Air

Part I; Ahisma

By: Chibi Ra Chan

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Tragedy

Pairing: ItaSaku

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Ahisma- The Hindu belief of non-violence, literally meaning, no victims.

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

-The Little Prince, chapter 21

"She's a little weirdo, Un." The voice despite being bright and bubbly was flat. She had never noticed these kinds of things before, but now, it seemed to be the only way she could tell what was going on. Even though the comment was obviously steered toward her, she did nothing.

Sakura just continued to sit and stare blindly ahead, in the most literal sense. She hadn't seen a single thing in three days.

There was silence before the sound of something, a pan fan maybe, connecting with a resounding 'fwap'. The quickly uttered 'ow' told her right away that the bubby voiced man had been hit. 'That's what he deserves! Dragging me away from my family, the nerve!' Her inner voice prodded, but still she said nothing.

"Don't forget that she's the child here Deidara, not you." Came a calm feminine tone. She thought the voice sounded like the smooth notes of the ocarina her nursemaid would play for her when she was younger, but refused to say so out loud." She's far away from home with people she doesn't know and can't see. I believe she has every right to be a little off if she wishes."

There was a sigh to her left, from Deidara, and then silence again. Distantly she heard the ringing of a wind chime being swayed in the early spring breeze. It was March, and her birthday would come in a few days time. She would be eleven, but there would be no grand party, no frilly dress, there would be no music or dancing or merrymaking at all.

Sakura would be sending her birthday with strangers.

"Where the hell is Itachi, Un? Isn't he supposed to be in charge of the brat?"

"He'll be returning soon, he is out to speak with leader."

"I don't like this whole thing Konan. I seems kind of cruel, un. She's a baby, too young to use as a hostage."

"I don't like it anymore then you do, but this is the quickest way."

"Still it's messed up yeah."

They were talking about her as if she wasn't here, as if she was just a pawn in a game. In a way that's what she was. They wouldn't call her by her name, just kid, or she, or child. She was more than that. She was more than just the President's daughter, she was a person too.

"It is one life versus thousands. We must make choices."

"I guess, isn't it a bit much to blind the kid?"

"It isn't permanent; when everything's done she'll see again."

"What the kid can't-"

"Sakura" The shuffling of what she guessed were paper doors was the only other clue that alerted all three of them to the prescience of another. Sakura looked around trying to hear where he was. "Her name is Sakura. She is not a thing. Stop referring to her as such."

"It's about time Itachi, what took you so long un?" The person, Itachi, did nothing to answer the question.

Still franticly looking around, she felt a palm rest on the top of her head. It was warm. Out of reflex she looked up and the slight shifting of shadows is the only thing that changes in her vision. It is frustrating, and she wants to smack the hand away, but doubts she could without her sight.

"What is the problem?" The same person asked again.

"She refuses to talk, or eat." The woman, Konan she had learned from listening, answered. The hand was removed and before she could react, she was lifted to her feet.

"Aren't you hungry Sakura?"

In the recesses of her mind, Sakura flustered up in anger. 'Does he think that just because he says my name I'll suddenly listen? Cha, not happening!'

So she says nothing, and does her best to glare in what she thinks is his general direction.

"Then you have no interest in eating?"

Still no answer.

"In that case-" She is lifted from the floor and is thrown carelessly over this Itachi person's shoulder. She is so shocked that she is unable to speak even if she had desired to do so. "We will put you to work then, that will fix your appetite problem."

Suddenly they are moving and the little issue Sakura had earlier about not speaking to the likes of her kidnappers is forgotten. "Put me down! Who do you think you are?! Shannaro! PUT ME DOWN!"

The last thing she hears before they leave the house is a soft laugh from Konan and the yelled out 'Don't go too far un.' from Deidara.

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By the time he had stopped walking and set her down, Sakura had given up on screaming at the top of her lungs, it was no use, the boy carrying her didn't seem the least bit phased by her temper tantrum and didn't let her move and inch in his grip.

Back on her feet, she glared at the ground.

"Have you ever worked in a garden before Sakura?" the question was light and airy, and floated into her ears with no trouble. She didn't answer. "I will take that as a no." There was a shuffling sound, followed by the feeling of her hands being pried open from the fists at her side. She felt cool metal slide into her grip. "That is a shovel; feel free to dig around if you wish. You do know how to dig, yes?"

Sakura wanted to scream. "I'm not stupid." She seethed with anger, this wasn't fair! She wanted to be home right now! Not digging around in the dirt with some evil kidnapper! Still when the boy, Itachi, made no attempt to respond, she gave up with a sigh. "I can't do anything in this dress." Despite being only eleven, she glared (in the wrong direction) harder than anyone her age ever had. She was a very strange little creature this Haruno Sakura.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to see it, Itachi allowed himself to briefly roll his eyes. She had a valid point really, she couldn't do anything in the heavy red dress that she had worn for the last few days, and Konan would not return with her other garments for a few hours.

Being ever resourceful, Itachi quickly took in his surroundings, formulating a rather simple resolution to the little problem. Within a few moments Sakura's dress was clipped up with clothes pins and other assorted garden equipment. "There. This should hold until Konan gets back." He spoke dryly as he pulled a long sleeve up tucking it with the others into the pin at her shoulder.

Elbow still in his hand, Itachi noticed how very small she was. Sakura was a rake thin, and as pale as the flower she was named after. Had she never seen sunlight before? The thought was silly and he dismissed them, of course she seemed small she was four years his junior. Actually the last time he had seen someone remotely her size was two years ago when Sasu-

He stopped that train of thought as soon as it filtered into his head. He shouldn't dwell on thing he couldn't change, and Sakura's muttering helped to push the discerning thoughts away.

"Excuse me?" He said, not understanding the jumbled words.

Blushing lightly, for he still held her elbow tenderly, Sakura repeated her words. "I said, what kind of kidnapper works in a garden?"

Itachi thought about it. Really, it was a valid question. When one thought of taking possession of a child, one did not relate that to flowers and foliage. "My brother used to tease me about gardening. He said that it wasn't manly enough. Still, I find it calming." He surprised himself by bringing up his brother again. He rarley let thoughts of his family surface. But what he said had rung true. And Sakura found she agreed with him, there was something about the sweet smell in the air, the blowing wind and watch she thought was a blue sky that calmed her down from her ranting.

After moment, he added on. "What kind of girl that is named after a flower doesn't know how to garden?"

The little captives response was immediate, she puffed out with anger like a blowfish. It was entirely too silly and even the ever stoic Itachi found himself laughing lightly. Sakura on the other hand found this not so funny. "I hate my name. It's too girly, too sweet. I don't want to be compared to a stupid flower that dies after a week."

Idly she poked into the dirt with her bare foot, her fancy sandals dismissed when they began to pin up her dress. "That's the best part about Cherry Blossoms though. They are only around for a short time, dazzling you with their beauty and then they leave. I think the name suits you." He let go of her elbow, and it is still warm where he had touched it with his long fingers.

Sakura blushed a little because she was young, and he was an older boy with a pretty voice who had inadvertently called her beautiful. Konoha and her mother would be here soon, so why act like a baby and cry over something she had no control over? She'd be back home by the end of the week. Why not relax until then, like a rather unexpected vacation?

"So-…" she said looking in his direction, "What are we planting Itachi?"

---

Seven days quietly pass.

There weren't any hunger strikes or refusals to speak on Sakura's part, and for that the three of them were thankful. Whatever happened in the house had to be reported to the higher ups every other day, because only a few actually knew the location of the 'base' as they jokingly called it.

Akatsuki was nothing if not efficient. There was too much on the line for them to be anything other than that. So when on the third day, the leader of the organization comes to relay the reports, Sakura thought nothing of it. They had introduced her to their leader, a man named Pein that Sakura could already tell she didn't really like.

His voice was cloudy and rainy, but not in a pretty way, it was like sloshing mud, and she could feel his eyes glare into her non-seeing ones, almost taunting. Still, she smiled prettily and said that it was a shame she wouldn't be able to meet him again. Obviously Leaf had finally sent word of their rescue and it would only be a few hours before she was back home in her own bed. That was why the leader was here.

It had to be.

While Konan and Itachi talked things over with their leader, they left her in the care of Deidara, who was trying to show her the finer art of clay sculptures, in vain. "I can't see. How can you make art without your eyes?"

Deidara had to smile at this, she was a smart kid. He didn't much mind having her around; it was an improvement from Itachi that was for sure. And she understood that art had to be experienced with all the senses, for that alone the blond decided that Sakura wasn't such a little weirdo after all.

With nothing to do, the two found themselves staring at each other blankly. The silence became too much for the pair of excitable people and it was Sakura that broke it.

"Do you want to go into the truth room?"

He sent her a bewildered look. "What in the world does that mean yeah?"

The pinkette idly squished clay in her hands, rolling it into a ball only to squish it again. "That's what my mother would call it. We ask questions to each other, back and forth, and you have to answer truthfully, because you're in the truth room. But if you don't want to answer then you can leave the truth room and you forfeit your own questions. Is that okay?"

Deidara thought about it for a moment, what harm could it do? She'd be gone in a few hours anyway. "Alright Kiddo, let's try this yeah."

She smiled and it finally struck Deidara that it was possibly the first real smile she had ever given since she arrived here.

"Okay, so why didn't they let you into their little meeting?"

Damn, this girl played rough. The question stung a bit too, but he shrugged, forgetting she couldn't see it. "They don't trust me, at least Pein doesn't. I've only been with the Akatsuki for a year now; some of the others have been in here since they were kids yeah. I only joined because my town was destroyed by a conflict between sound and leaf." Quickly he flipped the tables on her. "Why don't you ever get all snippy with Itachi like you do to me?"

Her light green eyes rolled, in a very un-eleven year old fashion. "What's the point? Nothing fazes him. It's a waste of energy."

Deidara muttered a quiet agreement and waited for her next question. It took a minute, but unlike her last question this one came out shy and unsure. "What-? She trailed off but tried again. "What does Itachi look like? You guys too." She added the 'you guys too' as an afterthought.

The would be artist grinned boyishly. 'I do believe that our little captive has a crush un.' "Well, there's no other way to say this than to say it. The Uchiha is horribly horribly disfigured yeah." He watched as her little heart shaped face dropped but quickly turned into a look of fury when she figured out that he was messing with her.

She chucked her clay at him. "You! You! You're lying! If you're only going to tease me then I don't want to be in the truth room with you." She crossed her arms indignantly and stared away from him.

Deidara laughed lightly. "Okay un, Okay I'll play nice. I guess the Uchiha is.." he gagged out the next words as if tore at his soul to say it. "-Attractive, or something stupid chicks would say."

Sakura urged him to continue, waiting to hear more.

"Urgh, He's got stupid black hair and stupid black-blue eyes and I guess he dresses okay or whatever, can we please not talk about this anymore?!" He sounded truly pained, luckily (for Deidara at least) the door opened. Always forgetting that she could not see, Sakura's head whipped around to try to see who it was. "Deidara can we talk to you for a moment?"

It was Konan, and she sounded upset.

Grimly, Deidara rose to his feet. The expression on the blue haired woman's face telling him anything but good news.

"What going on?" Sakura asked standing up, looking this way and that. She heard whispering that she couldn't understand and then nothing. That was the worst part for Sakura, the silence left her with nothing, no clues about where to go, not help, no comfort, just cold dead silence.

"Deidara? Deidara what going on? What's wrong, you have to tell me! We're in the truth room!" The reason was silly and childish at best, she knew that, but it was all she could think of at the moment.

There was a sigh and someone took her hand and there was an artificial 'creeeeeeeek' sound. Looking up at whoever held her hand, she was almost certain it was Konan, Sakura asked what that was.

Too quiet for someone who was as bright and bubbly as Deidara, he answered. "I left the truth room." A moment later he left the actual room too.

---

Konoha wasn't coming to get her.

That was all she heard and that all that rang in head as she ran deeper and deeper into the forest. She must have tripped hundreds of times, her dress was dirty and torn, but she ran and ran.

'Why?! Why wouldn't they come to get me? Doesn't anyone miss me? Mom? why won't you come save me?'

Her feet carried her until they couldn't bare to take another step and she collapsed in a field of tulips, just past the edge of the ash trees.

'I am twelve years old today and No one is here to celebrate it with me.'

She is exhausted and passes out, only to be found a few minutes later, by her black haired captor who carries her back to the hideout where he treats her wounds and stays the entire night by the side of her bed. Itachi is gone the moment she awakens, and although she can not see a thing, Sakura knows he is the one who followed her from the thick scent of tulips that lingers next to her bed.

Tulips were his favorite, and they were hers as well.

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