Mine

Lies

Sakura woke up to find Kakashi gone, a note left on her nightstand in his familiar handwriting: "Make sure to rest. I had Ino cover your shift today at the hospital." Her throat was sore from the dry heaving she'd endured during the night, and her body ached all over. The nausea had lessened enough for her to drag herself to the bathroom.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, her bruised body a stark reminder of the previous night. Her cheeks were flushed from the lingering fever, and she could feel Kakashi's emotions—a mix of anger and concern—coursing through her. She gripped the sink as another wave of nausea hit, strong and unrelenting. Taking deep breaths, she focused on her own feelings, grounding herself away from his. He was Hokage, and with that came immense stress. The least she could do was be strong for him, to manage herself.

As she undressed and undid her braid, she caught sight of her naked form in the mirror. Her body looked like it had been through a battle. Teeth marks, darkened to purple, littered her skin, small piercings where his teeth had broken through. A large handprint bruised her neck. She remembered the sensations from the night before, the intense pleasure he'd drawn out of her, and decided that her bruises were a testament to belonging to him. In a way, she found a certain beauty in it.

She took her time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe her aching muscles. With the day off, she was determined to rest. Unfortunately, she would have to wear clothes that covered her marks for a while, to avoid drawing attention to her bonded affairs. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall seeing anyone as battered as herself—but such things were usually kept private. An unspoken understanding existed among everyone—the weeks taken off work during heats and ruts—they all knew what occurred during those times.

After her shower, she dressed and made herself a cup of hot tea, stirring in honey as the steam rose from the cup. Just as she was about to sit down for breakfast, there was a soft knock at her door. With Ino covering her shift, she wondered who else it could be. As she made her way slowly to the door, she had a sudden vision of Sasuke standing outside, a black package in his hands. She saw herself opening the door and letting him in, then the vision abruptly ended, leaving her doubled over, dry heaving. Another knock sounded, followed by Sasuke's voice, soft through the door.

"Sakura, please let me in. We need to talk—it's urgent."

Her hand shook as it hovered above the door handle, debating whether or not to let him in. With a deep breath, still feeling nauseous, she opened the door. Sasuke walked past her quickly, setting the black package on the counter next to her cup of tea. He gestured toward a chair. "Please, sit. You look like hell."

Sakura scoffed, "I'm fine, Sasuke. I could say the same for you. After your little stunt yesterday, how are you not at the hospital? You've got guts showing up here again."

Sasuke clicked his tongue, sighing as he ran a bandaged hand through his hair. "Technically, I am at the hospital."

Sakura shot him a concerned glance, a knot of fear tightening in her chest. "Just get to the point, Sasuke. If this is about my bond, I'm not reconsidering, and I'm definitely not choosing you over Kakashi."

Sasuke's gaze softened with pain, but he remained silent. As Sakura sipped her tea, Sasuke slid the black box across the counter to her. Confused, she frowned. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Sasuke looked annoyed. "I don't know, Sakura. Maybe try opening it first."

Setting her mug down, Sakura lifted the lid off the box. Inside was a large stack of file folders, each stamped with "CLASSIFIED." The tabs were labeled "Hatake Clan." Sakura flipped through them, her confusion deepening. "What is this, Sasuke?"