Inexorable Forces

Disclaimer- Don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1- Who are you?

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"He...signs...wake..." Someone was in the room. He opened his eyes slightly, blinking to let his eyes get used to the light. He finally focused on the dark haired woman standing next to his bed.

"Uchiha-san?" she asked him gently. "You're in the hospital." He had already figured that out by the distinct smell that surrounded him.
"What.." he croaked out and she rushed to get him a glass of water. He gulped the cool liquid down slowly, soothing his parched throat. "...happened?"

"You don't remember?" the woman he finally recognised as Shizune asked, and he noted the apprehension in her voice.

"I.." He couldn't remember. Why was he here? "The mission."

"What's the last thing you remember?" she asked him softly.

"The mission. I just accepted the mission from Hokage-sama. But I...I don't remember leaving for it." 'Shit. That one was crucial.'

Shizune pursed her lips before nodding. "I'll be back with the Hokage-sama. Don't go back to sleep. Or at least try not to." He only nodded in response as she turned to leave the room.

"Shizune-san. My mother and Sasuke?"

"You'll see them soon, Uchiha-san. They've been waiting for you to wake up for a while." So he'd been out for a while.

After about five minutes, Shizune walked back in with the Hokage in tow. "Hokage-sama," he greeted as he tried to sit up. She snorted and pushed him back down gently.

"Uchiha. Good to see you're up. Are you in any pain?" she asked him and smiled when he shook his head.

"Ah, no. My head does feel a little sore."

"That's to be expected." 'It is?' he wondered.

"Now, Shizune tells me that the last thing you remember is accpting a mission, correct?" she continued when he nodded. "Which mission?"

"You told me there have been rumors of interaction between the new Otogakure and Amegakure. I was to travel to Oto, collect as much information as possible on this issue as well as their new Kage, then travel to Ame to get information on the issue and the Akatsuki. The time limit was indefinite."

Tsunade and Shizune stiffened visibly before the blonde cursed angrily.

"Is there a problem, Hokage-sama?"

Shizune looked at her mentor, who shook her head. "We need to discuss a few things. I'll send your mother and the brat in." With that they both walked out of the room. Itachi furrowed his brows as he thought about their reaction. A minute later, the handle turned and he looked up too see fimilar pink-haired girl. Only, she looked like a woman. Her hair was longer than he remembered, her...other physical features were different, and her eyes were the only thing that hadn't changed. 'What's going on?'

"Itachi?" she whispered, looking like she couldn't believe he was there.

"Ah. Haruno-san?" he asked with confusion evident in his voice.

"Ha...Haruno-san?" she mumbled. "Why did you call me that?"

"Forgive me, but you look a lot like Haruno Sakura."

She looked like she was torn between jumping out the window and punching him. "Itachi, I am Haruno Sakura."

"Then why did you-"

"Because 'Haruno-san- is way too formal! What is wrong with you?" she snapped.

"I'm afraid we don't know each other well enough for me to call you anything else," he explained wearily. Not only was his brother's teammate looking, well, grown up, she was behaving oddly as well.

"No..." She looked horrified, and he felt the urge to wrap his arms around her. Now, it was his turn to look horrified. Or at least feel that way.

"Damn it." Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room.

He heard voices outside his room, and soon his mother walked in, followed by his brother. He was startled to notice that they both looked a little different than the last time he saw them, which couldn't have been that long ago. Actually, his mother looked a little different. Sasuke, on the other hand looked older, more mature. His hair was slightly longer, and he was startled to see a short ponytail at the nape of his neck.

"Itachi?" Mikoto asked softly, as she brushed his bangs away from his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, mother," Itachi assured as he glanced at his brother. "Sasuke, you look...different." His mother sniffled and grabbed his hand.

"Aniki..." Sasuke cleared his throat and nodded. "I know. I...I'm glad to see you're okay." 'Almost okay.'

Something was wrong. He knew these two better than anyone else, and he knew they were hiding something from him. "Haruno-san came in just now," he began, noticing how they both froze at once. "She behaved rather oddly."

"Did you say anything?" Sasuke asked in a strangled voice.

"Well, she addressed me rather informally so I merely reminded her that we don't know each other well enough to..." he broke of when Sasuke groaned.

"Right...of course you did." Just as Itachi was about to ask Sasuke to explain himself, the door opened and they turned to see Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura walk in. The pink haired girl..woman glanced at Sasuke, who grimaced and shook his head. Shizune looked at her with pity.

"Well, Uchiha," Tsunade looked at Mikoto who nodded and squeezed his hand. "I have some bad news for you."

"Which is? Hokage-sama?"

"The last thing you remember is that mission, yes?" He nodded and she sighed. "You see, that mission was completed a year ago. By you."

Itachi frowned and shook his head.

"That's not possible. I have never-"

"How old are you?"

"I..what?" He blinked. "21."

"23. You're 23 years old," Mikoto said softly. Itachi took a deep breath and shook his head again.

"Here are a few of the mission reports," Tsunade offered them to him and he took them quietly. He glanced at Sakura, who hadn't taken her eyes off the floor.

"Um, Sakura, we should..." Shizune started but Sakura noodded and they both walked out. Itachi noted the way Sasuke's eyes followed his teammate as she was walking towards the door.

"How long was I out? he asked his mother.

"A week." That wasn't too long. He'd been out for more than a week before.

"Go through them. See if there's any change," Tsunade stated and turned to go and find her student. He nodded and opened one of the scrolls. The report was written three years ago.

"Sakura..." Tsunade said, putting a hand on her youngest apprentice's shoulder. "We'll fix this."

"I know, Shishou. But it's just...hard. It's like the last twelve months didn't happen."

The blonde nodded and said, "For him, in his current condition, they actually didn't happen."

Sakura sighed, looking down at the picture in her hands. The man with long raven hair, who was currently in the room next to them, was smiling slightly in the picture as he looked at the pink haired woman stuffing her face with dango.

"I swear, I'll kill the stupid bastard that did this to him."

Three years.

Three years worth of memories were missing from his head. It was hard to believe it, but the facts were there.

"Do you have any idea how this happened?" he asked his brother who shook his head. Their mother had gone to talk to Tsunade.

"We have no idea. But since there are no head injuries, Tsunade thinks it might have been a jutsu."

"I see. And Sasuke," Itachi wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to his next question. "What is the relation between Haruno-san and I?"

Sasuke looked grim as he said, "I don't think I'm the best person to tell you." Itachi frowned but let it go for the moment. His mother walked in at that moment and smiled at them.

"Well, Itachi. Hokage-sama said that nothing else is wrong with you, and physically you're perfectly fine, so we can take you home. But you'll have to come back for a check-up in a few days." He nodded and took the clothes his mother brought for him, and went to take a much needed shower.

Twently minutes later, the three of them walked out of the hospital. They had checked in with Tsunade on the way, and she had told him to report to her at once of he remembered anything. He sensed someone staring at him and looked at the source to see Sakura standing with Naruto and a blonde woman. Naruto and the girl he recognised as Yamanaka Ino looked at Sakura at once, but her expression was blank. Naruto looked back at Itachi waved, and he nodded. He suddenly grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her over to them.

"Hi Mikoto-san! Teme. Itachi-san, how are you feeling?" he asked with a grin. Itachi gave a small smile before replying.

"I'm feeling well, Naruto-san." The blond looked so much like his father now that it was almost startling. Almost involuntarily, he glanced at Sakura again, only to see her staring at the ground again. Sasuke looked at Naruto who winced and nudged Sakura.

"Haruno-san, Sasuke was telling me that you've reached Hokage-sama's level in strength," Itachi started, even though he could not figure out why. He wasn't one to initiate conversations. "We must spar sometime."

But his words had the desired effect as she finally looked up to meet his eyes. "Yeah, um, sure Ita-I mean, Uchiha-san."

He nodded and she smiled slightly, and he found that he could not, even though he tried to, look away. 'Who are you to me, Haruno Sakura?' Itachi stared intently at her, at the sadness he saw hidden behind her smile. 'What is our story?'

"Well, I...I have to get back to work. I'll see you sometime," she said quickly and smiled at his mother before running away. The Yamanaka girl rolled her eyes and followed her friend with a "Get well soom, Uchiha-san!" to him.

"He spoke to her willingly!" Came a loud whisper from his right and he turned to see his brother and Naruto huddled together.

"Why don't you announce it a little louder, you loser?" He brother muttered angrily. Itachi frowned at them as he once again tried to figure just what kind of a relationship he had with his brother's female teammate. 'More than acquaintances. Perhaps...friends?'

Somewhere in Amegakure...

"But I took care of it!" A green haired man yelled deperately. "He doesn't remember any of it!"

A blue haired man snorted and rolled his eyes. "How dumb are you? You were supposed to take care of it two years back! Not after he reported everything to his Kage."

"But I...I.." The man gulped in fear as he started backing away. 'I shouldn't have gotten involved with them in the first place!' "If you kill me, all his memories will return," he warned.

"Oh? It won't really make a difference, will it?" Kisame smirked as he lifted Samehada. "Any last words?"
"You scum will get what you deserve," he spat and closed his eyes, defeat written all over his face. The giant man only laughed as he brought the sword down. 'This one's for you, Uchiha.'

Itachi gasped as he fell down on his knees, his head feeling like it was about to explode.

"Itachi? ITACHI!" Sasuke yelled as rushed to his brother's side. "What's happening? Where does it hurt?" He felt his mother's hand on his forehead, but unlike other times, it didn't help at all.

"Head..." Itachi mumbled as he gave in to the darkness, his mind filled with images of a pink-haired girl and a shark-like grin.