Sakura's expression visibly slid the more she read. Her gentle fingers held the documents like they were something precious to her, like they were the most beautiful lifeline. Her fingertips ran across the corners of every page, almost caressing the paper. Her eyes held absolute certainty and wonderment. She spent long moments on every sheet, memorising it. She moved on though, quickly shuffling the paper to the back and eagerly eyeing the next. Kakashi's arm held her close to him, his eyes stuck on her face as she took in everything written about herself and her family.
She paused a very long while on her parents marriage certificate. Her expression was unreadable, an after a short while she zoned out, and tears began to fall over her soft cheeks. Kakashi looked down at the certificate, trying to work out what could have set her off, but to no avail. True, he hadn't read all of this from start to finish, only really glanced through it, and things that were in separate envelopes had stayed that way. What could upset her though about a marriage certificate? Was it just the proof that her parents had existed, that they had been married?
Kakashi frowned, trying to work her out. " Sakura…?" He asked gently. "Sak," He shook her gently, moving the file off her lap, only to have her snap out of her trance and grab it back from him. Her eyes were moving now, searching over it, but she still wasn't quite right. So something about this marriage certificate wasn't right.
"Sakura," He asked gently. "what's wrong?"
Her eyes met his and her nose crinkled up slightly as she did when trying to puzzle something out. "What do you mean?"
Kakashi shot her a look, wondering how to phrase this remotely considerately. This wasn't really his forte, he really didn't find himself in situations like this very often. "There's something wrong with the marriage certificate?"
That was what was wrong with it. He couldn't notice anything that would indicate anything wrong with it, but Sakura's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and her face filled with hope. She wanted it to be fake.
He shook his head. "Nothing that I can see." He paused. "What is really wrong with it?"
Sakura ducked her head down, and inhaled deeply a couple of times, like she was about to speak but didn't. Kakashi didn't expect a response, but if she was heading towards one he certainly wasn't going to rush her. He didn't want to scare her off.
"I,-" She tensed, her body coiled tightly in defence, or an attempt not to cry. "They weren't married. Not really." She pushed the paper aside. "So there shouldn't be a marriage certificate saying that they were."
Kakashi pulled out the wedding photo, confused. "What do you mean?" He asked, showing her the photo. "This says that they were."
"That means nothing."
"This shows that there was a ceremony, and the certificate is legal proof." He said quietly.
"That means NOTHING!" Sakura shouted, springing up to stand up in front of him, her eyes blazing with fury and the documents scattered over her floor and bed. "They did not love each other!" She screamed furiously. She pointed to the discarded photo. "They were not happy together! A dress, a ring and a marriage certificate do NOT make them married! They weren't."
And just as easily as the fight had come it drained out of her, and she sank to the floor sobbing with her arms wrapped around herself. She looked so young like this, crying and shaking, her lips quivering. She looked so vulnerable.
Kakashi sunk to the floor beside her, pulling her to him and rocking her back and forth silently. He had said enough, and seemingly Sakura had heard and seen enough for now.
Kakashi only hoped that in time, she would open up to him, and that he could fully understand.
888
"Sakura says that her parents were not married." Jiraiya frowned.
"Well, legally they were. Did she elaborate?"
"She told me that they did not love each other and then went into a state of denial. Do you know what she meant?"
Jiraiya lifted his team to his mouth and paused for a moment. "Well, Kakashi. Some people can see things differently to others. Define marriage."
"The union of a man and woman for the rest of their lives, in front of witnesses."
"Is that all?"
I frowned, and tried to remember back to my academy days what each item was supposed to symbolise, and the dictionary definition of the word. "Um… The ring represents everlasting love, and the dress purity right? And the father placing the daughters hand into that of the groom represents him giving her into a new family…" I paused a minute. I was completely stumped.
"Everlasting love? Was that the point?"
Jiraiya nodded. " The couple vow to love each other, and the ring means that they always will do. If Sakura believes this deeply then she would not consider her parents married, regardless of the proof, if they were not in love."
I frowned. "She was so young when they died. It seems… odd that she would think of them as not loving each other. Small children do not often think like that. Would something have happened for her to think that?"
"Yes, but she'll have to tell you that herself." Jiraiya sighed and leant back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "What else did you notice about the file?"
"It didn't say their causes of death. Why is that?"
"Because it is very classified, something that you could only get Sakura herself to tell you. Anyone else has been forbidden to speak of it to anyone other than those told by the Hokage at the time. Tsunade was given the information when she took over, but she guards it very closely. You have no hope of worming it out of her, and I won't tell you who else was told."
"How could I get it out of her?" Interrogate her? All methods seemed a bit strong to obtain some information that I wasn't quite sure why I wanted. I had known them, yes, as they had known my parents, and were ninja of the village but we spoke less and less as the years went by, so little in fact that they had never introduced me to their daughter.
"I think that in time, she'll come to you on her own." Jiraiya smiled. "But I will tell you that you were placed on the same team for a reason, and a time will come when she needs you to help her." Jiraiya placed his empty cup on the table and got up to leave. "I'd advise that you make sure you be there."
"How can I be certain that I'll be there. I can try to be emotionally, and for support, but how can I be certain that I'll physically be there for her?"
Jiraiya let out a short, gruff laugh. "We'll just have to tweak the circumstances a little." he replied with a wink, but didn't elaborate.
He ruffled my hair. "Later Kashi-kun. You need to organise your books again."
No, I didn't. They were organised just fine. Nonetheless, I turned to my shelves and began to poke some of them out of their places, and fit them into others, and I couldn't help but smile as I saw some of Sakura's books mixed in with my own.
888
"Right, you four. This is a very serious mission." Immediately, Sasuke and Kakashi switched their expressions to look like they were listening, and Naruto and Sakura clenched their fists determinedly. There was nothing to raise their spirits like a highly interesting, great paying mission. The greedy brats.
"Alright!" Naruto cheered and while the others were nowhere close to joining him with that, they were rather excited too.
"This mission is S-ranked, and requires a lot of subtlety." Tsunade's eyes met Naruto's. " I know that this is not a strength of yours, but we cannot allow it to become your weakness either, Naruto. Mission details will be given to Kakashi, and he can brief you before you reach your destination. Sasuke, Naruto you may lave for now."
"Wha-? Why not Sakura?" Naruto immediately complained.
"Because I need to brief Sakura on the specifics of her role in the mission."
"Bu-!"
"No buts Naruto. If you want to keep this mission you shall have to prove that you are responsible enough to handle it. Otherwise it will be given to a higher rank team."
"Then why did you give it to us anyway?" Sasuke's cool voice broke in, mush to observant for Tsunade's immediate liking.
"Because there comes a time where we need as a team to test our strengths and weaknesses." Was this what Jiraiya had meant? Had he forced them onto a mission where Sakura would be forced to tell all? He couldn't miss the fact that Tsunade's eyes had set on the pink haired kunoichi as she spoke. This was just the kind of thing that Jiraiya would do. Now he just had to not let on that he knew.
"Tsunade? Shishou, what is it that I am needed for?" Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts to listen properly. If that was the case then he couldn't miss out on any of the details given, and risk failing to keep this running smoothly. If this was something that could upset Sakura, he would be minimising the damage.
"We have a crime circuit that sits on no-mans land between us Sound and Lightning. Obviously, someone has to take care of it, and as they are infiltrating Sound, they cannot provide held. A lot of their illegal exports are being taken into the rogues in lightning country, so it's left up to us.
The reason that I need Sakura is because she has medical abilities as well as the other specifications. To get close to the circuit, you will likely have to play as part of the club, rogue nins that are looking for work of a less legal kind."
Tsunade paused and looked between them, making sue that both of them were listening. "As a member, once you have gained their trust you will most likely be staying in one of their safe houses. Sakura, you will play the part of Kakashi's fiancé, under different identities of course. You will have to make sure that your disguises don't slip. Naruto and Sasuke will find out what they can from the neighbouring villages.
"Your task is to take them down, by any near permanent means possible. We would prefer for the main leaders to be taken out, not just the top dog, because he can be easily replaced. If you can put a halt to their operations, and find out any long term plans then that could be all that we need for the time being. This is a long term mission, and your expenses while you are gone shall be taken care of. Any questions?"
"Yes." Sakura started. "What are the other specifications and why fiancé?"
Tsunade smirked slightly, pleased that Sakura had been paying attention. Her expression was quickly schooled however, and became overtly serious. "They deal with women Sakura, and not simply prostitution. We are unsure of the exact activities, but we know that many of them will need medical care." She passed Sakura a small scroll, that appeared to be completely blank. "You will use this teleportation scroll to return to Konoha. In case you are out of chakra, I have already filled it with my own, and you will only have to make the necessary hand signs to return. If there are too many people, use an enlargement jutsu first, but remember that you only have to be touching this scroll to teleport, you do not need to try and get everyone to put a palm on or even stand on it. A fingertip will do.
Women are not used as a part of the organisation, only as objects of sex. I chose fiancé because I thought this to be your best bet to not be harassed - from what we've gathered if we said wife you would be dragged off at the first opportunity. We are hoping that after a show of Kakashi's skill and a carefully woven tale of your love and why you left your village - Kakashi, you can fabricate this - the attempts will be much less. You cannot let on about having anything more than rudimentary skills, taught to you by Kakashi, but you can make a show of training together.
I am not telling you to succumb to the wills of the men there, but I will say that this mission is of high importance, and at some point modesty may have to take a backseat. You will use all that you can to get what you want out of them. Sakura, you must not react too much to the way that the women are treated there, including yourself. I am saying this for your own safety, as well as for the sake of the mission.
You will leave early tomorrow. Kakashi, that does mean early. You will be on time." She waved a hand and returned to her paperwork. "You two are dismissed."
Kakashi walked close to Sakura as he left, instead of poofing out as he normally would. He waited until they were outside to talk to her.
"You could refuse the mission you know."
"Why would I want to?" She asked him, but her voice was sharp.
Kakashi kept his eye trained on hers. "I don't know. All those women being raped and beaten, used as nothing more than somewhere to quickly dump a load, or just used for the men to take out their frustrations on." He spoke softly, almost persuasively. He didn't want her to do this if she couldn't take it. "Maybe, someone behaving that way towards you. Lashing out at you, touching you, bruising your skin…" He reached out to stroke her cheek, his fingers lingering. "Can you handle being so carelessly treated. Lashed out at, and not aloud to fight back?"
Sakura was frozen, staring at his face but not really seeing him.
He pressed the kunai harder against her throat, laughing as he told her to try and move now. She tried to stay still, her eyes focused on the girl huddled in the corner, on the fact that she needed to stay alive, only to sacrifice herself.
The blade dug deeper with every shudder that ran through her body, sobs shuddering through her no matter how hard she tried to suppress them. She couldn't fight back, but she also couldn't help but wonder why she shouldn't. Pain speared through her with every movement of his disgusting body, piercing through her, battering her from the inside out, and leaving her feeling broken. Used. Like her pounded body was no longer good for anything, her once blinkered mind opened and tainted, filled with sick thoughts and ideas. Sometimes she had to wonder if it would be easier to just give in to him. To allow his hands to touch her, to hit her, to hurt her. It would be so much easier to lie back and let him have his way with her, to just drift away and wait until it was over. Sometimes she did.
More often she felt that death would be preferable. She would rather be nothing, than be like this.
The blood trailed down, covering her semi clothed body and drowning her in the pools of scarlet. When she finally gave up, she watched the trails, somehow thankful that the blood was coming from somewhere else, that she could pretend he wasn't making her bleed, in the worst way that he possibly could.
"I can handle it," She whispered, as she instinctively leaned closer to Kakashi, her shaking body wanting his warmth while her face pressed against his shoulder, breathing in his comforting scent. She took and deep breath as she confessed.
"But only because you'll be with me."
A/N - Thanks for reading! And I'm quite happy that this is the fifteenth chapter and I haven't given up quite yet!
1) The wedding symbols - they tend to vary in meanings, some being more religious in meaning when told by strong Christians etc. But that is how I was always told it. Well, and that the vows are unbreakable once spoken in the presence of God, but (I do not mean this offensively) to me marriage is less of a religious ceremony, and more a celebration of love. I do not think it has to be done in a church, or only between men and women. I am not against civil partnerships.
2) I am not telling you everything about Sakura's parents just yet! I have left clues everywhere in this, come subtle, some decidedly not so. Try and guess :P Go on, make my day!
3) MySoulIsYoursTakeIt and Little-bad-Angel's reviews did make my day, and look, I updated! :P
I will be updating more often as I have began another multi chapter fic, and I really want to get this one finished. Particularly because this is getting to the point! (YAY)
As you can tell, being on Xmas holidays really puts me in a good mood XD Even if I have been eating in Naruto quantities for the last two weeks. Soon I shall look like a female Choji, and then I shall roll around trying to flatten people.
R&R