She woke feeling like she had spent the night drinking with her old teacher. Every joint ached, and her stomach was ready to evict everything in her. She noticed she was tied to a chair in a dark dank room that smelled of burning wax and booze. At least her sensitive eyes were not being accosted by bright light because only candles lit the room.
"Its about time you woke up," a male voice taunted from somewhere across the room.
"I was having a good dream," she lied her sharp tongue not taking a rest.
"Its time to wake up to the nightmare," he snarled shoving her chair back a little so he could be face to face with her. Hot drunk breath caressed her face making her abused stomach lurch.
She already knew why she was here, it was written all over his disgusting face. He was going to take his time killing her. It wasn't about information or that she was from the village of the Leaf anymore. This was about sweet revenge for her damaging his damn pride. Her flesh was going to feel every ounce of shame he felt was inflicted on him.
"I'm bored. Could you at least make it somewhat entertaining?" she asked, having nothing to loose she was going to push every button she could on the man.
"Try this on for size," he teased as he set a small explosive on her arm. It was tiny and when it went off it left a hole in her arm about the size of her thumb with a scorch mark ring around it. The pain was unbearable but it was nothing compared to the time Naruto had hit her with his tail. Even pain reminded her of her love. She wanted nothing more than to see him again.
"That was pathetic," she mocked, as the smell of burning flesh entered her nostrils and tears slipping from her closed green eyes.
"This will keep you on your toes, but not quiet, I still want to hear your melodic screams," he whispered in her ear as he shoved a needle in her neck roughly and distributing another drug into her blood stream. It shut down part of her body, the part of her control over her muscles, but woke every pain receptor in her.
He used her body like a pin cushion for his kunai, missing all the vital organs and arteries. He took a flaming hot blade and wove a pattern into her upper arm that hissed every time he dragged it further along her creamy skin. She couldn't move but she could scream out in terror but it was little comfort.
"You know," she panted, "this is child's play," her taunting got her a slap across the jaw. She was aiming to make him mad enough to kill her and end her torture.
Muffled cries were heard in another part of the building. It stopped the dark ninja, drawing his attention away from the bleeding and burned defenseless woman. The doors opened and the faint light from the candles illuminated a blue demon mask ready to attack. Sakura never though she would be so happy to see that ominous looking thing. Behind the crouching figure was a man with the snake mask. Sakura wanted to send a rude gesture at him but she couldn't muster any movement. He seemed to always find her when she was vulnerable.
"What are you two doing here?" Sakura croaked out, not that she wasn't happy to see them but she wanted the face of the man who held her heart to be in that doorway.
"I'm here because you made a promise to me. You promised to protect something precious to me and I'm here to make sure you deliver on it. So don't think I'm here to save you and I'm not here for that idiot of a Hokage we have either," the Snake stated in a cold manner.
"How did you find us?" the dark man asked pulling out more weapons to fight the intruders.
"I found you with this," the snake mask made a hand signal and a red snake slithered out of the poor woman's body, "I still didn't trust this woman, so I hid that in her when I found an opportunity," he explained.
"Ewe," she groaned, discussed by the snake, she knew it was only a manifestation of his chakra but it was still creepy.
"Well now its a party! But you won't be taking her from me today," the rouge harassed.
Paper bombs exploded all around Snake and Demon but they were prepared for it. They dodged and found safety from the blasts. He signaled to the demon and they both made the same hand signals and lightning erupted from their dominate hand. They charged the man who hurt one of their own and created two identical holes in the rouge ninja's chest.
"Why would you come for someone who abandoned your village?" he coughed out, along with some blood.
Sasuke took off his mask, his eyes showing his heritage,"she never abandoned Team Seven, and I would do anything for a friend like her," with that he took out his long sword and severed the man's head to take home to the other member of his team.
"I though you weren't here to save me," she quipped as Sasuke untied her arms.
"There was a time when you loved me fiercely, and you said things to me that I needed to hear even if I didn't listen. You risked a lot for me and I forgot about it when you left because I felt you no longer loved us. But I realize now you were acting out like I had but not in such a grand fashion. When you went out into the world you worked to heal it unlike me. So, I'm just showing you some of the love you and Naruto once showed me," he smiled, a real smile.
"Sasuke," she beamed, more tears bounding down her cheeks, "take me home?" she asked as he wrapped his strong arms around her wounded frame.
Naruto was waiting in his office for news from his different teams out. The forest cleaning crews had been successful in their mission to purge the forest of the rouge trash. He was going to have to redo security once this mess was over. Nine had stayed by his side. Even when he dismissed everyone, including her, she stayed. She knew it was what she would want if Snake was taken like that.
"Demon reporting," Haruko stated as she popped into the open window, "Team Seven is requested in the hospital," she relaid her other sensei's summons.
Naruto nodded, amusing he was going to identify the body or to see some of the bodies of the rouges. He really didn't care, it was hard to care without her in his world.
Upon entering the private room of the Hokage in the hospital he saw the Fifth looking over Sakura's body. He noted the burn mark she was covering with a bandage, and the carvings in her opposite upper arm.
"I'll give you a moment," Granny said, patting his shoulder as she left the room.
A mask free Sasuke was leaning on the wall next to the open window. He gestured over to a table on the opposite wall, on it was the leader's head of the rebel ninja who took his beloved. Naruto knew he could count on his friend to do what he couldn't. He saved what was left of her and brought her body home.
"Can't have one of Team Seven's members go out on us like that, its not our ninja way," Sasuke commented, watching the Hokage intently.
Naruto unlocked the cage on his emotions, tears pored down his whiskered cheeks. He moved to the side of her bed and took her graceful hand in his.
"Sakura," he choked out, running his free hand over her head.
"He didn't want her body for any secrets, he was going to torture her to death," Sasuke informed him, hawk eyes on the grieving man.
The blond had to think over his friend's words a few times. Grief was making him slow. He touched the now healed scars on her upper arm and the arm was wrapped by Granny before she left. Dead bodies don't need patched together. His hand clumsily went to the bandage and jerked it a little roughly.
"Idiot," a shrill voice snarled as an arm came around to smack him in the back of the head, "who taught you how to handle an injured woman?" she scolded, codling her wounded arm.
It had taken a while for the drugs in her system to wear off. She knew her teammate was having way too much fun at the expense of the idiot who got slapped. Naruto looked dumbfounded, a look she didn't hate on him but she wanted to see a smile on those perfect lips. Slowly, with a lot of effort she pulled herself up into a sitting position. Slender fingers wound their way into lushes blond locks and pulled his face to hers. She kissed an unresponsive man.
Naruto's mind refused what was happening. He saw her die, even in sage mode she had looked dead. He pushed her away slightly and looked at her hard. He closed his eyes and opened them in sage mode again. He looked her over and it was her, alive and well. He was still trying to think it all over and process how she was alive in his arms when she snapped her fingers in front of his face. Frog eyes stared into a forest of green.
"Stop thinking and kiss me you idiot," she ordered.
His stupid grin finally graced his face as he returned to normal and he pulled her in for a deep kiss. She didn't care that parts of her body cried out in protest of the movement, she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm.
Sasuke chuckled to himself and slipped out the window. He had two wives and a house full of kids to go home to and tell them how much he loved them. One wife was going to get locked up in her room and not allowed to leave until the babies were born if he had his way. His thoughts went back to the couple in the hospital. He finally made up for his mistake with them.
"Marry me," Naruto whispered getting down on one knee.
"Naruto," she gasp.
"I don't have a ring on me right now but I promise to get you a good one and be the best husband you could ever hope for. I'll love you more than anything in this world or the next. I'm an idiot who can't live without you so please say yes," he proposed.
She laughed, "when are you going to realize I'm the one who can't live without you? Of course I'll marry you!"
He leaped up on the bed with her and kissed her passionately. Just then the Fifth came back into check on her patient.
"She's not cleared for that kind of stuff yet, Naruto," she scolded.
They both laughed as he moved away from the woman he was going to marry. He was done second guessing, she was his and he was going to keep her. She had never been happier than she was in that moment. The man who was her world wanted to make her a permanent fixture in his. She could feel her heart healing those old burn marks and she hoped his heart was too. She had the rest of their lives to make sure nothing harmed his again.
