Hola, amigos! I'm sorry for the long wait and the terribly short chapter. I have some personal issues to resolve and I'm not sure when I'll be able to upload 28ch.
Thank you for your consideration and have a nice day (night ^^) !
WARNING! Violence and a little bit of gore!
PS I do not own "Naruto" it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto ©
There goes my valentine again,
Soaked in red for what she said,
And now she's gone.
"Hand of blood" by Bullet for my valentine
The girl ran through the thick forest mindlessly, with a single thought in her head: to survive. How did she end up like that? At one moment she was standing there, only hundred yards away from the campfire where Sasuke and Kakashi had been and in the next she was running for her life. Was it because of the fear inside her, Sakura couldn't yell for help or was it because she deep inside her, she didn't want to be saved once again? When the Zetsu clones appeared in front of her every rational thought evaporated from her mind. It was her first time facing the terrifying monster alone after what happened. Maybe she hadn't gotten over the past, it was still inside her, clenching her heart and petrifying her body. The pulse was beating irregularly, the sweat drops were endlessly rolling down from her forehead and neck. This wasn't the reaction a kunoichi should have when facing an enemy and now…look at her…running for her life like a coward. Pathetic. Truly pathetic.
Sakura hustled out of a tree branch and threw a semi-somersault in the air, evading a bunch of prickles, sent by her pursuers. She counted seven of them. It was possible for her to take them down. She trained hard enough to be capable of doing so. She needed to stop and face them. The longer she ran, the more exhausted she would become and that would be in her disadvantage. The kunoichi rummaged through her pouch. There weren't any antidote doses in there. Damn. How many hours had it been since she last vaccinated herself? Six hours? Seven? The alcohol in her system was fogging her thoughts. The pinkette sensed another wave of prickles coming at her. And the girl jumped on the ground unable to find a suitable tree branch to continue her run.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she realized her mistake. A dozens of vines grew out of the dirt and coiled at her quickly. Her emerald iris widened and she tried to catch up with their movements but it was more difficult than she remembered when she last fought with the real Zetsu. Was it the alcohol? Fuck. At the last second she managed to jump aside before three vines crushed into the ground where she stood few seconds ago. Distracted by the sudden attack, Sakura missed the coiling plant tentacles which wrapped around her ankles in tight grip.
The kunoichi cried out loudly as their prickles stabbed into her legs and pulled her down. She lost her balance and fell back fully lying on the ground. Few more appeared as if from nowhere and immobilized her arms. Pinned to the ground Sakura felt the blood in her veins freezing, her heart skipped few beats and a strange whistle in her ears deafened her. Suddenly a cold wave passed through her body, forcing her to shiver. Glimpses of her past passed before her eyes. Her widened pupils shook chaotically. Would she die here? No. It'd be too merciful for her to be just killed. She was responsible for the death of the real Zetsu. They'd torture her. Death would have been a gift she didn't deserve.
Her pursuers surrounded her and one of them drew closer kneeling next to her. The Zetsu clone grinned with his monstrous mouth and the two rows of white pointy teeth glittered in the darkness.
"We meet again, Sakura."
The kunoichi knitted her brows and the corners of her mouth trembled in fear. She tried to answer but the words only came out as a slight yelp.
"Hooo, what was that? Don't tell me you're scared.", Zetsu said mockingly at her and laughed, "What are you going to do now, Sakura. Your knights are not here this time to save you."
The kunoichi swallowed nervously and opened her mouth, feeling a sharp need of oxygen.
"Should we continue where we left of the last time?", the clone reached out at her leg and placed his pale long fingers over the place where her leg was severed.
Sakura's eyes popped out in terror and she shook her head horrified, "No…", the word choked in her throat. She felt the former Akatsuki member burying his fingers in the flesh. "No!", she said again quietly, "Please…", her eyes teared up, "No more…"
Zetsu grinned, "Oh, my… Well, we have time, Sakura. Plenty of time…"
"Is it really OK to let her leave like this?", Sasuke said quietly, poking the fire with a wooden stick, "She's drunk and this is not a secured area."
"If you're so worried then why don't you go after her?", Kakashi growled through his teeth.
"Nah. This time I'll sit this out. This is between you and her, I don't wanna poke my nose in your business.", the Uchiha furrowed his brows, without looking at the Copy nin.
"Do whatever you want." The silver-haired shinobi turned around and started walking away slowly.
"Fine.", Sasuke replied indifferently.
Kakashi clenched the fists in his pockets and frowned. This area was deserted and there weren't any guards. Would she really be OK? "She's fine.", he assured himself. She can take care of herself. Suddenly a rustle behind him caught his attention, he turned around and saw Sasuke on his feet, staring at the direction to which Sakura ran away. The Copy nin focused his senses and felt a barely noticeable chakra disruption in the distance.
"You felt it too?", Kakashi asked quietly drawing near the other shinobi.
Sasuke nodded, "It was Sakura's chakra."
"Could it be that something happened?"
"Wouldn't we hear the sounds of the battle if she was attacked? She's not exactly the stealth type of shinobi.", the Uchiha said and sat down again, warming his hands at the flames.
"That's all? You won't go there and check up on her?"
"Nope."
"Don't you care about her?"
"You care but I don't see you running after her."
Kakashi frowned, "You little…", the Copy nin grunted and ran through the forest after Sakura.
Sasuke gazed after him and then lowered head on his knees. He should remain calm and let them make up. That girl…she needed to figure the things in her head and admit her feelings for the silver-haired man. That was his first and last attempt to make a match of them… After all he was a man, not a saint.
Naruto slid finger over Hinata's spine and felt the dark haired kunoichi shiver. The girl snuggled her face in the pillow and mumbled something incomprehensible. The Jinchuuriki smirked and pushed aside her long hair, bending down to place wet, tender kisses near her neck. A sweet purring "Mmm" escaped her lips and the Hyuuga heiress shifted under the blanket, covering her bottom and thighs.
"I'm back.", Naruto whispered and pulled away a little to remove his vest and top.
"I didn't expect you to return tonight…", the girl murmured sleepily.
"How can I stay away when I know you are all alone in this huge bed?", the Kyuubi host grinned devilishly and slid under the blanket after taking his clothes off.
"Naruto…this is a simple futon…", Hinata rolled her eyes and allowed the eyelids to fall down, relaxing under the touches of the man next to her.
"Hush. We still have three or four hours before dawn…", the Jinchuuriki grinned, "Plus, Sakura-chan ordered you to give me a massage…"
The kunoichi smirked blushing, "I doubt she meant the same type of massage you're thinking of right now…"
Naruto rolled her over, gently putting her to lie on her back. The shinobi placed a hand on her stomach, drawing circles, "Does it matter?"
Hinata laughed quietly, "No. not really…"
"It can't be…", Jiraya popped his eyes out as he saw the royal straight on the table before the Hokage. She actually won. "Something really bad is about to happen…"
"Oh, c'mon…I can still win sometimes without causing the world to stop spinning in the process.", Tsunade grunted and gathered the money from the table. The Hokage ignored the slight clenching of her lower stomach and cut the deck.
"Yeah, yeah…As you say.", the Frog Sannin rubbed his eyes tiredly, "I think it's time for us to take a short nap before the sun rises again. I get the feeling that tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
Tsunade sighed and put the deck on the night table next to the double bed. "Tch. You're just chickening out."
Jiraya grunted and eased his body on the mattress. The Hokage shot him a bloody glare. She dragged her feet to the bed and sent a troubled look through the window.
Pakkun jumped from the branch next to the kneeling Kakashi and placed a paw over his boots informing him of his presence. The Copy nin averted his eye to the summon, "Anything?"
"It's strange. I followed her trail but at some point her scent branched out in seven different directions."
"False leads?", Kakashi frowned.
"I don't think so. Even if she was capable of summoning four kage bunshin, which I highly doubt, they wouldn't leave a trail."
"That means she left the trail herself."
"There's not enough time for that. The trail is too long for that.", Pakkun shook his head and then his small brown eyes stopped on the trodden grass before Kakashi. The pub made a step forward and buried his nuzzle into the grass, "It has Sakura's scent all over. And a few more…or is it one more?", the dog shook his head sat down.
"Is it one or few? Decide.", Kakashi growled impatiently.
"It's the same scent on a multiple places at the same time."
Kakashi's eye widened, "Could it be Zetsu?", the Copy nin stood up nervously, "We've already witnessed him faking her death, even joining in the tournament instead of her. If he was able to fool a jutsu of that level, leaving a false trail was a child's play."
"Hmm. I agree. But then…where is Sakura?", Pakkun rose on his paws.
"Sasuke and I felt a slight chakra disturbance earlier. "Most likely she's been kidnapped…", the strangely calm voice of the silver-haired shinobi made the pub next to him to glance at his face surprised.
"There are seven different trails that could be followed. The Hokage won't dispatch seven different retrieval parties. That is if she's still even alive."
"She is…"
"There's no evidence supporting this..."
"She is!", Kakashi interrupted him angrily, "She's alive until I feel her cold body under my fingertips. I won't be fooled twice.", the Copy nin growled, bit his thumb and summoned his pack, "Pakkun will brief you up. Scatter and follow the trails. Recon. Do not do anything which could jeopardize your cover." He nodded reassuringly to his dogs and turned around, heading to the campfire. That cocky idiot might know something which would help him find her. When his summons return he'd decide what to tell the Hokage.
"It's kind of bothersome to control all of the clones. That was Zetsu's job.", Madara growled angrily and narrowed his eyes at the view of the lantern across the room, "I don't have time for this."
"We use them as a diversion, useless sacrifices that will get us to our goal.", the other Uchiha said impatiently, "Let them have fun with the shinobi. We should focus on the getting the Kyuubi and the Hachibi."
"Do not underestimate the Kyuubi's power, boy! Even if Naruto himself is not much of a real threat, the Nine-tails is.", Madara replied.
Obito frowned at the remark, "Your plan lies on my abilities, Madara. You can't succeed without my help. Don't forget that."
The older Uchiha huffed mockingly, "And vice versa, boy. You're too green to even make it through this war." Obito tch-ed irritated but Madara continued, "I saw how you behaved around the White fang's son or should I say best friend?", a smug grin appeared on his face.
The younger man curved left corner of his mouth, trying to withstand the rising fury inside him, "Just hurry up, Madara. I'm not the one slacking off."
Sakura felt the seemingly dull thorn cut through her skin slowly, trying to prolong the pain and the agony. Thin trickle of blood poured down her neck from the newly open wound. The poison entered her system and she coughed, feeling her organs getting drier with every passed second. She was already familiar with the symptoms that came after that – the slower pulse and heartbeat as a desperate attempt of her body to slow down the venom…the stiffness in the muscles…the inability to keep her eyes open…and eventually the burning pain inside her body from the acute form of dehydration. The kunoichi closed tightly her eyes and the voice of Zetsu became distant and muted.
"Do you want to live, Sakura?", "What's the point of you striving to survive?", "You know what's there for you if you choose to live…", the same lines over and over again. And her answer was the same every time. "No. I don't want to live." She knew that if she took the antidote voluntary, he'd torture her even more, knowing that her will to survive was still strong and unwavering. But then as if he had figured out her thoughts, every time he'd shove his bleeding wrist into her mouth, forcing her to drink his blood. And every fucking time, her body would recover from the poison, ready for him to inflict more pain on it, to leave more scars, physically and mentally.
How long had this been going on? She had no idea. The seconds seemed hours and the hours seemed years. Infinite circle of pain, self-hatred and desperation. After he had forced her to drink his blood for the first time she found out that without the herbs she had put in the original antidote, his blood didn't leave such long after effect. An hour of two and her system was once again vulnerable to the poison. "How convenient…", she had thought.
Sakura clenched her teeth as she felt him pressing his wrist against her mouth. Stubbornness was the only thing that kept her resisting. The pain in her limbs and the blood loss were causing her head to swirl. Finally, her mouth gave away and she tasted his disgusting blood. Instantly, most of the pain was relieved. Quickly she took few deep breaths, filling her lungs with oxygen. Her eyelids trembled and uncovered her green irises. Everything was blurry but soon she began distinguishing the objects.
When she had come to her senses, the other clones had already left. It was only him and her. The kunoichi noticed him kneeling with his back at her. What was he doing over there? The monstrous Akatsuki member slowly turned as if he had felt her gaze upon him. The girl noticed the iron crowbar in his hand. The edge of the metal piece was glowing in a soft yellow light, almost white. Sakura's eyes fixated on the scientific burner on the stone floor. She used these in her laboratory to heat up the chemistry compounds. Her mind put the pieces together and her pupils widened. The kunoichi shook her head in defiance.
Zetsu stood up grinning and began walking slowly toward her, "What's the matter? You don't like hot things?". The Akatsuki member stopped only a half step away from her and pointed the white-hot metal at her face only a inch away from her right eye.
Instinctively Sakura closed it, feeling the heat coming from it. The fear consumed her insides, clenching her stomach. Her body was shaking and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Look at me, Sakura.", Zetsu ordered. The kunoichi closed her eye lids tighter. "I said "Look at me"!", he yelled suddenly and the medic snapped her eyes open terrified with tears falling down her cheeks. "That's better. Good girl.", he smiled revealing the two sets of pointy teeth. His hand moved and the crowbar began traveling down to her neck, chest, drawing figures in the air above her flesh. "So, tell me, Sakura...did you feel relieved when the real me was killed?" The kunoichi gulped loudly but didn't answer. "Who was it that killed him? Sasuke? Or was it Naruto? My memories from then are a little bit vague? Maybe was Hatake Kakashi?" The girl's eyes trembled slightly at the mentioning of his name. "Oh, so it was him? Then maybe I should bring him here as well? Ha-ha.", he laughed weirdly, "Can you imagine him sitting here in this room, while I'm taking my time with you? He'd go crazy. I can almost feel the way he would glare at us."
Sakura knitted her brows and her chin trembled, trying to suppress a sob. "And then when you no longer resemble a human I'd kill you in front of his eyes. I'd cut out his eyelids so that he won't be able to look away. I'm getting goose bumps only when I think about it…"
"Stop it.", she whispered and then slowly looked up into Zetsu's face, "It was me who killed him. I stroke the finishing blow. I smashed his body to the ground so hard that my summon had to suck the blood out of the soil so that we could use it as an antidote.", Sakura grinned to herself at her lie with tears running down her face, "I felt his skull dissolving into tiny bits under my fist. I love it so much that I actually felt sick of myself…"
The Akatsuki member in front of her widened his yellow eyes and screamed in agony and frustration, driving the white-hot crowbar into the back of her palm, resting on the chair. Sakura gave out painful cry as the metal piece broke the capitate bone on her left hand. The scorching sound mixed with the unstopping squealing of the immobilized girl echoed in the spacious room. The smell of grilled human flesh filled her nostrils and the kunoichi couldn't stop herself from throwing up.
"You've seen nothing, bitch. The real pain starts now!", the clone pulled the crowbar out of her hand and smack her through her face with it. The strength behind the strike broke her nose and left a burnt scar on her cheek from the still red hot metal. Blood sprayed from her nose, splattering all over her torn clothes, mixing with her stomach juices.
Sakura's head tilted back, hanging lifelessly with eyes uncharacteristically widened, staring at the ceiling. She should have killed herself when she had the chance…
TBC