Ripples

Chapter 2

                   The Unbreakable

"Get up!" came an irritated, snappish voice from above her.

Sakura's eyes flew open and she struggled to sit up in the thorny tangle her nest of blankets had become.

"What is it?" she asked, scrubbing at her eyes and yawning when she realised there was no immediate threat. "Earthquake and this place is about to cave in? Fire?"

"No," Sasuke said, in the tone of one talking to mentally handicapped child.

"One can hope," Sakura muttered, climbing to her feet.

Sasuke stared at Haru, knowing that he should curb the boy's attitude, yet not really wanting to. In a place where everyone automatically acquiesced to his wishes and practically licked his shoes, it was rather refreshing to have some talk back to him. It reminded him of...

It reminded him of a time he had sworn never to revisit.

"Come with me!" he ordered, striding out the door. "You are to keep two paces behind me at all times."

Sakura bristled even as she darted after him, anger swirling in her stomach. If a man had told her to do that back in Konoha, she would have screamed sexist at him and knocked him on his ass. Except here, she was pretending to be a male, so she went with what Naruto's reaction probably would have been.

"Yes, sir, bastard-sir," she growled.

Sasuke halted so abruptly it was only ninja reflexes that saved Sakura from ploughing into him.

"What did you call me?" He didn't turn around, but the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck prickled all the same.

"Uh...bastard?"

"Don't ever call me that again." His voice was low, but the menace in it was perfectly clear.

"Yes, sir, asshole," Sakura said before she could censor it. It was times like these that made her wonder if she had some kind of subconscious death wish.

"Do not call me that, either!" Sasuke practically snarled.

He turned only when he was sure his expression was controlled and indifferent. Hearing Haru toss out Naruto's favourite nicknames for him had made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

"Okay...so what should I call you?" Haru asked, apparently not perturbed in the slightest that he had irritated someone who possessed complete control of his life.

The more Sasuke saw of his composure, the more certain the Uchiha became that it wasn't a product of ignorance, but confidence. The sort of bone-deep confidence that very few people possessed, and then only with good reason.

Considering Haru was a slave in an underground fortress, Sasuke was rather curious what he was so confident about.

Sakura huffed a little as Sasuke proceeded to ignore her question. Well, what did she expect? She was technically his slave, and a rather free one at that - she doubted she'd be getting away with this kind of behaviour if anyone else was her master, but Sasuke just didn't seem to care.

She kept her silence after that, following him through the maze of hallways until they emerged in some sort of cafeteria. For Sound, it looked almost eerily normal...until she noticed that those eating were dressed in brown shifts and wearing leather collars, and they were guarded by men built like rhinoceroses who wielded thin, wicked-looking whips.