Just Call Me Cinderella

Chapter Fifteen

Mrs. Haruno had taken off work so she could meet the doctor and learn about Sakura's situation. Rin had agreed to come with them just in case there was anything she could help with. When the doctor removed the bandages, with Rin's help, Mrs. Haruno cried. Sakura had to look at the wall so she wouldn't do the same. Even with the tears, Sakura was extremely grateful that her mother had come along. Sakura had been scared about what the doctor was going to say and having her mother next to her,holding her hand, comforted her beyond belief.

The doctor's assessment was that Sakura was healing at a fairly steady rate and it wouldn't be long before she could go without the bandages completely. For now she was supposed to remove them at night so her burns could be exposed to a little bit of oxygen. She had another check up on Friday.

The rest of the previous weekend Sakura had pretty much kept to her room getting a head start on some of her homework, relaxing, and spending time talking with Rin and Izumi. She had avoided the Uchiha boys like the plague. The message she had gotten from Kimiko and Daisy was loud and clear. So was Sasuke's confession. She would keep her distance.

Mikoto had demanded that Sakura stay at her house until she healed enough that she was okay to not need regular check ups and that Rin would stay to take care of her. Obito had returned home while Rin was staying until she heard what Sakura's doctor had to say on Friday. Sakura was glad that she hadn't had to move out yet because she hadn't figured out what to do with all her shredded clothes. Someone would definitely see them when she left and for some reason she wasn't ready to tell the truth.

Sakura sighed happily as she sat down at her normal lunch table. It felt so good to go back to school this morning. It was much better than having to deal with everything at the Uchiha mansion. Everyone had somehow heard about Sakura's accident by this point and they were not subtle about trying to see her burn. She got a lot of prying looks while her classmates tried to see around the bandages wrapped all around her.

There were also rumors circulating that Sasuke had cheated on Karin and that was why they split up. Sasuke was unbothered but Karin was telling an over dramatized story to anyone who would listen. Sakura had managed to avoid Sasuke at ever available chance which was pretty hard considering that Naruto had valiantly carried Sakura's books to each class for her.

"Did I bring you enough of what you needed?" Ino asked as soon as she sat down across from Sakura. She had been late that morning so they had yet to have a moment to talk.

"Yeah, it was a big help. Thanks."

"Sakura. What happened to all the other clothes you had and why are you severely burned?"

"I told you."

"What you told me was crap." Ino's stare was intense. "Look, I'm your best friend. You can be honest with me. It's just us here. Spill it forehead or I'm going to do some digging and find out myself."

Sakura stared down and swirled her spoon around her mashed potatoes. Her appetite was suddenly gone. She knew Ino was right. She could trust her. Plus, she needed to tell someone. It was beginning to take a toll on her mentally.

"Fine. Do you know the two maids I work with named Daisy and Kimiko?"

"Yeah, they used to go to school here. Kimiko always hated me because she wanted in Deidara's pants but he had a bit of thing for me. Talk about narcissism." Ino rolled her eyes playfully.

"Anyway. . . they threatened me. They told me to stay away from the Uchihas because the Uchihas are for them and if they can't have them they want to pick who Sasuke and Itachi date. I don't know where they got that from. They ripped my uniform up and then poured scalding water on me. Then they locked me in the storage room. On Friday Daisy saw Sasuke confess to me and when I got home from the tree lighting my clothes were all shredded and the word whore was painted on my maid's uniform."

Sakura avoided Ino's gaze for a few minutes. She didn't want to see pity or sadness. When she looked up she found Ino bending her spork in half and her face turning an ugly shade of purple.

"They what?"

"You heard me."

"They disfigured you because they have some unhealthy idea that they should date the Uchihas? That is beyond messed up. You are scarred forever because they're jealous. You need to say something to Mei. They need to be fired and dealt with immediately."

"Ino, stop."

"What? NO! They burned you Sakura. On purpose. They want to hurt you and you're so nice you're going to let them keep their jobs? Absolutely not!"

Ino was pissed. She was almost full on yelling at this point and a few heads had turned their way. Sakura tried her hardest to calm her down.

"Fine. I'll calm down but you need to actually deal with this. Tell Sasuke or something."

"Ino, I can't do that. I'm trying to keep my distance."

"Because of these threats? Screw that! You need justice!"

"No Ino. It's because I don't want to go through the summer after eighth grade again. It hurt being rejected and I've seen the way he is with girls. How do I know he won't just toss me away when someone new comes along? He literally said 'I need to pursue that'. That makes me sound like another conquest. I'd rather endure some physical pain if it meant that I wouldn't have to go through that heartbreak again. I know that's the same reason you've had such a hard time moving forward with Sai. Shikamaru ripped your heart out when he started dating Temari."

Ino looked at Sakura with sadness in her eyes. She knew exactly what Sakura was saying. She wouldn't push her until she was ready.

"You're right forehead. Just be careful and if something else happens tell me. I will be there to help you as soon as I can. And as soon as there is an opening you need to tell Sasuke or Itachi. You can't endure this forever."

Sakura grasped Ino's hand. "Thanks, you're the best."

"Oh gross. You're late for lunch one day and you show up in the middle of a love fest." Tenten rolled her eyes and pretended to gag as she sat down. Sakura and Ino looked at each other and burst out into loud laughter. Sakura would be okay. Ino would always have her back.

It was Thursday that Sakura was finally cornered and unable to run away. She had been sitting in the bleachers watching as Ino practiced cheer and Tenten practiced with the volleyball team. Hinata was at her weekly martial arts lessons and Sakura was feeling a little left out more than usual. She had to give up any fun activities this year so she could work. Sadly, that meant that she had to give up being a trainer.

Sasuke sat next to her. She knew it was him by the quiet way he sat down and the reaction from several of cheerleaders at seeing him. He moved slightly closer and Sakura tried to act like it wasn't bothering her to be that close to him.

"You've been avoiding me."

"I've been busy."

Sasuke scoffed and shifted so he was leaning forward with his head in his hands. "Yeah right. I wanted to ask you something."

Sakura's heart started pounding thinking back to his confession in the hallway.

"Go ahead."

"Who did this to you?"

Sakura deflated at the question but she was suddenly more aware of who was around them.

"Sasuke, I already told Rin it was an accident."

A junior on the volleyball team missed a hit and her ankle twisted with a painful sounding crack. Sakura watched longingly as Moegi rushed out to the court to tend to her injury.

"Sakura, I'm not an idiot I know that someone did this to you. Why won't you tell me? I just want to make sure that it never happens again."

Sakura sighed and stood up with her bag hanging off her good arm. "Because it's my business and my problem and I don't want you getting involved."

With that she stomped down the bleachers and down the hallway. She had homework to get done and watching her friends live out their lives happily was just a waste of time. Sasuke grabbed her arm just as she reached the math classrooms. He turned her around gently.

"I don't know why you're being so stubborn. I just want to help you." He let go of her arm angrily.

"Well stop! I didn't ask for your help. Just leave me alone!"

Sakura stormed away again and he let her. She was suddenly exhausted and wanted nothing more that to sink into her bed. But she didn't want to go back to the mansion just yet. Sakura texted her friends and headed down the street.

"Okay, what's up with you? You've been acting weirder than normal since we've gone back to school."

Tenten studied Sakura over the pile of books in front of her. They were supposed to be studying in the public library for the first time ever since starting high school but Tenten had been watching Sakura like a hawk. Hinata averted her gaze to her own book and tried to ignore the conversation since she knew it was going to be awkward as Tenten just shut her book and leaned back.

"What do you mean weirder?"

"Sak, is this because Sasuke declared his undying love for you?"

"Ten you know that's not what happened. He just suddenly declared he liked me. That's it." Sakura looked down at her book and tried to make sense of the questions. She needed to finish this since she was still healing she knew that she would need to head to bed as soon as she got back. Sakura glanced up at Ino who gave her a look that seemed to communicate that Sakura needed to tell Tenten and Hinata everything.

Tenten slapped her hand on top of Sakura's book. Hinata and Sakura jumped as several patrons near them yelled at Tenten to quiet down. Ino snorted and put down her pencil as Hinata finally spoke.

"Sakura you can tell us. What's up?"

Sakura looked fully into the faces of her three best friends. "Well. . . I was burned by two of the maids at the mansion. They've been bullying me about my closeness to the Uchihas who they have claimed as their own."

Hinata's eyes widened and Tenten whispered a "shut up".

"I also don't know what to do about Sasuke. I don't want to get hurt again and I'm not sure that his intentions are all that pure. I guess everything's just been piling up. This year has sucked."

Tenten placed her arm tenderly around Sakura and pulled her in close. "Sak, we're here for you. You should have come to us sooner. We can help you carry some of your problems. That is what friends are for."

"Please, don't hide things from us again."

"Thanks guys." Sakura sniffled but willed herself not to cry. She was sick of tears.

"What are you going to do about the maids?" Hinata asked quietly.

"I told her to tell Sasuke or Itachi but she doesn't want to. She wants to keep her distance of them but I think that's ridiculous. She needs to get this taken care of."

Tenten let go of Sakura. "Wait, you knew that this happened?"

"She told me at lunch on Monday when I practically squeezed it out of her. I had no idea before that."

Tenten nodded. "I agree with Ino. You need to say something sooner rather than later. You can't keep working there with two women who injured you and are bullying you. It's unsafe."

Hinata moved her books so that she could reach for Sakura's hand. "Why are you protecting them Sakura?"

"I just. . . I don't know! I don't know why I'm doing anything anymore. I just wanted to work, earn some money for my mom, go to college, fall in love at some point, and live a happy life. And now all this is happening. I just can't!" Sakura dropped her face into her hands. She had snapped. She knew it was going to happen but it was unfortunate it was happening in a public place. It felt like everyone at the library was watching her crumble to pieces.

Tenten immediately pulled Sakura into her and Ino moved swiftly to hold onto her as well.

"Sakura, it's okay. We know that it's hard right now. It doesn't matter why you won't tell on them. But it's hurting you so you need to tell someone. Okay?" Ino pulled Sakura's face up from Tenten's shoulder. Sakura took a few deep breaths as she looked into Ino's concerned eyes.

"The soonest opportunity I'll do something about it."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

It was late evening when Sakura got back to the mansion. She had gone to dinner with her mother after her study session and now her mom was heading back to work to finish her shift. Mrs. Haruno had agreed that Sakura could stay at the mansion for a little bit longer so that there would always be someone around if Sakura needed anything.

Sakura felt exhausted from all the places and things she had done today. She hadn't really gone and done anything in the last few days besides school. Her body was tired and her healed ankle was acting up a bit from the constant use. Sakura did feel lighter though after telling her friends about Daisy and Kimiko.

She opened her bedroom door and was surprised to see the lamp on and the bathroom light illuminating the small space. Sakura froze with her hand on the door handle. Were Daisy and Kimiko here looking for another reason to torment her? She took a deep breath and walked shakily into her room and shut the door quietly. She took a few steps towards the bathroom with caution. Whatever they were going to do this time she was ready. At least she hoped.

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom clutching her ripped maid's uniform with the paint all over it. He looked up at her. His eyes looked almost red with anger. But underneath there was something that looked like heartache.

"Sakura, what is this?"

"Um, a prank?"

Sasuke clutched the dress tighter. "Sakura. What is this."

He was no longer asking. It was a command to tell him. Sakura awkwardly adjusted so she was resting her weight on her left ankle. She tried to avoid Sasuke's eyes and his question but he was too intimidating. She couldn't fight it anymore. "It's a present from two people that hate me."

"Why do they hate you?"

"They think that I'm a whore, obviously." She said the last part more to herself than to him but he heard her nevertheless.

"They burned you."

Again, another statement instead of a question.

"Yes."

"Who?" Sasuke growled out with such fervor that Sakura physically jumped. Her eyes widened and he realized that he had frightened her. "Who was it Sakura?" He lowered his voice and sounded almost pleading like it physically hurt him to see her suffer.

"I'm not ready to tell you yet."

Sasuke threw the dress on the ground and stomped past Sakura to the door. He was going to find out who left her this message this instant. Sakura grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Please don't go. I'm really tired but I don't want to be alone in here. Especially if they get fired. I don't want to be here alone when they find that out."

Sasuke turned around and scanned her face. Sakura was terrified and she could not hide it. She had been strong but now she was tired and still trying to heal. He nodded and allowed her to pull him to the bed.

"I'm going to change. I'll be right back."

Sasuke was already in pajamas so he crawled under the covers to the side of the bed he had seen Naruto sitting on Thanksgiving day. Sakura emerged from the bathroom soon after and looked a little bashful at Sasuke.

"Um."

"What is it?"

Sasuke couldn't pretend that this situation wasn't awkward. The last time he had spoken to her was when he had confessed that he liked her. After that she was pretty scarce around the house and he had been upset. But now that he knew she was being tormented by two of his own maids he understood.

"I um. . . need help with taking off my bandages. I'm supposed to sleep without them and I just remembered. Rin normally helps me change them but since you're here and all."

"I can do it."

Sakura moved toward the bed and sat on the edge. Sasuke scooted over and moved to remove her arm bandages. He slowly undid the wrapping to not agitate anything. Several of Sakura's blisters were oozing a little bit still so he dabbed at them gently. Now was the awkward part.

Sakura pulled off her night gown and faced the wall. Sasuke's face turned into a professional mask as he slowly unwrapped the bandages. Sakura stared more intensely at the wall. Her eyes were burning with tears but it wasn't from the unblinking gaze she had on the wall. It was the fact that she was finally going to be exposed for a man completely. The man she liked in fact and she was hideous. He would see everything unobstructed by Rin this time.

Daisy and Kimiko had certainly accomplished their objective in making her ugly to any man. She could barely look at herself in the mirror anymore. How would someone like Sasuke ever look at her in anything other than disgust. Sasuke pulled the last section of bandage off and Sakura moved to cover her exposed chest.

"I need to dab at the blisters that are oozing. You're going to have to put your arms down."

Sakura started crying full on then. Sasuke stopped what he was doing and looked at her with concern. "Sakura if you're uncomfortable with me seeing your chest I can get Rin to come down. I'm sorry I didn't even think that might be too much for you."

"It's not that. It's just I'm. . . I'm. . ."

"You're what Sakura?"

"Ugly."

Sasuke sat for a few minutes processing her answer. He had not expected that coming from the most beautiful girl her knew but he assumed she meant that she was ugly because of the burn covering her skin. The thought of her being ugly had never crossed his mind. All he had thought when he first saw her burns a few days ago was that someone was going to pay for what they did to her but it didn't diminish his feeling for her in any way. He liked her for her. Not her skin.

Sasuke reached forward and set his hand on her arm gently. "Sakura, you may be burned but you will never be ugly. This burn does not make you ugly and any man would be so lucky to get intimate with you. You're absolutely beautiful no matter the scars on your body."

Sakura fought back another sob at his words. He had just called her beautiful while her burned skin was out on display. She had needed to hear that since the day it happened. She had needed confirmation that everything would be okay. And coming from him it made her heart soar even more.

Slowly Sakura pulled her arms down into her lap and Sasuke resumed cleaning up her blisters before gently helping her into her night gown again. She should have been more embarrassed that she had been topless in front of Sasuke but it didn't feel awkward or weird. It felt right. Like he was always supposed to see the most raw parts of her.

Sasuke turned off the lamp and the two of them crawled into bed. Sakura grunted as she tried to find a comfortable spot. Sleeping without the bandages meant that her skin was going to be rubbing against her clothes. She had a very rough night ahead of her.

Eventually she was able to fall asleep with the comfort that Sasuke was right next to her and he was there in case anything happened. Whether it be jealous maids or her own skin protesting. She had never slept better.

Sakura winced as she took a look at her chest in the mirror. Her tiny bathroom was foggy from the bath she had just taken. Her burns were healing nicely and movement was getting much better. She quickly slipped into her uniform and made her way once again to the maid's quarters. Mikoto had been stubborn about not letting her work for the last week. It was only yesterday that Sakura convinced her she was able to move at least a little bit and could in fact do a few chores.

Mai smiled warmly as Sakura entered the back door. "Good morning dear. I am under strict orders to make you take it easy. So, I want you to vacuum the upstairs at your own pace. Take as many breaks as necessary and don't be afraid to leave parts unfinished." Mei was trying her best to smile but there was a pain in her eyes.

"Thank you. I will do my best."

Sakura rushed out of there and up the stairs as quickly as possible. There was nothing she hated more than looks of pity from others. She was burned because of her own stupidity of getting to close to the untouchable but she was not going to let that hold her back.

It had been almost an hour and Sakura was at her wits end. This was the longest Saturday of her life. She had vacuumed the hallway and was almost finished but it been the worst struggle. When she bent over to use the vacuum the skin on her chest would become impossibly tight. Her arm was also completely useless so having to steer with one hand was not working.

She sighed and turned off the machine. After a few minutes of awkward shuffling she finally reached the floor. Her chest was heaving with the effort and the stiff wall behind her was somehow comforting. This house was more like home to her sometimes than her own home.

Get up! Sakura looked around the hallway. What if the other maids showed up? She was not going to let any sort of weakness be shown to Daisy and Kimiko. Sakura didn't want to give them anymore reason to torture her. It was almost Christmas and she wanted to have enough money set aside so her and her mom could have a nice holiday. A little burn wasn't going to stop her.

"Oh look! The poor wretch herself." Sakura jumped at the sudden voice and looked up to find the very girls she was thinking about. Unconsciously she started shivering.

"What do you want?" Sakura tried to sound brave but her burns were still too fresh.

"We thought we were clear the last time we sent you a message. We want you gone. I guess ruining all your clothes and disfiguring your skin wasn't enough."

"What was that?"

Daisy froze and her eyes grew impossibly big. Kimiko very slowly turned her head and Sakura couldn't fight the tears rolling down her face. When will I stop crying so much? About ten feet off stood a seething Sasuke. Literal waves of anger could be felt rolling off of him.

"So you two are the ones that burned her but it wasn't enough, huh?"

Daisy and Kimiko couldn't say anything as he took a step towards them. They tried to step back but were cut off by Sakura. Kimiko's foot caught Sakura's leg and she slipped flat on the ground.

"Get out of my sight before I do something I'll regret."

The two of them scrambled as fast as they could down the hallway and down the staircase. Sasuke's gaze turned towards Sakura and she started practically hyperventilating. He had saved her. She hadn't realized how truly terrified she was until she saw him come to her rescue. In a swift movement he was by her side, gently picking her up. He carried her to his room and placed her on the couch.

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

Sakura didn't really want to but she had no choice. After a few minutes her cries slowed and she was working on slowing down her breathing. Sasuke had yet to reappear and she was wondering what was taking him so long. After almost twenty minutes he returned holding a glass of water and a platter of cookies. Sakura couldn't help but crack a small smile at the nice gesture. He handed her the plate and cup and moved to sit next to her. There was silence as she ate a cookie.

"Thanks for this. It was very thoughtful."

"You're welcome. I went down to talk to Mei and figured it would be a good pick me up."

Sakura nodded and nibbled at another cookie. "Do you want one?"

Sasuke wrinkled his nose the tiniest amount and Sakura burst out into giggles. He smiled softly as she laughed and took a big drink of water.

"I'm not sure why you wouldn't tell me who did this to you but I am glad that I've found out. I couldn't stand knowing you were hurt in my house and I couldn't do anything to protect you."

Sakura gulped slightly as Sasuke moved closer and placed his arm gently around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away the other day. I knew they would make things worse for me and I didn't want to get others involved."

"Why were they even doing this to you?"

Sakura averted her eyes to the plate in her hands. "You really don't want me to answer that."

"Yes, I do." Sasuke gently placed his finger under her chin and raised her face so her eyes met his. "Tell me."

"They hurt me because I was getting too close to you and your family."

There was silence as guilt washed across Sasuke's features. Sakura reached over and placed her hand on his cheek lightly. He tried to flinch out of her grasp but she wouldn't let him.

"Hey, I'm okay though. This time you saved me before anything could happen."

"And I will never let anything else happen to you."

Sakura swallowed at the sincerity in his eyes and finally dropped her hand.

"What's going to happen to Daisy and Kimiko?"

Sasuke smirked and moved to lean against the back of the couch. "Oh, I had them fired and they won't be receiving any of their last paycheck."

"Is that all? You seem a little too happy for that to be it." Sakura gulped as Sasuke's smirk widened.

"Oh, well, I did also tell Itachi what had happened and he is persecuting them with the full extent of the law. Apparently, there are quite a few other employees that have been harassed over the years and Mei had quite a report on them. But, there was never anything more serious than hurtful comments over the years and half of the maids that were involved were fired because. . . ahem. . ."

"Because?"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "Because they were either flirting with us or caught in a compromising position with one of us. So, the threats were never really taken care of because the reason they were fired kind of eclipsed everything."

"I see. So, they are going to be taken to court then?"

Sasuke nodded. "Itachi is seeing to all the legal stuff. Let's just say their lives are collectively ruined from now on. They never should have messed with the Uchihas."

"Well, I suppose that is some good news."

"Sakura, you mean a great deal to me. To us and we want to make sure that this gets taken care of the right way."

Sakura awkwardly nodded as silence filled the room. She stood up and smoothed her skirt before handing Sasuke the plate of cookies and her empty glass of water. He looked at her baffled by her sudden movements.

"Thank you Sasuke but I really must be getting back to work." Sakura took a step toward the door but was stopped by Sasuke's hand on her wrist. She didn't turn to face him as he spoke.

"Why do you always run away the moment I open up a little bit to you? Why do you always leave me like this?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Because I don't want to be hurt by you again." She turned to look at Sasuke out of the corner of her eye and saw his brows furrowed in deep confusion.

"I don't want to make myself believe that we are close and have you step all over me and forget about me like you did after middle school."

Sasuke dropped her wrist like he had been burned and she hurried out the door and back to where she had left the vacuum. She was going to put it away and then she was going home. There was way too much going on tonight and she needed to get out. Mei would understand and hopefully so would Mikoto. She would come pick up her stuff tomorrow. Sakura raced home with her heart pumping wildly in her ears. Would Sasuke remember?