I love all the reviews I got for the last chapter. It makes me smile! =^.^= Not really when I have to complete a mid term today. So sad.. Oh well, before I leave I will post this chapter up! The reign of terror is not over on our heroine's body. It will end soon at the next installment.
Chapter Four: Where are you? Where am I?
After the party Sakura displayed all her opened gifts on the drawer below a giant mirror. She peered into it and fixed her hair with a brush and shivered in fear at the most iciest eves you have ever seen. The hair brush dropped out of her hands. Said girl feel backwards hitting her head on the corner of her bed.
Moments later she woke up in a cold area with no blanket to warm her up. Her mind concluded that she was stolen out the room and placed in the cellar down in the basement where they would store meat away for the winter. Was she going to freeze with the pork?
Sakura cried silenlty and brought her knees up to her chest staring down at the dirty floor. She heard the steel door open and Akane was standing at the door way wearing a heavy coat. A scarf was wrapped aorund her neck so she wouldn't catch cold Why did she have on something warm and lovely while she stayed frozen?
"M-mother, I'm c-cold.." She shivered.
"Good, that will awaken your senses." Akane said bitterly and tossed her something. "Here, use this for a pillow. You'll be sleeping here for now on."
sakura watched the woman turn on her heels. "Wait, can I at least have one of my stuffed animals to cuddle?"
She stood still with her back turned. "Fine, but just one."
The pinket stumbled back against the wall and waited patiently for her mother. The woman came back and tossed a stuffed animal on the floor and slammed the door behind her. Sakura got on her hands and knees then crawled over to the plushy. She picked it up and studied it's features awhile before holding it close against her and silently drifted away to sleep. This was the first time that Akane resorted to locking her up in a cold cellar basement.
The first time she ever made a attempt to mentaly beat her senseless until she bled invisibly in the heart. Sakura felt wounded already, never trusting her again with the simplest deeds. Daybreak entered through the bars and a plate of breakfast was put on the floor.
Sakura didn't bother with moving from her place and heard her stomach rumble deep inside her rib cage. Akane muttered and cursed obscenities at her stubbarness and spoon fed her like before when she was four. It was like a daily ritual for her as the days rolled by. The woman would come in and fed the girl, sponge bathe her and then whip the hell out of her with a drenched towel.
Said girl didn't mind getting beaten. Usually it wouldn't hurt too bad for the pain will go away after two hours and she would be sleeping like a baby. What concerned the girl was what the hell did that bitch want from her? To see her suffer or just die on the floor like a squished roach.
She would normally have the courage to stand up to anything but it felt as if a cat got her tongue and threw it on the floor before stepping on it. Then one day, something wonderful happened that changed her life forever. Sakura was laying on the floor thinking about living for one more day until a flash of raw light entered the room.
Akane was standing there with a soft look on her face. "There you are." She said and turned towards the hall. "Itachi, she's over here!"
A young boy walked over holding a bag in his arms. "What are you doing down here?"
Sakura tried to speak but her throat was dry.
So her mother spoke instead. "I sent her down for pork so we could make ribs today during lunch. Isn't that right?"
Rather then screaming and telling his father to kill her, she agreed to it with a nod. Itachi raised an eye brow and bent over beside her watching the girl flinch at his sudden communication.
"What's the matter?" He asked while placing a hand on her cheek. "I haven't seen you in a while, it has been two years since we last hung out."
Her eyes widened at the information. "R-really?"
"Yes, in fact I wanted to give this to you the first chance I get." He said and dug in his pocket taking out a card. "You many open it when the time is right." before getting up and leaving the room.
Sakura was amazed at the contact. She thought after being missing in action that the boy with the red eyes would forget about her and move on. But he didn't. The pinkette slid her thumb through the closed letter and teared it open coming across something very special.
"Well? What is it?" Akane asked bluntly.
"He wants me to come to his birthday party.." Sakura whispered.
The woman has a difficult time hearing it. "What was that?" and felt something cling to her legs.
"Can I please go? Please! please! Please?" The girl said speedily.
"I guess, only if the parents could go as well."
"Sure!" Sakura smiled.
At last she was able to see the real daylight in her own eyes! The girl ran out of the cellar up the steps and sat at the table munching on a plate of cookies. Akane came back into the room and slammed a weird object on the table.
Sakura looked it over. "What's that?"
"Weights. You still want to be a prodigy right?"
"I thought hanging out in the cellar all day was helping me?"
"Tch, all it did was enhance your boy temperature. The real training is using weights to increase your speed. Now go outside and give me twenty laps around the house."
Said girl groaned at the given instructions and took the weights off the table. She didn't get any far when the extra pounds threw her off and she fell knocking her foot into the table. Sakura laid there underneath the eating spot hoping that Akane would cancel her suicide training.
A smile crept over her face when she saw the woman's sandals under the sheet.
"Did you just twist your ankle?"
"Y-yeah, I guess I can't train today."
Sakura found her self dragged out from underneath the table. She got placed on the ground with her feet touching the floor and felt a pat on her head by Akane's soft hands.
"Don't worry. You'll live." She smiled with her eyes closed.
"Rats."
After fibbing and being forced to complete her task at hand, she was thrown out the house. Sakura landed on the floor and watched a bento box fly across the air and land on the ground three inches away from her. She stood up and turned around frowning when the door was slammed shut behind her. The pinkette mumbled to her self while picking up her lunch and began jogging around the house. Sakura stopped after noticing a shadow on the property.
"Hiya Sakura chan!" He waved at her.
"Hello Naruto.."
His eyes closed in confusion. "What's wrong? Your mom made you clean the kitchen again?"
"No, she thinks that I need taijutsu training before I enter the academy next year."
Naruto watched the girl touch the fence then run back. He got an idea. "Hey, how about I train with you?"
"Mm, I don't know. My mother doesn't like seeing us together."
"Oh." He frowned. Another solution came to mind. "How about we train in the woods?"
"You mean in secrecy?" and got a nod from the boy. "Okay."
Sakura jogged over near the bento box next to a tree and picked it up then left the yard walking beside her friend. They exited off the property and walked around town laughing and giggling along the way then stopped near a dango shop for a quick snack. After they finished eating, the two children left the town life into the wooded areas of Konoha.
Once they found a secure area, they started training for a long time till the sun settled behind the trees. The two youngsters were on the ground grasping for breath and looked at each other with a smile on their face; they're ready for the academy. When Naruto sprung up he gasped at something he just discovered on the girl's body.
"What's that?" He asked while pointing an index finger towards her wound. "It's healing right? I have the exact same scars from when my body does that. Only from playing in the trees though."
She checked over them with her eyes. 'Oh no, Naruto discovered my scars.' and lied about it. "Same here."
Sakura got up and from the grass and began moving around the area collecting the kunais that were thrown during training. After retrieving the lost items they played leap frog and ate what was left in the bento box. She was having a great time and just realized something. She was late for dinner!
"I gotta go, see you later."
"Bye Sakura chan."
They parted ways under the moon light. Sakura ran past a few stores and bumped into some one. She fell on her rump and looked up finding a familiar person on her path towards death. The boy smiled at her and offered to assist her in getting back up to resume her travels.
"Hello again, did you open the letter yet?"
Sakura was in a hurry and spoke quickly. "Yes, I would live to attend."
"Good, you don't have to buy me a present if you don't want to."
She blushed and looked away. "I want to get you one.."
"Sakura where are you?" Spoke a person from afar.
Itachi looked towards the direction of the voice. "Seems like your mother is looking for you."
She dreaded that voice. "I know.."
"Well, don't forget okay?" He reminded the girl and left down the side walk.
Sakura watched him leave and froze like water when haunting foot steps were coming from behind. She didn't dare to look back then got shoved straight over the side walk by somebody. The girl flew onto the pavement and opened her eyes in fright when a trail of blood surrounded he entire face.
"What did I tell you about staying out late?" Asked a bitter voice.
The girl got on her feet and shuffled away from her running around the corner. Sakura stayed behind a shop and closed her eyes when Akane's voice could be heard from all over the place. She fled the scene trying to find anyone that could help her. A weary smile crept across her face when she found a familiar chakra source.
"Itachi.."
He wouldn't answer her. Sakura freaked out when the man's back was turned. It wasn't Itachi at all, but a tall person wearing a trench coat and had a swirled mask hiding his facial expression from view. The girl moved back in fear when a visible smirk appeared from beneath his red mask.
"Ah, you must be the girl with healing powers. Itachi has told me so much about you."
I admit that this chapter was shorter then the last one.
But it is still getting good. So sit tight for more.
Constructive criticism is necessary if you want to read more!
Three to five reviews or no new chapter.