Marionette

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

A/N: I was re-watching Sakura and Chiyo's fight against Sasori the other day, and his character really, honestly hit me hard. After seeing all the flashy moves and stunts, you start paying more detailed attention to the dialogues and Sasori is just…

Sasori shouldn't have died.

So- in honour of him I have used the power of fanbase and imagination to bring him back to life. *kuku* His character is so nicely developed, and after VesperChan's Obelisk series (Go read that) I've grown fond of the twisted murderer. I shouldn't be uploading this...but what the hell, right?

WARNING: This takes place at the very end of the Naruto manga- MORE PRECISELY, the 699 chapter since I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the 700. So, yeah… SPOILERS AHEAD. Also, this is sort of a first for me to write a story about an actual (future) pairing, so be gentle.

Or not.

Chapter 1: Eventful

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Life happens in strange ways.

Honestly- it forces things to be weird, awkward and just plain annoying. It never goes by plan, it can humiliate you in the most outrageous situations, is cruel, honest and unavoidable.

Sakura's gotten used to that pretty quickly- well, she was starting to. She's been a fool most of her life, so actually opening her eyes for once was a miracle by itself. But hey, at least she finally got that deserved wake-up call; most people get it once they finally meet the Big Man upstairs.

So, in a sense, she wasn't going to take what life threw at her for granted anymore. She wasn't going to make an idiot of herself anymore- she was going to keep calm about any situation and lower down her feelings like all shinboi had to. She was going to try and be what everyone wanted her to- silent and out of the way.

It was a promise, an oath, and everything in between. She will serve her village to her last breath, and let go of the personal life she never had. She had lost her pride, but she still held her status as kunoichi. And she'd be damned to lose that too.

But, this evening, without her even knowing it, life was just about to eat that little promise she had uttered loudly on a lonesome Tuesday night and spit it back into her face.

Like always.

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She was strained, exhausted, tired, sore, woozy, dizzy and the walking dead.

Those words all kinda described her life right now.

After actually completing her first mission under the reign of the now 6th Hokage (read: Kakashi-Sensei), Sakura had thought it to be a nice idea to go out and train. Honestly- the mission was basically her walking up to a smaller village some 30 kilometres away carrying a letter which asked the officials if their village needed any supplies. Not only sheer embarrassment, but mundane at best, Sakura knew the moment the officials loudly read the contents of the letter still in her presence that Kakashi-Sensei was still the same vary teacher that thought her to be weak and whiny.

So, with time on her hands, she had treated herself into unoccupied training grounds. Training was tiring by itself, but without doing it with someone else it also tended to be wasted time. Her punches were strong, but if she couldn't hit a moving target it meant absolutely nothing.

But it wasn't like she was going to whine about that. /I've put myself into this situation and now I have to suffer the consequences of it/ Those were the constant thoughts in her mind as she drilled through the hours. She preformed some taijutsu manoeuvres, focused to broaden her chakra supplies and had perfected some basic jutsu she knew, which were little and lacking if you cut out the medical ones.

/I'm not meant for the battlefield specifically anyways/ It was supposed to be a comforting thought, but it just made her feel worse. It wasn't the first time she wished Tsunade was still patient enough to spar with her; but her Shishou was finally enjoying the luxury of free drinking and no paperwork. Besides, after the war began Tsunade had stated herself that she wouldn't train her anymore- most likely because she believed she would die, but the statement still stood.

The only person she might be comfortable enough to ask and spar with was Lee- and she would, if she didn't know he'd proclaimed the news all over Konoha, screaming how his dying love had finally acknowledged him. /Even Sasuke'd be surprised/ That sombre thought had effectively made her stop and end her training for today. And that was a good thing- since if she'd kept it up, she would have had the dirt as a bed tonight.

/How come exhaustion kicks in after the adrenaline wears off?/ She groaned to herself, her footsteps heavy as she clambered her way through the streets. Her chakra reserves were so small, it was lucky she was still moving. Her back was slouching and her arms hanged- but she couldn't care about her posture at all. Even her mind was sore.

/Well, at least the day's ended/ She hummed lightly in the secluded part of her thoughts, and she regretted uttering anything at all. She noticed the wave and yell of "Sakura-chan!" after slouching past them and further down the streets. She saw two blonds, a lazy-ass, a head stuck in a bowl and a faint outline of a duck's butt. That was all she needed to blush in shame, and skirt her way through some crowds as she hid her face in her hands. Not only Team 10, but those two /I'm taking the rooftops next time/.

She reached her apartment complex relatively safely after that, and she let out a sigh of relief as she clambered her way through the many steps. After returning from the war (relatively) unscathed, her parents had finally offered their blessing into getting her own place to stay. The timing was perfect too- this was just one part of her life she wished to stay in a hole of her own… Forever.

"Well, at least today was eventful." She mumbled as she walked up to her door, looking for her keys. She hummed in triumph upon locating the little suckers in a hidden pocket, and the only thing on her mind was that small distance between her and the bed.

The door opened and she took a step inside. She turned her head to regard her apartment quickly and, (The lights were on. She had to have forgotten about them…) only once she had shut the door, her blood ran cold as her fingers grazed the doorknob before falling to her side. Her face was stuck into that little tilt of her smile as she stared ahead with wide eyes growing into dinner plates.

Not to say that her guest wasn't surprised as well- his eyes were wide and his lips were slightly open, the rice-ball in his hand stopped half way to its assumed destination, body frozen. Honestly- off all the people that could have come back to haunt her from the dead, it just had to be the strongest person she had ever killed.

Sakura wasn't sure how long they both stood still, but it wasn't until the rice-ball fell and moved away that she jerked back into the present.

"Gahhhhh!" It was a mixed scream/battle cry which she most often reserved for rats or Naruto, but it seemed to do the trick and snap both of them out of it. She hit her back against the door, before she held up her fist and charged right when that puppet monster was just about to say something. "Wai-!"

Although her intentions were well, her fist was lacking any power and her coordination was worse than that of a blind mouse. Sasori easily stepped out of the way from her clumsy attack, and Sakura lamely swung at thin air. The action made her dizzy and her eyes blurred at all the many objects and colours. But she refused to give in, and she quickly spotted the moving mess of stark red hair. Sasori must have been anticipating her movements, since he had practically tackled her to the ground the very next second.

She couldn't choke in her gasp of pain as her back hit the floor violently. In seconds he had her arms pinned at her sides, and her legs crushed by his own as he towered over her. Sakura was still seeing stars, yet her will was stubborn as she struggled against the hold. It was weak and pathetic- and she gave up after moments, an exasperated exile of air leaving her.

She refused to look at him: she was revolted at the thought of him being the last thing she sees, so she stubbornly closed her eyes. She thought of fields of flowers, and she saw herself as a child, her parents beside her. It was beautiful and at her now-dying-moments she knew that they were the most important in the end. Sure, there were was the village and the rookie 9. But they weren't the ones that never pushed her away. They weren't the ones that offered her comfort and help when she needed it most. Her family did that- the only kind she ever had. She saw Tsunade and Shizune in the distance somewhere, and the complete image made her smile lightly. /I'm glad…/

After a few moments passed, and she was still able to breath and feel, she forced an eye open. Sasori hadn't moved his position, but was staring at her with a rather blunt look. Those half-lidded eyes and thin line of his lips screamed unimpressed in every way, and that irritated her into speaking. "What is this- closer inspection?" She hissed, glaring.

Sasori didn't seem surprised at her sudden bravado; but his lips pulled into his usual frown. "You should only be so lucky to become one of my puppets, little girl." He murmured evenly, and the deep, serious voice convinced Sakura- it was definitely him.

"If you aren't planning to kill me" She met his uninterested golden eyes evenly, her face twisting into a glaring scowl. "Then you might as well get off" She tried to wriggle her hands free to prove her statement, but it was hopeless. /Damn- right when my chakra's down too/ She held her ground, her expression not revealing any of the turmoil beneath /I should have been more careful. Damnit!/

Her words seemed to only serve as a purpose of amusement for the cold monster in front of her. "I'm not the one that tried to attack first, little girl" He pointed out, and Sakura forced the flinch down- she had to remain her composure at all costs. "So, if you promise to remain silent, we might achieve a compromise."

Sakura wished her eyes had the ability to burn holes through his head- there was no compromising with a monster, especially that of the former Akatsuki; any sane person with a shred of sense knew that. But she was defenseless like this, so she glared some more and reluctantly nodded in the end. She gulped out the words, swallowing down the fear and burst of adrenaline seeping through her veins. "Fine."

Sasori seemed to believe her agreement as much as she did. She forced herself to meet his unrelenting and calm gaze, trying to calm down her racing heart. She could read nothing in his eyes- emotionless and blank as they were, and that fact made her just a tiny bit more aware that this was a monster of a shinobi: the epitome of the meaning.

Her heart seemed to stop as he leaned in with narrowed eyes, pressing her hands with more force and Sakura feared he had come to the decision of her death. But then he leaned back and relaxed, successfully getting off of her, but still crouching in front. Sakura sat up on her elbows, and she felt the forming bruises but did her best to ignore it. For now…

They shared a look, before Sakura sprang to her feet and turned, making a mad dash towards the window, screaming atop her lungs. "HEEEEL-Umph!" She didn't make even 2 steps, before Sasori had tackled her, again. This time, they both hit the hard floor with a lot more force.

She had landed on her side, and the world spun before coming back with harsh clarity, and her breath hitched. Sasori was behind her, a hand of his own clamping her mouth shut into place. There was nothing else but that hand constricting her, but Sasori made a clear warning; if she dared to even move an inch he would choke her, crushing her airways and throat. He must have landed painfully on his side too, as he took a few deep intakes. /There goes my last chance for freedom… out the window/ Gone without her, left at the mercy of a heartless criminal.

Sakura felt and recognized the pinch on her throat; she wished she could resist, but it was a clear blow to the nerves and her body. Her visions blurred and her eyelids were heavy- before everything went black, only one thought passed by:

/Well, today sure was eventful/

A/N: I'm gonna regret submitting a new story soon- but what the hell. I mean, it's already 4 chapters in.