Thank you sooo much for your reviews and added favourites! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside .

I made changes to the last chapter's 'Next Chapter' preview… Sorry… He is mentioned but doesn't do a lot in this chapter…

Recommended song: Avril Lavigne – Nobodies home

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

-Encounter-

-2-

Her breaths seemed to quicken as she made her way down the street, her two new friends following behind. Her heart rate quickened and panic gradually began to rise within her. She knew the consequences of bringing people home and was at war with her options while her friends were oblivious to her inner turmoil.

She started to slow down when she noticed a tall blonde walking out of a huge, tall house which had black curtains at every window. She took note of the decorative pattern outside her house which had several pits of sand and strangely shaped stones placed decoratively in random places.

She turned her attention back to the blonde with four buns in her hair and focused highlighted eyes. She wore huge boots with chains and belt buckles decorating the sides, which led up her fish net tights with several messy holes in. She had a puffed out, black skirt and thin vest top to match.

"Hey guys… who's that?" Sakura asked with eyes as wide as saucers. She was amazed by the girls fashion sense which screamed at people who dared to object. Overall, she guessed this girl had plenty of confidence to walk around wearing bold clothes.

"Shit!" Tenten cursed out loud, grabbing Sakura while she circled her to block her view of the gothic blonde. "Listen Sakura… I know I was going to explain things at school but this can't wait until then. That's Temari Sabaku… Stay away from the Sabaku's! They are as dangerous as they come… Promise?"

"How are they dangerous?" She questioned looking over Tenten's shoulder and watching the blonde who was happily lighting up a cigarette.

"Let's just say their threats aren't just verbal…"

"Jeez…"

"This is bad… where do you live?"

Sakura looked up and pointed across the street to the house which was barely visable, not too far away.

"Damn it! You live pretty close…"

"Don't worry Tenten… I'll be fine!" She smiled feeling special that someone was worried about her.

"He isn't that bad…" Naruto interrupted pouting.

Tenten sighed and nervously looked over her shoulder at the blonde letting a smoky breath out who hadn't noticed their presence, or so they thought.

"Who's he?"

"Her little brother… only Naruto knows why he hasn't been killed yet…" Tenten said pointing her thumb at Naruto, who pouted like a child.

"Oh…" Sakura would have pried further but she noticed the slight change in Naruto's mood when this was mentioned, so decided to ask another time.

They crossed the road and made their way to Sakura's house without passing Temari, whose eyes had never left the three; in particular, the curious pink haired girl.

Sakura raised her head and looked over at Temari with eyes full of wonder. Her head turned happily after greeting the girl through smiles. She didn't know why Tenten said she was so bad when she had wicked clothes and smiled openly. Of course, she thought she was smiling but because of their distance she couldn't really tell.

They continued to walk until Sakura stopped in front of her house, her fears steadily rising again. She walked up the path and opened the door shakily. It was now or never.

They walked quietly and began for the stairs when Sakura noticed a wave of blonde from the dining room which led to the kitchen. She looked over to see a grinning face.

oOo

The door clicked shut with extra force as the grumpy teen headed towards the stairs. His huge boots stomped against the hard wood floor causing his presence to be known to anyone in the house. Right on cue, a bossy blonde emerged from the living room with a small packet in her hands.

"Oi… where did you go?" She asked staring at her younger brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Out" he said almost ignoring her as he headed up the stairs, brushing his messy hair out of his eyes and over his head.

The girl sighed and headed out the door, not expecting any more conversation from her psychotic brother. She closed the door with a slight slam and headed over to the fence, checking out her surroundings and lighting up.

'Nothing ever happens in that house… or this place for that matter. Same old boring shit heads… too scared of their own shadows… god this place got quiet…' The blonde pondered her thoughts when a flash of pink caught her eye.

She allowed her eyes to search for the feminine colour and located a girl with long pink hair which hung loosely and blew when the wind caught it. She had bright emerald eyes and a smaller girl held her shoulders from Temari's view. It didn't take a genius to work out that the smaller girl, Tenten, was warning her. She looked new, after all.

She looked away when the girl looked over again, so she could figure her out a little before creeping her out. Temari's gaze was immediately drawn to the 'sold' sign on a house in the distance. A white house, with a white fence and perfect green lawns. She allowed a small smile to be brought to her lips when she fit together the puzzle pieces.

Temari looked over to the group who were now across the road, avoiding eye contact. She smirked at the girl, who lifted her head to glance over, and then grew shocked when she mistook her smirk for a smile and returned it sweetly. She was sure that the girl with two buns had warned her of their family and the dangers; so why was she openly smiling at Temari?

She refused to let her demeanour crumble from this girl's intrusive eyes so she kept up her smirk until the girl carried on walking to the corner house. Her eyebrow's furrowed and concentrated on the girl who walked with a small spring in her step. Obviously she didn't feel as threatened by Temari; she seemed different than the rest of the people she intimidated.

"Brave girl…" She murmured before stomping out her cigarette and turning around with a small noticeable grin.

She walked into the house noticing her brother, who apparently was coming out to join her with a cigarette. He stopped when he saw her coming back in and growled angrily, turned around and marched back to the kitchen not wanting to smoke alone.

"Aw… can Kanky not handle a smoke on his lonesome?" She teased with a smug grin as she followed him into the kitchen.

He turned around, unknowingly pouting, and fought back "Can too! I don't need you to have a smoke!"

"Prove it!"

He huffed and grabbed his packet once more and then stomped towards the door muttering foul curses under his breath. He didn't even realise he passed a curious red head who lifted a non-existent eyebrow in question.

Temari held her arms out shoulder height and shrugged, letting Gaara walk past her into the kitchen.

What weird brothers she had…

oOo

"…Yeah… oh… I think she just came back master…" She said in a sickly sweet tone as she batted her lashes down the phone. The blonde walked over to the doorway to see the pinkette bitch trying to smuggle two people up the stairs.

'Perfect… maybe that stupid freak-haired bitch will learn her lesson! Little conniving cow can get a beating or two for all I care… taking master away from me like she did…!'

"…It seems she brought some friends home… she is being quite mean to me lately…" She continued to mutter down the phone.

A loud sigh escaped from his mouth as he listened to his prostituted secretary. "She is jealous Yoko… she feels like I'm giving you too much attention…"

"Oh… so that's why the little bitch is such a… bitch!" she cleverly deducted flicking her hair out of her eye when it cleverly clutched onto her long black lashes.

"Don't call her a bitch… know your place…" He growled down the phone. "I'll be back soon… she needs to be reminded of the rules…"

"My place is by your side master! Drive safely!" She hollered happily, even thought she felt disheartened by his threat.

She hung up the phone and grabbed a nearby nail file, sanding away at her roughly edged false nails.

oOo

"…we should hurry…!" She said opening the paint cans and handing paint brushes around.

"Huh? Why?" Naruto asked slightly suspicious.

"…because… well… the home might get worried about Tenten… and… I promised to help clean up later…" She lied with a fake smile. She had grown used to lying her way through people's questions. They came natural for her… and because of the move; all of the once used lies can be reused since they hadn't been heard here yet.

"Oh… I see!" Naruto exclaimed as he grabbed the orange pot of paint and looked back up to the pink haired girl. "So… where do you want your first polka-dot?!" He asked happily.

Sakura sighed in return. She knew Yoko wouldn't let her easily escape a beating, while she watched with a twisted smile. That bitch had it out for her when her master stopped paying the made-up hag as much attention. Sure, Yoko was still his fuck thing and Sakura got away with dirtying her mouth of his presence; but she could see with each new refusal on her part to succumb to his wishes, he was steadily getting frustrated. It wouldn't be long before he ignored her pleas and took her for his own.

Around two hours later, the room was covered in basketball-sized polka-dots of blue, green, orange and pink. Some were bigger than others and during the paint-off Naruto thought it would be fun to start a paint fight. Luckily none of it had managed to get in her hair.

She had begun to wipe up the splodges on her floor when she heard a buzzing noise followed by a happy tune. She looked around and watched Tenten grab her phone and flick the small machine out to answer.

"Hello? I was at a friend's house… me and Naruto were helping her paint… yeah it is! Oh… okay then… I'll be back soon… bye!" She hung up the phone and turned to Sakura with a sad smile. "I have to go back now… the old man wants everyone's presence…"

Sakura smiled in return and plopped the smelly towel in the bin, which had been soaked in different agents to take the paint off the floor. "Thank you for helping Tenten… You too Naruto! I'll see you at school?"

"I'll wait for you on a morning outside the orphanage… it's on the way to school anyway!" She explained making Sakura's eyes sparkle.

"Sounds great!"

"I'll walk you back Tenten! I should go home too before Tsunade pulls a bitch fit!" He laughed putting the tin lid back on the paint.

"I'll walk you down…" Sakura took her friends down the stairs and to the door where they said their goodbyes and left. She closed the door and ran back up the stairs to her private bathroom, hoping to wash off the paint stains.

After fifteen minutes of scrubbing her arms, chest and face, she had successfully removed all of the wet patches of paint. Today was the most fun she had ever had; she had two new, great friends who offered to help her in the first day of meeting her. She truly had fun.

She grabbed a hand full of water and splashed it over her face, in a final attempt to clean herself. She grabbed for the towel, which was hanging beside the sink, and rubbed her face dry. When she removed the towel she almost screamed seeing a figure behind her in the mirror. She settled for a gasp before he reached out for her hair and yanked her backwards painfully.

"Ah!" She squealed as she fell backwards on her butt. He still had a hold on her long pink hair and proceeded in dragging her backwards into her room, while she clung to her head trying to pat down the pain he was causing.

"What have I told you about friends?! What is rule number 4?!" He screamed into her ear causing her to flinch and look away. He yanked her to her feet, still using her hair as leverage and turned her around by her shoulder.

He grew annoyed by her lack of response and punched her hard in the face, sending her back onto her butt. "T-They… were helping me…"

"I don't give a shit! You aren't to have any friends over, do you hear me?!" He yelled as his foot connected with her stomach. She rolled on her back and brought her legs up curling around her body in defence. More kicks followed along with a burning glare which drew Sakura's attention to the doorway where a satisfied Yoko stood amused.

"They helped me paint!" She finally stated, tensing up as she said it. "It didn't take as long this way!"

He stopped his assault and looked down as she curled into a ball. She wasn't crying or making any sound. She had grown stronger since his first beating. She refused to cry around him and took the pain as it came; summing it all down to a casual beating.

She was thankful that he hadn't taken her beating any further and summed it all down to him having sex with Yoko or another prostitute not long ago. He probably wasn't in the mood at the moment so he left her.

She really didn't want that man to take her virginity. He had only tried a couple of times a month when he adopted her a little less than a year ago. In the past month, however, he had tried five times; each time being interrupted by Yoko, a phone, the door or prior engagements. She didn't know how she could escape this man or how she could prevent him from having his way with her.

She quickly thought up a plan to find a boyfriend of some sorts and hope that he makes it before him. She quickly ignored that idea for several reasons; she didn't have the confidence to go out with someone when she had only ever had one friend and got bullied all her life. She also doubted anyone would find her pink hair attractive and she didn't think she was the best of lookers. Then there was the fact that is Osamu ever caught on to her having a boyfriend, he would not only beat her to the point of being recognised by her dental records, but him too; as well as throwing his frustration out of the window and finally giving into his desires.

She winced as she tried to move her stiffening muscles; which would, for sure, cause more than a few bruises. When her body finally complied and stood up, she headed for the bathroom to take a glance at her reddened limbs. It wasn't the worst she had been, but it still looked pretty nasty. She would really need to read up on some medical books so, hopefully, people wouldn't notice her scars.

She crawled over to her bed after warming her sore limbs with hot water. She pulled her shorts over her legs and then pulled a vest over her head in preparation for a long night's sleep. She had taken her clothes off in the bathroom and dumped them in her washing basket, which had been next to the sink.

'Shit… I should be angry… or upset but… why can't I stop smiling? Oh… I know why…'

' Naruto… Tenten… you… you don't know it but… you really helped me out… I can smile through it because you're my friends. I hope your other friends like me too…'

' I really want them too… I want to be accepted for once… I'm tired of being alone… stuck in this hell without anyone to escape to… I need you guys… but as much as I admit it… I can't trust you… not just yet…'

'I don't want to be disappointed if you leave me alone again… so until I know you aren't going anywhere… it will stay like this… but I have a feeling… a good one'

'You'll stay with me… right?'

Fatigue overtook her mind as she fell into a dreamful slumber, tucked away into her smooth, deep sheets. She felt at peace and just before her eyes closed; her friend's faces played in her mind. She felt so lucky…

oOo

"Shh! Stay quiet!" The little brunette girl whispered to her new friend. She had one hand over her friend's mouth making sure no sound escaped the girl.

A little mumble escaped the quietened girl and her friend slowly removed her hand to see what she wanted. "Shouldn't we help her? This isn't right!" She whispered more forcefully than her brown haired friend.

"We can't! We'll be hit too!" She whispered back. Suddenly, a loud clicking noise silenced the cowering girls when they realised their room mate had been taken away from them. They stood up slowly, after hearing the retreating footsteps, and made their way towards the uncovered window.

They hid by the wall next to the window and peered out to see the little scrawny girl being dragged out to the rickety shed by her short black hair. The spectating girls gasped and held their breaths as the girl received a belt to her legs making her fall into the mud and soak her night gown. The old fat woman cackled as the sobbing girl and lifted her by a clean patch on her gown's back. She threw the girl into the leaky shed, which hardly sheltered her from the night's harsh rain and winds.

As soon as the girl landed, the door was shut on her face and chained up. Screams and sobs could be heard coming from the shed and the girls ran back to their beds; but not before the slob of a carer noticed their silhouettes in the window.

"Be quiet! She'll leave if she thinks we're sleeping!" The brunette warned, throwing the covers over her head and laying still with her eyes closed. Her friend did the same only laying still was proving difficult; she couldn't stop her body from shaking.

The haunting footsteps could be heard marching up the corridor and the door crept open with a frightening creak. She shut her eyes tightly but her body wouldn't stop shaking; drawing unwanted attention. The steps approached her and whipped the thin, smelly covers from her malnourished body. Natural instincts caused her eyes to open and look up at the terrifying woman who snickered above her.

She grabbed the girl by her neck and marched her out of the room, as her feet barely touched the ground. Her friend was scared by now so she whipped the covers off her own body to call out to the unfortunate girl.

"Sakura!"

oOo

A loud gasp escaped her throat and heavy breathing followed. Her hand unconsciously rose to her forehead and wiped the layer of sweat which had gathered. She looked down to her hands to see sheets gathered in her white-knuckled fists. After calming her breaths, she was about to lie back down to calm down until she seen a figure in the corner on her sofa chair.

"Bad dream?" It taunted turning her blood cold. She looked over and recognized the face of her guardian, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.

She couldn't deny that he wasn't a fit man; he had quite big muscles, nothing too impressive, but still there. His face, however, reflected his evil nature. He had harsh, focused eyes and very defined cheek bones, which were normally hidden by his long hair if it wasn't tied up. He had thin, sickly lips which usually scowled or smirked at her.

He stood up from the chair and walked over to her slowly and painfully. Now she was fully awake, she could feel the previous damage done to her torso and felt stiff. She moved to stand up but he caught her and pushed her down to her knees, gathering fists full of her soft pink hair. She squealed and squirmed under his hold until his other hand found the edge of his boxers and pulled them down to reveal his frustrated manhood.

She almost screamed until his hand left her hair and grabbed her chin, forcing her mouth open. He rammed himself into her now opened mouth and grunted while tears fell down her cheeks and saliva dripped from the edges of her mouth as well as his fluids.

When she felt him pounding into her, the bile naturally rose up her throat mixing with his fluids and the tears which somehow managed to enter her mouth. With one final grunt he released in her mouth sending her vomit further up her mouth and he let go of her hair which he had been using to hold her in place. He realised her expression and knew she was going to be sick, so he left without taking it any further.

She rose off her knees and ran to the bathroom, making disgusting sloshing noises in the toilet. The bile wouldn't end as every time she closed her mouth she could taste his fluids mixing with the acidic taste.

She thanked god none of his sticky gunges had managed to get past the never ending vomit. Eventually, she calmed down only tasting her stomachs contents and grabbed the cup off the sink to fill with water. After she had rinsed her mouth out several times, brushed her teeth and used mouth wash, she disposed of her toothbrush so she wouldn't have the risk of tasting him again and walked back into her room, where a very pissed off Yoko was waiting.

She marched over to Sakura, who hadn't realised her presence and slapped hr hard across the cheek. Sakura looked up at the blonde who had watery eyes and intent to kill. "What the hell was that for?!" Sakura demanded rubbing her red cheek.

"He's mine understand? You don't deserve him you spoilt brat!" Yoko yelled before strutting out of the room angrily. Sakura's gaze followed her out the room with narrowed eyes. Yoko didn't have the right to order her around or slap her for that matter. Sakura felt her heart racing as different thoughts of torturing the blonde prostitute filled her mind. She swore that if she tried something like that again; Sakura would give her a taste of her mind.

After dressing and hiding her red cheek with make-up, Sakura made her way out of the house and along the street. Her heart was still racing from her encounter with that man. She carried on walking until she found she couldn't think straight or concentrate on where she was going. Giving up on her power walk, she sat down on the kerb and run her hands through her hair.

Her thoughts took her back to when he shoved it in her mouth and she could feel bile rising in her mouth again. She quickly slapped a hand to her mouth and after it slowly descended once more, she couldn't stop the warm tears from falling down her face. Her shoulders started to shake in small hunches but she made no sound. Her eyes were over flowing by now and she mentally cursed herself for her weak state of mind. She couldn't help but cower at times like this; she could take any beating and restrain any waterworks, but when she is violated in such a way, she becomes weaker.

It, also, didn't help that she had those dreams of her past. She didn't need to be reminded of how far back her suffering had been taking place. But those memories were there to haunt her every night. Sometimes, if she was lucky, she wouldn't dream at all and the memories would be suppressed; but lately that had only happened once.

She looked to the side and realised there was a blonde girl sitting next to her with a blank expression. She had messy buns in her hair and was leaning over her knees as her head rested on her open palm. Realisation finally sunk in and Sakura let out a loud gasp backing up a bit. She hadn't been there a second ago and suddenly coming face to face with someone startled her.

Temari looked amused by this; exactly what she had expected her to do. She had expected maybe the day before was an exception or a misunderstanding and had predicted she would fear her being alone with someone so 'dangerous'. But part of her felt guilty when the pinkette lifted her head to reveal silvery tears flowing from her eyes, which seemed to sparkle a more vibrant green colour thanks to the liquids.

Sakura regained her composure and wiped her eyes quickly plastering a fake smile on her face. Sure, she had been warned of the dangerous girl but she wasn't one to believe rumours without seeing it for herself firstly. She had learned this the hard way since the rumours were often about her and were always lies.

"I-I'm sorry… I just didn't expect somebody was right next to me…" Sakura said smiling back at the girl. This seemed to stun Temari even further; this girl really did interest her.

"Why aren't you scared?" She questioned moving her head frontwards but keeping her eyes on Sakura.

"Why would I be scared?" She asked with true confusion. She tilted her head to the side and watched the blonde girl. She hadn't actually been told what Temari did to make people scared; she was only told that she was dangerous.

"Come on… they warned you right?"

"They said you were dangerous… but they didn't say how…"

Temari raised her eyebrow at the girl who stood strong beside her. She was either an angel in disguise or an idiot like that Naruto kid…

"Besides…" Sakura continued hugging her knees and looking to the ground. "…I don't believe in rumours. I'll see for myself just how a person is…"

Temari's eyes widened and her head turned to face the girl; she was an angel. Normally, she would go out of her way to scare someone and prove just how terrifying she could be, but she felt no motivation to do something like that; and this place became boring until this pink-haired stranger confused Temari.

"Why were you crying…?"

Sakura's smile dropped and the thoughts returned, glazing her eyes over an unfriendly shade of green. She snapped out of her trance before she got too deep in thought and lifted her smile to Temari once more.

"See? You don't seem so bad… they must just be rumours…!" Sakura explained, throwing off Temari. She wasn't the kind of person to grovel for answers unless she was genuinely worried, but if the girl was smiling still there was no point.

She smirked at Sakura only this time it was out of amusement. "Whatever…" She quickly stated with a small smile playing on her lips.

"Wanna go shopping?!" Sakura asked with a grin this time. Temari seriously doubted this girl could surprise her anymore so she accepted to see if she could prove her wrong.

"Sure…"

oOo

"…but it's boring!" The blonde argued with Sakura's choice in T-shirts.

"What? It is?" She asked confused as she looked down to the white shirt which had a little star on the corner of it.

"Jeez… now that I think about it… everything you have looked at has been boring!" Temari whined snatching the top from her and placing it back on the metal pole it hung from.

"I'm sorry… I haven't really had many…err… any friends to point style tips out to me…" Sakura said scratching her neck shyly.

Temari felt a pang of guilt build up in her. "What about your mother?"

Sakura giggled a little, "I'm adopted. I live with foster father. I don't know who my mother was…"

"…oh… I'm sorry…" Temari said with a slight frown. Sakura simply shook her head.

"Don't be! Take me to where you shop!" Sakura said jumping on the spot slightly.

"What? Why?"

"Because your clothes are so cool!" She said grinning like a cat.

She grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her out of the shop with a part scowl, part grin. She turned around to see Sakura happily smiling at Temari even though she was being pulled like a rag doll. It seemed she did manage to surprise her again.

She led her into a different shop which had lots of chains and gothic accessories. Temari couldn't help but grin when she noticed Sakura's eyes light up with wonder. There were boots of different kinds hanging upside down from the ceiling and lining up one wall of the shop. Throughout there were cute outfits which had a range of colours from black to neon pink. One wall in particular seemed to grab Sakura's attention; the accessories.

Temari turned around to find Sakura heading towards the chains and studded bracelets. She followed behind her and her with amusement. "Temari! What do I look for?"

"Whatever you like"

"Erm… what do you recommend?" She asked sheepishly as she scratched her head. She had noticed everyone in the shop was staring strangely at her pink hair and normal fashions. She stuck out and the whole shop noticed, as well as a few passer bys outside the shop.

Temari smiled with a sigh and walked beside her, picking out several things and showing her how they work or how to wear them. In the end, Sakura had run back to the front of the store for a basket. She had never abused the money she had in her account and thought it was about time she used it since he always got something out of her.

"What about this?"

"I like this too!"

"What do you think?"

"Yeah let's get it!"

Temari collapsed on the small chair in the middle of the shop; this girl was exhausting, but she loved her enthusiasm and she had picked out quite a few decent goods. Temari had to admit she had done well. But she wasn't about to let her go around with her for the rest of the day dressed do plainly.

She looked over to the girl who was smiling at the man behind the counter. She wore flip flops with plain blue jeans and a long sleeves pink top. Her hair was hanging freely and she had a bare looking face. Of course, she was a pretty girl without anything, so Temari got quite excited about dressing her up in something more… daring.

Before she knew it, she was joined by the pinkette once more who showed her two medium sized bags full of accessories alone. "What about clothes?" Temari asked with a hinting grin.

Sakura grew a little worried, knowing full well that she had a bruised body and couldn't let anybody see; but Temari was great and she didn't want to disappoint the girl who had helped her all day.

"S-Sure! What should I get?" She asked a little fearful. She hadn't spent a great deal of her money, which had been saved over the years so it wouldn't make much a difference in her account.

Of course, she had a separate account no one knew of which was saving money over the years for her to move out when she was legally allowed. She knew he would have different plans but she had to escape someday. She didn't even realise, until now, that it wasn't that far away.

Temari came back from hunting, while Sakura was in thought, and handed her an outfit before pushing her towards the dressing room, which was small in size, with a full length mirror and a small seat, big enough for one. The light was dim in the small space, making her unsure of what she saw in the mirror.

She winced slightly when Temari pushed her back but covered up pretty well. She was shoved into a little cubical with a thick black curtain and Temari gave her one last smile before she drew it across.

'Oh my god! What has she chosen for me to wear?!'

To Be Continued…

Again I am sorry about the lack of Gaara in this chapter since he only got a little mention!

Anonymous Reviews accepted!

You know what to do…

Next Chapter: A certain red haired bad boy watches an argument take place between a blonde slut and a girl… with pink hair? Will school be starting soon?