He pressed the hands that were on her back, tighter together, caging her between him

He pressed the hands that were on her back, tighter together, caging her between him. Struggling, she pushed her small hands against his chest for leverage to breathe, but it was a frail attempt for she was already feeling dizzy from lack of oxygen.

The darkness was enveloping her too quickly, she didn't want this.

"Please…don't take me…"

Her vision was blurring and becoming unclear. It could've possibly been from the surrounding darkness that objects were already indistinguishable but her cloudy vision was not helping.

"Don't take me…back…to there…" A drop of her last tear spattered against the floor. What lay beside it was a pink strand of hair and surrounding these two things was absolute nothing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Whatever, let's just jump into the story! And I haven't done a disclaimer (because isn't it obvious already that I don't own it?) but WHATEVER X 2!! I don't own Naruto. Don't get your hopes up.

Pray that somewhere lodged in my brain is an awesome writer thing just trying to burst out of me because I'm not quite sure where we're going with this story, but hopefully it'll have some sort of come back…yeah.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Drenched in something, she felt sticky. Her head pounded and she felt extremely disorientated. It took a while for her to realize that the substance she was covered in was actually her own sweat.

Rolling to the side and pulling herself up so she was on all fours, she panted and attempted to catch her breath. No such luck.

What was wrong with her eyes? Slowly, one hand reached up to her head, and almost hesitantly patted where could've been a blind fold. No cloth seemed to be covering her vision as she just felt her matted hair. It was damp and clung to her skin. Disgusting. Just what exactly was she doing sweating like a pig? It was cold. Now that she realized it…it was really cold.

Trembling slightly, she desperately looked for a source of light.

Stumbling around on the floor, she lamely put a hand in front of her, to see if wall or some object would block her path before she hit it head on. No pun intended.

Grumbling about the lack of light, she could feel the roughness of whatever was under her, scraping the unprotected flesh. Cursing on her bad luck to be wherever she was, she trudged on.

And paused.

A wait a minute. What if…she was blind?!

The sense of panic rose deeply in her chest, adrenaline pumping through her veins unexpectedly to her. So dark…

Searing pain flashed across Sakura's mind as she felt it shift to another memory…it was so vivid and real, in fact. It almost seemed like she herself was there…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Adrenaline coursed through her body like fire on oil. Wide eyes filled with terror, as the primal urges and energy from the pure need and desperation to escape whoever it was who was encasing her allowed her to thrash wildly. The heart inside her chest constricted painfully in fear and hammered loudly at such a fast speed she was overwhelmed.

One of his dark hands clasped over her mouth to keep her from screaming. She hadn't even realized that she was until he covered her mouth and it became ever so silent. That scared her even more. The quietness of her surroundings meant that any person passing by wouldn't hear her…never having a chance…

"Sakura…" The shadow whispered.

Flailing around like just-caught fish in a net, didn't work before, but all thoughts that should be in Sakura's mind were quickly erased from panic and fear. Trying to kick and push with all her strength harder, she yelled in the stranger's hand.

"Sakura." It repeated.

She kicked harder still, desperate to escape.

"Sakura…calm down." The voice said, almost serenely which was ironic from the scenario at hand, figured Sakura. To her surprise, the shadow moved to embrace her. Sakura was stiff and held still not moving at all. She did not budge from her standing position as his large arms wrapped around her petit body.

"Sakura…don't be afraid of the dark…You have me here to protect you…"

Why was it so familiar? That voice? Where had she heard of it from before? It nagged her brain constantly, as the salvaged through her mind for a clue-anything.

Her lips moved freely by themselves she was astonished at first and had to even listen to what she was saying because she didn't even know what she was going to say.

"Daddy…"

The silhouette of the large figure dissipated, leaving an image of a big built man smiling at her, wrinkles showing age crinkling around his eyes when his face stretched.

"Da…ddy…" The little girl repeated the word testing it as it formed in mouth.

Said man's smile grew even wider, and following suit after him, little Sakura grinned back leaving her tear streaked face forgotten.

Every time she would see it, her heart would always melt a tad bit.

OOOOOOOOO

A large crash echoed through the room.

"Sakura…" He started; you could almost hear the sigh in his breath. Wearily he circled around the dinner table towards her.

"Don't!" She screeched, leading him to halt-to hesitate before continuing closer.

"Sakura…" He tried again, attempting to approach her again.

"Don't come near me." Snarling, Sakura glared suspiciously at his footsteps moving closer to her even with her warning.

She did not know why she let him wrap her arms around her figure in an attempt to calm her down. Attempt.

"Lay off." Sakura ground out tersely.

Seeing that it was doing more harm than good, reluctantly, he let go of her, but still resorted to using a hand to rub the small of her back, as if she would cry. Pathetic. Why would she cry? Why? She had no reason. Anger coursed through her veins like lava, bursting and exploding, trying to get out.

"It's for the best."

Ha. This was the speech she had heard many times and was sick of it the first time it was uttered.

"Don't fuck with me." Baring her teeth, she hissed through them snidely.

"You know how unhappy we both were-"

"But what about Me."

"Sakura, not everything is about you." Her father reprimanded her, "besides, I doubt you were happy either."

"I was more so than I am now." The 12 year old retorted.

"You'll adjust." Pointing out.

"…maybe."

"Please? Just do it for us-even just TRY it out? It seems hard now, but it'll get better."

"Why?" The one-worded question was getting old and tasted dry on her tongue.

Another sigh was heard, "Because we were just never meant to be."

"…whatever."

"So you agree to our terms then? Me and your mother's?"

"…for the time being. But never forget. I'm also part of this family. Never do something like this and plan behind my back. Next time I'll set it on fire."

"Then we'd just get another one."

She ignored that.

"So where are the divorce sheets?"

"Under the cabinet." The words came out hesitantly and reluctantly. She wondered to this day if this was the right thing to do.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Sakura stomped in the bedroom slamming the door behind her. Tears built up at the corners of her eyes before they were angrily brushed away before jumping on the bed. She should just curl up and die here-

"Sakura, dear, what is it?" The sound of concern was all but the last thing she needed to hear…yes, it was.

"It's nothing mom!" She yelled down, trying to sound irritated, only to sound more like she had been crying for years on end. And in some way, it was almost the truth. try, and try again, but it'll never succeed…never.

"Oh, it isn't that horrid Sasuke again, is it?"

A stab of pain entered her heart. That was much too accurate for her liking.

"I know this might sound bad right now…but honey, you need to move onto another man! He isn't good for you." The note of worry for her was sickening at the moment.

"Easy for you to say…" Sakura muttered under her breath.

A sigh echoed through the door of her bedroom, her mother was probably learning against.

"Sometimes…2 people, no matter how hard they try, will never be meant to be."

Why? Why had her father told her that, now her mother-even Sasuke. Sasuke…

She had continued to badger him to go out with her yet again. She even went through her confessions of love, but as usual, to no avail.

She was not doing this for Ino. Because of their little feud over him, that didn't mean she didn't like him! She loved him. Sakura was sure of it.

So why were they never going to be meant to be?

It hurt her chest just to think of it. Today…he had replied in his usual blunt and crude ways; 'Sakura…get over it. Stop trying to ask for the impossible. It'll never happen no matter how you try and will it.'

Maybe they were right…some things were just never meant to be. So why did she always continue to try? It didn't make sense to her…but if Sasuke thought that those words would stop him, he had another thing coming.

Rubbing furiously at the saline staining her cheeks, she got up from her bed, ripping the bedroom door opening causing her mother to almost topple over. Ignoring that, she raced downstairs to the kitchen.

"Sakura…what are you doing now?"

"I'm making a cake."

"For Sasuke…?" Her mother asked warily.

"Yes." Did she even need to ask?

Busying herself with the ingredients, she missed her mother's troubled look.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Ms. Haruno." The words were cold and unwanted in the owner's mouth.

"Hon, I told you to please stop calling me that!" She said in a joking manner. She needed to drop the charade.

"I feel no need addressing you further." The edge of her tone was sharp and obvious to probably anyone.

"It makes me feel old!" Laughing so fake.

And obviously so, she was dealing with that extremely small group of people that were not 'just anyone'.

"Pass the salt, will you dear?"

Yes…she was not and would never be considered 'just anyone'.

"Oh you don't have to just slide it over, honey, it'd be much nicer if you got up and handed it to me personally."

'That's the point…' growling subconsciously at her damn stupidity!

It was a wonder why she had thought over and over again…for years of why her father wanted a divorce. The answer? Staring right in front of her. Literally.

"Hon, it's impolite to growl during dinner."

'Polite my ass…'

"How was your day?"

'Good conversational starter…always the same question.'

"Fine." Always the same answer.

"Well! Would you like to hear my story?"

'No.'

A pause to see if she'd get a reaction. She should know by now she wouldn't. Only silence greeted her.

"Okay! Well I went to the market to buy fish in the morning, and guess what? I ran into…"

Tuning her mother out came naturally now. It was a necessity. In life. For people who did not have to put up with this stuff ever, they were all lucky. She could not wait to move back with her father in only 2 days…

"…By the way… You won't be able to move in with your dad this week…"

'What…did she just say…?'

"What…?"

"I said; You won't be able to-"

"I heard you the first time-!" idiot… "It was a rhetorical question."

"I want to know the reason."

"Hon, your father and I are going on a mission tomorrow."

"And you never bothered to tell me?" through gritted teeth.

I was part of this family. Damn it, why didn't they see this?! They needed to discuss these things with me. She understood why her mother didn't talk to her-actually, no Sakura didn't, but she was relieved anyhow. It was her father she was disappointed in. Why didn't he tell her? Sakura trusted him like no other. It wounded her.

"When will you get back?" Sakura was surprised to find that her voice was failing a tad and her eyes got blurry.

'No reason to cry…no reason to cry…' She chanted in her mind.

"Oh babe, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Her mother made a move to approach her.

"Don't." The word made her stop in her treads "worry. I am not crying. Something stuck to my eye."

Sakura didn't believe it. Unfortunately, neither did she. Getting up from her seat, Sakura beat her mother to it by bolting up.

"Thank you for the meal…mother." Sakura tried not to snarl out the rest of it. A diversion. It also seemed to work.

Sakura's mother's eyes shot up with tears in them with a smile that Sakura hadn't seen in years. Sakura absentmindedly noted how bright her mother's eyes were. she looked years younger when she didn't fake her smiles, her talks, and her personality…into the perfect mother.

Breaking from her thoughts, she turned around stiffly and headed to her room.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Booms were heard through the musty air. Sakura's hair was matted and the silky tresses clung to her neck and face.

Lightning burned her eyes, and momentarily continued to bombard her to a fact that sometimes she could only see white and had to wait for it to clear away.

A funeral.

Typical. Why was it that with funerals there was always flashes of lightning, thunder ahead, and 'god crying with them'. Please. Save it for sappy stories. People seemed to cry willingly, so freely over the grief of her loss.

Her parents had died on that mission.

She did not deserve their tears. What a selfish little brat. Caring for only herself. What had her father said all those years ago? 'It's not always just 'about you''. Maybe it wasn't. But it felt like it now.

She was a horrible daughter and to even bring that point up further, she was not crying. On her parent's funeral. People thought of her as 'tough' for 'still being able to hold up herself'. If only they knew. Tears would not spring from her eyes, but still…

She would miss her father's wondrous smiles that could make her heart melt no matter what.

She would miss long ago when she was a child, how her mother would laugh so care freely.

She would miss their love and their attempts to always make her feel good. Attempts… They were stupid to even try that. It seemed she was harder to please than many. Maybe…she was beginning to realize that most of the time she was actually only thinking about herself.

Was she truly that selfish?

Her father…

Her mother…

She would, deep down miss them. Sakura's father would never greet her with that humongous bear hug and smile that could match its size. She would never have the chance to see her mother truly smile. That last time when she saw her, it would always be the last time her smile would remain.

Tears now willingly traveled down her cheek, collecting at the bottom of her chin and falling to the ground. To meet the rain. They were silent tears. Always. Only for them.

This time, she was grateful for the rain overhead so no one could see her collapse inwardly.

She was so selfish…

Smiling bitterly to herself, she wondered; Who would protect her from the dark now?

OOOOOOOO

Her arms trembled underneath her as she shook uncontrollably. That same bitter smile worked its way to her face, carving etches of pain through them. Silent tears continued to roll down. Only for them…

She remembered what happened after that. She crashed.

Insecurity was everywhere and she tried to act as unselfish as possible. To make up to them? No…it was too late for that. But denial was her strong point, and she continued doing just that.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I think this is the shortest of all of my chapters in this story, but I don't feel like continuing. Not to mention I need to study for my chemistry test tomorrow.

Yeah, I know, I haven't updated in a while! But I feel as though it's harder to write things, because I forgot the whole foundation of the story! What was the purpose again? What were the character's background history? Where am I even going with this?

I have found a solution for these questions! I'm going to go over all of my previous chapters and I guess correct the mistakes while I go. This is going to take a hell-of-a long time and it'll be extremely boring, but bear with me.

Soo…god knows the next update, but I will possibly procrastinate my further re-doing the previous chapters and make another one…which won't help my situation, but I was never good at keeping my priorities right and actually DOING them in order.