Language and Content warning. A/N- Some of the flashbacks have already happened in the story. So those are her thoughts. Anyways…Enjoy! –Keoo19
Captive
"Someone's coming." Naruto came to stand beside him as he watched Sakura's retreating back.
"What?"
"There's a full force of ninja on their way. I counted about 30, but more could be coming. They're about 8 kilometers from here." Kakashi ran a hand through his hair.
"Damn it. How did they find out so quickly? We have to get out of here."
"Right. Are you going to tell everyone?"
"Yeah." But not everyone is going to like it. He walked back towards their temporary camp and smashed a foot onto their withering fire.
"Listen up, everyone. We have a force of about 30 ninja coming our way. And they aren't on our side. We're going to have to split up again." Sakura stood as well as everyone else.
"Sasuke, you're going to have to take Nao with your team." Sakura's eyes widened.
"Why can't we all travel in one group? It's more efficient and—"
"And we'll also lead a force of enemy ninja to our village endangering hundreds of lives because we tried to save ourselves."
"Kakashi, we're traveling among elites; some of the best in our generation. We have Shinobi who can see farther than the naked eye, perceive things by just sitting still, and Anbu! The best of the best! Kakashi, I can't be kidding myself when I say we can get to the Leaf safely." She walked over to him. She gripped his forearms and grinned. She was trying so hard to believe the words she was saying. When she saw that his solemn expression was unmoving, her face fell.
"No. No, no, no. Don't do this to me." She started to shake her head in disbelief. When Kakashi continued to look on, she let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes.
"What team am I on, Kakashi." She already knew the answer. She dropped her hands from his arms.
"You're on my team, Sakura." He saw her bite her lip and her hands turned to fists. Then she laughed bitterly.
"I understand, Captain." He tried to lay a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, but when she flinched out of his reach, he walked towards the rest of the group.
"Sasuke, you make sure they all get back safely. Nao, it was a pleasure meeting you."
"And you, Hatake-san." Nao turned to look at Sakura. With a loss of words for what she was feeling, he looked away. Kakashi turned to Sakura to say something, but he watched as her lip started to quiver violently and addressed the others.
"Neji, keep your head up. I know you can increase the range of your Byakugan. Naruto, I believe you can become a better Hokage than Minato-sensei. Keep Sasuke out of trouble. TenTen, if you keep working at it, you'll become jonin." Sakura buried her face in her hands as her shoulders started to shake. The way Kakashi was talking made her believe it more and more. Stupid man. He was supposed to make her think she was going to get out of this. But really, what were their odds? 30 to 2? If he accepted defeat, then it was time for her to give up too.
Kakashi sat on one of the tree stumps and picked up a rock. He unsheathed his Katana and started to sharpen it. Sakura started to cry harder.
Naruto came forward and enveloped her in a hug. A hug that expressed way more than words could tell. A tear fell from his whiskered face and Kakashi closed his eyes. Everyone's heads were downcast. All he could hear were Sakura's silent sobs.
"Haruno, listen to me." He pulled her chin up. "If you die, I'll die. Then I can't become Hokage. Then at some point, we'll all die. Who knows how long it will take for the Kyuubi come out." He smiled despite the tears freely falling down his face. "So you better live, okay? Live for baa-chan, and me, and Ino; she'll kick your ass if you die. Even live for the Teme, we all know he's a bastard, but everyone knows that if you die, he'll become a sick, withdrawn bastard." She choked out a laugh. Sasuke looked away but didn't deny it. Naruto bit his lip to stop from crying harder, but it only proved to make more tears well up in her eyes. A lump formed in her throat and she could hardly breathe. She silently willed Naruto to stop talking, but he wouldn't. "And think about Lee, his cherry blossom will be taken from her youth. Live for him, and Neji. Live to have kids and grow old…and live for me Sakura-chan, because…I-I know you love me, s-so much. I-I love y-you, Sakura-c-chan. S-so please. D-don't die." He took her in another hug. When he released her, he wiped the tears from her face and kissed her forehead. He ran his hands through his hair and in the process wiped his tears. He sighed deeply then turned around. He started walking towards Kakashi's seat on the stump. He leaned forward and whispered.
"If she dies, I'll never forgive you, sensei." Kakashi stared at his weapon as the rest of them prepared to go. Naruto faced the forest and started to speak.
"Haruno! I'll be back for you. Me and the Teme." And Sakura nodded and wiped her eyes. She took that as his silent promise, but knew that it most likely wouldn't come to fruition. She hung her head as she willed the tears to stop when she heard footsteps coming towards her. When she looked up again, it was Nao.
"I will see you again, Sakura." He leaned towards her lips and lingered there. But then he turned her face, and pressed a kiss against her tear-stained cheek. Then she felt his warmth disappear.
With that, she heard the rustling of the leaves and footfall on the branches that told her they were gone. And she might never see them again. She slowly pulled out her katana. She sat on a stump next to Kakashi and did the same as he; got a rock, and started to sharpen her Katana.
After what seemed like hours, she sighed and got up. Kakashi put his katana away and did the same. They stood about an inch away from each other. She looked up and stared intently into his eyes.
"We're going to die, Kakashi."
"That's bull, Sakura," She glared.
"To think that you were the most pessimistic."
"And I thought you were the most optimistic."
"I thought you were gay."
"I thought you were a prude."
"I think you're the biggest bastard I've met."
"I think you're the worst morning person I've met."
"I think you have youngest face I've ever seen."
"I think you have the brightest eyes I've ever seen." She closed her eyes and took a pause. When she opened them, he saw they were sad. She stared at his face while he searched her eyes. She didn't want to die. She wanted to be able to go back to Konoha, and when the war actually came, she wanted to fight. She wanted to fight as Anbu this time. Not as a medic. But as good as that sounds, she was only fooling herself.
"If I'm going to die here today..." He didn't object when her hands reached for his mask and slowly pulled it down. Instead, he cupped her face in one hand, and let the other rest on her waist. She reached for his shoulders and pulled herself up. Their faces were so close he could feel her breath fan across his lips. She felt the butterflies in her stomach threatening to overtake her. He started to move his thumb in small circles underneath her sleeveless shirt. Each movement caused her heart rate to speed up. If his hand wasn't securely on her waist, she was sure her legs would have long since given up on her.
"Sakura," He figured he should tell her something to ease her pain on their coming demise. Tell her a joke about it, so she can laugh and hit him. So they can forget the proximity they're in.
"Your lips are so," She took a sharp intake of breath. "Enticing." He took her mouth in a kiss that expressed more than he would ever dare say. She felt him, more than she ever has before. She melted against his body as his hands took her waist again; held her there. When he bit her lip, she gasped and he took that as his invitation. His tongue collided with hers as he deepened the kiss. She moved her hands from his shoulders to around his neck. When Sasuke kissed her, she felt sparks. But when Kakashi kissed her, she felt fireworks. She wanted to stay just like that. Just for a little while longer. But he pulled back, and she opened her eyes. He turned his head towards the trees in front of them, and she saw his one visible eye was full of…acceptance.
"They're coming." He said as she closed them again in realization.
"How far." She picked up her Katana sent her chakra to it.
"1 kilometer." She could hear them flying from branch to branch.
"I trust you with my life, Kakashi."
"I trust you with my life, Sakura."
"If I die here—"
"No. I'll rip my left arm off before you die."
"Kakashi, I'm being realistic here."
"So am I." He closed his eyes. "You will not die here, Sakura. You hear me? I can't lose anyone else." She heard the pain in his voice.
"They're here, Kakashi." She watched him swipe his mask to his face and pull his hood over his head. She did the same.
"I know." She got into a battle-ready stance as she waited for the ninja to appear from the trees. She wasn't disappointed.
She kept her katana in her hand as the first one flew for Kakashi. That was their first mistake. Before the ninja reached him, his head was being sliced through by Sakura.
He remembered being able to get through his first seven opponents with minimal chakra. But Sakura, after she sliced through the first ninja's head, she got the brunt of it. She had to use her Whisper of a Goddess jutsu many times; he could feel her chakra getting weaker and weaker. And he knew that if she used her combat jutsu, at this point, she would be done for.
When he saw her being kicked to the ground, he stabbed his opponent in the neck and used his body to block the onslaught of shuriken coming towards him. He threw the grass ninja away and sheathed his katana. He used the silent killing technique on the ninja about to strike Sakura. He helped her up as she flickered from his grasp to behind him where a Nin was about to stab him with an arrow. She kicked him in the neck. She saw his eyes widen, and he fell. If he wasn't dead, he wouldn't be moving anytime soon. Not without help.
"Thanks," She nodded in response. She went to fight another nin that came at her. She had to unsheathe her Katana again, and her opponent seemed to be skilled in using the Ninjaken. Every time she tried to strike, he blocked it and landed a strike to her arm. Her vest was getting ripped to shreds, and with each attack she was getting pushed farther and farther away from Kakashi.
"Worried about your friend?" She saw the ninja smirk and she scowled. "Don't worry. I'm sure my girl will end him sooner or later." He took a look back while blocking Sakura's strike.
"Or…maybe sooner." She saw who her opponent was talking about. The Kunoichi Kakashi was currently up against was holding her weapon between her teeth and was now moving her hands through seals Sakura couldn't even try to comprehend. Kakashi tried to back up to give him and his opponent some distance, but it seemed whatever she was doing was stopping his movements.
"Kakashi!" She yelled across the field. The ninja she was up against looked to her with surprised eyes.
"Oh, so under that mask is Kakashi of the Sharingan? And you must be…" He took this time to slash through her mask, cutting her flesh from her right temple to her chin. She didn't feel the pain at first, it was too fast. But as blood dripped down her face, a throbbing sensation replaced the quick numbness. Her mask and hood fell away.
"Sakura. The Godaime's apprentice. It's a pleasure to meet you." She scowled as she was backed up against a tree and he traced her face with his sword. She didn't realize she couldn't move her legs until he smirked. She couldn't perform any jutsu, because when she tried, her fingers refused to make hand seals. She glared at him. How did he do that without me knowing?
"Such a pretty face. No scars too. You're a medic aren't you? That's fortunate." She couldn't heal the scar now; her chakra levels were too low. Realization dawned on her as her stomach dropped. She was going to die. She glanced at Kakashi again and she saw the Kunoichi was walking slowly towards him. Her sword was pointed at his neck. First, she took care of his Anbu mask. When that fell away, she traced his masked neck and cut the parts at his clavicle. Part of his mask ripped and she could see blood on the exposed skin. Purple veins stretched from his wound.
Great. It was poisoned. He was going to die where he stood. Whether it be from the poison, or a slit throat. Whichever comes first. The fact of the matter was he couldn't do a thing about it. She closed her eyes as she determined her resolve. She reached into her back pouch. If he couldn't defend himself, and he had a poison in his system, he was worse off than she was.
"Nothing is going to work, my sweet blossom. Your dead, and so is your partner." Her eyes snapped open as she pulled out a transportation scroll and bit her thumb. When she drew blood, she quickly opened the scroll and wiped her thumb on it in unreadable kanji. She then threw it in his direction. The ninja she was up against was too slow to catch it.
"Kakashi!" She saw his eye move towards the flying object and it widened. He could recognize that kanji anywhere. It was a transportation scroll to the leaf. It dropped to his feet as the Kunoichi stared at it bewildered.
"Sakura, don't!" He yelled. It was too late. Her fingers molded chakra. If she couldn't make any hand seals, that would be enough.
"Kai!" The scroll exploded and enveloped Kakashi in a billow of smoke. When it disappeared, he was gone. And so was her chakra. She panted heavily. She still had a fighting chance right? No. She thought with surprising clarity. The rest of the Ninja were looking where Kakashi used to be. His opponent was now beside hers, and they were both looking at her with furious faces. She smirked.
"Sorry, sweetheart. War is brewing. We don't have time to wait for your sorry ass to finish a job." Sakura said with a smug look plastered on her face. Her facial expression didn't portray what she was feeling though. The woman with the sword pushed her opponent aside and walked too close to Sakura for her liking. She pointed her poison laced sword at Sakura's neck, but luckily she didn't touch it.
"I'll kill her, Daichi. That was supposed to be my bounty! Do you how much he's worth?" Her voice was getting high. It was close to a banshee's shrill now.
"No, Katsumi. Just because she took away your bounty, doesn't mean you get to ruin it for me too." So that was her name. She had to give her props, she was beautiful. Wavy, black hair that cascaded down her back; Sakura would kill for her texture. She unconsciously thought about her vibrant pink hair. Her face wasn't the kind he liked though. It wasn't artificial. She had sharp features, while Sakura's were plump. Her eyes were blue and she had the longest lashes. Her nose was straight and her lips…Kakashi. She thought back to their kiss and felt her stomach drop. She'll never found out why he did it, or what he was thinking. God, that kiss was heaven. She thought while letting out a shaky sigh. Anyways, Katsumi was a Shinobi, so Kakashi would probably have second thoughts about taking her in his bed. She would bring that up if she ever got out of this fix. She laughed bitterly.
"Isn't she wanted dead or alive?" Despite what they were saying, she kept her face hardened. She wouldn't falter; she's Anbu for Pete's sake.
"She's wanted alive. Her partner was wanted dead. It's said he has so many barriers in his mind, not even our best interrogator can get through them." She saw Katsumi sigh.
"Well, let's get this show on the road then." She was caught by surprise when Katsumi took the hilt of her sword and smacked Sakura across the face with it. She felt a throbbing pain, but it did nothing to bring her to an unconscious state.
"At least she can take a punch. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any fun breaking down every single wall she's built. Move, Daichi. I'll rip her to shreds." Katsumi pushed her partner aside. She raised her fist and punched Sakura. When she turned her face from the punch, she did it again, and again, and again. She continued to punch her until she saw colorful circles block her vision and her world start to fade. When her face was puffy and bruised, her lip split and her eye blackened, she understood what she was taught in the academy and what they enforced in Anbu. If it meant getting taken by enemy forces to draw them away from her village, then so be it. She was going to protect her important people. At all costs.
"Damn it!" He hit the ground with a hard thud and found that he couldn't move his legs. He recognized the village gates. Someone must be on guard.
"Izumo! Kotetsu!" It was a while before he heard footsteps approach him.
"Kakashi, what the hell happened? Why are you…purple?" Kakashi looked onto him with angry eyes.
"Get Tsunade-sama here!" When they didn't move, he barked again.
"Now!" Izumo disappeared in a puff of smoke. He felt his breathing slow down as whatever she put in that sword spread to his body. In a few seconds, he returned with Tsunade blazing. When she saw the purple veins stretching across the visible parts of his face her anger was quickly replaced with concern.
"What the hell happened?" He looked on as she held onto him and transported them both to the hospital. When they appeared there he heard some medics gasp.
"They took her, Tsunade-sama." Realization dawned on her as her eyes closed. "But I'm getting her back." His eye hardened
"How do you know they didn't kill her already?" He could hear the pain in her voice.
"She's wanted alive, Tsunade-sama. They're going to break through the barriers in her mind like its nothing." When her eyes opened, he could see they were trying to be emotionless, but sadness was seeping through.
"If we wait too long, it could be too late."
"No, Kakashi." He looked at her with disbelief.
"They could be tearing through her mind right now! It's not only about her, but what about all our secrets, all the information that she's had access to, ever heard or seen, they're going to have it! When they do, it's going to be all over." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke in a low voice.
I said no, Kakashi! I have to worry about the village and my people!"
"Sakura is one of them! She's your apprentice! She's like your daughter, and you're telling me I can't go after her? She transported me here. She could've—should've left me on that battlefield. Yet she chose to die." He felt a lump in his throat form as he lowered his voice. "Once they have that information, the war will really start. Why don't—"
"Kakashi shut your mouth!" At that moment the hospital went quiet and all eyes turned to them. She started to whisper. "You don't know how much it hurts to find out that she's gone. But if they have her, we can't get to her." He saw tears well up in her eyes and he looked away. The guilt trip failed. Another plan started to formulate in his mind. He heard her sigh as she started to yell. Their moods change so fast. Her and a certain pink-haired Kunoichi he knew.
"Get me a room! Get him on a bed! I want him diagnosed immediately!" He heard her bark orders and rolled his eyes. If it was that serious, he would've been dead by now. He stared at the ceiling waiting for his bed to come. When he saw Ino turn the corner, their eyes met. She shrieked and ran out of the hospital. Great. If he could move his legs, he would probably be in his bathroom right now, suturing up his wound. The purplish veins marking his face could probably wait until morning. What's worse is that she's going to go telling everyone. He's basically dead. If not by Naruto, then by the rest of Konoha's 12.
Soon, he was being lifted onto a bed and pushed to what he could only assume was the ER. An IV drip was practically being stabbed into his arm. A light was being flashed into his eye. When a medic reached for his mask, he grabbed her wrist forcefully.
"No."
"But—"
"No."
"Hatake-san you need to be—"
"No."
"Hatake-san if you want to be healed, we need to get rid of that mask!" He stared at her blankly. Her cheeks were flushed. It just wasn't as fun getting people angry as it was with Sakura.
"Then get me Tsunade-sama." The nurse snatched her hand out of his grip and went for the door. He let out a shaky sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He pulled at his scalp. But when that didn't give him the release he needed, when it didn't make him forget the past two hours, he laid a hand across his eyes. Sakura's captured and there's nothing he can do about it if he can't walk. The worse thing is, she's not going to let out any information. She's going to get beaten, and her mind will be searched. She's going to be mentally unstable when they're done with her. He's knows that she'd rather die before leaking anything to them. It doesn't matter if the barriers in her mind weren't yet stable. If her mind is as tough as she is, they're going to settle for just killing her.
He thought back to before the fighting started. Why did I kiss her? He squeezed his temples. He could've done something else. He could've told her a joke, made her feel better. Then they would release each other, and their closeness would be forgotten. But he said that her damned lips were enticing. What the hell is wrong with you, Hatake? He's going to laugh about it when she gets back.
When she gets back. He tried to reassure himself that he was going to get her back. When it left him with a feeling of guilt, he heard the doorknob turn and it was the last person he wanted to see. Or more accurately, the last person who wanted to see him, but instead wanted to see his pink-haired teammate in his place. Hell was going to take place in this hospital room.
Naruto had stalked into the room and snatched him off the bed by his vest. His eyes were red and the whiskers were outlined on his face. He could see Sasuke come in the room after him; Sharingan blazing. He didn't look too happy either. Sasuke eyed him silently as he closed and locked the door. Hell was going to take place in this hospital room.
"I'll never forgive you." He figured that was okay; he'll never forgive himself either. Or Sakura. She saved his sorry ass when she could've saved herself. For thinking that being a martyr was a good thing, that looking death in the eyes was something to look forward to. That being revered as a hero was everything when you have nothing else to do but die. Isn't that what he wanted? Isn't that how he wanted to die? But then, the roles were reversed. And here he was, being looked down upon by his ex-student. He briefly wondered if it was her in this hospital bed, would she be getting bagged on because he was captured? He inwardly sighed.
"So did you 'accidentally' forget to get her when you transported your ass back to Konoha, or did you think she would be fine caught up in enemy hands?" It was Sasuke's crisp voice that boomed across the room now. He walked with his hands in his pockets to stand beside Naruto. He really wished he could stand. With his feet barely on the floor now that Naruto had a hold of him, he was in a pretty tight spot. What could he do if he couldn't move?
"Tell me, Kakashi. Tell me now." He had his kunai too close to one of the veins now marking his face. Kakashi closed his eyes and exhaled a breath.
"It was her choice." Naruto was taken aback by his words. His eyes told him to continue. "I was immobilized and poisoned. She figured that I was better off alive, and that she could get through it alone. Before I knew it, she threw the scroll at me and activated it." His eyes went wide. Sasuke's narrowed. "So now, she's either captured…or dead." Naruto's fist swung back and punched him. He flexed his jaw. It was fractured. He could tell by the pain he felt when he tried to move it. He would continue anyways.
"You can sit here and punch me, Naruto. Take me to hell and back. I'll sit here with you and I'll take it. Kami knows I deserve it. But if you want to go out and search for her, kill the bastards who captured her and bring Sakura home, then we could do that too." Naruto stared at him intently.
"Who do you want?" Kakashi quickly went through plausible scenarios of what could happen, who would be best, and a run through scenario; like she taught him.
"Ino, Tenzou, Shikamaru, and Neji." Naruto nodded. He looked at the clock. It was only 8. "I need them at the gate by midnight. Pack light, but bring all the necessities. Keep it quiet, Naruto. We can all get locked up for treason." He was being placed back on his bed. His hand went back to his eyes as he heard the door click shut. He then thought back to their earlier moments.
-Flashback-
"If I die here—"
"No. I'll rip my left arm off before you die."
"Kakashi, I'm being realistic here."
"So am I. You will not die here, Sakura. You hear me? I can't lose anyone else."
-End Flashback-
It was then that he let himself be consumed by guilt.
'Sakura, please be alive.'
"Get up." She was being pulled by her ponytail. She really didn't like her hair being touched. Subconsciously, her leg lifted and kicked whatever was within her reach. They're going to learn that she doesn't need chakra anymore to make an impact. She hit what she assumed was the outer part of a knee and felt it bend the other way. The wrong way. But when she heard a hiss, that was when she was satisfied.
"Ah!" That was short lived because her head was being yanked so fast and so hard, she got whiplash.
"Get up, leaf bastard." So that's what they called them in Grass Country. But she wouldn't move. She was now seated against a dirty, bloody wall. Most of it was probably hers. Her chains were tied above her head so she couldn't slump too much. They took all her gear. The only thing that identified her as Anbu was her tattoo. They took her gloves, her vest, her Katana, her pouches and her boots. Her mask had long since been broken and her hair was sticking to her body. From what she could see, bruises marked her arms and she felt some on her face. They must've given her some sedative; it looks like they roughed her up a bit while she was asleep.
"Get up!" She was smacked across the face, but she refused to wince. Her face was throbbing now. She felt it on her left cheek. They then pulled her up by her sleeveless shirt and pushed against the wall. When her knees buckled, she figured the ninja gave up because she heard his lopsided footsteps leave her. She heard the heavy door creak open then slam shut. She sighed heavily.
She was barely hanging on. Whatever they gave her, she couldn't mold chakra. She could barely move, and opening her eyes hurt. She remembered the last time she was in this room. He made being captured that much easier.
"Kakashi…" She whispered as she closed her eyes and relived their moments before the battle. She would give anything to kiss him again. Kakashi never does anything he doesn't want to unless he is specifically ordered to do it. She didn't order him to kiss her, right? Then he went and said her lips were enticing. What the hell is that supposed to mean? She dropped her shoulders. 'Anyways, I'm not his type. It wouldn't work.' She tried to reassure herself with the little things. She was a Kunoichi. Kakashi didn't get into relationships. All he wants is sex. The list was endless. She started to bullet all the many reasons why she and Kakashi couldn't be more than friends. There was the age difference, but Ino has sex with men who are forty, so why should that matter? Plus, Kakashi was only thirty-six. She started going through plausible scenarios of what could happen if she and Kakashi got into a relationship and it went bust when the door swung open.
She saw Katsumi and Daichi walk in with another unnamed ninja. He was in a long black cloak, so she figured he was an interrogator. She needed to prolong this as long as possible. It would mean her getting hit, but anything was good as long as they didn't raid her mind. So she tilted her head backwards and laughed.
"So this is who you get to reveal my deepest secrets? Pathetic." She laughed again and narrowed her eyes. "When they said that Kusagakure wasn't as advanced as the five Great Ninja Villages, I guess they weren't lying." He struck her face. When she turned again she started to laugh. It's working.
"Give me someone who can hit like a man, not a little girl. But seriously, is this all you have? I'm pretty sure I can do better in pulling out information, and I wasn't even trained in interrogation. I'm a medic." She snorted as the interrogator looked at her with angry eyes. He lifted his hand and struck her again. She licked her dried, cracked lips and tasted blood.
"That's more like it, little boy. How old are you, fifteen?" His hand shot up again but then Daichi was there and took a hold of it. She continued to rant.
"How 'bout when this whole war thing is over, you take yourself over to the Leaf for some training. I'm sure Ibiki will rough you up real good." His eyes widened at the mention of one of the greatest interrogators the Shinobi world has ever produced.
"Now, now, Sakura. Don't get too cocky. I'm sure Akihiko can rip you a new one." Her expression was one of mock fear. Then she laughed
"Come on, princess. Give me your best shot." Akihiko snatched his hand away from Daichi and went for her chains.
"Are you sure you want to do that, Akihiko?" She looked at him with concerned eyes.
"You don't have any chakra, what are you supposed to do?" She smiled sweetly. Daichi left the room. Smart man. She thought. If Akihiko was really serious about taking off her chains, she was going to make sure he regretted it.
"Oh nothing, sweet prince. Just take the other one off, and we can get the interrogation moving." Stupidly, he did what she said. When the last chain came off, she rubbed her sore wrist and flexed her arms. They've been stuck in the same position for so long; she lost the feeling in them a while ago. But the circulation was slowly coming back, and she could see some of her creamy color return to her now pale skin.
He turned and tried to lead her to what she assumed was an interrogation room. She could only guess, she could barely see. But Akihiko's reign was short lived. He was getting kicked in the back of the head by a pink-haired medic-nin, and if he wasn't dead, he wasn't moving either. She broke for the heavy metal door. It swung open before she got there and there were ninja already armed with…syringes? Before she knew it, one was being stabbed in her arm.
Damn it.
She tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the arm of the couch she was currently sitting on. She felt her eye twitch while she half listened to them rant on about nonsense. To keep from grabbing and ultimately ruining her new couch, she tried to think of what a blissful dream she was having. Sake, there was so much sake. And she won every game she bet on. It was perfect. She crossed her legs. Why they were calling a meeting 11:00 at night was beyond her. She yawned. She remembered them saying something about treason, but she wasn't really paying attention.
"Tsunade, are you listening?" She heard Homura say. She briefly contemplated digging her red fingernails into her scalp. But then again, the elders would take that as her not being able to take the stress. Then they'll hand it over to Naruto, who damn sure isn't ready to take the title yet. She better be dead and gone when they give it to him, too.
"Yes, Homura. I just don't understand. I told him no. Kakashi doesn't disobey orders. He's probably the most loyal Shinobi I know." She stared at him, a feeling of annoyance creeping up on her.
"We told you, Root members informed us of them planning to go after Sakura." Her vein popped and Tsunade blew up.
"Root? Why the hell is Root still active? Danzo is dead, damn it! They should've been disbanded! Why the—"
"Tsunade! Calm down. Koharu keeps in charge or Root. We keep them under wraps, but we still have them following your Shinobi. After that incident in Kusagakure, we've had to keep a close eye on Kakashi and Sakura. What a menace, those two Shinobi. One of our members overheard Naruto, Kakashi, and the Uchiha planning to rescue her." Tsunade's eyes widened.
"The little," She mumbled as she got up and walked out of the room.
"Tsunade, where are you going?"
"To deal with some rats!" She slammed the door behind her. She stomped all the way back to her office and slowly sat down in her chair. She rested her head on the table as she thought about how hard this job's gotten. No matter how much she loves Sakura, sending them out would be too big of a risk. She felt the tears well up and her eyes and closed them tightly. She did enough crying for the night. Anyways, she couldn't just let them go. The elders would call the Daimyo on account of her abusing her powers. He would have her overthrown by morning and they would strip them of their rank, and for Kakashi…he would be executed. She sighed.
"Shizune!" She came bounding in the room with Ton Ton at her heels.
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"Get those Root bastards to close the gates, secure all exits. Nobody gets in or out without a certified mission scroll, or something approved by me." She didn't pick her head up from the desk.
"Ma'am?" She was hesitant about staying when her mentor was clearly in distress, but continued anyways.
"What, Shizune." She growled.
"Why is the Village being put on lockdown?" She picked her head up and set it in her hands.
"We've got a code blue."
"Treason?" She said with disbelief in her voice.
"Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke are trying to go rescue Sakura."
"What?"
"She was captured."
"But was—"
"Shizune, get to it!" She scurried out of the room. Tsunade again laid her head on the desk. She felt the first pang in her heart that told her the tears were inevitable. Her head was still covered in her arms when she heard the door open again. There was a slight hesitation in the footsteps. It must be Shizune. She heard a drawer open and something being put on her desk. When she heard the door click shut, she lifted her head to peer at the unidentified object.
"Oh, Shizune." It was her bottle of sake and a glass. She uncorked the bottle with her hand and poured her cup to the brim. She raised it with a quiver of her lips and tears in her eyes.
"To being Hokage," Her voice broke. "And to how much we sacrifice."
"We've got a problem." Kakashi watched as the people he asked for moved into Naruto's living area. He was passing the time with his book, but when he heard those four words, he froze.
"What do you mean?" Naruto turned behind him and closed the curtains before he leant on his expansive window in front of where Kakashi was sitting. He started to speak again.
"Root. They're everywhere. Every exit, every corner, every block, every district. I didn't even know they still existed after Danzo died. I have a feeling they've tipped off the higher-ups. They've gone code blue." He watched Kakashi's eyes widen.
"I hate those bastards. Are the gates closed?" He stuck his book in his back pouch.
"Yeah. We can't get out. I don't know how we're going to pull this off." He quickly got up from the couch and ran his hands through his hair in thought. At that moment Tenzou sprang up from the floor.
"They're coming." Kakashi's quick thinking took him to Naruto's kitchen. He started to search through his cupboards.
"Naruto," He raised his head in reply. "Where do you keep your wine?"
There were five hasted knocks on the door.
"If their guilty Tsunade, we must take the appropriate action."
"I know that," She growled. The door opened. She was greeted with a puffy-eyed Naruto.
"Baa-chan, Koharu-san, Homura-san. Come in." His voice was solemn. He held the door open and moved to the side to allow them in. Tsunade peered around him and cautiously walked in. All she could here in the house was the 'click' of her heels on his wooden floor. When her eyes turned to his main living area, what she saw made her eyes widen.
"Kakashi?" Her voice was different than her usual loud and ordering one. Who would want to raise their voice when all of them are clearly mourning? She saw Kakashi with his head tipped back on the couch, swigging from the wine bottle every few seconds. There were bags underneath his eye and she could see some of the purple veins still marking his face. When she called his name, he slowly turned to face her. Without an answer he turned back to his bottle.
She saw Sasuke with his head in his hands. Even the littlest emotion from him is rare, so to see him like that pained her heart. She watched Naruto walk to his table to pour himself a glass of wine. He sat down in an armchair and was about to bring the glass to his lips when he started to speak.
"Is there anything you need, baa-chan?" He took a sip. She turned sharply and looked back at the elders. Homura started to speak.
"We wanted to inform you that the village is being put on lockdown for a month." Naruto flinched. He brought the cup to his lips again. Tsunade snarled.
"For what?"
"To make sure any plans for acts of treason are diminished." He sent a pointed look at Kakashi. He took another swig.
"This is outrageous! You can't—"
"That's final, Tsunade-hime." And they walked out of the door. She took control of her rage and sighed.
She looked to Kakashi and tried to offer him a consoling look. Then she walked out of the door and softly slammed it behind her.
Kakashi staggered as he stood up with the wine sloshing around in the bottle he was holding.
"Well, I think that's enough for me." He took one last swig then set it down on the table. He started to walk towards the door when someone started to speak.
"Wait." When he told them that they should mourn, he meant fake it. He didn't mean for everyone to actually feel bad. Especially him. He's the only one who got drunk. The only people left were he, Sasuke, and Naruto. Everyone else felt that mourning would be too personal. That was what they weren't with Sakura. He stopped near the doorway but didn't face him.
"You said Sakura is probably the most powerful Shinobi you know. I want to know what happened in Anbu that changed your opinion of her." Naruto's voice was pleading. He turned and walked back towards the couch to take a seat. Before he spoke, he took another swig of wine and set it down with a hard thud. He leant back on the couch and propped his hands behind his head.
"She was the second person to kill me." Sasuke looked up and his eyes widened. Naruto looked dumbfounded.
"Why—" Naruto started. Kakashi waved his hand to dismiss him. He didn't see the matter as serious. He was still living wasn't he?
"She was, uh, nagging me, if that's what you want to call it, all morning. When we had to go train, I had enough. So she killed me. She brought me back of course. But it wasn't the best day of my life so far." He thought back to that fateful morning at the Anbu base camps.
-Flashback-
"I'm telling you, it's not healthy!"
"Sakura, it's my damn body. I do with it whatever the hell I want."
"Or don't do, because you certainly don't eat breakfast."He rubbed his face tiredly. He contemplated shutting his book, but if she wasn't getting the memo with the book, then what's the point?
"To hell with it." He didn't mean to say that aloud. But that's what he's been feeling. She's been going on about nothing all morning. He's tired of it.
"Forget it. Let's just go train." She got up and walked from the table. He pressed his fingers to his temples. The coming headache was too great. He put his book back in his pouch and walked after her. When he came to the open field and saw she was already done with her stretches, he took a deep sigh.
"We're going to be doing taijutsu training."
"Why not ninjutsu? Isn't that what I need improvement in?"
"Yes, but you need improvement in taijutsu also. So we don't have to start from scratch, we're just going to do the basics." Her eyes narrowed. "Punch me." He said.
She ran for him and swung her fist, but he just dodged it. That and the three other punches she threw. He saw she was getting frustrated.
"I said punch me, Sakura. You're holding back." Yes, she was holding back. He wasn't the enemy, he was a comrade.
"But what if I hurt you?" She stopped swinging at him.
"Anbu is different. In Anbu, you fight with the intention to kill. If they die, well, they shouldn't have made it past the preliminaries." She summoned chakra to her hands and tried to punch him again. He caught her fist.
"Sakura, find my blind spot." She started swinging again, but with no real intention of hitting him.
"You don't have one!" She was throwing her fists to throw them, without a counterattack ready if he used that against her. Another headache was pounding in his left temple. She was still afraid of hurting him.
"I said if you're in Anbu, you fight to kill. Punch me, Sakura," His voice had an edge to it. Maybe it was their bad morning that made him testy, but if she couldn't land a hit on him, what was she doing here? Back in the preliminaries, she was on defense. But now that she's on offense, she isn't producing any results.
"I can't!" She was just swinging blindly now. He felt his patience grow thinner. He decided to put her on defense. When she threw her fist at him this time, he grabbed her and swung her over his back.
"I said punch me damn it!" Her eyes narrowed.
"And I said I can't!" And the little patience he had left withered away.
"Stop acting like a fucking, wet behind the ears genin! Get your ass up, and punch me like you mean it!" He didn't mean to say it. He didn't mean to say anything. His common sense wasn't really with him at the moment…
"What the hell did you just say?"She quickly got up and her eyes were glowering. But he didn't seem to notice.
"Stop acting like a no good Kunoichi and fight me! Come on!"
-End Flashback-
"Well?" Naruto asked.
"Well what?" He replied.
"How did she kill you?" Kakashi sat and thought for a second before standing. He took off his vest and pulled his shirt up. Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruto was dumbstruck...again.
There were the faintest imprints of various small craters that littered his chest. But they could see it.
"She broke four ribs, collapsed my lung, fractured my eye socket, broke my jaw, my leg, and actually ruptured my heart." He said with chuckle. Naruto look as if he were about to talk, what with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. But no one could really tell.
"Why?" He practically whispered.
"I called her out on her skills." He took another swig.
"Well no wonder you got your ass killed." Kakashi glared. He set the bottle down again.
"Anyways. Since this party is postponed, and I'm going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow morning, I'll see you later." He got up and walked to the door to slip on his sandals. When he was done, he paused.
"Don't worry, Naruto. We'll get her." And with that, he walked out of the door.
"Uh!" She was pulled up by her hair again. She was sure she felt some of it fall out. There was already a pile of it somewhere nearby.
"Time for your extraction, pinkie." She hated that name. They put chakra resisting chains on her wrists then unlinked the ones connected to the wall. She was being pulled towards the interrogation room. She didn't have the strength to fight. She couldn't. Not anymore. It's been at least three weeks since she's been captured, and two days since she killed the last interrogator. She remembers going through at least four. Why they took so long to chain her hands was beyond her.
She was soon being sat down in a wooden chair. With her wrists chained behind her back, she couldn't do much. She laid her head down on the metal table.
She glanced up at the interrogator. He had his fingers interlaced on the table with a smug look plastered on his face. She rolled her eyes. Another one who thought they could control her. I guess I'll have to kill this one, too. She thought.
"I really hope you're not as dumb as Akihiko. Or cocky like Takeshi. I can't really remember the other two. I killed them before I heard their names." She turned her head and gave him a pointed look. He didn't flinch.
"Oh I'm not your interrogator. I'm just the warden. Your interrogator is—"
"Right here, so get out Hayate." The man named Hayate got up and bowed to the interrogator. She saw him pull out a kunai and she shrunk back as far as she could. He was going to kill her and then extract her secrets. He wasn't like the others.
She heard four sharp thuds and flinched. She waited a while before looking up and saw all of the cameras had a kunai sliced through them.
"I said get out, Hayate!" She saw him scurry through the heavy metal door. Her interrogator made a few hand seals and then whispered 'Sound Barrier'. She panicked.
'Oh Kami. He's going to kill me. It's going to be off the record.' She knew her death was coming, but she really didn't feel it. And now, she felt her heart rate speed up as her breaths came quicker and deeper. She started to wrestle with her chains, but it was useless. She couldn't get out of them.
"What the—"
"I'll…kill…you…" He watched as she started convulsing violently while he came around the table. He tried to grab her arm but she shied away from him and fell out of the chair.
"Sakura, calm down." She felt tears prickle at her eyelids. The voice sounded too much like Kakashi's. But here, she was going to die. And his voice, she would never hear again.
"Hey, stop." He tried to pick her up but when her head collided with his he took a sharp intake of breath.
"Listen, I'm not going to kill you!" He watched slowly as her convulsions slowed. At this rate he thought she was going to pass out. He could only stay in here for so long without them noticing something.
"Wh-what?" He bent down to pick her up to set her back in the chair. Her breathing started to slow and so did her heart rate. When she felt she was okay she glared at him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He smiled. Her face softened for a second while she stared at his lips. Then it hardened again.
"Do you hyperventilate often? Because it seems you recover pretty fast."
"Who the hell are you?" She spat.
"My name is Watanabe Ren. I'm a spy from Sand." That explains his almost olive skin color. But why does Sand have all these spies in Grass?
"Why does Sunagakure have all these spies in Grass?"
"We're, uh, planning something big. Don't worry about it." He gave her a boyish smile. And she melted. "The only reason why I knew it was you was, uh, your pink hair." She looked up to the bangs that fell over her eyes and sighed. It used to be a cherry blossom pink. And now it was more of tea rose. And she was probably balding. Well, she wasn't in the best condition either. She's gotten two bottles of water once every five days. She hasn't been cared for and felt grimy. Her bruises still pretty much littered her body. And her green toenail polish all but peeled off. She really couldn't see her fingers so she had a feeling they would be worse. She knows she stinks. And what he just said was pretty much the truth. She sighed as he pulled out a book.
"This is you, right?" It was grass's bingo book. They must've had cameras in her and Kakashi's holding room, because she was pretty sure that was the look on her face when the first ninja came in.
"Yeah." He got up and opened the door.
"Come on. Let's get you washed up."
"No."
"I have to clean you up."
"If that's some cheap excuse to see my goodies then the jig's up." He smiled and walked behind her. She thought about kicking him in the jewels, but when she felt him unlock the chains, her foot relaxed.
"You caught me. But I'm going to have to stay in here." She bit her lip in thought.
"Fair enough. But face the wall." When he turned around, she started to undress herself. When she tried to pull off her Anbu shirt, she found it was stuck to her skin. It was so clammy, that if she forcefully pulled it off, the top layer of her skin would come off with it.
"Damn it."
"What happened?" He started to turn back around.
"Stop! Stay where you are." She started to pull off her pants and kicked them aside. "I need you to lend me some chakra." She heard him snort.
"So you can kill me and get away?" She laughed.
"No. I need to heal myself, and I don't have any." He was quiet so she walked up behind him.
"And I'm supposed to do that…how?" She placed her hands on his back. When she examined her fingernails, she found that they were surprisingly perfect. Just…grubby.
"Okay. To dispel a genjutsu, you channel your chakra in one spot and release it in one big burst. That's what I need you to do for me. As much as I disagree with this, mainly because I don't know you, you're going to have to put your hands on my chest." She saw him tense up.
"Hey, I don't want to do this either. As much as I like to have company with women, I still respect them. And I'm a little averse to being touchy feely with someone I don't know."
"Oh please. Tell me you don't pick up women every night and I'll get off your back." He paused.
"And how do you figure this?"
"You're a little like a person I know. Listen, I can't get this shirt off because it's stuck to my skin. If I forcefully peel it off, then my skin's going to go with it. I need to heal myself afterwards so my torso doesn't turn into one big, mass of flesh. If you're really here to help me, then lend me some of your chakra." He sighed as he turned around. She watched as he rolled his tongue around in his mouth before placing his hands on her chest. He closed his eyes and she felt chakra flow into her body. When she felt it was enough, she nodded and went back towards the shower.
"You can turn back around, Ren." He faced the wall again. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to have to do it fast. It was like a bandage. She grasped the undersides of her shirt and counted to three before pulling it sharply up towards her breasts. She winced. When she saw it, she threw up in her mouth a little. She quickly put her hands to her stomach and started to heal. It was going to take up all of her chakra to get her skin back so she couldn't heal her other injuries.
She watched as her flesh started to slowly regenerate itself. She closed her eyes and hummed as the familiar sensation of healing filled her body with warmth. It's been so long since she's gotten to use chakra that she almost forgot how good it felt to heal. When she opened her eyes, the pink flesh was gone, and she could probably say the same for her back. Her shirt on the other hand, it was pretty disgusting. She was probably just going to have to rinse it since he couldn't get her a new one. That would be seen as favor, he would be killed and she would be too. She was about to turn on the water to the shower to start to rinse her shirt when she heard him speak.
"You know, Sakura. You have a really nice pair on you." Her eyes widened and her lip started to quiver as she pressed her forehead against the transparent door of the shower. She thought back to the similar conversation she had with someone he reminded her a bit too much of...
-Flashback-
"I wanted to say something to you about what happened this morning."
"It's ok—"
"You have really nice tits, Sakura." He smirked.
"You Baka!" She smacked his arm playfully.
"You thought I was going to apologize? My actions were clearly justified by the way you were acting yesterday, and the day before, and the—Why don't we just say you've been bothering me since the mission started?" He folded his arms across his chest.
"Well then, your nipples are pretty nice too,"
-End Flashback-
"Well then, your nipples are pretty nice too." She whispered as her shirt lay forgotten and she stepped inside the shower.
The first three months felt almost…wrong. She was waiting on a death that didn't yet come. She had a person there who now made it bearable. A person who couldn't help get her out, they would have him executed, but stayed with her. He gave her food, and he sneaked her to the shower, and he gave her comfort. The kind of comfort that you didn't find in regular friends.
But she knew she was only fooling herself.
His dark hair and olive skin that told her he was from Wind country. His dark grey eyes and the sharp nose, the boyish smile; it was too much.
"Hey…Sakura." He gave her a soft kiss on the lips. When he went in for another, she turned her head. She would move, but she was chained up on the wall again. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"Sakura?" He turned her face back towards his. She kept her eyes closed.
"Ren, why am I fooling myself?" She felt him crouch in front of her. His hands went to her waist and started to rub small circles there.
-Flashback-
"If I am going to die here today..." He didn't object when her hands reached for his mask and slowly pulled it down. Instead, he cupped her face in one hand, and let the other rest on her waist. She reached for his shoulders and pulled herself up. Their faces were so close he could feel her breath fan across his lips. She felt the butterflies in her stomach threatening to overtake her. He started to move his thumb in small circles underneath her sleeveless shirt. Each movement caused her heart rate to speed up.
"Sakura,"
"Your lips are so," She took a sharp intake of breath. "Enticing."
-End Flashback-
"What are you talking about?"
"Why are we doing this?"
"What?" He pulled back.
"First it was Nao, and now you, and I can't do this. You know I'm going to die."
"Wait, what? You and…Nao?" A look of disbelief was on his face.
"What's wrong with Nao?"
"I haven't seen him in years, I—"
"That's not the point! I'm going to die! And you're kissing me like I'm not, but the point is, I'm a prisoner here. They're going to extract my information until my mind is scrambled eggs. Look at my face Ren. I'm bruised, and I can barely heal myself from time to time. My hair is falling out, I'm beaten 6-7 times a day, and you're basically risking your life by feeding them false information. Soon, they're going to find out that you're in here, screwing with me, and when that day comes, you're going to die, and I'm going to die." She felt her face sting each time a fresh tear came down.
He kisses her because of what she's supposed to look like. He doesn't know her outside of this room. He's using her. But it's alright. Because she's doing it for the same reasons. His deep voice that just bleeds testosterone, his dark grey eyes, the boyish smile. They remind her too much of him. So she pretends. She pretends she actually has something more with Kakashi, that they have something more than friendship. She pretends that Ren is him and she hates herself for it. She knows it's wrong. She and Kakashi will never be a thing. They couldn't work and he doesn't want her. And that's why her heart breaks every time he kisses her. Every time he asks to make love to her in a corner and she declines with a smile. Every time he calls her name or touches her. Every time he smiles or laughs; it's one and the same.
"What do you want, Sakura." She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes to stare into his dark ones.
"I want to be alone right now. Please." He looked reluctant to leave, but he did. She closed her eyes as she heard his boots softly walk out of the room. When she heard the heavy metal door shut, she knew it was over.
So this time when they came to beat her, to break her down, she cried. She cried horrible, horrible tears. To them, those tears meant that they were finally getting to her. To her, they meant she was getting that much closer to the border of insanity.
"Code blue was lifted today, Kakashi." He shot up in his bed and stared at Naruto.
"Then we leave tomorrow." His face hardened.
It's time.