Chapter 1: The Unraveled and Frayed Bonds
He watched her as she lay on the ground sleeping. This couldn't be Sakura. The Sakura he remembered was fragile, weak, unattractive. The women that laid before him was...
Ugh. My head. It's pounding. My body. It's aching. My throat. It's parched. She licked her lips as she struggled to peel open her eyes. It's dark. Very dark. She tried to push herself up. She tried to move. Her right hand twitched. That was about all of the movement she could get. Calm down Sakura. Breathe. You are a medic. Do a scan. She let the chakra in her body flow from her toes all the way to her head. Geez... I look horrible on the inside. I hate to see what I look like from the outside. Multiple bruises. I think my nose is broken. My left hand is completely useless. Every finger on it is broken. As she laid sprawled out on the dark, moist floor of the metal cellar her body stiffened. It prickled with rage and fear.
"Sakura." How did I not notice him!? There in the darkness of herself was the Uchiha himself. Leaning against the wall with a smug look on his face. She opened her eyes and peered up at him in disgust. His onyx-black eyes look the same. Except something is off about them. What is it? Her eyes widened with shock. He's wearing...the Akutski cloak. It was open allowing one to see the cold contours of his wardrobe. Black ninja pants with his regular sandals. Upon his shins were guards. In a flash he was gone and reappeared kneeling in front of her on the ground. "Don't make me say it again." His voice his stern; milky with leadership that she would not listen to. She mustered all of her strength and spit in his face. *PAH* Did he really just smack me? Oh, he did it this time. Not paying attention to the screams and cries her body made as she struggled to stand, she pushed herself off the ground and stood before his kneeling form.
"What is it you want Sasuke." He twitched. Just a little. Not much. But he definitely twitched. He had not missed that she excluded the "-kun" from his name.
"Now..." He stood up and wiped his face off. "Is that anyway to treat an old teammate? An old friend? A past l-" Her eyebrow twitched.
"Don't. You. Dare." She shook with rage. Her emotions that she had been keeping in for so long were starting to seep through. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. For you do not have any emotion to relate to the past. Therefore you have no right to discuss the matter with me anymore." To say he was shocked was an understatement. He didn't understand. What happened to the Sakura he knew. This had to be a trick. "Ahhhh...what a pity." He shot her a sharp, annoyed look. Oh ya... I have his attention now. "Here I stand before you. Your old ally. But even your eyes doubt what your heart remembers." With that she sat back down and made sure he couldn't see her face. Ya...let him chew on that.
He swallowed hard. As he walked out of her cell she could hear him say under his breath, "Sakura, what happened to you?"
He doesn't need to know. He didn't protect. Nobody protected me. There is only me. Only me. Only me. She silently cried herself to sleep.
"Sasuke." Ugh. Why can't he just leave me alone and stop pestering me.
"Hn?"
"Will she join? You know the consequences if she doesn't." He had an evil tint to his eyes. Why was he asking this? There is only one answer he can give him to assure Sakura's safety and he knew that. So why taunt him?
"You already know the answer. I told you from the beginning she would refuse. I didn't even have to ask her. I already know." I figured she would hate me. Not that I care.
"Ahhh...Sasuke-kun." He twitched at his name added with that nasty suffix. "Don't tell me you are hurt." A chord in him snapped. He glared at Kabuto with a death intention.
"I suggest you-"
"Don't tell me you thought she would be the same loving girl from ten years ago?" He froze. Did I expect her to be? Did I really expect her to come running back to me with open arms? No. I didn't expect her to. I hoped that...
"Don't lay another hand on her." He headed for the door. Just as he was closing the door...
"Oh and Sasuke. Do remember our deal." He slammed the door. To hell with you.
She awoke on something much softer than the cold hard ground. Do I dare open my eyes? No I'll enjoy the warmth a little longer. Or so she tried.
"Sakura." Kuso. Anyone but him. Why is the world so cruel? She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in a wooden bedroom. She was sleeping in a large bed with a rich red comforter. A door about ten feet from the bed stood closed. Next to her head were a desk and a chair. In that chair was...
"Sasuke." He let out a breath of relief. She had said his name soft and not filled with anger or hatred.
"Your fingers are back in place. They will need to heal. You will need to heal. Your chakra is limited so use it sparingly. You might want to place your nose by the way before it stays crooked permanently." With that she shot up from the bed.
"Oooohh..." She reached for her lower back in pain. She gasped. What is this? It feels like a metal place against the curve of my back. !
"There is a chakra needle in your back. It limits what you are allowed to do until we can trust you." He sighed as she turned her head and glared at him.
"Trust me? As long as I don't trust you, that will never happen." She huffed at him and crossed her arms. She turned her head away in disgust and expected him to get up and leave. But that was too easy for him. "Huh!" She sucked in a breath of air as he grabbed her loosely by the neck and pushed her down on the bed.
"You better listen well Sakura. I'm not in here to chat on my free will. You will have to gain everyone's trust if you expect to live. The Akutski will kill you without hesitation if you do not comply." He smells like lavender. His face...it's cold. Yet, caring? She gulped. A tear threatened to roll down her cheek.
"Why do you care?" She didn't expect him to answer. He crawled off of her and headed for the door. He stopped with his hand on the door knob.
"Clean yourself up in the bathroom. We will talk later." She didn't know why she wanted to know. But she wanted to.
"Sasuke!" He stiffened. "Why?" He loosened. As the door shut...
"I don't want to be alone anymore." And with that she let loose her guard now that he was gone. She let her feelings seep out of her and gently fall to the comforter.
"Damn it to hell."
