Las Vegas
Kate: Alright, like I said before, with summer I'll have lots more time to update and whichever gets the best ratings and reviews out of my story I will update the fastest. My other incomplete story at the moment- KH, is gonna' take awhile…I'm having writers block…Hope you enjoy the new chapter to this one and I would once again like to thank the following people, both new and old supporters of this story that is taking longer to write than expected.
bestfriendsmusic
Aura Borealis.
jjayanddjjae
vash3055
DontTrustMeLoVeLeSs
MarieSeleneArroyo
BlueSword23
nicole1422
kerapal bubbles
animegurl298
Youkai Koneko
RinaTheCookieMonster
Ramosrkr
ImmortalOokami
CoquettishAff
moonshine86
kaylan101a
marci16
MarieSeleneArroyo
NarutoxTwilight
eViL-HiPpIxIe
loca4life
LustedShadow
sharonrose
Kate: I don't own Naruto…It just wouldn't be the same if I did…
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
Chapter 7: Torture
The room was dark and frigid; the only light was that of the swinging one above her. The floor was a chalky grey concrete that echoed every footfall. The air was crusty in the room and it smelt of mold that had been growing there for quite some time. There was a constant dripping of water echoing from somewhere in the room and Sakura found it oddly calming in a situation like this.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into? We come to this place to have fun and I wind up in a creepy basement."
She gave an annoyed sigh as her pink locks continued to fall in her face. She had been working on freeing her hands for a good hour now and she wondered if the girls made it out ok or not. She could only hope that they weren't waiting around for her.
'Knowing Hinata, they wouldn't leave without me…Crap…'
A door opened from the far end of the room but she couldn't see it thanks to the light swaying above her head. A chair that was directly in front of her screeched across the floor as a man turned it around in order to straddle it instead of sitting in it properly. He seemed to have daunting muscles that made Sakura gulp in nervousness and the scars that ran across his face and head didn't help.
"Do you know why you're here miss?" The man's tone was civil but hard and Sakura couldn't find her voice at that exact moment so she just shook her head. "You're here because we believe that you were involved in a lucky streak that two girls seemed to have today. Do you know what I'm talking about?"
"My friends winning." She replied in a small voice as she tried to find the courage to talk just as gruffly with the man. "No, not just your friends winning, but, your friends cheating."
"They didn't cheat."
"Then explain to me as to why they didn't lose a single hand until after you returned from the desert table and sent your little raven haired friend over?"
"She was going to the bathroom." Came Sakura's hardened voice; She wouldn't allow Hinata to get involved in this out of all people. "She was helping them cheat."
His voice was just as demanding as he stood up from his chair and began to pace a bit. He began to walk around her like a preying vulture and she couldn't help but feel petrified by the thoughts of what might happen to her.
"You're very loyal to your friends miss; I respect you for that. Most people who come into this room crack within the first few minutes, friends or not. I'm impressed that you've lasted an hour in here." He halted his actions of circling her as he appeared to give the impression that he was deep in thought over something. A small smile appeared on his face as his beady black eyes refocused on the frail pinkette. "I'm the top interrogator here at the Las Vegas' most prosperous casino and yet they haven't had to use me in three years. I'm head of the department of security, you know? It's my job to stop people like you and your friends."
"Tell me the truth; they were counting cards, weren't they?"
"No."
In the next moment, the chair that had been sitting idly by in front of her was tossed against the wall and a loud crash was heard. She couldn't help but flinch from the man's actions as he raised his voice and began to yell.
"THEY WERE CHEATING, WEREN'T THEY?!"
She seemed to sit there in thought for a moment before smiling at the man. Such an action had caught the man off guard as her smile seemed almost patronizing in the little damp room.
"I'm a doctor you know and my raven haired friend is as well. She works in the psychiatrics department. I think she, like me, would recommend that you have your head checked and I'm not talking about the scars either. In a job like this, I'm not surprised that you have Bi-polar disorder. I'm sure that the mental disease comes in handy in scaring people. Unfortunately for you, I know all about mental disorders and how they affect the mind. Your actions don't bother me as much as you think, now that I've properly diagnosed them."
The man just turned and smirked at her as a small chuckle escaped his lips. She thought that he had finally cracked instead as his smile became a bit bigger. His dark trench coat fluttered a bit as he walked towards the door with the smile that never left his lips.
"I don't hit girls, but we have quite a few people here that do." He spoke in an ominous voice before he disappeared in the shadows and the door was heard again. Only a moment later and the door once again was shoved open. "Hello."
The voice was feminine and she could hear the clink of the woman's heals. Sakura wasn't focused on where the woman was though as much as she was on her bindings. She could feel the piece of plastic tearing into her wrists as she continued to try and break it; she was known quite well for her ferocious temper and outrageous strength.
"I promise that this won't hurt too badly." Her voice was sadistic as its high-pitched tone seemed to grate on Sakura's nerves. "Go to hell."
"Sweetie, I'm already here and you're the prime entertainment. Meet the woman that'll show you what hell's really like. I'm Kin, lovely to make your acquaintance."
In a split second, the woman had knocked Sakura upside her head. Sakura's jade eyes narrowed as a determined glint of defiance shone brightly in them and her face hardened into an angered expression. The woman's long hair ruffled slightly as she repeated the previous man's actions by circling her chair.
"Oh Zaku, dear brother, I believe you'll have fun with this. Why don't you come in here?!" Her voice was sing-song as she merrily waited for the door to open. Within a short moment, another man walked in. He had dark brown hair that was in a bit of disarray and his clothes weren't professional looking at all. He could've been a bum on the street to anyone who saw his disheveled appearance. "Yes Kin?"
"I thought you might have a little fun with this as well. Would you like to join?" Her eyes shone with jovial enthusiasm for her job as Sakura felt a harder hit to the stomach that had been made by the male. "I thought you'd never ask."
The pain rippling through her abdomen was immense as she fought back the cries of pain that she wanted so badly to admit. She scrunched her eyes shut in an attempt to fight off the pain and regain her breath as she took in a much needed gasp of air. She was sure that Ino wouldn't be too happy about the cute little red dress that she had bought for her as it seemed to have a mangled exterior.
"Aww…Is the little girl going to cry?" Her annoying voice became babyish as she turned and smacked Sakura across the face. The pinkette's head immediately jolted to the right as her left cheek began to sting. "Now Kin, that's not very nice. You should let her have a little bit of a warning before you hit her. Like this."
He was an example as he turned her face to meet his and then smacked her across her other cheek. Sakura wasn't sure of how much she would be able to put up with but she was absolutely positive that she wouldn't give her friends away. The man was right, she was loyal.
'I hope they left. If anything, they could go get Naruto or someone.'
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
The lights were bright and attractive as the two men entered the casino. Slot machines, card tables, all the other games of chance, and the blonde's favorite, a buffet. They hadn't even noticed the girls until the three came running up to them. The guys were a bit surprised but they immediately calmed down when they saw their panicked expressions.
"Ino, what's wrong?" Sasuke was worried; Sakura wasn't with them. "Sakura, she's missing!"
"Hey, don't worry! My sis is a grown woman; she can take care of herself. She likes to tell me that all the time. I'm sure you guys just didn't notice that she went some place."
"N-no Naruto! She's in trouble! Some of the m-men here noticed that Ino and Tenten were co-counting cards and I believe that th-they think that Sakura's the mastermind b-behind it!" Naruto's face turned to one of horror as well as Sasuke's, "What the hell were you guys thinking?! Counting cards in a Las Vegas casino?! People come to this city to gambol; they keep a strict watch on these types of things!"
"I'm sorry Sasuke…" Tenten's voice was broken as she thought of what might be happening to her beloved pink-haired friend. "We weren't thinking."
"Damn right you weren't thinking!"
"Teme, don't be too harsh. They were only having fun."
"Yeah, well their fun might've just got my wife into a hell of a lot of trouble."
Sasuke was furious and everyone could tell. Naruto was unsure of how he was going to deal with this situation. He cared deeply about his sister and he wanted to get to her before anything bad happened to her.
"You girls go back to the hotel; Sasuke and I'll handle this."
"No, we want to come with you!" Came Ino's desperate cry as tears began to flood her vision, "We love Sakura too and we want to help."
"You'll only get in the way at this point. Go back to the hotel and wait for us to return, with Sakura." Sasuke knew that now was not the time to lose his head. He needed to think of a strategy to retrieve Sakura. "I'm coming with you; whether you like it or not."
"Tenten…" Sasuke's voice was a bit strangled as he tried to fight off the ever present emotions that he was feeling of worry, hope, and loss, let alone anger and frustration. "Listen Sasuke, I'm a national martial arts champion. You can use my skill."
"Teme, it's a good idea. It couldn't hurt to bring her along."
"Fine; but if anything happens to her, I'm letting you deal with Neji."
Naruto's face twisted into one of terror before nodding his head profusely and pulling Tenten close to him. He gave Hinata a gentle kiss on the lips before they watched Ino and Hinata leave the casino safely while the three of them began to formulate a plan.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
Her bonds had broken during that last hit and she couldn't help the immediate punch that nailed the man right square in his jaw. The anger and fury that she felt radiated off of her as she knocked the girl onto the floor, breaking one of the woman's heals in the process.
"Nah, hell's what I'm gonna do to you if you ever touch me again."
Sakura wiped the blood off her mouth as the man named Zaku stood back up. He had a dangerous smirk on his face as he tried to grab a hold of her. Unfortunately for him, Sakura had learned how to fight from the best and it wasn't just a figure of speech. Tenten had taught her how to fight when they were younger and continued to teach her more during her free time.
"Why you little bitch…"
As Zaku was about to come after her again; the door opened. The same man as before walked in and looked at the pitiful 'enforcement'. He was impressed that the petite looking woman could handle herself against to trained guards. He signaled for the two to leave while he had a moment with the girl but the young man didn't move an inch.
"Zaku, that's enough; leave."
The boy's eyes remained unperturbed as he continued to stare down the pinkette that had not relinquished her fighting stance. He didn't like to be shown up by anyone and the fact that a small little girl could do it just pissed him off. He ignored his higher up's command and went at her again but she only knocked him down as she caught his fist and aimed a well placed kick to his side. When he tried to get back up however, there was a gun pointed at his head.
"I told you to leave. If I have to tell you again, you won't be walking out of this room."
Zaku obeyed the command as he limped away in defeat in order to save his own life. He wasn't so sure that the girl would be leaving however. There was only one glance back at the girl and he was curious as to how she would get out of this; no one had brought up quite a stir like this in a long time. She couldn't be a regular gambler.
"Please miss, sit."
With the gun in his hand that was ready to be pointed at her at any given moment, she did as he said. He took the other chair that was tilted to its side and sat across from her. He couldn't help but smile at the way this girl was able to handle crap.
"So, who are you?"
A fiery jade met cold charcoal as she remained silent. He didn't rush her in her answer but clenched the gun in his hand a bit tighter. The constricting leather gloves over the metal object giving him a sense of strength. His heart was pounding as the rush of excitement filled him to the brim. He was pleased that the girl had shown up that night.
"My names Sakura and I'm a doctor at Konoha Metropolitan Hospital."
This new information intrigued him as he felt another smile tug at his lips. He knew exactly how to get her in this lie if she was in fact lying. The silence ensued for another brief moment as he decided to dramatize the situation a bit more.
"Konoha…hmm… Do you happen to know a boy that goes by Morino?"
The question startled the girl as he caught her attention under a new light. Her entire body straightened up as her jade orbs narrowed. She was careful, he noticed.
"You mean my intern, Idate Morino? What do you want with him?"
"He's my younger brother. He tells me that he's working under one of the best doctor's in the entire world. So, would that be you?"
"Yes, my mother and I are two of the best."
"That wasn't my question. Are you the best?"
"According to the medical boards, yes, but something such as being 'The Best' can not be proven when there are so many other doctors out there."
"I'm impressed."
He stood up and walked over towards the door. The girl didn't move as she watched him put his gun away. He waved for her to follow him out but she didn't move. She was unsure of what had just happened but she wasn't willing to be taken by surprise by what might be on the other side of the door.
"Are you coming or not?"
"How do I know that there isn't something waiting for me on the other side?"
"What more could we possibly do to you? If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it already. The walls in here are sound proof. If I were to shoot you right now; no one would ever know."
Their eyes clashed ones more as the pinkette stood up in a firm manner.
"Fine."
The man held the door open for her as she limped towards him. He gave the girl a pat on the shoulder as she finally made it over to which she stiffened at. She walked through the door and noticed that they were in the basement of the casino as she could see light coming from the stairs all the way down the hall.
"You're tough for a girl. I'm surprised that you're merely a doctor." He helped her down the hall as her limping seemed to get worse. "Where did you learn to fight by the way? I would love to meet the man who must fight better than you."
"The brunette from before: Martial Arts Champion. She is the best in the world."
"Hmm…maybe I'll see you again sometime Miss Sakura."
"And your name? I don't think I'll allow you in my hospital if I don't know more about you."
"Ibiki."
Sakura managed one of her brilliant smiles as she made it to the stairs at the end of the hallway. Just as she was about to go up the stairs, two men came crashing down it followed by her brother, best friend, and 'husband' running down after.
"Sakura!" Came their resounding cheers as Tenten ran and hugged her. "Whose the dude?"
"No one."
"I see that you've got quite the friends Miss Sakura." Ibiki looked towards Tenten and gave her a curt nod, "I wish to fight you one day young lady. If you truly are the best then I will thoroughly enjoy it."
Tenten just gave him one of her 'The-guys-a-freak' looks as she took notice of Sakura's condition but decided not to say anything.
"It was a pleasure talking meeting you Miss Sakura."
"Yeah, I wish I could say the same. Good day Mr. Morino."
They departed soon after and the pinkette didn't bother to look back. Sasuke decided that he'd question her about what happened later on as he let her lean on him on the way out. He looked down at her tattered appearance and felt worry and anger boil up inside of him. Naruto couldn't help but feel about the same as Sasuke as he noticed that his little sister was bleeding and hurt.
"I guess this kind of shortens our little vacation." Both guys turned and glared at Tenten as she continued walking nonchalantly behind them. "What?"
"Tennie, I don't think that now's the time to bring up that topic."
"Geez…I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit by thinking of something else."
"Well neither one of you will have to worry about that; we're not leaving!"
Both girls looked at the blonde in confusion.
"We're not?" Came their chorused reply, "No; Teme and I will just have to put you all on short leashes."
Both girls groaned at the thought. Just wait until the other two found out…
"You're not going to go tell Neji and Shika, right?"
Tenten was nervous at the thought of how her brother and husband would react. She could imagine their red faces quite easily. In fact, she could actually see their angry faces at that very moment and hear their loud stomps coming their way.
"Well...damn…"
"You said it Tennie."
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
Kate: Well, turns out Sakura made it out of that one in one piece! Now what'll happen? Please R&R! That cute little review button probably feels a bit lonely…
Oh, and don't worry! I've already begun writing the next chapter! I actually ended up cutting this one in half and so what I wrote from this one will be in the next chapter. I thought that it just fit better with two separate chapters instead of one big one.
Just a little preview to the next one…
Sakura glared right back into Sasuke's onyx eyes which threw him for a complete loop. She was tactful as she stood up and paced a bit without limping. All eyes were on her as she seemed to mutter a couple things under her breath in an irate fashion. Then she did it; she turned and lashed out at the two men as she pointed her finger at him.
"How dare you try lecturing US?! We're grown women for heaven's sake! I don't give a damn if you're disappointed in me; you have no fucking control over me! And what the hell did you mean by letting us have a girl's night out?! Just because we accidentally married you doesn't mean that you own us! You can't tell us what we can and can not do! We had lives before this vacation before; what the fuck do you thinks gonna' happen when we get back to those lives?!"
Everyone one was quiet as Sakura's words sunk in. What was going to happen when they returned to their old lives?
--
This wasn't one of those situations where she could have both though…It was a choose Neji or don't situation.
"Tenten, whatever you decide, I guess I'll have to accept it. I don't want to treat you like an item and I don't want to make you unhappy. Whatever you decide, I'll agree to."
Her lovely coffee colored eyes looked into his silver pearls and could see nothing but love and adoration as he awaited her answer in hope and in fear. She thought over the past four days and sifted through the many new memories. Could she really live with just the memories? That's when she remembered their second night in Las Vegas. She remembered the morning after their crazy night when they discovered that they were married.
"Neji, do you remember what was said in this very room?" Neji looked up at her, hopeful as to what she would say next. "I told you that Sakura was right and that marriage would be a lot of work. I told you that I barely know you and that it wouldn't work out between us. I mentioned the very same point that Sakura brought across today; you're a world-class business man and I'm just a girl that runs a dojo. We truly are two completely different people."
The hope that was in Neji's eyes seemed to flicker out like a candle. Tenten had been right from the beginning. He must've been kidding himself when he thought that they'd make it work.
So that was my little gift to all of you just in case I don't get to updating for another week. Don't forget my little ignored friend at the bottom either…he tends to help make the next chapter go up faster!
I'm evil…I know…