Torture

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or any of the characters there in.

A/N” Big big big thanks to Priss Hatake, who helped me over a huge road block, She was able to help me get over the Sakura having to deal with sexual situations again with Kakashi, with her offer of a scenario of Ibiki helping her through it with a question. Said scenario and question is in use and credit goes to the wonderful and helpful Priss. Thank you so much for your help!

Sakura lay awake in bed. Sasuke’s team was on watch currently and she could hear them walking about. She blinked up at the ceiling and turned her head to regard the sleeping Copy-nin beside her.

They had come close again, but she still couldn’t seem to get past the memories of someone else besides Kakashi’s hands grabbing at her. She figured maybe she would bring it up in therapy tomorrow.

Returning her gaze to the eggshell hued paint, that was chipping a little in the corners she noted absent mindedly, ceiling; Sakura decided she should go through some of the meditative exercises that Ibiki had recommended to her the other day when she told him about the bouts insomnia she had been having off and on lately.

Closing her eyes and breathing in deeply through her nose she let her thoughts wander back, exhaling softly through her mouth she allowed the hands of the clock in her mind to spin backwards. To things she had not thought about in months and/or years.

Just before she had left on her mission those short months ago, Kiba had asked for her help with the kennels. She had agreed. They had spent the day working with the older dogs that belonged to the clan, as the evening grew to a close one of the female dogs, who had been pregnant at the time, had gone into labor. Kiba had learned from his sister Hana how to handle such situations, and Sakura was a medic, though not a veterinarian she was still able to help and they had delivered 5 healthy pups.

Kiba had said he would see about training one for her. She had been ecstatic….

Breathing slowly, in through the nose, out through the mouth. The steady rhythm calming her mind and taking her back further and further, she thought about ramen with Naruto, philosophical discussions with Shikamaru, talks of art with Sai.

Memory after memory of the time before she had been taken and scarred mentally and physically, she continued back to thoughts of walking with Kakashi to the memorial stone. The return of Sasuke years prior, along with two of his comrades after finally killing Itachi. He had lost the third member of his team, Hebi. Karin was what he had said her name was… apparently she was even more annoying than Sakura had been as genin…

When Tsunade-sama had questioned his reasons for going to Orochimaru, Sasuke had told her that he had to leave Konoha or he would have been risking those who had come to be family to Itachi again. He had claimed that Itachi would have killed them as well. In hopes of giving him more to hate.

Continuing back even further, she recalled the first time she and Kakashi had spoken as friends and not just teammates. He had been sitting at a table in the back of one of Konoha’s bars with Genma. The senbon chewing nin had called her over. She smirked at him and laughed when he flirted.

She and Genma had gone on a few missions together by that point and had an easy sort of friendship. He would flirt and she would laugh.

But Kakashi had been somewhat surprised by the fact that Genma seemed to know more about her than he had. So they talked about a lot of things, mainly small talk. A few days later, however, found Sakura at the Memorial to visit the names of her Father and uncle on her mother’s side. She had run into Kakashi and they had spoken after both were done with their respective visits.

It had been then that she had learned of how he came to posses the Sharingan and the reasons he valued teamwork so much. He had spoken of his sensei and teammates long since gone and she had spoken of her father and other loved ones whom she had lost as well. After that they had become each others shoulder when one or the other needed someone to just be there…

Opening her eyes slowly she turned and looked at Kakashi again. He was still sleeping, his arm thrown half hazardously over her stomach, his face pushed into the pillow. He was making soft snoring noises and Sakura couldn’t help but smile a little at the portrait he painted laying there oblivious to the world as he slept. She knew however that his senses were alert and should anything happen he would be up in a flash, so oblivious wasn’t really the proper term she guessed.

Glancing over at the clock on the night stand, she noted that it was almost 3 in the morning. She really wanted to just fall asleep. Flopping over on her side she curled up closer to Kakashi and felt his grip tighten for a moment before she felt him raise his head a little. She turned and looked over her shoulder at him and saw that he was blinking sleepily at her,

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up…”

“It’s okay… can’t sleep?”

“No.”

Kakashi raised his hand and rubbed at his eyes for a moment and let his head fall back to the pillow, he pulled her closer and wrapped both of his arms around her while nuzzling her hair lightly,

“you need to get some sleep.”

“I know. Don’t worry about it though. You should go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Hai, just go to sleep Kashi.”

She could feel him nod softly and the warmth of his breath puffing against the hairs at the base of her neck made her shiver slightly. Relaxing back into his arms, she let her mind wander again, she thought about all of her friends and how thankful she was to have them supporting her through this… she truly hoped she wasn’t a burden. She had sworn all those many many years ago to never be a burden again… she couldn’t help but feel as if she had somehow failed in that respect now…

Those were her last thoughts before sleep finally claimed her.

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Sakura woke up around 7 and rolled over to find Kakashi sitting on the edge of the bed watching her.

“Morning.”

“Yes, yes it is. Did you sleep okay after I woke you up Kashi?”

“Hai, I did. You have to be at therapy in about 45 minutes you know.”

“Shit! Kashi why didn’t you wake me up. Just because you’re late doesn’t mean I want to be!”

Sakura jumped out of bed and started pulling fresh clothes out of the closet.

“I just couldn’t bring myself to wake you up… you haven’t been sleeping well lately. I figured you could use it.”

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After Sakura had gotten changed and she and Kakashi had emerged from the bedroom they found that Sasuke’s team had left and Tenzo was standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee.

“I have to get to the hospital, I have therapy.”

“Alright. Lets go then.”

“Actually, just a second,”

Sakura turned and looked at Kakashi,

“Kashi, you should go visit Obito. You haven’t really been able to for awhile now. Tenzo can handle taking me to my appointment, can’t you.”

“Hai, just take someone with you Kakashi-sempai.”

“Alright. I will see you later Sakura. Keep your eyes open.”

“Hai hai. See you later Kashi.”

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After her therapy session, Sakura decided she should go and speak with Ibiki, maybe he could help her out on this one. He had become a great source of comfort over the past few weeks and he seemed to understand partially what she was going through. Seeing as he had lived through a similar experience.

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“I don’t know what to do about this, and it is a little awkward asking you, but I don’t know what to do…”

“Well, let me ask you this, if you were to loose Kakashi to a mission in the next minute would you regret never having been with him? What if you were to die? Would you die with the regret on your mind or would you be accepting of the fact?"

Sakura looked down at the floor beneath the chair she was currently occupying in Ibiki’s office. He was shuffling paper’s about on his desk. When Sakura had broached the subject of sex he had been somewhat startled and couldn’t quite understand why she would come to him. He was glad she trusted him, and had grown to see her somewhat as a sister.

Sakura looked up again,

“I would… I think I would regret that…”

“Then do something about it. Don’t let what that sniveling coward did to you control your life. Don’t allow him to have that kind of sway over you, if you do, he has already won.”

“Thank you… thank you for listening. I really appreciate everything you have done for me…”

“Think nothing of it. Now, I think it is time for you to get back home. Tenzo is waiting outside.”

“Hai… again, thank you.”

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Once she had made it outside with Tenzo, Sakura turned and looked at him,

“Tenzo-sempai, do you think I could spend sometime with Kakashi alone today?”

Tenzo smirked a little and looked at her,

“I think we can arrange something.”

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