Naraku's Phoenix: Donna Sakura is rated 'M' for violence, drugs, sexual themes, and any psychological damage imparted on the characters. This is the only time I'll mention it.

Disclaimer: I do not own or have any affiliation with Naruto or its partners and creators.

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Ch. 1: Our World is Full of Pretty Faces

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Lights flickered inside the dirty, gray room. Blood and sweat lingered in the air and the atmosphere was repugnant only for those who weren't there to adjust to it, gradually. The door to this room was shut and guarded by a silver-haired man who was leaning against the wall beside it. He had a long scar running over the left side of his face, hidden minimally by a silky black eyepatch. When asked for details on how he got the mark, his reply was simply, "Hold my book and I'll show you."

The chaos behind the door was settling down and the voices of three girls could be heard, albeit somewhat muffled.

"Wow, Tenten! Your new knife is amazing! I'm going to make my father put in an order as soon as I get home," said the first girl.

"You always put your hand out for Daddy's money. Why not invest a little, yourself, once in a while?" asked Tenten.

"As if I could afford to dress as well as I do on a reduced budget," replied the first girl. "My allowance is sacred, and I'm not one to pass an opportunity where I can be Daddy's little girl; however, I'm not sure how long I can keep up the innocence gig if you two insist on nicking and bruising me every time we get together. There's only so much makeup I can put on before it stops looking natural."

"Please, Ino," said a third voice, "As if that would stop you. I haven't seen your real face since we were twelve." Rubber soles tapped across the concrete floor followed by a smack and a deep, shallow groan. "And," the third voice continued, "you wouldn't have been cut if this baka stayed still like we told him to." A kick toppled over a wooden chair and the thud of a weighted body fell over with it.

"Sakura!" gasped Tenten, "If you keep treating him like that we may not get to play with him, again!" Tenten followed her outburst with a soft chuckle.

Sakura sighed. "I suppose you're right, but he knows better than to disobey me. Don't you?" There was a shift in her voice.

"Hai, Sakura-sama," a man wheezed, "My deepest apologies - there is no excuse for my behavior." Sakura giggled.

"Lucky for you, I'm feeling generous, today. Clean yourself up and we'll see what we can do about resetting your nose, later."

"Oh, Sakura, you're so bad!" said Ino. They all knew full well that his nose had to be broken, again, to reset it.

"Hai, Sakura-sama. Thank you, Sakura-sama."

"You're welcome, Kabu-chan," cooed Sakura.

When Kabuto tried standing up from his crooked bowing position, Sakura kicked him in the ribs with her heel and he fell over on his back. He groaned.

"Ooh, that was a good one," said Sakura, referring to her kick.

"Eek!" squealed Ino, "Sakura! He's doing it, again!"

The 'it' Ino was referring to was the growing bulge forming in Kabuto's pants. Legs spread and arms sprawled, Kabuto was too weak to try and cover his embarrassment.

"Gross, Kabuto," said Sakura, "That's the second time in a row. Have we finally turned you into a masochist?" Kabuto did not reply and the room was silent as Sakura's footsteps came closer. She put her hands on her hips and looked mischievously down at Kabuto. He spared her a glance and his breathing became erratic. Sakura laughed, "Look at him, girls. I can't tell if he wants to piss or cum," she picked up her right foot and let it hover over his crotch, "Shall we find out?"

Kabuto turned his face to the side and shut his eyes when he saw Sakura raise her knee.

"On second thought," said Sakura, "I'm a little tired." Sakura moved her foot to the side and went to pick up the chair she knocked over.

"Oh, get over yourself," huffed Ino, "I was the one holding him down. If anyone should be tired, it's me! And I'm sore, too."

Tenten walked beside Kabuto and pulled him to his feet. He coughed to clear his throat, and she used his shirt to wipe her knife clean.

"I wouldn't mind a bath," said Tenten, "I'm finally starting to smell ourselves."

Sakura lifted her arm and took a whiff. Her nose crinkled in recoil.

"A bath sounds amazing," said Ino who was currently working on a knot in her shoulder

There was a pause and Sakura walked up to Kabuto who was holding his breath. She cleared her throat. "The girls and I are going for a soak. Have Kakashi tell Tsunade to prepare the extra beds in my room."

"Hai, Sakura-sama."

In the hallway, Kakashi snapped his book closed and stepped aside. Not a second later the old door of the interrogation room scraped the floor as it slid open. Another silver-haired man, younger than Kakashi, stepped out and looked at him through a swollen eye. Kabuto's bloodied face was blotched with fresh bruises and his clothes were rumpled and torn. A bleached handkerchief acted as a barrier between the boy's nose and hand. Kakashi sighed and stood straight to give Kabuto his attention.

"Lady Sakura and her friends will be spending the evening in the family onsen. Please remind Tsunade-san to pull the extra cots from storage." Kabuto paused and winced in pain for his broken nose. "I will take dinner in my room, tonight."

"Kabuto…" whispered Kakashi, bitterly. This was not the first time Kabuto took meals in his room, and in some ways Kakashi pitied the boy. But often, Kakashi was annoyed by him. He'd never seen or heard of Kabuto standing up for himself - the boy lacked dignity.

But then again, the past few times he saw him leave the interrogation room…Kabuto had one hell of a look in his eyes.

Kabuto grit his teeth and dragged his feet past Kakashi, who snapped out of his thoughts, and took the servants' entrance upstairs. Only after Kabuto made his exit did the girls emerge from the room. Sakura delicately slid the door shut and locked it. She tucked a tousled lock of hair behind her ear and gave Kakashi a grin. "Don't worry," she said, "we didn't get anything on the floor."

"Sakura-sama," warned Kakashi, "there may come a day when you regret bullying him." Sakura laughed back in his direction.

"Then I guess I'll deal with it when the time comes, won't I?" She smiled her sweet, devious smile and continued following Ino and Tenten out of the interrogation hallway. Kakashi sighed and fished out his walkie talkie to give Tsunade a buzz.

"Hey, Sakura," said Ino, "maybe we are getting too harsh with him. He's starting to fight back; I mean, you saw it. It may be subtle but he's becoming more aggressive with us. He's good fun and all, but I think we should back off for a bit."

"Well, Ino, if that's the way you feel," said Sakura. "Tenten, what do you think?"

"Well," started TenTen, "Kabuto may not act it, but he's still a man, and I don't like that his testosterone has been taking over. He's bigger than us, now, Sakura, and I'm not just talking about his height. I guess it couldn't hurt to be more careful and not to tip him in the wrong direction."

Sakura rolled her eyes and pouted. "Fine," she said, "we'll give him a vacation, but you know what they say about the cute ones: give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Kabu-kun needs to remember his place." Sakura smiled as they reached the onsen and led the way to the changing room. She turned to Ino and TenTen who smiled back.

"So we're really doing this?" asked Ino. Sakura nodded. "Excellent," said Ino, and her grin turned into a wicked smile. "I like making cuts on a clean face." Ino rotated her shoulder and continued massaging the knot that was there, "But could we give him a sedative, next time?"

The girls entered the changing room to the onsen and wasted no time in stripping down and donning their bath wraps. The sweats and tight workout shirts they were wearing earlier were all chucked into the same hamper since, technically, all of the clothes belonged to Sakura. Tenten pulled three lavender robes from a cabinet beside the mirror and laid them by the door for afterward. Then the three of them rinsed off and practically bolted for the bath when Sakura started a soap fight. Ino jumped right in rather than helping Tenten defend the front, and she waited until Sakura threw herself down in defeat. The girls finally settled down and took a moment of silence to enjoy the beautiful magic that hot water brings.

"So, Sakura," said Ino, "What's the news on your bodyguard? Is he taking advantage of you like the rumors say?"

"Ino! Who told you such a wild thing?"

"Well?"

"Let's just say I get to watch him work out, and sometimes I catch him watching me."

"Sakura, you're so bad!" Tenten giggled. Sakura laughed and bogged down to re-wet her hair. She puffed out the loose water on her lips and leaned back against the wall.

"But this is the first time I'm hearing this kind of rumor," said Sakura, "Where did you hear it, Ino?"

"Let's just say my father tries to make it a point that he's not as lenient as Sakura's father. And he also said that he would rather send me to the convents or hand me to a cop's son than allow me a male bodyguard."

Sakura chuckled. "I was wondering what you two were arguing about, this morning," she said, "He was yelling at you, but he was looking at me. Rest assured, girls, if there were any steamy details to share, you'd get the play-by-play. My relationship with Kakashi is 99 percent professional. The other 1 percent is reserved for eye candy purposes and when I'm alone in my room." Ino threw a sponge that hit Sakura in the face. "Hey!"

"Gross, Sakura!" said Ino, "You're one of my best friends, but it's ok to keep some things to yourself." Sakura laughed and returned Ino's sponge.

"I think less when I'm relaxed, you know that." Sakura whined. She sat up and tried to change the subject. "So how's it going with that guy you met last week?" Ino twitched and punched the water.

"Ooh, the nerve of that lower-class freak! He was completely leading me on - making me think he was some big-shot in the Governor's office. And that's not the worst part!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah! It turns out he hasn't even graduated high school, yet! I dumped him after I found out, and that jerk had the nerve to call me a hooker - in public! Apparently I'm at fault for leading him on, or some bull."

Tenten tilted her head and looked at Ino with confusion. "I'm more concerned with how this boy fooled the infamous intuition of Yamanaka Ino." Ino sighed and rested her back against the edge of the onsen.

"He was really, really good-looking," confessed Ino. She drooped her head in shame and suddenly became interested in the absorbency of her loofa.

"So what are you going to do about him?" asked Sakura.

"Already taken care of," perked up Ino, "Let's just say he'll be getting a visit from one of my cousins, very soon." She chuckled deviously and the other girls asked no more. They knew Ino and her family long enough to know her current plan either involved a physical beating or a missing pet. Luckily for the sad sucker who humiliated her, Ino would opt for the first choice.

The girls continued their bath, and their chatter faded over the next hour until Sakura made the first move to leave. Ino and Tenten followed suit. They donned their robes and borrowed flip-flops from under the sink before skipping out into the hallway. The three of them laughed all the way to Sakura's room where two separate cots were set up adjacent to Sakura's four poster bed.

Somewhere, in another part of the Haruno compound, a gritty 28-year-old man hovered over a wash basin while attempting to doctor his bruises and shallow wounds. Turning to the mirror to check his progress he glared at himself. He tore away his gaze before he could make himself feel any more disgusted than he already did. Kabuto would never say it, but he hated himself. If it were just Ino or Tenten in the room, Kabuto would have lashed out, but he would never do it to Sakura. Being bound to the Haruno family for most of your life tends to teach you not to harm your employers - no matter how much they mistreat you. Be grateful they took you in, and let them be your teachers. Kabuto didn't deny that the Harunos were excellent teachers, but sometimes he wonders if he would have been better off staying on the streets. His days with Sakura usually weren't bad, it was only when she brought in other people to show off for. Kabuto hated himself, but he hated Sakura more.

Kabuto shook his head to snap out of it and went back to dabbing liquid disinfectant on his elbow.

Back in Sakura's room, the girls were breaching territory in a new, very heated debate about what they should wear to tomorrow night's party. Sakura's father, Don Haruno Kizashi, was known for throwing lavish parties throughout the year. He was all about building relationships with other underground families. The Harunos were wealthier than the rest of them, but they also ran less businesses. Don Haruno made it clear that he and his family were entrepreneurs, first, and yakuza, second.

"Is it true, Sakura?" asked Tenten, "Is this going to be the Harunos' grandest party, yet?"

"I don't know about that, but it sounds like it's going to be our largest," replied Sakura, who was grinning uncontrollably, "I overheard my father saying guests as far as Suna are coming!"

"I saw the maids preparing all the extra rooms, too," said Ino, "If we're lucky maybe some handsome strangers from faraway lands will want to spend the night with us." Ino cupped her face with both hands and her eyes glazed over in dreamy postulation.

"For your sake I hope they don't meet me, first, Ino," joked Sakura. Ino stuck out her tongue and pulled the sheets over her torso.

"Good night, girlies. We've got a big day of shopping, tomorrow."

"Do we have to?" whined Tenten, "It's too cold outside, and I'm a summer person! Besides, it's going to be extra crowded with Christmas coming up, and you know how much I hate people!"

"I guess that means we won't see you at the party, then?"

"Oh, Sakura, you know what I meant. Holiday crowds are vicious! And Ino, I know shopping is your life, but sometimes I think it's ok to wear an outfit more than once." Ino smacked Tenten with her pillow.

"That's an exaggeration, and you know it! Besides, this is a special occasion, we need new gear if we want to stand out."

Tenten groaned and Sakura laughed at her friends. "You don't have to go shopping if you don't want to, Tenten, but you can't stay here. My father wants us out of the house while Tsunade oversees the rest of the preparations."

"Like I'm going to let you and Ino have all the fun while I'm at home, alone, picking through my wardrobe. If you two are dressing up, I don't want to be left out," said Tenten, "But I won't be opposed if it's a short trip." Tenten winked and followed Ino's suit for snuggling down, ready to sleep. Sakura fell asleep after her two friends, and the three girls snoozed without a care in the world until Ino's phone alarm jolted them awake.

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Naraku's Phoenix: Hello, dear readers, andHappy New Year! I look forward to entertaining you…again! For those of you who don't know, this is a rewrite of a story I started in 2007. I won't hold you hostage with lengthy A/N, anymore. That's what my new deviantArt account is for. That's right - my new deviantArt account! Check my profile for the link and more information, and make sure you add me to your watch list!

Thank you for reading! Please review.

Now, for my favorite part at the end of each chapter:

Preview for Chapter 2: Stranger in My Bed

She lost her balance and fell backward on the bed, only what she fell back on wasn't pillows. On instinct Sakura just thought it was some of her personal items that she forgot to remove before she left, but when she reached behind to push away whatever obstacles were there she barely got them to budge, let alone move. Cautiously, she glanced over her shoulder and saw a pair of fine leather shoes out of the corner of her eye. And her hand was resting on someone's knee under a pair of slacks. A deep voice from the head of the bed broke her away from any thoughts she might have been having.

"So you're Victoria's secret?" This comment fully snapped Sakura back to her senses. Gazing down at her lingerie and then back up at the man lying on her bed, she screamed to the top of her lungs.