Chapter 2: Recollection

Removing the needles, he put everything away, and checked her pulse. "She's ok, she should be asleep for a while..." Leaving Sakura there, he locked his door, and made his way to the security room. Upon entering, he told the guard on duty, "I need to see the surveillance tapes from the holding cells for yesterday afternoon."

"Ok... there were 2 tapes, it's up on monitors 2 and 3." replied the guard on duty.

"Now, get out..." The guard left and Sasuke focused his attention to the second monitor. He saw two individuals lying on the ground. Then Orochimaru entered, Sasuke continued to watch. Nothing really out of the ordinary, the usual mind games and then killing. It did surprise him to see Sakura kiss the victim. But when he saw his sensei pin his former teammate to the wall and strip off her clothing, he could hardly bare it. Sasuke knew what was coming next, he had seen it before. Every instinct he had told him to turn away, but he couldn't. The longer he watched the sicker, and angrier he felt. Then, to his surprise, someone else entered the room, disturbing what seemed to be inevitable. Stunned, he continued to watch as Orochimaru gave her the seal, then after talking with Kabuto, disappearing. "He was going to...If I hadn't picked a fight, he would have..." Sasuke said in disbelief as he watched Kabuto take her away. He grabbed the tape, made a quick stop elsewhere, then returned to his room. Sakura was asleep, just as he left her. Standing next to the bed, he looked down upon her. "This never should have happened, I'm sorry..." he thought while brushing a strand of pink hair off her cheek. Placing the tape and other objects in his dresser, he then went over to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face, as he tried to erase the fresh images in his head. Sasuke went and sat on the edge of his bed thinking of what could have happened, of what's going to happen. He was lost.

Sakura woke up, "Sasuke...what happened..?"

".I closed most of the paths that the seal uses to overtake your body. It's temporary, but better than the alternative.." he said as he stoically stared at the floor.

"Oh," she put her hand over the seal, "It doesn't hurt so much anymore, thanks." Sakura lay there silently watching as Sasuke continued to stare at the floor, then asked "Sasuke, are you ok?"

"...No..I..I saw...something...everything. Do you remember what happened to you when you were captured?"

"Not really.."

"Who's Hiro?" he asked softly as he turned to her.

"Hiroshi... He..died... in my arms..Orochimaru... He..he..killed him!" Sakura said as she vaguely recalled what happened.

"He...was important..to you?"

"Yes..we were betrothed. Our wedding was set for the summer." she buried her head in the pillow and started to cry.

Turning away he asked, "So you... loved him?"

"I did...but not in the way he wanted. My last words were lies, and he knew it.. I'm a horrible person.."

He looked to her and said, "No Sakura, you're not." brushing away her tears. "You always told people what they needed to hear. In some ways it's better than the truth. Making people feel at ease about the situation they're in, sometimes means protecting them from the truth. You are a beautiful person Sakura, you always were. I think that's why he.."

"He what...?"

"Orochimaru was.." Sasuke quickly turned and looked at the door.

"Was wha..."

"Shh..He's coming! I have an idea, just go with it!" He grabbed a pillowcase and tied Sakura's hands to the headboard, then took off his shirt and pants, and pulled the dark sheet off Sakura's body. He then climbed on top of her, and draped the sheet over his waist.

"What the hell are you..."

"Be quiet, pretend to be asleep!"

"NO! Get the fuck.."

He slammed his lips against hers as a desperate attempt to keep her quiet. Her eyes were wide with shock, but within seconds fell into his kiss. He pulled apart her legs, then push up her left knee, and started to grind against her body. The door creaked open, "Enjoying my little present I see." Sasuke broke the kiss, turned his head slowly, resting on her arm, shielding her face from Orochimaru. "I'll leave you to it then, kukuku. Why don't you take tomorrow off, so you can fully enjoy her... while you still can, kukukuku." he said as he closed the door, and left.

"Bastard.."

"Sasuke...?"

"Hymm?" he looked at her.

"You're...uhh.." her eyes glanced down, then back to his. She took in deep breaths as his bare, hard body pressed against hers. Normally if someone even touched her without permission, she would be outraged, and that person would leave with a broken limb of some kind. But, this was Sasuke, she had dreamt about him so many times, so many years ago, and now, here they were. Their faces were inches from each other, and filled with a burning desire. Sakura managed to gather herself to finish her sentence, "And... you're still.. on me.."

He was lost in her eyes, and overcome with sensation, "Huhh? Ohhh,...sorry.." he smirked as he rolled off her, and untied her hands.

"So, you do this with all your girls?" she said as she tried to break the awkward silence.

"What do you care?"

"I don't, just curious is all." she said as she sat up and hugged her knees. "Sasuke...something else happened, with Orochimaru didn't it?"

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"Hiroshi died, I was... angry...Orochimaru..we..argued...then," she started shaking. "I'm hanging..I...can't move..."

"That's it, she's almost there..." Sasuke thought.

"...A kunai...my clothes...his tongue..oh god..." she ran to the bathroom, slammed the door, and threw up.

Putting on his pants, he then went to the door, "Sakura...are you ok?"

"Leave me alone. I just want to be alone." she said as she cried, then started running water for a shower. "He touched me..his tongue was all over me," she thought as she jumped in and frantically scrubbed herself so hard her skin was turning red.

Sasuke walked away and let her be. He didn't blame her, it was sick what Orochimaru did to her. Now, Sasuke had seen his sensei torture numerous people, even rape some women, but it never effected him this way. Perhaps it was because of his past with Sakura that he felt bad for what happened, but he was uncertain. Sasuke threw himself on the bed and was again lost in thought. He lay there for several minutes thinking, but for some reason could only think about one thing. "Damn she felt so good...Her skin is like silk... No, I need to stop thinking about it... God she's got a nice rack.., and those hips... Stop, stop, stop, stop! That stomach, her arms, her face, those eyes...and that kiss... FUCK!" He stuffed his face in a pillow. Taking in a deep breath, "It even smells like her..." Something fell to the floor. He looked next to the bed, it was Sakura's hitai-ate. Picking it up he held it looking at the insignia. Remembering all that it meant, all that it was, all that he left. It was his choice, and he accepted that long ago, but she didn't choose this. "She shouldn't be here. I have to get her home.."

Sakura fell to her knees in the shower as she tried to recall the rest of the events. "What else did he do...I...I..can't remember!" she shouted as she hit the wall.

Sasuke jumped up, "Sakura..what happened?" he said from the bathroom door. There was no answer. He banged on the door, "Sakura! ...I'm coming in." He opened the door, and found the shower empty. Before he could turn around, Sakura grabbed him from behind and slammed him into the wall. "What else happened! Tell me!"

"Ahh...calm down!"

"TELL ME!"

"He was going to rape you...but...Kabuto, he interrupted."

"Kabuto...There..was a disturbance.., I remember them talking..." she started pacing around then sat on the edge of the sink.

"Yes, that's right."

"It was you? You were the one they were referring to!"

"Yeah." he whispered as he looked down.

"Then I woke up here... Is that all?" Sakura glared upon him with serious eyes.

Sasuke nodded.

"So, you saved me." she said, then walked up and hugged him.

"No, I.."

"Thank you.." she said with relief.

Sasuke started to put his arms around her, but stopped and pushed her away. "Don't thank me, it's not over yet."

"You don't think I know that! You don't think I know that no matter what I do, I am stuck here, and will most likely die here! I'm not that same naive girl you once knew!"

"Well here's something you don't know. The day after tomorrow, Orochimaru will perform the soul transfer technique and aquire my body! We will both be his! I will be locked away in his sub-conscious while he does what he pleases with you!"

"Then lets leave! Runaway!" she shouted back as she approached him and held his hand.

"That isn't even possible!"

"Then...I'll stay, here, with you. It will be our fate.."

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND! It will be me, hurting you, toying with you. NO! I accepted this as my future, but I will not accept it as yours! You don't deserve this! NOT YOU!" he shouted as he put some distance between them.

"Why? What is so special about me?"

"Sakura stop it." he looked back at her.

"What, its not like we know each other. It's been six years since we really talked, and now here you are, acting all strange, soft even. You never really cared back then! If you did, you wouldn't have left!"

"Sakura, you know why I left! ..BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN..." he shouted, as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"MEAN WHAT!" she shouted with angry eyes glaring at him.

He flashed, then appeared in front of her. Gazing into her eyes, he lifted her chin, and in a strong whisper said, "I have always..cared for you! Sasuke slowly turned and walked into the bedroom, then said, "What's your excuse?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you're running away from the village to marry someone you don't love. And now, offering to stay here. Why!"

"I'm n.. I wasn.. (sighs) "You know what...I'm tired of denying it.." She stomped into the room, and said with tears in her eyes, "It's you.. It was always about you. I had convinced myself you were never coming back, and tried to move on, but somehow..I couldn't. And even after the report of your death, your memory lingered. It soon seemed like everything I saw was dead. Nothing had any meaning anymore, not my friends, my job, ...nothing. Then I met Hiro, he was a friend who became so much more, and he loved me, even though it was the broken me. He tried so hard to heal my deadened self, and for a while, it seemed possible...but there was still something missing...you. I could never fully give my heart to Hiro, because the ghost of Uchiha Sasuke haunted it! It's because of you!" she exclaimed, then pushed him.

"Still with that childish crush I see."

"No..I don't like you in that way anymore. That was a long time ago."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care what you believe!" she walked past him and toward the bed. "I'm tired." she said as she grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bed, and threw them on the floor.

"What are you doing.." Sasuke irritatingly asked.

"I'll sleep on the floor, it's your bed."

"No, just sleep on the bed, it gets too cold on the floor." he said as he picked up the pillow and blanket and put them back on the bed.

"But.."

"Don't worry, I'll stay on my side. Oh and here," he walked over to the dresser and pulled out an old shirt and shorts, and tossed them to her. "This is probably still too big, but you can't stay in that towel all night." She took them and quickly changed in the bathroom.

Crawling into bed, the door creaked open, and there was Sakura, in just the shirt that reached her mid theighs. "These were way too big," she said as she put the shorts back in his drawer. "Do you mind if I leave the light on in there, and leave the door open just a little?"

"Fine." Sasuke said, as he turned off the light in the bedroom. She pulled down the covers and lay next to him. Minutes passed like hours in what seemed to be a double dose of insomnia.

"Sasuke...Why are you being so nice? I find it hard to believe Orochimaru taught you how to be gentle."

"I told you earlier." he said coldly.

She turned to face his side. "Yeah, you care for me, but still..that doesn't explain..."

"What!" he raised his voice in frustration as he turned to her. "That I missed you.. Is that what you want to hear!"

"Did you?"

"Just go to sleep..." he turned his back to her.

Sakura's eyes started to shine, then she could not hold her smile as she started to laugh. "You DID!"

"Fine, whatever, shut up already."

Her laughing became hysterical and contagious. Sasuke started to giggle a little bit, then threw a pillow at her, but she continued. "Alright, you want to laugh.." he turned around and started to tickle her stomach. Sakura started to kick, and squirm, "No nononono, stopstopstop..." She started to cry she was laughing so hard. Then, all of a sudden he stopped, rested his hand on her stomach, and stared at her from the side. Catching her breath, she looked at him and became silent as they shared this happy moment. And in this moment...he moved his hand seductively up to her face, held her cheek and kissed her.

End Chapter 2