One Day at a Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters and make no money from this.

Day Seventeen: In My Mind

Working on Koroku's liver whilst still only clad in her black panties was awkward to say the least for Sakura. She was getting used to being nearly naked all the time, but it didn't make her appreciate it one bit. The asshole had agreed to her proposal, just for a minute creating a burst of pure joy for the kunoichi. They were getting closer to their goal little by little, and soon enough she would have gathered enough information to allow them a quick escape. Just a little more...
It turned out the buyer was your usual power-hungry missing nin. He was even known to their village, having been hunted for the past seven years. He'd even been one of Orochimaru's followers, he was on top of their hit list. If this mission succeeded, a promotion surely awaited her on a silver platter back at home. Hell, she deserved every bit of it if she made it out alive at all, regardless of the results.

Having access to her chakra felt refreshing, comforting, sending a flow of easiness through her. She lived for this, to mold her chakra in whatever shape her mood ditacted. Lethal, healing, as a devastating strength, or as soothing massages, it didn't matter. To feel this tingle on her fingertip when it permeated through her skin and using it as an extension of her own body was elating to the medic. Without it, she might as well be a fish stuck out of water.

In a way, she had wanted to fake her captor's treatment, but she figured it would backfire against her.

If he felt no improvement to his condition, then he would put a stop to this. The guy's organ was even worse than she had predicted. Probably another four months and he would have been dead if he hadn't received medical attention. This fact made the girl feel a tad better, to know that once she left and he resumed his drinking habits thinking he was healed. His death would come soon enough.

"You know you're not getting off the hook so easily, right?" He murmured, a silent threat seeping through his voice. She nodded mechanically. Just like she wasn't done with her mission, he wasn't through with his. They both had ulterior motives than this deal, it only happened because it gave both of them an advantage.

"It's sad. You're an impressive kunoichi." The compliment didn't flatter her, rather irked her. What did it matter to him? Her fingers left the skin of his abdomen then, finally done with the treatment for today. All that she needed now was to figure out when and where exactly the meeting would be.

Toohru's description of the location had been far too vague, and possibly wrong. He'd been too low in their hierarchy to be privy to such an important detail. Knowing if the missing-nin would have a group with him or not would also be a valuable detail, but it wasn't worth risking her life any longer for. Konoha would send out a tremendous force to stop him nonetheless.

"What do you care anyway." She mumbled as she backed away from him, stretching her the stiff joints of her fingers and hands. She gave a soft yelp of surprise when he gripped her wrists and pushed her back on the bed until he was straddling her, hovering over her, an air of disdain adorning his rough features.

"I'm no monster as you seem to believe. I can appreciate beauty and skill when I witness it, too." He explained slowly as one of his hands caressed her cheek. Wincing in disgust and slight fear, she whipped her head to the opposite side to escape his touch.

"Don't be shy... I'm sure you don't turn away from your sensei like that." He growled, though not sounding furious just yet. Nearly tasting jealousy in his words made Sakura want to retch. If this excuse of a man thought she could ever be close to him willingly, he might as well be able to walk on the moon.

"If we hadn't met like this, I might even have courted you. Wouldn't that have been romantic?" At this, the young woman felt the bile rising in the back of her throat. Seriously?

"Fuck you! You're insane!" She screeched, pushing him back easily now that she had her real strenght back. Much to her dismay, the soft click of the chakra-binding cuffs being locked around her wrists reached her ears before she could even move. This guy was definitely jonin level, she hadn't even seen him do it. Trying to kill him was definitely out.

"Is that how you speak to the man who decides whether or not you live?!" He yelled, shoving her into the bed as he returned to his previous position, making Sakura's stomach drop. She ignored her fear thoroughly, pushing it in the deepest part of her mind, where she never reached unless she was having a breakdown. Now was not the time to be weak.

"Do what you want! I'm not about to spill a word to you, you bastard!" She barked, rage dripping from her words and fury burning in her eyes. The sharp sting of a slap resounded on cheek, producing a metallic taste in her mouth as she accidentally bit her tongue.

Koroku was certainly more than angry now. His hits came without pause, unrelenting and repetitive.

No particular spot was aimed, though a majority of his punches landed to sensitive areas. The small sense of confidence and safety she had felt was being shred to tiny pieces. Of course, she should have known better than thinking informing him he had a lethal disease if left untreated wouldn't discourage him. He would just seek another medic out for treatment if she wouldn't provide it. The money he would earn from discovering their secrets would more than cover it.

Her head rolled back as she tried to ignore the intense pain coursing through her body, forcing her thoughts to anything but this room. Sasuke had come back to them. If that wasn't a miracle. Gurgling as blood flooded her throat, she curled up on her side, coughing out the thick liquid so she could breathe again. A visit from their medic would be much needed after this. There wasn't much to do but wait for the moment.

Better thoughts. Kakashi's lips sure had felt nice. She wouldn't mind kissing him again. Maybe she would do that when she was back in the privacy of their locked room. A shrill cry pierced the air when she felt one of her ribs crack, clearly damaging the tissues around it as it was pushed downwards by Koroku's brute force. Damn, that hurt.

How long would he go at it this time? She tried to push the question out of her mind, desperatly searching for comforting moments through her memories. Her mind wandered to a nearly forgotten time where Kakashi had tried to reassure her as a kid, when Sasuke and Naruto had been on the verge of killing each other. He said it would be fine. It would be like old days. He had even been right, although it had taken several years to achieve. She clung to those words, repeating them over and over again in her head as she endured Koroku's rage.

She didn't care how long it had been when he pushed her back in the brick room that she shared with her former sensei. All that she care about in this instant was the deep longing in the pit of her stomach to be close to him, feel his warmth and revel in his comforting presence. Tears welled up in her eyes as the door closed with a loud thud behind her, bringing down the last of her defenses. She dropped to her knees as she choked out a sob, extending her arms to Kakashi as she was uanble to find the strength to walk to him. Her battered body refused to move another inch at this point.

He didn't lose a single second to rush over to her, wrapping her in a strong embrace as he nuzzled her hair affectionately. She heard her name being whispered by his deep, baritone voice that sent shivers down her spine here and then when they were back home. Her head was pressed tightly to his chest, twisting her neck almost painfully, but it didn't affect her as she wept against him, spilling every tear that she had held back in the last thirteen days.

Her hands gripped his shoulders, never intending to let go as she clung to him for all that she was worth. One of his hands tangled into her messy hair while the other caressed her back gingerly as he whispered words that she found incomprehensible at the time. All that mattered was that she was in his arms right now. He was her world, all that kept her together and allowed her to find the will to continue put in enough effort to take in the next breath.

The situation wasn't enough to make her want to die just yet, to think so would be ridiculous. The knowledge of what was to come though, was another subject. Koroku was not only a monster, but insane. What he would do to her would only worsen with time, the kunoichi was well aware of that. Barely two weeks was nothing. He was still going easy on her. His goal was to break her, and it wasn't hard to tell he would stop at nothing to accomplish it.

"Sakura, please... Look at me." She heard Kakashi mutter, finally understanding the words he had probably spoken a few times already. Her head pulled back so she could lift her eyes to meet his, several sobs racking her body as she stared into his dark orbs. The misery was clear on his face.

"I love you, Sakura..." He murmured as he pressed his forehead to hers. He was staring straight into her eyes with a look that had her heart swelling with affection for the man. Acting on impulse alone, she grasped the back of his head and crushed her lips to his in a harsh kiss, pouring all the she felt into it. He responded once his initial shock had worn off, though much more tenderly. She followed his rhythm, pressing her body to him as she drew comfort from his warmth and affections before she felt darkness tugging at her, pulling her into it as a restless sleep claimed her.


Chapter Eighteen: Click Here