Ask No Questions and Hear No Lies

I'm back. I'm updating pretty steadily so that's a good sign. I'm hoping this story doesn't run past the summer vacation because when fall comes I'll start classes again. I'm working full time so writing isn't easily done due to the fact that I tire quickly and usually work too hard.

Anyways, I don't have much else to tell about unless there are questions, which I don't mind answering.

Summary: Sakura is on a simple training mission just outside of Konoha walls, sounds like there's no danger. Unfortunately for her she's now being held captive by a stranger and his sword.

Ask No Questions and Hear No Lies
Chapter 3
By Setryochi

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Standing rigid she was almost resting her head on the stranger's shoulder as she tried to avoid the steel cutting her throat.

"Who... Who are you?"

He chuckled again, his breath was warm against her neck. "I was just toying with you, I'm not going to kill you."

Sakura wasn't about to believe that, "then why are you holding a blade to my neck?"

The blade lowered and she could hear the smirk in his voice, "I told you I was only toying with you."

Inner Sakura was so angry, Throw him! Throw the bastard! Pummel him! But Sakura knew better. She wasn't much of a match for this mysterious person.

As soon as the blade was a safe distance away from her neck she leapt away from him turning to face the shadowed figure. Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out a glow stick. It was the kind that all she had to do was snap it and the liquid would ooze and glow bright green. This was an emergency stick used for flagging someone down. In this case she just wanted to see the face of her almost killer. Raising it she stepped closer for a better look., but she dropped it instantly with a sharp gasp.

"Who are you?" She asked more demandingly.

"Is your memory that dull, Sakura?" He was coming closer to her.

"You're not Sasuke, he'd never come back here!" She backed away. That mad dash to the village seemed like a great idea.

He was so close, but he stopped at the stick and picked it up bringing it to his own face. "Why wouldn't I come back here? It's my home village." His last words were laced with malice.
"S..Sasuke.." Tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn't seen him in years. He was so tall now, and his hair was longer but still sleek. Should she go hug him? Should she still be angry that he almost killed her? She was. She didn't know. What was she supposed to do? She sunk to her knees no longer able to look at him.

"I can see you haven't changed."

She looked up abruptly, "What do you mean I haven't changed?!" She stood, "I have too! I'm a medic-nin now and I'm stronger, AND I have a very feminine and mature body!" In the exact words of inner Sakura. She looked up at his quiet laughter.

Maybe she had changed, the old Sakura would have been more modest. He had also noticed her 'feminine and mature body.' She stood before him in just her pale yukata that now looked green in the make shift light. The sash had come loose and the robe started to open showing her leg with the kunai strapped to it. It gave her a sexy burlesque look. Since her yukata had become loose, the top bunched and started to fall off of her shoulders. She had a slender neck that gave way to a beautiful pallet of cream, and dipped into cleavage. Her tears had stopped and sadness was replaced with anger.

"Are you coming back to Konoha?" She was definitely angry. Her fists balled and clenched.

"No, just visiting." Sasuke was very forward, there was no use dancing around.

"Just visiting?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Actually, I have to leave now. But, if you're a good girl and don't tell anybody about me, I'll come back two nights from now." She could have sworn he was teasing her, even his deep voice could sound playful.

"And if I tell someone?"

"I'll know, and I'll never return."

With that the glow stick was dropped to the ground and he simply vanished. She stepped forward hoping maybe to follow but her feet stopped on their own and she couldn't. "If I tell someone..."


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"Did something happen last night?" Tsunade was standing behind her desk leaning forward over it. She had never known her subordinate to be a slacker.

"No, Tsunade-sama."

"It's not like you to take so long in any training, especially not something so easy. And to not come back with the full list, something must be wrong."
I should tell Tsunade-sama about Sasuke-kun. "I was just tired from the missions yesterday, I fell asleep."

"You fell asleep?" Her brown eyes narrowed and she slammed her fists on the desk.

"I couldn't help it. I was tired so I sat to rest and I fell asleep. I'm sorry Tsunade-sama." She bowed respectfully. I ran into Sasuke-kun, and I want to see him again.

"You will make rounds at the hospital tonight." I know something happened, you never do things like this. She eyed Sakura and wished the girl would just fess up. If she really did fall asleep I'll have to train her harder and raise her stamina, medic-nin NEED stamina.

"Tomorrow I'll expect you here bright and early."

"But Tsunade-sama! I have to work the hospital-"

"You'll have to find a way to deal with it. Next time I send you out for training you had better get the job done." Tsunade sat down and picked up her teacup. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that said, Sakura had nothing left but to leave and prepare for an all nighter.

Sakura swallowed hard and bowed, "Hai, Tsunade-sama." She stood and walked out chewing her lip, I should have told her about Sasuke-kun.


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Sakura's shift at the hospital would be 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. At 8:00 a.m. she would be in Tsunade's office discussing how she would manage to stay awake for the rest of the day.

Sakura checked her watch, it was almost 5:00 p.m. so she could get five hours of sleep, wake up at 10, and leave her apartment at 10:30 p.m. to be to work at the hospital at 11.

Before she could sleep she decided to make some snacks. She didn't want to go hungry all night and she would need energy.

She used left over rice and padded some onto a little plastic wrap, then she took some bonito flakes and soaked them in a few drops of shoyu. Bonito flakes smelled fishy and were light brown and paper thin. When soaked in a couple of drops of shoyu, it became soggy like paper but would pull apart like dry meat. She liked this rice ball filling because it kind of tasted like beef jerky. Placing the filling in the middle she folded the plastic wrap and balled up the rice in her hands. Molding it into a cute triangle she resealed the plastic wrap and pulled out another sheet.

She made one more bonito filled rice ball and started making a filling for two more rice balls. This filling was umeboshi pitted and mashed with some mirin and shoyu, and she added some sesame seeds. Umeboshi were little orange-in-color pickled plums, they were extremely sour, but the mirin is a sweet cooking rice wine that would take off some of the edge. She packed the rice balls away and realized she wouldn't be getting five hours of sleep. But still, a nap was better than nothing.


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"I'm glad you're here! I have to get going right away!" Satsuki, a nurse, walked hurriedly towards Sakura, "Here," she put a clipboard in the pink haired girl's hands. "I've just finished my rounds, start your's in about a half hour." With that Satsuki was out the door.

Sakura blinked, then sighed heavily. This eight hour shift was going to be torture. She could indeed use the extra money though. Hoisting the clipboard up she hugged it to her chest and walked behind the desk to have a seat. Sitting down she flipped through the pages to see who she would be dealing with. Satsuki had left little notes next to the patients just incase anything happened. Sakura had done this plenty and knew what to expect, but Satsuki always wanted to make sure she was covered. So she would write everything down, and make sure everyone knew she was, she called it her "Paper Trail."

Sakura looked around, at this time of night the lights were dimmed in the receptionist area, and the hallways were all dark in non-occupied areas. The halls that were housing patients all had soft lights along the floors to be able to see where they were walking. The hospital was pretty creepy at night and Sakura normally wasn't afraid, of course sometimes the thought of ghosts and monsters did cross her mind and sometimes she would call security to check on something, because she was too afraid to do it herself.

Security didn't mind though. Kuma was head of security at night and he was usually the one to come help. He especially liked to help Sakura, whom he would flirt with every chance he got. She didn't mind at all though. It helped her self-esteem and she had to admit, he was good looking himself.

Kuma was tall, and slender despite his name. He had dark, close to black, blue hair the was chin length, the ends were jagged and spiky. He was a night guard but he was quite tan, he liked to volunteer at the local pool as a life guard. His skills as a ninja were yet to be known to Sakura, she had never been there when trouble was and so she never actually got to see Kuma in action, most of the nursing staff would swoon over him. Another interesting thing about him was his golden eyes, Sakura found them to be kind and sharp. She thought for sure if he ever asked her out she'd say yes. Well, maybe, she was often too busy to think about boys.

Sakura glanced at the clock and decided to start checking patients. The first stop was the psych-ward. She had to make sure none of the patients were walking about, she also had to check restraints and make sure doors and windows were locked and undamaged.

Next there were over night patients and and patients that were expected to be staying for quite a while. Over night patients were just the patients who were recovering from surgery, they would only be staying one night to a week. The other patients were coma victims or patients with no family undergoing treatment and/or rehabilitation therapy.

Sakura paced the hall quietly. She would go into each room and check on the patients individually. Ensuring they were sleeping and comfortable, she would leave for the next room after checking the machines were in working order.

Pacing the hall once again she could hear foot steps, "Hello?" She whispered. There was no answer, just foot steps. "Patients aren't allowed to wander in the halls at night," she called softly. Still, she wasn't getting an answer. Sakura looked around but at both ends of the hall way it was just shadows. She could still hear the foots steps echoing on the taupe colored walls.

"Sakura-chan." Sakura's heart leap with fear for a split second.

Grasping her uniform with her fist just over her heart she heaved, "You scared me, Kuma."

His smile turned to concern, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Is everything OK?"

She nodded, "I'm fine, the patients all seem well."

Kuma's golden eyes scanned her for a moment before he smiled and offered to walk her back to the receptionist desk. He told her that another nurse would be on the clock soon to help out.

"That's a relief, I thought I was the only one here tonight." she smiled at the good news.

The young man walked her to the desk, he was only about 19, maybe 20, Sakura had never asked. He wore a blue uniform with a badge that read "Konoha Hospital Security" around the Konoha symbol that looked similar to a leaf.

As they walked the volunteer lifeguard couldn't help but notice the nurse's uniform. It was a one piece dress, light pink in color that fell mid-thigh and buttoned all the way down the middle. She wore a cute little hat and wondered if the hospital required such dress to tease him. What guy wouldn't imagine Sakura sitting with her legs crossed, chest thrust out with the top three buttons undone and the bottom few undone separating to show so much tantalizing skin?

"I have to go make my rounds and check the blackout areas, but I'll come back to keep you company for a while," Kuma smiled.

"Sure, but don't neglect your duty because of me," she smiled too.

"I'll be back," he waved over his shoulder as he proceeded down a pitch-black hall blocked with stacked waiting room chairs. Sakura watched his flashlight flicker on and disappeared down the hallway.

She sat down and looked at the clock, 12:38 a.m. shown in bright red light. At 1:00 a.m. another nurse would be here to help and then were would be scheduled medicine dispensing. Usually through an I.V. drip.

To pass the time Sakura went through the papers in her clipboard and checked off all that she had done. She made sure to double check just incase she forgot something, which she didn't, but just in case. Then she waited, tonight was going to be long and drawn out. Maybe when Kuma came back they could play a game or something, anything to pass the time. She was going to need it.


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So I'm stopping this chapter here. Sorry, no Sasuke Sakura stuff yet, but in due time. I'm more then positive there will be a lemon. And.... hm... Oh, some word notes.

Shoyu (show-you) = soy sauce.
Umeboshi (oo-may-boe-she) = pickled plums
Bonito = fish flakes (bonito is a type of fish, thus the name.)
Mirin = sweet cooking rice wine

If anyone is interested, I can give recipes for riceballs and I'll probably show more recipes through out the story. I do a lot of cooking myself so most of these are things I will probably have cooked before.

Anyways, I'll update again soon.

Set-chan