Summary: As everything she had ever known is turned upside down, Sakura strikes out with her newly founded team in a perilous time when friend and foe alike can become complications. AU. MultiSaku. Sakura centric. SakuraHarem. Sequel to "no good gift (goes unpunished)." Multi-chaptered.

Pairing(s): SakuraxNaruto, SakuraxSasuke, SakuraxSai, SakuraxGaara, SakuraxDeidara, SakuraxSasori, SakuraxKisame, SakuraxItachi, SakuraxHidan, SakuraxKakuzu, SakuraxTobi, SakuraxMadara, SakuraxPein, KakashixSakura, KibaxSakura, ChojixSakura, ShikamaruxSakura, HakuxSakura, ZabuzaxSakura, LeexSakura, NejixSakura, ZetsuxSakura, KimimaroxSakura, KabutoxSakura, ShinoxSakura, SuigetsuxSakura, JugoxSakura, ShisuixSakura, IzunaxSakura, KotetsuxSakura, IzumoxSakura, GenmaxSakura, KonohamaruxSakura, YamatoxSakura, BxSakura, CxSakura, DaruixSakura, MenmaxSakura, JiraiyaxTsunade, OrochimaruxTsunade, (implied) AxTsunade

Genre: Adventure/Romance/Friendship/Humor/Angst

Warnings: some cursing (they are teenagers!), general OOC-ness, dark and sometimes suggestive themes

Notes: Here we are with chapter six. A new character will be appearing!

Chapter Summary: In which Sakura is feeling ill; Kakashi's gut was correct; Team Seven faces the unknown; and Sasuke is at a crossroads.

"the gifted and i"
Of Hotheads & Hostages
-7/26-

Sakura woke, head pounding and mouth fuzzy. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head. Her vision righted itself with a lurch and Sakura did her best to catch herself. It didn't work. She rolled over onto all fours, retching. She dry heaved for a few long moments, trying to remember when she last had food or water. She couldn't remember. With a deep, shuddering, calming breath, Sakura closed overly bright green eyes against her feverish thoughts. Finally, when she felt in control of her bodily functions once more, she leaned back on her heels.

Where was she? Sakura glanced around; frustrated when all she could see was blinding white. Eyes smarting, she brought a hand to her face to wipe away the stinging tears. When she reopened her eyes, Sakura found that she was in a small, padded room with a toilet, a sink and a large bed in one corner. Aside from that, there was nothing else. Feeling her stomach threaten to upheave again, Sakura brushed her hand over it, waiting for her Gift to flicker to life. It did not.

Horror filled Sakura as memories of Tenten's betrayal filtered through her mind. She swallowed, ignoring the acrid burning at the back of her throat. It wasn't fair. She'd been hounded for so long and after one instance of misplaced trust…well, many instances of misplaced trust, Sakura was starting to feel the wear and tear on her very soul. It seemed that everyone that she trusted had it out for her in one way or another. Between Sound, Akatsuki and now Tenten, Sakura was becoming used to her friends turning their backs on her.

Sakura sighed, running a hand over her face. She didn't want to become jaded or suspicious, it was just that every time she let her guard down, every time she allowed herself to care, something happened to prove to her that as Tenten had stated, "This world was going to break her." She'd understood, from her admittance to the Academy and into the Gifted world, that her life would never be easy or simple. After all, she was the only living Gifted female aside from Headmistress Tsunade. She hadn't understood the costs of this life though, or the burdens that she alone shouldered. Organizations everywhere were gunning for control over her and more often than not she was viewed as a mere prize to be had rather than a human being.

Still, she didn't know how she could get out of this one. None of her teammates knew that she'd been taken in. Sakura stared unblinkingly down at the Gift-inhibitors that were shackled around her wrists and ankles. Unlike the ones that Kabuto had used, these glowed blood red. Sakura felt a trickle of apprehension go down her spine. While Tenten had been the one who had taken her down, this was Orochimaru's technology. Had something changed while she was out of it? How much time had passed between the betrayal and her awakening? Who were her captors and what were their plans for her?

Sakura bit back a scream of rage as she leaned forward, placing her head in her arms. She felt the itch of oncoming tears and didn't fight them as they leaked, hot and heavy, from her eyes, falling onto the Gift-inhibitors.

The real question that circled around her head was the truly frightening one. It was a question that had its roots in Akatsuki's betrayal and had since been festering, now more than ever before. Sakura wasn't even sure if she wanted an answer.

Did…did anyone even honestly care?

Kakashi watched with something suspiciously akin to vindication as the last of the fires were finally put out. It had been a long, hard battle, but the surprise attack by Sound had been less than successful. He'd even had to put his erotic literature down for the fight! Still, Kakashi thought, eyes narrowed, something is amiss. Sound should have put up a harder fight. What had been the purpose behind the attack? Had they gained any members during the siege? He didn't believe so. Kakashi wasn't sure what was up just yet, but he trusted his instincts above all else. They'd kept him alive in many close situations and they were very useful when it came to keeping up with his…cute students.

He wondered how they were handling this new development. To be honest, Kakashi had seen the defection from the Academy coming, but he hadn't expected it to be on such a wide scale. Students that he had known for their entire careers had turned tail on the Academy and he couldn't say that he was pleased. Kakashi knew better than most how close to heart the Akatsuki desertion had hit Sakura and Sasuke in particular. He was afraid that his students were going to become as jaded as he was and Kakashi would do just about anything to prevent that.

As if summoned by Kakashi's mere thoughts, Naruto came bounding onto the scene chattering a mile a minute. Kakashi's eyes surveyed his student, cataloguing the scratches and burn marks that mottled his skin. Still, if Naruto had the energy to be explaining the delicacies of ramen to one of the Kumo students, Kakashi supposed that he was feeling just fine. Kakashi's eyes warmed with amusement; Naruto would make a poor diplomat. All of the Kumo students probably felt that their derision of the Konoha sector and its students was well deserved. There was, however, no one else in the world quite like Naruto.

"Naruto," he called, sparing the poor Kumo student of Naruto's lengthy diatribe on ramen. Since Sakura had introduced him to the food, he'd been absolutely insufferable about it. He constantly requested them to stop by convenience stores so that he could stock up on the apparent "delicacy." Naruto ran over, smiling infectiously. "Report please."

"Aw, Kakashi!" the boy whined. Still, he straightened and recited just as he'd been taught, "I was engaged by the suspected Sound member Jugo. We battled for a while and he seemed reluctant to use harsher attacks." He grinned slyly. "I wasn't. Eventually, after he got his ass handed to him," Naruto ignored Kakashi's glare of disapproval, too used to receiving it for it to even faze him, "he received some back up from Suigetsu and the two beat a hasty retreat. Then I came here."

Kakashi eyed Naruto. "Do try your best to leave curse words out of your next report," he stated drily. Naruto just grinned unrepentantly. Alarm bells were going off in Kakashi's head and he felt his instincts stir with agitation. Something wasn't right, but what? "You said that your quarry retreated?"

Naruto nodded, a more serious look coming over his face. "It was weird. Between the two of them, I would have had at least something of a challenge, but they chose not to even attack. They left, though both were still in good enough condition to fight. I guess they were called away or something."

"Do you know what time they disappeared?" Kakashi questioned, feeling anxiety roil around in the pit of his stomach. Something was very, very wrong.

Naruto screwed up his face with concentration. "I think that they left around four? I guess? I wasn't exactly staring at my watch when they left. Why do ya ask Kakashi? And where's everyone else?"

Step.

Step.

Left.

Sharp right.

Duck.

Rinse and repeat.

Running as fast as he could, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his opponent with disgust. Kabuto had never been high on Sasuke's scale of respect, but he had not realized that the man was such a non-confrontational coward. He'd been leading Sasuke on a chase for the past ten or so minutes and it didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon. Sasuke huffed in irritation, Sharingan spinning madly. Kabuto had caused enough trouble for his team and he was going to end it.

"Kabuto!" he called. "Stop running you fucking coward!"

Kabuto ignored his taunts, continuing in his flight. Suddenly, he stopped dead.

Sasuke paused, taking in his surroundings. In his anger he hadn't been paying too much attention to his environment, but now...

He was in a narrow alleyway, a good ways away from the main campus of the school. It was dark and it would be hard to use any fire techniques without causing injury to himself. Sasuke wasn't too concerned though; he was a descendant of the highest lineage. The Uchiha line was absolute perfection. There was no fucking way he could lose to some washed-out, wannabe imitation. His honor wouldn't allow it. His eyes narrowed as the Sharingan pinwheels began to spin.

Kabuto snorted, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. It was obvious that he didn't view Sasuke as a threat and that rankled in a way that Sasuke couldn't even describe. "You rely far too much on your clan's Gift. You would be completely crippled without it. You are blinded by arrogance and it will be your downfall, Uchiha."

"Big words for a weak cur!" Sasuke snarled back, fighting against his immediate impulse to destroy the sniveling man. There would be plenty of time for that later. He needed questions answered first. Intel was always valuable, especially since the Konoha sector was in turmoil. "Why did you lead me out here to the middle of nowhere?"

Kabuto smirked and Sasuke whirled around as Kimimaro approached from the rear. He was trapped.

However, as Sasuke readied himself for a brutal smack down, Kimimaro raised his hands in an attempt to placate him. It didn't work. "Peace Sasuke. We are not here to fight." Kimimaro directed a pointed glare at Kabuto and Sasuke felt that he had missed something. "In fact, we're only here to get a message across to the Kumo sector." He gazed back at the smoke billowing from the desecrated Academy; while the fires were put out, there were still signs of the destruction.

Kabuto smirked. "I think they got our message loud and clear."

Sasuke frowned, rounding on Kabuto. Kimimaro wasn't a threat; he hadn't been more than a blip on his radar even at the Academy. Stupid fucking pacifist. "Why did you lead me out here?" he questioned again waspishly.

Kimimaro watched him with something akin to sympathy or pity, neither of which were appreciated by the Uchiha. "We have intel on your teammate. MIA."

Sasuke tensed. "Which one?" he asked as casually as possible, watching both Sound members for any sign. Not her. Not her. Not her.

"Don't play coy. It doesn't suit you," Kabuto snapped, before calming his ruffled feathers. His eyes took on a dazed sheen. "She's quite a spitfire isn't she? I'm sure you've sparred with her multiple times, but actually fighting her…" He shuddered, enraptured with his memories. "I'd give anything to meet her again in the battlefield."

"Sakura," Sasuke murmured, Sharingan automatically deactivating in his shock. It quickly turned to anger. He whirled on Kimimaro and grabbed him by his shirt. "What the hell did you do to her?"

Kimimaro shook his head. "We didn't take her, Sasuke. It wasn't part of our mission."

"You're lying!" Furiously, Sasuke engaged his Sharingan once again, this time dragging Kimimaro into the world of Tsukuyomi.

Kimimaro eyed his surroundings with a pale face. "No, it's…it's not possible." He turned wide, frightened eyes back on the furious Uchiha. "You aren't supposed to be capable of this!"

Sasuke smiled deviously. "Well, we're all full of surprises aren't we, traitor." His smile widened as Kimimaro flinched violently as if struck. "That struck a chord didn't it? Still, we aren't here to discuss your betrayal. Where is Sakura?"

"We didn't take her!"

Sasuke knew his actions were drastic. He also knew that absolutely none of his teammates would approve of what he was about to do. He took a deep breath. He could do this. For Sakura. He had to do this to protect her. Nothing and no one took away his teammates without retribution. Finally, he spoke, steeling himself for his upcoming actions, "Hn? Pity. I'm sure you're just being shy. Don't worry though; we have time to get to know one another better. In fact, we have twenty-four hours to get down to the truth."

Kimimaro was suddenly attached to a cross. His eyes went wide with terror.

"Let's begin."

After having a releasing and well-deserved cry, Sakura decided to examine her environment more closely to find weak points. The Gift-inhibitors dragged awkwardly around her wrists and ankles, a glaring and mocking reminder of her culminating failures.

Still, she persevered, inspecting the padded walls for weaknesses, running her fingers along the edges of two separate doors and attempting to move the bed. No luck. The walls were reinforced and without her Gift there was not much she could honestly do. The doors were sealed seamlessly and, besides, she didn't even have the tools to pry either of them open. The bed was bolted to the floor and only her Gift of Power could help budge it.

With a rattling sigh, she fell limp across the bed, covering her eyes with her arm. Sakura was exhausted, physically, emotionally and mentally. She laid there for an undeterminable amount of time, mind blissfully blank.

Sakura sat up suddenly, startled out of her drowsy state. Something had made a noise. Heart pounding, she looked around the room. To her surprise, one of the previously sealed doors was now wide open, leading into a yawning abyss.

Sakura made her way cautiously to the door, glancing around all the while. Was it a trap? She couldn't see anything within the room, but a delicious smell wafted her way from the darkness. Her stomach gurgled in response. How long had it been since she had eaten? Sakura wasn't quite sure.

She hovered outside the entrance for a few minutes weighing the pros and cons of entering. Finally, she shrugged, entering the ominous room, deciding that whatever sick game her captors were playing she had nothing to lose.

Not anymore.

Sasuke released Kimimaro from Tsukuyomi, frowning and flexing his hands. While only seconds had passed in reality, he'd had more than enough time to question Kimimaro but he'd received no new information. Sasuke scowled at the crumpled boy who was breathing heavily.

Kabuto watched them, shocked. "You…you can use Tsukuyomi?"

Sasuke smirked mirthlessly. He felt shame and guilt fill him. Tsukuyomi was a sacred and taboo technique in the Uchiha line with very few managing to unlock the ability. He knew of only two currently living individuals who could use it: Itachi and Madara. It was a twisted Gift that Team Seven definitely did not approve of. Still, as Sasuke fought the bile rising in his throat, he realized that he liked the technique, which sickened him all the more. What would his teammates think? Hell, what would his parents think? He'd stepped across some undeniable and unspoken barrier and he couldn't go back now. Sasuke clenched his fists. He couldn't go back now.

"What did you do to Sakura?" he questioned, his Sharingan red eyes posing an all new threat.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed as he approached Kimimaro and hefted him up over his shoulder. "We haven't taken your precious teammate, Uchiha." He barked out a laugh. "You're desperate aren't you? The Academy keeping you on a tight leash; restricting your Gifts? What would your teammates think of your…actions?" Sasuke paled. Kabuto smiled. "Yes, how would Sakura feel about your usage of torture techniques in her name?"

"Shut up! You know nothing!" Sasuke snarled, barely controlling his temper. He knew exactly how Sakura would feel. Horrified. Disgusted. Repulsed. She could never know. It would hurt her all the more knowing that she was the reason that he had engaged such a dark technique.

"I know far more than you, Uchiha," Kabuto snapped back. "If you ever want the truth about your teammate's disappearance, let me know." He threw a playing card at Sasuke, who caught it deftly. "We could use skills like yours." And with that, Kabuto and Kimimaro disappeared.

Sasuke looked down at the King of Hearts card pensively, Sharingan pinwheels whirling.

There was no going back now.

Sai watched his teammates quietly. They were in one of the few untouched rooms at the Kumo Academy. A had seen fit to set them up nicely as they waited for the teammates to rejoin them. They had all been paged by belt by Kakashi, leaving them with the coordinates of their meeting room.

That had been thirty minutes ago.

Naruto was pacing back and forth, exclaiming his worry loudly as he was wont to do. Kakashi was seated, reading from one of his erotic literature books. On the surface he appeared calm, but Sai noticed that he hadn't turned a single page in twenty minutes. Sai personally wondered how he would feel in a time of worry. Was this, right now, his response? Overanalyzing the teammates that were with him as they waited for Sakura and Sasuke to return? Sai felt a pang in his heart as he wondered what had become of his erstwhile friends.

"Yo," a voice said.

All three turned to the source. Sasuke, a bit battered and bruised, was standing in the doorway. Naruto bounded over to him, pulling him into a hug. Then, he punched him in the arm. "You bastard!" he exclaimed, laughing. "Don't you ever scare us like that again!" He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, craning his neck. "Where's Sakura?"

Sai's hands clenched into fists when Sasuke's face fell, bracing himself for what was to come. It wouldn't be good news.

"She's…" Sasuke's voice broke. "She's MIA."

Sai watched distantly as Kakashi's face turned an ashen gray, as Naruto's face twisted into an uncharacteristic scowl, as Sasuke turned his eyes away in the shame of defeat. Sai felt his stomach lurch and he turned away from his teammates, trying to control his stomach. It wouldn't do to throw up as he had after his first kill at a young age. Danzo had trained him better than this. You're growing soft, Sai told himself with surprise. He didn't know how to handle the emotions that were roiling up within him. Sakura was the one who helped him understand the world around him. Sakura was the one who understood him best. Sakura was the one who should have made it back to them unscathed. Sakura, Sakura, Sakura!

"What happened?" Kakashi asked, pocketing his book. He couldn't handle his erotica right now, it made him feel sick.

"Not sure," Sasuke mumbled, darting his eyes around the room and avoiding eye contact.

"What do you mean you aren't sure?" Naruto exploded; eyes suspiciously moist. "What happened?"

Sasuke scowled, remembering his encounter. "I…I don't know. I followed Kabuto and Kimimaro. They claimed that Sound didn't take Sakura."

"And you believe them?" Kakashi asked shrewdly, scrutinizing Sasuke. There was more to that story than Sasuke was revealing. He seemed…guilty?

"Yes! No…maybe?" he said, looking away.

"Well I don't believe those dumbasses!" Naruto shouted. "They took Sakura and we have to get her back!" He turned to his unmoving teammates. "Come on guys!"

Kakashi watched him, face falling. "Naruto…we don't have the jurisdiction to go chasing after rumors. Sakura hasn't appeared yet, despite the fact that we've paged her by belt multiple times." Kakashi looked sick. "We must assume that she has been…compromised. From Sasuke's report, it is clear that she is still alive. Undoubtedly, she has been kidnapped by someone. She would have returned to us otherwise. We have to contact the Headmistress for orders before we do anything else."

Naruto scowled. "I can't accept that! This, this is Sakura! Our teammate! My…our best friend! She's been taken and you bastards just want to sit around and leave it like that? Are you kidding me? She's all alone!" Naruto's voice broke. "She'sall alone. We don't even know where she is."

"That's why we must return to the Academy," Sai stated, tamping down on his emotions. You are stone. Unmoving. Unshaken. You will not be broken. "It can be assumed that the Headmistress will have more connections than we do. If we are to find Sakura and, by extension, her captors, we must gain more intel from the Academy. I'm sure that there are mission reports that can give us some insight into which organization took Sakura." Sai's eyes darkened. "Make no mistake, it was undoubtedly planned to take Sakura. There are very few that could manage to bring her down. That means we're dealing with a group that is very skilled or very trusted by Sakura."

Sasuke frowned clenching his fists. They needed to pursue Sakura now. Didn't those idiots see? If they waited, they would lose her, probably forever. Who knew what had become of her? Sasuke felt a pang of regret, knowing that he had withheld information from the team. He hadn't told them of Tsukuyomi or the fact that Sound knew who had Sakura. They had the real intel.

"What are we waiting for then! Let's get going!" Naruto yelled, interrupting Sasuke's train of thought and thundering out the door.

Kakashi sighed and followed slower than usual. Sai, looking disturbingly blank, silently made his way out the door. Sasuke stood in the room alone, ignorant of the way that blood spilled out of his clenched hands.

There was no going back now.

His eyes spun Sharingan red.

Sakura felt her way along the wall of the dark room. Her senses were incredibly heightened as her instincts screamed at her in indignation. Sakura knew that she was probably being stupid and that her teachers at the Academy would tan her hide, but the smell was tantalizing and damn if she wasn't Pavlov's dog. Besides, she had reached a point in her life where she honestly didn't care what happened next.

She stumbled over something in the dark, sprawling across the ground with multiple curses. Some Gifted individual she was turning out to be. She couldn't believe how clumsy she was. What would her teammates think? Sakura frowned. What would her teammates think? She tried to smother thoughts of her teammates; this wasn't the time or the place. She'd have more than enough time for introspection later when she was in her room. For now, as an ungodly rumble reminded her, she needed to find food.

A few moments of scrambling about later, Sakura found herself at a table. There was a tiny bit of light in this area, allowing her to make out large plates of food filled to the brim with delectable delights of all sorts. She began eating quickly, doing her best to regulate her intake. It wouldn't do to throw up. After all, she had no idea how often she'd get a chance to eat.

She paused, hearing a noise that sounded suspiciously like shuffling and the clinking of something metal. Sakura peered into the murky darkness, making out a vague human shape moving her direction.

"Stay away," she coughed, voice rough from disuse.

"I won't hurt you." A masculine voice replied. He seemed amused. "In fact, I am completely incapable of damaging you."

As he approached, Sakura did the best to scrutinize him with what little light she had. He was tall and lithe, looking more than a little emaciated. She couldn't make out his features, but Sakura could see the chains cuffed around his arms and legs, making it hard for him to walk. She was pretty sure there was another wrapped around his neck, but she couldn't quite tell. The chains were connected to Gift-inhibitors, just like the ones that she wore. These seemed to be higher security.

Noticing her scrutiny, the male gave a short bark of laughter. "See? You have nothing to worry about. I'm practically neutered with these chains. One wrong move and I get electrocuted. Not the nicest treatment, but hey, at least our keepers supply us with enough food to get us fat and happy." He paused, frowning. "Well, about as happy as you can get in a shithole like this. At least the view's gotten a bit better."

Sakura blushed, realizing that the guy was leering at her. She sniffed indignantly. "Can you even see me?" she questioned.

"Sure can, doll. The big kahunas may be able to lock up my Gift," he said, tapping the Gift-inhibitors. "They can't restrict other things though." The conversation drifted off into pensive silence.

Several awkward moments passed before Sakura cleared her throat. She wished desperately that she could see her fellow inmate, but she was happy to have some human contact. "I'm Sakura," she said.

"Menma," the male responded, pulling a chair up to the table and taking a seat.

"It's nice to meet you," Sakura said. "I wish we'd met under better circumstances."

"Ain't that the truth, sister!" he replied with a laugh. "Still, we have to make the best of it."

Sakura nodded, knowing now that he could see her. They ate quietly for a few minutes, with only the jingle of Menma's chains to fill the silence. Sakura jumped when a hand covered her own. She looked up, startled.

"Us captives have to stick together, eh?" Sakura could feel his gaze become more penetrating. "So, what'd ya do to get yourself landed in this shitter?"

And thus Menma has entered the ring! I'm really glad to have this chapter out of the way, we're about to get down to the nitty-gritty. I hope you all are enjoying the story! Thanks so much for reading.

So, I've decided to start asking questions that can be answered in the reviews. I love hearing from you guys and I thought this was a good way to learn more about my readers.

Who is your personal favorite Naruto character and why?

-jay