Murasaki

Chapter 1

It was a simple mission really. Sakura had to collect a list of medical plants and herbs and report back to the Hokage when finished. There was no time restraint, which Sakura had originally been thankful for, until she actually read the list.

As Sakura scanned through the many pages, she discovered that the majority of the plants came from obscure locations or had particular growing seasons. There was also a good chunk of the list with names that she had never even heard of because they were so very rarely used in the medical field. To this Sakura took personal affront, as she considered herself quite a well read medic. She wasn't one of the top medics in Konoha for nothing. Only Tsunade-Shishou and Shizune could boast greater medic skills than she, which was mostly due to their vast amount of experience and Sakura's relative lack of it.

After what seemed like many months of searching, collecting, and cataloging, the young medic had finally graduated to the last plant on the list. It was called Murasaki, a flower that bloomed only in subzero temperatures. That small detail was why Sakura had put off harvesting this plant until the very end of her mission. She had dreaded going to the northern reaches of the Land of Frost and therefore cursed the loathsome Sasori for his damned poisons.

Apparently, after his demise, many of Sasori's unique and advanced poisons had been circulated amongst multiple shinobi nations; countries that were using these poisons against Konoha in battle. Sakura knew someone was exploiting the late poison master's research, she just didn't know who. And whoever it was, was most likely making a substantial sum selling the poisons.

Without the proper antidotes, more and more shinobi would fall ill. Only a few highly trained medics were capable of cleansing victims of poison without the antidote through the use of a healing jutsu. That's why, along with the dwindling supply of medical plants, Sakura was determined to complete her mission. A little bit of cold weather would not deter her from protecting her village.

From what her research had told her, the Murasaki flower was known to bloom between rocks, where it could latch on and avoid the unrelenting winds. And after inquiring in one of the local Frost villages, a helpful villager had enlightened her to the fact that the flower was commonly seen blooming in the very mountain pass she was traveling through. However, after an hour of searching, Sakura was beginning to doubt the words of the elderly man that had directed her up the mountain.

A sharp gust of wind tore through the mountain pass. The wind seemed to suck the air out of Sakura's lungs and the small flurries of snow turned into needles against her painfully rosy cheeks. She adjusted the cold weather traveling cloak more securely around her shoulders. The thick lining was a cheap semblance of protection against this harsh climate. Not until Sakura was out of the elements, would she find any relief from the cold and the wind.

Coming around a thick outcrop of icy rock, Sakura's eyes detected a shock of purple amidst the gray landscape. A wave of unadulterated giddiness washed through her at the sight. Sakura rushed forward, attempting to maneuver past the wall of rock. However, her limbs, numbed by the cold, were clumsy in their movements. She scrambled to regain her purchase on the cliff, but instead she began to slip down the side of the mountain. She charged her hands and feet with chakra before falling any farther. She stuck to the side of the cliff, willing herself not to look down.

"Damn it! Focus Sakura," she grumbled to herself while scaling back up to where she had seen the blooms.

She had one task left in this mission, and she sure as hell wasn't going to screw up by falling off some mountain.

With one last grunt of exertion, Sakura pulled herself over the ledge. The flowers were now in view, but she proceeded slowly towards her goal, unwilling to take any false steps.

The flowers were tucked away between the craggy dips in the stone. Sakura pulled out her kunai and the storage scrolls. She extracted the plants and sealed them away. Once the scroll was safely stowed in the pouch above her hip, did Sakura begin her decent.

By the time she was at the bottom of the mountain, the sky had changed from a dull gray to a much darker and oppressive hue. The clouds were thick and the wind was so strong that Sakura was sure if she hadn't been a shinobi, her light frame would have been swept away.

She could either start towards Konoha, or stay a night in the village. It took her all of one second to point her feet in the direction of the village, which let off a soft yellow glow in the distance. Only a masochist would consider traveling through the oncoming storm.

The storm had arrived by the time Sakura made it to the stoop of the local inn. With a bluster of snow and pink locks, she entered the warm establishment. Sakura was meet with a warm smile from the elderly woman at the front desk. She had already abandoned her Konoha Hitai-ate before going into the village and was careful to mask her chakra. Despite this being a secluded town, there was always a risk of running into another shinobi. Sakura had also discovered that inn keepers tended to be more hospitable to a random traveler versus a foreign shinobi. That hospitality was almost always in the form of a cheaper room.

"You must be the young traveler that passed through town earlier today! What is a pretty girl like yourself doing all the way out here?" The inn keeper inquired.

"I was just collecting some medical plants for my Oba-chan," Sakura said with feigned innocence, "She's a healer in my home town."

"Why aren't you sweet helping out your old grandmother. I'll prepare a nice warm room for you upstairs while you go warm yourself up by the fire over there."

The woman gestured to a passage way behind the front desk, and quickly left to go upstairs. Sakura heeded the woman's words and left through the archway into a warm sitting area. There was a blazing fire across the room. Sakura sat down on the sofa closet to the fire, all the while thinking she had done a rather good job of acting. After removing her cloak, she leaned back into the cushions and prepared to shut her eyes until the woman came back. The area showed no signs of chakra so she felt at ease to relax.

Soon she would be able to go home. She had begun to miss her regular schedule of working at the hospital and going on missions with Team Kakashi. She would never admit it, but she did miss those three knuckle heads. Despite all of their hardships, they were their own little family. Or perhaps it was the hardship that brought their team together.

Not long after she had closed her eyes though, Sakura heard noises coming from the front door of the inn. She couldn't see what was happening from her vantage point, but from what she could hear, the inn keeper was greeting another customer. The low muted tones told Sakura that the newcomer was a man.

This time the woman decided to show her guest into the sitting room.

"Itachi, I must introduce you to this nice girl! She traveled all the way here to help out her poor grandmother. Itachi this is well, uh..."

Sakura turned around at the sound of their arrival and blanched. Not just two feet in front of her was none other than Uchiha Itachi. Sakura was less than elegant in her response. She bolted to her feet, eyes wide, and hand hovering above her hip pouch. However she didn't want to endanger the woman in front of her, so she refrained from drawing a weapon...yet.

"It's Sakura, but I just remembered that I have to return to my grandmother's tonight! So if you'll excuse me—"

"Dear, you couldn't possibly leave. The storm will eat you alive! You young people become acquainted with each other while I go work!"

The woman, oblivious to the tension in the room, left without another word. She was probably going to go pat herself on the back for her marvelous matchmaking skills.

Now alone with the Uchiha, Sakura thought she would rather take her chances in the wild storm, than stay in the same room as Konoha's number one missing-nin. She kept her eyes at his chin, wondering why the woman hadn't freaked out about his blood red eyes. Her curiosity got the better of her and she quickly swept her eyes over his face. Instead of being met with the killing gaze of the Sharingan, she encountered a pair dark obsidian orbs. Her mind instantly went to Sasuke. She almost wasn't convinced it wasn't Sasuke. No, this was his evil older brother. This was Itachi.

"Now, Sakura," he said, his deep, velvety tone filling the room, making it feel infinitely smaller, "It's far more dangerous out there than it is in here."

Itachi thought the young medic resembled a startled deer. Ready to bolt at any sound, any movement. He had looked on in amusement through her rushed words and obvious attempts at avoiding confrontation. However, he knew she was smart, for her eyes refused meet his.

When the striking pair of aquamarines did meet his gaze, he was caught off guard. For almost a second, Itachi thought an expression of recognition washed through her features: the miniscule widening of the lids, the dilation of the pupils, and finally the slight quiver of her full bottom lip.

After he spoke her countenance swiftly morphed into one of wariness and mistrust. However, he didn't miss the disappointment in her eyes that appeared just before her face contorted into a scowl. He knew then that he could trust this Kunoichi, whose emotions were so easily read. It took one look to confirm his suspicions that Haruno Sakura stilled cared for his Otouto. And it was that lingering, if not small, bit of affection he would use to his advantage and would exploit until his own goals were met.

Sakura felt bolted to the floor despite the overwhelming urge to run from the nuke-nin. Fear crept up the back of her neck, down her spine, and through her finger tips. Still locked in his gaze, she felt a tremor along her thighs.

Her hands her shaking.

The situation was completely unexpected, and the more Sakura thought about it, the more contrived it seemed. The shinobi before was dressed simply, he lacked the brazen cloak that marked him as Akatsuki. He also neglected to activate his Sharingan. That it its self was an act unheard of by the Uchiha. He wanted something out of this encounter, but his intentions were anyone's guess.

Clasping her hands into tight fists, Sakura decided the best course of action was not to run from the shinobi. He would only catch her and that would most likely bring out his anger. And if he was anything like his brother, which she suspected he was (they look so similar, how could they not be?), she did not want to be on his bad side.

"What are you doing here, Uchiha?" The words were steady, braver than she felt.

"Haruno-san, I was simply acquiring a room for the night."

He said it like it was the most obvious answer in the world. Which made since, since they were standing in an inn... Sakura quickly gathered her thoughts, her fear lessening and her annoyance making an appearance. How dare he mock her intelligence.

"Excuse me, let me clarify that question. Why are you here, in northern Frost, in a town so small it's on hardly any maps, harassing me?"

The words left her mouth before she could stop them. Really her temperament would be the death of her. Now glowering at the Uchiha, she realized that she needn't worry. His face remained infuriatingly stoic.

Her eyes widened when the dangerous shinobi moved even closer. The back of her calves brushed against the sofa she had recently vacated. Maybe snapping at him wasn't such a good idea. He reached out with his right hand, selecting a strand of rosy locks from her shoulder. Sakura's fear returned twofold. He leaned in close, so that his taller form loomed over her much shorter frame, his lips just barely grazing the shell of her ear. A shiver ran down her spine at the smallest of contact.

"Dearest, Sakura," his was voice deep and low, a whisper only she could hear, "you would know if I were harassing you."

Itachi dropped the soft lock he had would around his finger and stood back. The words left the intended impact. The Kunoichi stood ramrod straight in front of him, no doubt contemplating the implied threat. However, as soon as the space between them was restored, Sakura flew to the door of the inn.

Perhaps he was too intimidating. The last thing he wanted was to have to hunt down the young kunoichi again. While she was fast, he was faster, and the moment she had the door open, Itachi was beside her, shooting an arm out across the threshold. His hand connected unyieldingly with the door frame.

Outside the storm was in full swing, allowing zero visibility. The open door let in gusts of wind accompanied by stinging snow.

"Don't be foolish. You will stay here tonight."

His words were punctuated with the dull thud of the door closing off her only way of escape.

Itachi was amused by the gleam of frustration in her eyes. He had never encountered a shinobi who expressed this much emotion before, and she was in the company of her enemy. Takana-san, the inn keeper, chose this moment to descend the stairs behind them.

"Oh I hope you two are getting along nicely! Your rooms are ready too."

The grim irony of that statement wasn't lost on Sakura. With the way that they were standing, Sakura backed against the wall and Itachi extending his arm over her shoulder, it was no wonder that the woman thought the two of them were cozying up.

Sakura used Takana-san's interruption to dip under the Uchiha's arm and start towards the stairs.

"Thank you so much, I really must be getting to bed now."

Sakura departed with a fake yawn and a sweet smile for the old woman. It took all of her restraint not to use her shinobi speed to run into her room and lock the door as fast as she could. The inn keeper was completely unaware of her and Itachi's shinobi status, and Sakura wanted to keep it that way. If she ended up in an altercation with the fearsome Akatsuki member, she didn't want anyone involved. She would most likely have difficulty defending herself if it came to a fight, much less an added civilian.

Sakura let out a sigh of relief when she slipped into her room. Finally she—

"Kami!"

Sakura let out a breathy yelp, having noticed the Uchiha standing in the center of her small room. But before she could yell at her intruder, he began to speak.

"Haruno-san, it has come to my attention that we have a similar goal."

Sakura continued to stare at him blankly not having a clue what he meant. If he was implying that she secretly wanted to harm Naruto, he had another thing coming.

"Do not imply that we have anything in common, Uchiha."

"Ah but we have, do we not? You remember my brother, Sasuke? I believe you were his teammate, along with the Jinchuuriki"

Sasuke's name seemed entirely too loud when spoken by the lips of his tormentor. It was not fair that Sakura's hard exterior crumbled at the mention of her former teammate. Despite her strength, Sakura's weakness has always been her concern for her teammates. No matter how poorly Sasuke treated her, she couldn't help but fear and worry for him all this time that he has been in Sound.

Her voice much quieter, and subdued, she asks, "What about Sasuke?"

"He is following a path of self destruction."

"A path set by you! How dare you say—"

"Kunoichi, I suggest you keep quiet and let me talk."

Sakura silently observed the dark shinobi. Deep stress lines creased his face, which to her dismay was easily more handsome than Sasuke's. For whatever reason, Sakura felt she was not talking to the Akatsuki member who attacked Naruto. This was someone else entirely. Maybe Itachi being taken out of context of the battle field made her see him differently. That didn't make her any less wary of him though. Sakura knew absolutely nothing about the man before her. She depended on her own knowledge to get her through situations. Thats why she loved healing, because she could always depend on her own mind for the solutions. However, Sakura knew now she was stuck with a sore lack of information. She was completely out of her depth here.

He took her silence as a sign to continue.

"He seeks power, believing Orochimaru able to give it to him. I am sure you are familiar with the monster Orochimaru is slowly turning him into?"

Sakura recalled the curse mark, how it spread, and eventually turned him into some kind of winged beast. It not only made him look inhuman but also stripped him of what humanity he possessed.

"He foolishly thinks that this is power enough to defeat me. He is mistaken."

"Why do care what happens to him? You seem to bring him only more pain and suffering."

"Do not assume, Haruno-san, that I care about Sasuke. It only matters to me that I will be able to utilize him at a later time."

Sakura shook her head the tiniest bit. Of course he didn't care. Sasuke was just another tool for him to use. But it did seem suspicious. She didn't actually expect the older Uchiha to answer her question and his denial almost seemed too defensive. Why would he choose to involve himself with Sasuke now, after years of ignoring his younger brother?

Sakura was reading too much into the situation. Looking for things that weren't really there. Itachi didn't speak with emotion, therefore she couldn't have possibly picked up hints of concern. No, that would be crazy. This is Uchiha Itachi, clan murderer, not affectionate older brother.

"It is essential that the curse mark placed upon him by Orochimaru be removed. And preferably his allegiance to Orochimaru severed as well."

"How do I tie into this? How could I possibly help you achieve those two goals?"

"You are a medic-nin, apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, and therefore are highly skilled with chakra control and seals. Simply put, you are the best suited for disabling the seal."

His logic was sound, but it still didn't erase all of Sakura's doubts. Couldn't he just march right on into sound, kill Orochimaru, and slap Sasuke around a little bit? Sakura realized she was making assumptions on the Itachi associated with Akatsuki. Somehow she knew that this Itachi would never resort to such a plan. His motives are hidden and probably much greater or different for the reasons he gave her earlier. Doubt must be apparent on her face because Itachi continues.

"I have my reasons for following this course of action, do not question it. And you will be assisting."

"I haven't agreed to anything."

"Your acceptance does not matter. I cannot allow you to return to Konoha after this conversation."

Itachi moved behind Sakura when he saw her backing away. One arm snared her against his chest, nearly knocking the breath from her lungs. Her arms were pinned to her sides rendered useless. She discovered the pressure of a kunai along her neck.

Sakura realized she didn't have much of a choice if she wanted to save her life as well as her teammate's. Suddenly betraying her village seemed only a small price to pay. She knew if she were Naruto she would do anything to get Sasuke back, even if it meant consorting with an S-class missing-nin. Sakura inwardly groaned, her situation must be pretty bleak if she had to resort to justifying her action's by comparing them to Naruto's, a boy who never, ever, followed the rules.

She would do this for Naruto. She owed it to him after all the times he had protected her. It was high time that she finally proved her worth and strength to Team 7. This was her chance. She would save Sasuke even if that meant helping Itachi, because teammates never give up on each other. She hoped Kakashi-Sensei would be proud, if not, she was about to do something incredibly stupid.

"Fine, tell me what to do."

If you were wondering, Muraski means "purple" in Japanese.

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