold emotionless eyes.
As Sakura rinsed all of the shampoo out of her hair, she had to wonder why he showed her that. 'It looked like him, but it wasn't Sasuke.' She thought. In her week here even though she had limited time with Sasuke, Sakura had lost all respect for her childhood love. She would never again call him Sasuke-kun with affection. It was almost frightening how he would look at her with those eyes.
Sighing, Sakura climbed out of her bath and wrapped a towel around her little form. On the counter were clothes. She walked to the counter making sure she didn't slip on the wet tile.
Long fingers reached for the cloth and held it up for her to see. Green hues widened then as she almost dropped the shirt in shock.
It was Neji's old shirt that he wore when he was a genin.
She gasped loudly, her eyes as wide as they could be as horror seeped down and buried itself into her chest. 'They caught Neji.' Tears started to prickle into her eyes and run down her cheeks.
The bathroom door peeked open just a centimeter. Nervous but determined eyes glanced all around. Upon seeing no one, Sakura left the bathroom clothed completely in Neji's old clothes with the cream-colored shirt and black shorts.
Slowly, Sakura started to move across the floor as she masked what little chakra she had left so nobody would find her. Her bare feet gently tapped at the floor. She hadn't put shoes on because the thumps of her sandals would have been too loud.
It was stupid and she knew she wouldn't get far, but she was going to search the place for Neji.
Slowly, Sakura peaked around another corner. Upon seeing no one she started to turn into the hallway, her head darting every which way. She started to make her way down the hallway, her mind trying to think of where this led.
But then a gloved hand was on her mouth and an arm around her waist. Sakura started to thrash violently. She threw her head back in hopes of hitting her attackers head but they moved to the side and threw her into a shadowed nook in the wall. Crying out, Sakura started to claw at the person that had their arms around her.
"Sakura!" The voice hissed. Sakura stopped upon hearing her name. Slowly she looked to the person holding her, fear rising in her chest that it was Sasuke. Thankfully, it was only her guard.
Growling, the girl started to fight even harder. She had barely gotten two steps and he had caught her already. The inner girl within her was screaming out to kick his ass by now. The second she got her wrist free from his death grip she formed a tight fist and brought her arm back to hit him. The man let go of her quickly and jumped away letting her fist hit nothing but air.
Now free, Sakura sprang forward, her long slender leg flying into the air where it connected with her guard's masked face. He grunted and was sent flying into a wall. Sakura ran after him then. If she were going to get away she'd have to knock him out.
She grabbed him by his black shirt and lifted him slightly up, her fisted hand aimed for him. But his foot came out and was shoved across her ankles causing her to loose her balance. She cried out and started to fall, but the guard grabbed her and once more pinned her fully against the wall.
Sakura started to struggle, her legs kicking and her arms trying to wiggle herself free but it was no use. This man had a grip on her that was tighter then Sasuke's. Slowly, her teeth started to grind together in aggravation as tears started to prickle her eyes. "Neji.." She whimpered as her body slumped, the guard now holding her up.
It was hopeless. She couldn't even get away from her guard. If she couldn't defeat this man, there was no way she could take on Sasuke or Orochimaru to retrieve Neji. Light sniffling could be heard as the girl tried to get a hold of her emotions.
"Sakura." Said the guard, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. Slowly, Sakura looked up to face her guard, her body tensing itself for the punishment he was sure to give her.
Letting go of one wrist, he held both wrists above her head with one hand. He brought his gloved hand up and Sakura tilted her face down and away as she prepared herself for the slap. She was shocked when the hand was placed gently on her cheek. Slowly, the guard tilted her face to look at him. His head tilted slightly to the side as he watched the girl in his arms closely. "Who is this Neji that you mentioned?" The deep voice asked.
Sakura blinked slightly, staring at the man. Her wide eyes finally narrowed as she turned her head to the side, forcing his hand to leave her face. "Like I would tell you about him. Low-life." She all but spat.
"Oh? Well I would like to know. Unless you want me to tell Orochimaru how you tried to leave." Sakura knew he was smirking behind that mask of his.
Growling, Sakura turned narrowed eyes towards him. "He's someone I know. Happy?"
"Far from it." The man said as he continued holding both of her wrists in one hand, his other resting on her shoulder. Slowly, the man started to lean his weight onto her. "Tell me more."
Glaring at the man for the burden of his extra weight Sakura rolled her eyes. "Like what?" She snapped.
"Like who he is to you." The sentence was simple. It should have been a simple answer. But Sakura found herself looking at everywhere but the man as her cheeks tinted red.
"What he is to me..? A friend?" What should have been her answer seemed more like a question to her.
"Hn. Doesn't sound like just a friend since you called for him before." Her guard said. Damn, he really was persistent.
"Well, maybe he's more then a friend! Now would you back off of me already!" Sakura said, her teeth gritting as her cheeks went to a flame. He was leaned completely on her and she didn't like it.
"Hn." Was her only answer before the guard reached for his mask and pulled it off in one swift move. Sakura stayed pinned against the wall, staring with confused eyes. She didn't understand. Why did he take his mask off? He wasn't going to do anything bad to her was he?
That thought seeped into her along with panic as she started struggling and fighting once more. She was rewarded with a laugh.
A familiar laugh. "Sakura…" He drug her voice out, his tone slightly playful. Looking up, Sakura saw something that she had wanted to see all week. But she suddenly wished she hadn't seen it at that exact moment.
Her cheeks turned a bright red as she stared at the all to familiar face of Hyuuga Neji. "Neji.." She whispered, looking slightly uncertain as her cheeks turned a darker shade.
Smirking, Neji leaned closer to her, his lips slightly brushing against her ear. "I'm not just a friend?" He whispered the words to her, his lips brushing against her with each word.
Sakura shuddered against him. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't move away from him, he was still pinning her fully against the wall. Her wrists were pinned with one hand above her head and the rest of her body was being pinned by his entire body. He was leaned fully against her. They were so close that she doubted there were any more secrets between them about the shape of their bodies. She could feel his taught tummy against her, as well as his lean muscular arm as he started to wrap it around her waist.
His pale cheek was gently touching her red one. Sakura made a silent note then how soft his skin really was. Sakura whimpered. She couldn't help it. He was so close and she could feel something spreading from her chest that led all the way down to her toes. Her skin was suddenly sensitive as she felt every move he made, as well as every breath that tickled her ear and cheek.
So when his long fingers found their way under the back of her shirt, she gasped lightly. Almost lazily Neji traced small patterns into the small girl's back, a small smile playing on his thin lips when he felt her body shudder against him.
Somewhere in his hazy thoughts Neji had to wonder what else he could do to make her shudder like that. Slowly, his hand traveled up her back until it reached mid-back. His gently fingers prickling at the feel of her soft skin.
It had been, to put it simply, hell to watch this girl in a cell day after day and being treated like crap. Though he respected her more and more everyday as her clothes got dirtier, as her body started to be caked in filth. Her entire appearance that she always worked hard at everyday was leaving. But her eyes seemed to get brighter and brighter everyday while the rest of her got duller with the passing days.
To Neji, even when she didn't spend hours picking out her outfits, putting on her makeup and doing her hair, even when she had looked like a broken doll, she was still beautiful. It had been hard to maintain the façade. He had wanted nothing more than to grab her and hold her close, to touch her again. And that's what he had finally done. His heart was practically singing in joy at finally having her back, at feeling her soft skin against his fingers.
Slowly, Neji moved his lips closer to her ear, his tongue flicking out for just a breath of a moment. It was such a light caress that he thought she wouldn't have even felt it. Neji smiled when he felt her shudder once more against him. She had felt it. And she wasn't yelling at him.
Taking this as a positive sign, Neji moved his head a bit more closely to her cheek and gave her a light kiss there. He saw her eyes close as her tense body relaxed against his larger one.
Neji released her wrists then, letting her do as she wished with them as he brought his now free hand to play in her hair once more. It was slightly damp, but still just as soft as he remembered a week ago.
With her hands now free, Sakura didn't quite know what to do with them. She looked to Neji; his pearly eyes were slightly hazy looking. She doubted she could ask. It would be to embarrassing, anyway. While blushing, Sakura hesitantly placed her warm hands onto his broad shoulders. He seemed to take this as an ok for something. But for what?
Sakura gasped lightly as she felt herself being picked up off the ground. Her hands gripped at his back to keep herself steady. She felt it then. His warm lips were on her neck. Sakura's mouth opened somewhat, her head falling back to tap against the wall behind her, letting him have free access to her neck.
Neji kissed her neck softly and gently. He was no longer thinking straight. In fact he had stopped thinking as soon as he had her against his body and pinned against the wall.
Slowly, he nipped gently at her delicate skin, a small grin coming to his lips as he heard her gasp. His tongue flicked out again and ran over the small bite mark on her neck to soothe it.
Sakura was in ecstasy.. Her fingers were no longer unsure about where to go as they now delved themselves fully into his long black hair. She had already removed the ponytail from his hair for easy access to him.
Neji nipped at her again. Sakura pulled her head back in surprise as her half-lidded eyes closed, a small sound coming from her throat in pleasure.
He gave her one last kiss on the marks he had given her before he reluctantly put her back down on the floor, both breathing hard as they slowly started to come back to reality.
Slowly, Sakura looked to him from beneath her eyelashes, her cheeks once more a blazing red. Even Neji looked to be slightly embarrassed. 'I can't believe I did that to her.' He thought, though another part of his being was telling him that she let him do it, and even responded. Which was true as his hair was slightly messed up now.
Pressing his lips together, Neji looked at her with uncertainly. "I know how to get you out." His deep voice whispered to her.
Jaded eyes widened as Sakura stared at him. "How?" She was rewarded with a smile. It was the second time she had seen him really smile.
Slowly, Neji leaned close to her, so close that their noses gently brushed against each other. "Trust me." He mumbled, his white eyes glancing towards her lips.
Sakura blushed prettily. Was he going to kiss her? Sakura had never been kissed before. Everything seemed so new to her. But, a look of understanding crossed Neji's face as he saw her uncertainty. Slowly, he leaned up and kissed the top of her nose causing a small giggle to come from the girl.
Smiling, Neji held his hand out while looking at her expectantly. Slowly, Sakura placed her small hand into his larger one. Neji started to lead her away from the corner that he had only just moments before had her pinned against. His other hand came up and put his mask back on.
"Remember, you have to do what I tell you to." Neji said, his voice sounding deeper behind the mask, which explained why she hadn't realized it was him before.
Sakura pouted slightly. "I don't get a say in it?" She asked. If his mask weren't on, she would have seen a huge smile come onto his face.
"I believe I still have one more week left from you." He was referring to her being his slave. Blinking, Sakura looked at him in surprise. She had forgotten about that.
"I'm just warning you. Once we leave here, I will be taking advantage of that week." His voice sounded slightly husky as it left no imagination about some of the things he would be asking from her.
Sakura squeaked lightly, her eyes widening as she blushed. They continued to walk on in silence. She knew it was terrible, but Sakura started to feel excitement rise in her. It should be an interesting week when they get back.
AN: Well.. I guess Neji has decided to come forth with his feelings! What better way then to express it? XD We all know he's not much of a talker after all!
Omg people! Remember in the first chapter of Cursed? Where Sakura puts on the wrong shoes? I did the same thing! I didn't mean to.. I was in such a hurry that I didn't look down at my feet.. By the time I realized I had done that I was already at a store and had to go in ;-; But luckily ( or unluckily? ) Neji wasn't there to get onto me about it!
I had lots of fun with this story! I was sooooo happy to finally write some romance in here! I mean some actual real romance scenes! I think what I wrote is hot and steamy and I love it! XD I hope you guys like it too!
Also.. I got countless reviews asking for some Sakura and Sasuke moments.. I'm sorry to dissapoint but there won't be any at all in this story. I have read countless stories where Sasuke tries to strangle the poor girl, attacks her friends and family, he does everything in his power to hurt her and yet they make her still love him and refuse to leave his side at all. I hate stories that do that.. I think its pitiful and not at all in Sakura's character. Sure, she is devoted to him, and right now she's still trying to be there for him and find him even after what he did to Naruto.. But she wasn't there and didn't see what he did. Everybody has a line afterall, Sakura is not going to be devoted to Sasuke no matter what he does.
Of course, I'm a Sasuke and Sakura fan too! But, that's just taking it to far. So, in this story I'm not saying she hates him, but she deffenitly doesn't have those same feelings.