Five Months Is All It Takes

She had been his hostage for 3 months now. The experience had not been pleasant – she had been tortured, manhandled and abused almost every day. Not always by him, but his teammates certainly made up for his absence. They did not lack in creativity where it concerned torture.

Her body was beaten and broken, and each time they had gone too far – broken too many bones – she would have a couple of days to recopurate and forced to heal herself with what little chakra they allowed through the seals.

She hadn't broken, and she wouldn't. Never would she turn her best friend into these beasts. Uchiha Itachi had told her it was simply a matter of time before she broke. Sakura had spit at him and told him he should just kill her.

There was one time she had managed to escape, before the chakra seals had been put on her forearms and calfs. He used the sharingan on her then, and that was the first and last time.

She had nearly killed him. Almost shattered his mind.

Her inner had been dormant for the last couple of years now. The last time she had heard her was when she was seventeen and Sasuke had returned to Konoha, but she came back with a vengance and shoved Itachi out of her fragile mind.

After the incident their sessions had taken a turn. No longer did he inflict pain upon her already damaged body, instead he had just sat there – looking. Staring. It had been like that a week before he had tried to start a conversation with her. She had snarled at him and told him to get on with it.

It wasn't until a couple of weeks later before she started answering, following up with questions of her own. She never revealed anything confedential, or anything about her friends. Their conversations usually teased her brain, they made her think.

It was thrilling.

After so many months without any real company, without anyone to talk to. She was certain she would have gone mad. The torture had stopped, and with the new development she wasn't sure if she was relieved or not.

She knew their abuse, had gotten used to it. But this... she wasn't used to this treatment from her enemy. Had they given up?

Then why was she still there? Why was she alive?

"...I disagree," Itachi murmured and slanted his eyes over her. Recalling their most recent discussion on shinobi villages. About where loyalties should lay, and what their kage should expect from their subordinates. He had flat out told her shinobi were tools to be used at the discretion of their kage.

"Open your eyes! There are more to a shinobi village than that," she heatedly replied. Obviously thinking of her mentor, Naruto and her comrades. "Tsunade cares about what happens to us. She doesn't send us on unnecessary missions – suicide missions."

"Is that why you are still here?" His voice was like velvet as it reached her ears, and she fought the shiver that forced it's way down her back. Never in her 21 years had she tought she would end up in a situation like this. Talking, having a conversation, with the infamous S-class missing nin Uchiha Itachi.

"They probably thinks I'm dead." Her eyes were downcast as she said it, because she knew no one was coming for her. She was ANBU after all, she was supposed to kill herself before capture. The Uchiha had known what she was trying to do when she knew she would lose the match, and had somehow stopped the jutsu. "You should know that. It's expected."

"Naruto-kun will stop looking for you?" She snorted and shook her head. If Naruto was she would be long dead, and the Akatsuki would have tried to capture him by now. After all, that's why she was there. They were trying to find out the location of her friend. If he had known he would be upon them in an instant, wanting to save his precious people.

"He probably doesn't know I'm missing, presumed dead." Itachi raised a brow at that. "Tsunade is not stupid, Itachi! He would hunt you down to find me, and probably get himself captured in the process. Why in the world would she let him do that?"

"Because you are... precious," he started and gave her a look that made her heart skip a beat, "to her. You are an exceptional shinobi... and her apprentice."

Her eyes met his, and she allowed herself a smile because of the hidden compliment. Shinobi, not kunoichi. She almost considered thanking him, but quickly shook the thought out of her mind. When had her emotions become so conflicted? She no longer saw him as an enemy, but as a man. Dare she say a friend.

"Naruto is more important than I'll ever be, Itachi."

Itachi gave a slight nod, acknowledging what she said, but neither agreeing or disagreeing. What she wouldn't do to have a look inside his mind right now.

"Sakura," The way he said her name sent another shiver down her back, and she wasn't certain how she felt about it anymore. "Get some rest. I will be back tonight."

And that he was.

His dark, lean form was draped in a black cloak – without the eyecatching red clouds. He draped a similar one over her shoulders before he went to work on her shackles and seals, removing them completely.

"Come."

She didn't hesitate following him out the door, not even thinking about striking him down the second she felt chakra flowing through her again. What had changed?

They ran hard and fast until they were nearing the borders of fire country, both running low on chakra, before he stopped. They had been running for days now and she couldn't be more confused.

"I expect you can make the rest of the way by yourself," He didn't even spare her a glance as he granted her the freedom she had wished for, prayed for.

"You're letting me go?"

"I never intended you to get caught in the first place," he sighed, and turned towards Sakura and met her confused gaze. "I can not, and will not explain myself, but know I mean Konoha no harm..." He raised his hand and rested it on her cheek, a smile lighting up his features.

"Why?" She couln't help leaning into his touch, closing her eyes and savored the human contact.

"I am sorry, Sakura." She believed him, "For what you had to endure, for what I did to you. I wish I could explain my reasons, share my past with you. Perhaps you will know one day, when I am long gone."

Somehow that made her feel sad, her heart clenching for unknown reasons.

"Itachi.." She started without really knowing what to say to him.

"I think... in some other world, another time, I could have fallen in love with you."

His smile was breathtaking and shattered her heart all at the same time. It was how he conveyed the same to her, or maybe he had already fallen.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a chaste, bittersweet kiss.

A goodbye.

When she opened her eyes he was gone, and she started her journey home, knowing she would always remember the past 5 months. Especially the last two where everything had changed for the better? For the worst? She didn't know, and wasn't to sure if she wanted to find out.

AN: Honestly... No idea what this is, but I'm going to post it anyway. It's not edited, it's not good either - but I just wanted to write something, and this is the end result. So, sorry! xD