Author's Note: Hi! So I'm updating as fast as I can. I'm working a lot. But I've added another chapter, let me know how it goes!
4—Clarity
Kakashi looked down wearily at his former student. Sakura had taken a good beating that made him cringe. She was finally sitting up, but the monitors still remained attached to her like a lifeline. She smiled at something Naruto had said and Kakashi thought he'd better stop zoning out before he'd make Sakura nervous.
"…and then when you get out you can try the new Ramen Ayame made," Naruto gleamed. Kakashi noted the small cringe in Sakura's face, he raised a brow at the pink-haired woman sitting before him, but decided he'd let her sort out her own demons. Kakashi sighed, he was glad Sakura was safe and sound, but he never knew what to say to her. She was a girl, she needed conversation to get through her problems, she wasn't like Sasuke or Naruto.
If I didn't naturally have sliver hair, I'd bet anything Sakura would've made me get gray hair the moment I met her, Kakashi thought.
Sakura had listened intently to Naruto's stories of the last six weeks she's been in the hospital. Six weeks it had taken Sakura to wake up, she looked around at her team, the only one not present, which Sakura could've won a bet on, was Sasuke.
"Sakura, I read somewhere that when your friend is in the hospital, that you bring them something that lightens up there day…" Sai began.
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Here we go…"
"I thought a drawing of a flower would suffice better than the real thing," Sai stated, handing Sakura a watercolor of a rose. She smiled up at him, she felt her heart swell with joy.
Naruto snickered, "You just didn't wanna go into Ino's flower shop!"
Sai stood emotionless, turning towards the blonde slowly, "That's not true."
"Is so! Sakura, just yesterday Sai ran into Ino and she was all over him, and he says I'm dic—"
"Naruto!" Tsunade interrupted as she strode into the room a clipboard in her hand, "That is enough of you boys, Sakura and I need to have a chat, so if you'd get out, you can visit Sakura again later," Tsunade barked as she looked around. Sakura smiled as her team bid their goodbyes and hurried out of the room before Tsunade got to them.
_
Sasuke stood on the same dock that his father had taught him the fireball Jutsu. He tried feeling something other than what he felt—agitated. He didn't want to see Sakura, although Naruto gave him Hell for not coming along once she had awoken. Kakashi understood his distance, although he didn't look too pleased either. Sasuke wasn't the person who she needed to see, what she needed was nothing he could give her. He'd only cause her pain, if she remembered—pain, if she didn't remember—hurt.
He watched the ripples in the water from the small breeze but he didn't bother to turn to know Naruto stood behind him with a pained expression.
"She's awake, laughing, although it's hard for her. You should've came, she would've liked you there." Naruto said flicking a lone rock into the water.
Sasuke shrugged, "She didn't need me there."
"You're part of the team Sasuke, haven't you gotten that through your head? That means Sakura needs not just me, Kakashi, or Sai, but you too."
"She doesn't need me." Sasuke ground out.
Naruto sighed, "What makes you think that? So she's not twelve anymore, yeah we can't always protect her from bad people, but that doesn't mean she still doesn't like you around." Naruto stated sadly. He knew Sakura cared for Sasuke, although she did a pretty good job of hiding it since he's been back.
Sasuke laughed, mockingly, "Yeah right, you weren't in that room. Its better she doesn't see me."
Naruto blocked Sasuke from leaving, "Sasuke…six weeks have past, you need to get over whatever happened, Sakura will understand."
Sasuke pushed Naruto, but Naruto held tightly to his wrist, "Let go."
"Not until you tell me what happened in that room." Naruto's blue eyes pierced Sasuke angrily. Sasuke sighed, he wasn't getting away easily.
Sakura woke in fevered sweats. She hated nightmares, but what was worse were the faces that seemed to be wiped clean of features. She didn't know anything other than a name, Takeo, that's all she could remember, but their faces, their words, she couldn't recall a thing and that's what hurt the most. Tsunade stood beside her, checking her monitors, IV, and treatment, but Sakura knew she wanted information.
"I don't know a thing, I-I can't remember, it's so hard, what they said! I-I'm sorry," Sakura began before Tsunade shook her head.
"Sakura, don't worry about that now, we'll get Inoichi Yamanaka to take a look inside your mind later on when you feel up to it," Tsunade stated, checking Sakura's vitals, "Right now, we need to discuss you're well-being."
Sakura nodded, uncomfortably, she could remember a movement within her. She knew someone had taken advantage what she had managed to save for years. She didn't know why she saved it, other than Hinata, Sakura was the only other Kunoichi who dared to salvage her innocence. It still frightened her, she still felt the hands of the enemy in her back, and she still felt Takeo's breath. And whoever was the one who broke inside her she never heard a voice, never saw a face, and that made her shiver just thinking about someone without a face, without a voice, a name, anything to try to humanize. The faces that racked her brain were wiped clean, she couldn't see, but could only feel whatever was happening, whatever was being done to her.
Tsunade checked Sakura's back to see how she was recovering, when she felt her heart stop. There along her spine, was an intricate seal that seemed to entwine with her spinal cord. She used her chakra to check the energy on the seal, except what she sensed created a tight knot within her stomach. She felt her anger getting the best of her. Whoever created the seal had practice, this wasn't his first, the seal was to track as though she were a branded cattle.
"Sakura, this seal cannot be done easily, I'll have to do research to try and pinpoint what this seal tracks exactly." Tsunade concluded, running her chakra over the seal once more. She could feel Sakura's tension, fear, but Tsunade knew she'd hold strong, even if she was near death, Sakura wasn't a weak girl anymore.
"So what will happen till then? Am I released from the hospital?" Sakura asked hopeful. Tsunade laughed softly.
"No, you're not able to leave just yet, you must be picking up bad habits from your team," Tsunade joked lightly. Sakura only nodded solemnly, "Till then Sakura, get some rest, you're going to recover from this, you're strong." With that Tsunade waved goodbye before heading off in search of a certain scroll.
"You what!" Naruto nearly shouted as he sat on the edge of his chair. Sasuke closed his eyes and beat himself up for inviting Naruto over his house to tell him in a more private setting. He didn't need any more trouble.
"Sasuke! You've got to be kidding! That's sick! Why didn't you just kill the man, are you insane! Or did you take enjoyment in taking advantage of our teammate, our friend!" Naruto jumped from his seat glaring at the raven-haired teen. Sasuke sighed watching the blonde pace trying to wrap his finger around what happened in the room. Sasuke shook his head.
"You don't understand."
"I don't understand. Let me get this straight, the sick pervert told you to practically rape Sakura and you just allowed yourself to do it! You didn't fight back, you didn't say 'Sakura's my friend, I should fight for her!' Instead you just—"
"Shut up. You're not listening to a word I said." Sasuke interrupted standing in anger. Naruto glared at the teen, squaring off.
"I don't care. You could've done something differently! When Sakura finds out—"
Sasuke covered Naruto's mouth and held a kunai to his throat, "Sakura. Will. Not. Find. Out. Understand?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, nodding so Sasuke would let up, "Sasuke this is wrong, you need to tell Sakura!"
"No I don't, she doesn't need to know it was me!"
"And why not! Just tell her in the best way possible…although there is no bright side to this." Naruto stated, arms crossing. Sasuke glared at the blonde.
"No, you're not getting this. It was me or that pervert. It was me or watch Sakura be torn apart by a man she didn't know! He would've kill her if I didn't!" Sasuke nearly growled.
"Yeah, right, Sasuke, if I was in your shoes I wouldn't have raped Sakura—"
"He was hurting her with some Jutsu, I had to or else she'd be hurt more—"
"Yeah, justify it all you want Sasuke, but you're just as bad as that pervert." Naruto stated before turning to leave. Sasuke clenched his fists. He felt iron in the back of his throat and he wanted to burn a hole in the back of Naruto's jacket as he walked away from him.
"Wait."
Naruto stopped turning the knob slightly. He looked over his shoulder.
"Naruto…you would've done the same thing."
Naruto shook his head, "That's where you're wrong, I would've tried to save Sakura, not add to the nightmare. Do me a favor Sasuke, stop hurting Sakura."
Sasuke felt his stomach lurch, "Naruto…please don't tell Sakura."
The door slammed shut as Naruto walked out the door of Sasuke's apartment.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Thanks for reading! I'll update ASAP!
