Eight -

Mummified by numerous blankets and huddled as much in the corner of the bed as she could be, Sakura fearfully eyed the window from which the moon luminated Suna's cooling nighttime environment.

She knew. Tonight, he would be here. Tonight she would be the stereotypical rape victim; alone in her room, frightened, helpless beneath a blanket of moonlight with a hand covering her mouth.

Oh God.

Shrinking further under the blankets, Sakura drew them over her head. For being eighteen with a copious amount of experience as a shinobi under her belt, paranoia gripped her surprisingly tight.

(Tighter than a pair of my little sister's jeans, which look great on me by the way)

Sakura's breathing came out in ragged pants as if she'd been sprinting. Inside, she had - running from the nightmare that would not leave.

A creak on the floorboards sent her into a fit of silence, engulfed in the blankets, hoping they could keep her safe from whatever fate had laid out for her on the other side of this fleece barrier.

"Now why are you hiding?"

A tumorous lump formed in the center of her throat. It made not an ounce of sense to her as to why she had become his sudden victim. Had it been because she had caused his original downfall, pulling him from his well-developed wooden body and unwillingly reincarnating him in human flesh?

A hand grabbed a fistfull of blanket and began to lower it from above her head. From beneath, Sakura held it above her. It was so disheartening to know that a blanket, warm, soft and comforting as it was, could not protect her from knives, swords, jutsus and human contact.

"Sakura," the sultry voice prompted, semi-muffled by the thick fabric draped over one ear and the pillow pressed beneath the other. "Come out. I won't hurt you, my blossom."

Bullshit.

I'm not YOUR blossom.

Screwing her emerald eyes shut in hopes the agonizing terror would mysteriously vanish, her heart drummed furiously in her chest. In the past fourty-five minutes Sakura had engaged in no physical activity whatsoever, but her chest was tight and she gasped for breath as if she'd been running for miles away from the inevitable.

"Why are you wasting your time?" A deep voice inquired from the direction of the, apparently, open window. "She's of no importance, un. Just a bratty little girl from the fire country."

Sakura's heart took a leap that left her clutching her chest. The voice wasn't particularly familiar, but something told her to fear more than she already did.

"This bratty little girl is the one who took my life away, my years of work to create the perfect body. You needn't come with if you're going to act like an imbecile."

Pulling the blanket away from the corner of her face, Sakura chanced a peek at the window. Silhouette outlined by the silver, liquidy light pouring through the window, the man sitting there was tall and blonde.

The blanket got forcefully tugged away from her, leaving her grasping at the chilled night air. A squeak of surprise escaped her lips and her eyes fixed on the redhead, entranced.

"I'm glad to see your gorgeous face. It's nice to know you're free to join us."

Join us?

The blonde let out an audible laugh and leaned his head back against the window frame. "Why do you bother, Sasori? You could easily off her; she isn't even worth playing with."

A firm glare fixed the blonde's smug expression. Craning his neck out the window, he inhaled sharply and exhaled a broken breath.

"We shouldn't stay too long, un. Neither of us are particularly welcomed here."

Sasori's eyes stayed fixed on hers, a deeper and more accusatory red than those of Uchiha Sasuke.

Scrutinizing her features, Sasori seemed to have ceased breathing, before a puzzling smirk claimed his pale lips.

"You like games, don't you?" He addressed her, reaching out to place and hand on her cheek and trace it down her lengthened, soft neck.

The girl that had, over time, attained a ferocioius attitude had dissapeared, leaving her the skiddish little girl she had once been; mute.

"I truly am sorry," Sasori whispered, straining his voice for the sake of silence.

In a shitty attempt to escape, Sakura flailed one arm towards his face, but lost her vision to dizziness and abyss when his fingers addressed a pinpoint in her neck.

"You're so beautiful. I wish this were easier, my sweet, sweet flower."

I'm dead.

x - x - x - x - x

Awakening to air sweet with dew and sticky from fresh moisture, Sakura awaited impatiently for her vision to come into complete focus. The process was agonizingly slow; a vintage camera on slow-motion.

Treetops came into focus, the moon and stars dancing a waltz in the background, moving along like a reel.

Where am I?

Light was beginning to seep into the sky, drifting over the the ground - at least she would presume. Unsteadily raising herself and inwardly groaning at the stiffness in her limbs, Sakura gazed downward at the earth very, very far below.

Her presumption correct, she pulled herself back onto whatever object was holding her up. It was easing closer to dawn, but the world was encased in a darkness deep enough to still withold the vision of what was apparently an artistic depiction of a bird. It was awe-striking that the matter was holding her, let alone manuvering throughout the sky.

The mass that it was made from was soft, somewhat arid under her fingertips. Running them curiously over the medium, a voice drew her attention.

"You weren't supposed to have re-gained consciousness yet, un."

At the helm of this ficticious creature was the blonde man from the window.

Sakura's temper began to flare as well as her fighting spirit before both died down at the reality of the fall it would be to the ground and the likelihood she would not be able to save herself.

Be nice to the other children - they may spare your life.

Sakura shivered at the thought and the eminent chill in the air. The biting breeze slithered into the through her parted lips and took up residence beneath her skin like a morbid infection.

Where are we?

Keeping her questions to herself as not to agitate the impatient blonde who bore a distant resemblance to Ino (how frightening), Sakura attempted to come to terms with her surroundings, but they were too alien.

The wind swept her rosette locks dramatically behind her. By the looks of this scenario, she would have a decent amount of time to conjour an idea of escape.

Musing on the thoughts of her allies and friends back in Suna, she sent out a silent plea.

Come find me. Hunt me down, search for me if I do not return soon.

Please.

I'm sorry I have a tendency to write short chapters, I just find roadblocks and don't like making the individual chapters choppy by switching settings often.

Soundtrack during the writing process:

- Seize the Day, Avenged Sevenfold

- Situations, Escape the Fate

- World So Cold, Three Days Grace

- Over and Over, Three Days Grace

- Brick by Boring Brick, Paramore

- Bottoms Up, Trey Songz

- I've Got Friends, Manchester Orchestra

and many more.

- The bolded quote early on is a line from The Emo Song by Adam and Andrew. I did not think that up.