Heart-Shaped Box

Kakashi strode away from the Madam knowing that he had made someone's shit list but was too angry to care. He and Sakura had no choice but to finish the mission as quickly as possible for her own safety.

 

He looked for some place where he could be alone to perform his jutsu before going to find Sakura. It took him a while to find a spot not that he was exactly rushing. If he didn't run into a 'guest' he ran into one of the girls. The whole situation only served to fuel his irritation. Still, he found a deserted area where he performed the jutsu and then sought to find Sakura.

 

A single door was left open on the hallway where he had been with her before. He immediately moved to it and peered inside to see if Sakura was inside.

 

She was.

 

The second he walked in through the door her head raised and she stared at him. He saw a single tear slip down her cheek. The amount of pain and anxiety in those eyes struck a chord within him. Was she alright? What exactly happened to her while he had been gone? Kakashi quickly closed the door not wanting anyone to see her cry...although he knew that simply closing a door wouldn't be enough. It was the first time he had ever seen her cry and truthfully it made him really uncomfortable. He didn't know how to handle a female's tears. His mother had never been the type to cry in front of other people—if she cried at all. He had never been certain. And Rin...

 

Kakashi shook his head. He didn't like thinking about Rin.

 

“Sakura,” He started waiting until he had her attention. “Why are you crying?”

 

“I-I thought you had left me here.”

 

Kakashi walked toward Sakura and lightly slapped her cheek startling Sakura into stop crying. It wasn't a hit hard enough to do anything but startle but it was enough to spark ire.

 

“Idiot.” He murmured before seeing a flash of anger on her face that disappeared quickly. He almost chuckled knowing that was anger that she normally only showed to Naruto.

 

Okay, she did occasionally show it to him when he was late but that was besides the point.

 

He quickly pulled Sakura into his arms and leaned his lips down to her ear whispering, “Are we still being watched?” Sakura raised two hands and put them on her chest giving him an affirmative answer.

 

“Are you okay?” He whispered, “I didn't hurt you too badly last time, did I?” She didn't remove her hands from his chest and a knot in his chest unfurled slightly. One of the things that he had been worried about is that he had treated her too roughly. He had certainly thought that for a girl's first time that he had over done it.

 

It was right about then that his justu decided to remind him that he had things to do. He sighed softly before pulling away from Sakura.

 

“Are you ready?” He murmured. Sakura wiped away a few remaining tears and said,

 

“You won't leave again...like you did last time?”

 

Kakashi was at a loss for words. She wanted him to stay? Why would she want something like that?

 

:::

 

Sakura was frustrated. She didn't want to tell Kakashi everything that happened while he was gone. A part of her felt that he didn't need to know that right that second she was more hungry than apprehensive about sharing a bed with him. She didn't know how to tell him that his touch was preferable to have men stare at her hungrily waiting for the opportunity to do what he had already done. She just couldn't find a way to say that she had been...sampled.

 

He had no idea how sick she was of being paraded in front of different men. She felt like bait on a hook waiting for someone to take a bite. She had been so scared that he wouldn't come back. It had only been a few days since the Madam had started her on her malicious path but to Sakura it felt like years.

 

If she was honest with herself she would say that she was scared of the woman. She was not in a place where she could just kill the woman outright—besides other people (whether they knew it or not) were depending on her—so it wasn't an option. However, that didn't leave her with many ways to neutralize the woman's threat to her well being. In fact, it only left one and he was standing right in front of her.

 

When she asked her sensei the question she could tell that he was confused by it. So she simply shook her head and moved closer to him. The Madam had, in fact, ensured that no one physically touched her. However the Madam had suddenly become aware that her wording left room for her to maneuver. When she promised that no man would touch an owner's chosen girl that didn't mean she hadn't been forced to touch others. Her 'training' consisted of many things. Most she didn't find pleasant at all. Sakura was almost certain that the Madam watched her perform every lewd act. For some reason she derived some sick pleasure out of Sakura's misfortune.

 

Sakura stopped that thought process. She didn't want those memories even if they had brought much needed information to her. They would serve her little purpose at the moment. The things she had done she didn't want to do again but if she had to she'd do them to her sensei and no one else and she would do whatever it took to ensure that he came back again and again and again.

 

Sakura closed the remaining distance between them.

 

 

:::

Something about the look on Sakura's face made him uneasy. It wasn't an expression that he could honestly say he had seen on her face before. He didn't know what to make of it. When she stepped forward of her own accord Kakashi found himself hard pressed not to take a step backwards.