Hey guys! This is revised Chapter 6 for your enjoyment! Hope you like it!
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Sakura woke up in her room at Gaara's house and just laid there, letting the sunlight cross her face. The events of last week flooded her mind, making Sakura curl in on herself. She knew it would happen, but she never thought that when the time came for her to show what she was made of, she caved. She did nothing and froze. She was weak and helpless. Maybe, maybe she couldn't do this after all, maybe she should stop pretending that she had changed and just accept the fact that she will always play the part of the helpless victim. She pulled the blanket tighter around her huddled form as if that would be enough to keep her from falling apart at the seams. All that time learning and practicing to defend herself was all for nothing if she freezes when it really matters.
For the first time in years, Sakura wished she could talk to her mother. In all situations it seemed like she always knew what to say to make the world brighter than it was before. She made whatever Sakura had wanted to do feel within arms reach, made her feel like she could conquer the world.
Of course, she hadn't spoken to her mother since they kicked her out in high school and even though her mother didn't want Sakura to leave, she did nothing to stop her husband from putting her daughter's things out on the porch. She stood there passively watching, but Sakura could see the sorrow in the depths of her green eyes as she watched her only child being led to a car by a boy she didn't really know.
In the days that followed, Sakura tried to gather up the courage to go see her mother while her father was at work only to discover that the house was empty and they were gone. She hadn't tried to track them down or anything like that and decided to leave them in the past in order to be happy and move on with the family she had forged for herself.
Sakura shook her head to expel those thoughts.
It did nothing to think about times passed anyhow.
A knock on the door brought Sakura out of her den of self pity. Temari edged the door open, her head peaking around it so she could see her cousin better. Well, what she assumed was her cousin anyway, it was hard to tell with the blankets wrapped around her like a cocoon. She pushed the door open and stalked over to the bed.
"Sakura, it's almost noon. I think it's time for you to get up sleepy head."
The bundle didn't move or give any indication that she heard her at all. Temari sighed and put her hands on her hips. Sakura had been like this since Sai had brought her home that night. It was a surprise to see him there, but when he explained what had happened, Temari was grateful that he was. Just thinking that her little cousin was so close to being lost to them made her want to lash out at something in anger. She should have went after her or looked for her shortly after she left. When Gaara heard about what almost happened to her, he went on a rampage and had the city scoured for any trace of the man called Kabuto or anything to do with him.
Sadly, they turned up empty. He was long gone by that time.
Temari sighed again.
"Sakura, get up." She grabbed the blanket and pulled only to be met with more resistance than she expected from the woman within.
Sakura groaned and tried to stay covered. Couldn't Temari see that she just wanted to be left here?
By the way the blonde was tugging at the cover, Sakura could tell that her patience was running thin, if not completely worn out.
"I just want to stay here. Like this. Please go away and leave me alone." She whispered.
"No. You need to get up Sakura. You can't hide here forever, no matter how much you want to."
The pink haired woman made no move or even acknowledged that she heard her, which made Temari lose every ounce of patience with the pathetic bundle.
" Quit acting like a pathetic victim! This isn't you Sakura and you know it! Stop acting like you are helpless!" With a final tug, both Sakura and the blanket tumbled to the floor in a heap.
Sakura laid there in a daze looking up at her cousin's irritated eyes as she stood above her, hands planted on her hips in a stern stance.
"This is no time to be feeling sorry for yourself. You choked, so what? It happens to everyone at some point. You need to get back up and keep trying, or else," Her eyes softened and she knelt down looking Sakura in the eyes, "you will lose the will to live and fight."
Tears pooled in Sakura's eyes as she nodded. Everything Temari said made sense, but how could she get back up? She was scared that she'd just crumble again and be more of a burden to everyone.
Temari smiled and offered her hand, lifting Sakura to her feet.
"I bet all this wallowing makes you hungry, huh? Come on, let's get you something to eat."
Nodding, she followed feeling marginally better than when she woke up.
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After a breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, and a slice of grapefruit Sakura's outlook had lightened considerably.
She wasn't feeling confident about her plan anymore, but at least she found the will to move again. She really didn't know what to do with her time, Gaara wouldn't let her leave the house without an escort and she really didn't feel like being followed around. Add in the fact that she wasn't too keen on leaving the manor anyway, her options were pretty limited.
Deciding that a little mind numbing TV was the answer to her boredom. Making her way to the living room she was joined by her shadow, courtesy of one Sasuke Uchiha.
"Hey Hag. Where are you running off to?" He said with the same disarmingly fake smile.
Sakura rolled her eyes at the name.
"Hello to you too Sai. How does Pig put up with you? I swear you are one of the creepiest men I have ever met."
He gave her an uninterested look as he leaned against the door frame.
"I'm not sure I know what you mean. How am I creepy?"
If he wasn't genuinely confused, she would have hit him, but as this was Sai she was certain that he just didn't understand why popping up out of nowhere without a word of warning gave some people heart attacks. She just shook her head trying to come up with a way to explain it to him.
"You have to let someone know you are there instead of surprising them."
The look he gave her was one that let her know how stupid he found her explanation.
"If I do that then I would never get the drop on my enemies." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world as he started to walk away from the room.
"Wait Sai thats not what I- Oh forget it."
Arguing with him never got anybody anywhere other than confused. So she shrugged and went over to pick out a movie from her cousin's impressive stack. She didn't know what she wanted to watch yet so she just flipped through a few DVDs until something caught her eye. There on the top of the TV was a plain DVD with the words PLAY ME written on it in what looked like sharpie. Intrigued, Sakura decided that she was going to play. What in the world was this movie? All the others had clear titles and were alphabetized.
All except this one.
Sakura made her way to the couch after inserting the disc, her mind swirling with questions. Why was this DVD out and not with the others? It wasn't like Gaara to leave something like that out of place. He was the anal type, everything had a place and heaven help you if you put something where it didn't belong. For a few seconds the TV remained black until a person showed up on screen. Sakura drew in a surprised gasp as she recognized the man before her.
Orochimaru.
His creepy snake like yellow eyes seemed to stare into her very soul, turning it into ice.
"Is it rolling? Oh good. Hello my dear. I'm sure that you know who I am. No sense in wasting precious time with introductions. Now you see, we have a slight problem. You keep making it difficult to get a hold of you."
He gave her a look that a parent would give to their unruly child, half amused and half aggravated.
"So here's what we did. Keep in mind, Sakura, that if you had just come to us before, then we would have never resorted to this. Everything that happens from here on out is all your fault. It all lands on your small shoulders."
Instantly the screen changed to a dimly lit room with two people tied to chairs in the center. Sakura could feel her heart race in panic. What the hell was this? She saw Kabuto walk onto the screen with a slightly deranged look in his eyes. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach as she glimpsed the tray he was rolling with him. Various knives and pliers were scattered in the surface, making her face pale and stomach turn in horror. No, no way. This couldn't be happening. Kabuto then went behind the captives and removed their hoods with a flourish that spoke volumes of how much he was enjoying this.
Time stopped when the familiar faces stared at the camera, scared and confused.
Her parents!
Sakura's breath stopped and then she started hyperventilating, her hand clutching her chest as she stumbled from the couch to the TV. No not them. Anyone but them. Tears started streaming down her face as she watched Kabuto pick up a serrated knife that looked like it ripped flesh instead of slicing it. He inspected the blade and then looked at her father as if his skin were a canvas. She could hear her father demanding what he was doing and why they were doing this to them. None of his questions were answered and Sakura screamed at the TV, her fists pounding at the screen as if that would save the man who gave her half of her DNA. Yes he was an awful human being, what with kicking her out and leaving without a word, but he didn't deserve this. No one did.
She sunk to the floor sobbing, unable to watch the blood bath as Kabuto tore into her father's flesh. SHe could hear her mother screaming and begging his to stop. This was how Temari, Sai, Shikamaru, and Kankuro found her as they came bursting into the room led by she cries. Temari stared in horror at the screen as she recognized her aunt and uncle.
Or what was left of her uncle.
She took the sobbing and screaming Sakura into her arms, turning her away from the horrible sight. She couldn't even imagine the kind of monster it took to do this.
On screen Kabuto moved over to woman, his slow steps agonizing and mocking.
"Do you have anything you want to say to your daughter? Last words you want out?"
He trailed his blood soaked knife down the side of her trembling cheek. Sakura saw her mother steel herself for what she knew was coming and looked into the camera.
"Sakura, I am so sorry. I know that you have become a strong woman and I want you to know that I haven't stopped thinking about you for a moment. I wish I could have seen you one last time, but it seems that we will never get the chance to do so."
Her voice trembled and Sakura cried harder, shaking her head as if denying this made it not real.
"I just want you to know that I love you, Sakura. I always have and nothing will stop that. Not even death. I will always be with you. Please continue to live life to the fullest and make sure that every moment is filled with happiness."
The only things heard from the TV were the strangled cried of the woman being tortured, until even she fell silent. Orochimaru wondered back on screen like he wasn't standing in front of dead bodies, hands clasped behind his back and a pleasant smile on his pale face.
"Remember, Sakura Dear, this only happened because of your stubbornness. If you had been a good girl, you could have saved them from this fate. How unfortunate for them that they had such a daughter. We will meet again soon, I can feel it."
The screen went black again as the video ended and there was no sound other than Sakura's desperate sobs. All at once the room erupted as everyone came back to their senses.
"Sakura, it will be okay. That could have totally been fake. It's amazing what they can do with computers." Temari held the distraught woman tight and even to her own ears, it sounded like a desperate excuse.
There was no way that could have been faked.
Shikamaru went to the DVD play to retrieve the disc, holding it this way and that, inspecting it as if it held the answers to the universe.
"I'm going to take this to the lab. Hopefully I can isolate where this happened." He left the room in a walk, which for him was the same as a run.
Kankuro whipped out his phone, already having dialed Gaara's number. He needed to be here to help figure out how in the hell that disc made it into the house without them knowing.
Sai, on the other hand, already had Sasuke on the phone and he was beyond livid.
" I'm on my way." Was his short reply as the line went dead.
Sai turned to Temari with a troubled expression. He had never seen Sakura like this before.
" Maybe you should take her to her room."
Temari nodded as she gently guided Sakura out of the room. As for Sakura, her tears were spent and dried up. She couldn't really feel much of anything, the numbness settling in after the hysteria passed.
Temari watched as the life drained from her green eyes, silently begging Sasuke to hurry and get there soon.
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Sasuke Uchiha franticly made his way to Sakura's room. The call he got from Sai made his blood drain from his face and ice cold fury fill his veins. Orochimaru and Madara had gone too far.
He opened the door and his heart sank at the sight of the woman he loved more than life itself sitting at the foot of the bed, her face blank and eyes as dead as a corpse.
"Sakura." He breathed out as he knelt down in front of her, his hands taking her cold ones in his.
Her eyes filled with tears as dull green met onyx.
"Sasuke." She whimpered and flung herself into his arms.
He sat with her on the floor as she cried into his chest, his heart breaking for her. He knew what it was like to watch your parents die and not be able to do a thing to help them.
"I-It w-was so a-awful. There was b-b-blood everywhere." There was so much grief and loss in her voice that Sasuke couldn't help but hold her tighter. He wished he could take all of her pain on himself, but he knew that he couldn't. The best he could do was be there for her.
And kill the bastards that did this.
"I know. I know."
Sasuke hated that he felt so useless at that moment. He didn't even know how to comfort her or anything like that.
He didn't have the most experience with that anyway and it seemed that Sakura could read his mind because she seemed to know what was on his mind.
"It's okay Sasuke. You being here with me is enough." She whispered hugging him close as her sobs turned into soft sniffles.
Sasuke opened his mouth, but he was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. He debated on just letting it ring, but Sakura gave him a small smile.
"You should answer that. It could be important."
"Nothing is more important than you are."
He glanced at the caller ID and rolled his eyes.
"It's the Dobe. He probably just misplaced his ramen packets again."
Sakura gave a small smile.
"You should still answer it Sasuke. It might be important, even if it is Naruto."
Sasuke sighed and answered it.
"This had better be important." He growled.
"Well hello to you too, Bastard." Was the sarcastic reply he got.
"What do you want Naruto? I'm a bit busy right now so make it quick."
His idiot senses told him that Naruto was rolling his eyes at him.
"It's Gato. He's trying to worm out of his payment again. We told him that if he tried it again that you'd be paying him a personal visit, remember?"
Sasuke cursed. Of course something like this had to happen right at this moment. He slide his eyes over to Sakura, who nodded at him in understanding.
"Go. I'll be fine."
He looked at her for a moment, torn on what to do.
"Sasuke, go. I'll be okay I promise." She smiled at him.
He sighed.
"Fine. But I'll be back as soon as this is taken care of."
He kissed her and left. The sooner he took care of this, the sooner he could get back to her.
"Naruto, meet me at the house and we will head over together."
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With Sasuke gone, Sakura was left alone with her thoughts. It all seemed so surreal, like it was a nightmare and she would wake up at any moment.
But it wasn't and she wouldn't.
In the place of the sadness and grief, sprung up a burning anger that grew into an inferno. They went too far and dragged innocent people into in. She would make them pay tenfold and dance on their graves. After their little tape, she was ready destroy them and nothing would stop her.
Everything in her screamed for revenge and she would have it.
Tonight.
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Sasuke and Naruto were on their way to Gato's mansion, but Sasuke's mind was still in Suna. He had filled Naruto in on what happened and he was beyond pissed about how far they went. It took some time for his ranting to stop, but when it did they sat in silence until Naruto decided to speak.
"I'm gonna call her, just to see how she's doing." He got his phone out and dialed her number.
"Hello?" Sakura's voice came over the radio. Both Sasuke and Naruto jumped a little and the car swerved slightly.
Naruto smiled sheepishly as Sasuke glared at him. How could someone forget to turn off their bluetooth?
"Hey Saks! How are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay Naruto."
Sasuke glanced at the radio. Something was off about her voice, but he just supposed that he was just imagining it in his worry for her.
The blonde frowned. Was it just him or did she sound a little too calm?
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact I have something I have to do, so I'll talk to you later okay?"
"Yeah okay-"
The line went dead and the men looked at each other, before Naruto shrugged and they went back to riding in silence.
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