She blocked another chakra-punch and threw one of her own at the man. He countered with a surprise kick to her gut, sending her flying to the ground feet away. She coughed and drew blood out. As she wiped it away, she glared and started to growl.
It was so strange to see someone else capable of controlling their chakra so well. Well, it was an Uchiha. It was only to be expected. The damn bastard was copying her skill.
"You're good, Itachi. I'll give you that," the girl told him, standing and huffing. They had been fighting for almost a whole day, but it was the first sign she showed of fatigue. Amazing. "But I'm better."
He laughed, low and maliciously. Sakura hated that sound. It reminded her of the boy her parents had adopted before they adopted her. He sounded the same, and it always sounded evil to her. It didn't surprise her when he left to join the Akatsuki.
As if the man in question had been reading her thoughts, Pein suddenly appeared behind her, just barely letting her dodge a bone-crushing punch. Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki, once Nagato, once trained by Jaraiya, an orphaned boy who was given a family and rejected it.
"Hello, Sakura," he greeted, glaring.
"Nagato-niichan?" she asked. What was he doing? Why was he here? Then she squeaked as he tried to kick her in the gut.
Did she really just call him Nagato-niichan? Was she really that suicidal? "I'm not your brother," he spat out. "And I'm not Nagato anymore. I'm Pein. It's nice to see you again, Sakura. Too bad you have to die."
"No I don't," she replied, smiling. "All I'm here for is the little Uchiha. He's coming soon and I'm a new hunter-nin. It's my job to get rid of him. Though if Itachi wants to kill him, all I have to is get rid of the body."
"So you wouldn't save my brother just because you like him?" Itachi asked, confused and shocked. He never planned to kill his brother--he loved his brother like no other could. And Orochimaru had taken control of his body when he killed his family and told Sasuke to fight him.
"Why does everyone think I still like him? He's dead to me, okay? Dead. Deddo, Deddo, deddo. And soon he'll be dead to everyone--hey that hurts!" she whined, whipping around to where Pein smirked, his blade freshly bloodied by Sakura.
"Believe me, it'll only hurt awhile more. You see, I'm going to kill you. And then I'm going to take over Konoha. Kaasan and Tousan will be so happy to see me again. Don't you think so...imouto?" Pein spat, saying "little sister" like it was a curse.
"Why would you want to hurt the people who gave you a family? Who took you in as one of their own?" she asked.
Silently she readied herself to fight him. He may have been her brother once, but they weren't blood, they weren't family now, and her real family gave her one thing that would always save her: a jutsu that Orochimaru had craved for the Oto-nin.
It was why he slaughtered her family when she was only three. Her only reason for not dying with them was she was so young he didn't know she possessed the gift, didn't know she was a prodigy. It took her until she became a medic-nin under Tsunade's tutelage that even she knew herself--about her family, her gift, her power.
Pein snorted. "Do you really believe they loved us? Did you know they were the reason I lost my parents? I watched the man slaughter my father, rape my mother and the woman slit my mother's throat. They weren't as kind as you think."
She shrugged it off. Though she still bore their name, the family was long-gone, and their deeds unveiled. They had been perfect to Sakura, and that's all that had mattered to her. So what if they weren't in reality?
"And then they adopted you," he went on.
That came as a shock to Itachi. As a kid, he knew Sakura well. She would always watch him practice with Fugaku, and cheer him on. They weren't the closest, but they had somewhat become friends and hung out outside of training a bit. Never once did she mention she was adopted.
That's Sakura. She always makes you wonder, Itachi thought. Now he understood why she had been so quiet and shy. She was in a new place, she was with a new family, and she didn't know anyone. It must have been bad when no one liked her right off the bat.
"Suddenly everything was about you. Jaraiya stopped visiting me, he came to visit you. The Sandaime would visit you, and take you out for hours. Everything was always about you."
"That's not true!" she tried to protest. "What about when I was with you? It was the only time people didn't make fun of my forehead!"
"Please. Your forehead? The only reason people didn't make fun of you--"
"Was because of you! Everyone was scared of what you would do if they made fun of your sister! Everyone at the academy hated me and called me Forehead Girl. But they'd always ask how my brother was, and always referred to me as Nagato's sister when they talked to each other, or to the teachers. I couldn't get away from being your shadow!"
Itachi quirked an eyebrow. It was like he didn't exist anymore. They were too focused on each other. How did they do that? Damn! He pouted off in the corner, slumping down against the rock-face of a mountain.
Without warning, Pein rushed for the first attack, and Sakura whipped herself high in the air to do a twisted flip and land behind him. Before he could react, she closed her eyes and activated her kekei genkai. "Onkyuo!"
She took as deep breath, and opened her eyes. Suddenly everything was clearer, she could tell more detail. And she could smell the static, she could hear the labored breathing of Pein. But then there was a light snoring sound. When she turned to find the source of the noise, she saw it was Itachi sleeping against a rock.
Sakura sighed.
"Ibiki. I hate when people snore!" she whined, stomping her foot and waking Itachi up as the noise reverberated everywhere.
"You don't have to worry about ibiki anymore," he whined as he rubbed his ears. "Damn, you're loud."
"You're a Chikara?" he screamed.
The hell? how did no one know this girl was one of the Chikara before? She shouldn't have been adopted by a normal family--she should've gone straight to ANBU! She could control sound! She was in one of the Chikara families!
"Yep. My father was a Onkyou-myoushu, and my mother was a kouseitan'i-myoushu. I take after both of them. The Chikara are amazing people," she replied, turning her attention back to Pein, who just looked at her in awe. "If you don't back down right now, I will kill you," she told him.
She was like both her parents. Just like her entire clan, in fact.
The Chikara--Power--was a chain of many close-related families, only a few cousins apart from the most-distant member. The entire clan was made by the different masters--myoushu--they had. They could control many elements, and those that could control them all--kouseitan'i--were the leaders.
Not a single one of them wanted to kill. They were peaceful, even though they were the strongest. hell, the Chikara were up there with the Uchiha and the Hyuuga!
"Shinjimae," Pein spat, coming towards her again.
"Kono-yaro!" Sakura yelled back, slamming him in sound-waves. "Now I feel really bad. Should I have warned him first, Itachi?" she asked, turning to look at him.
He quirked another eyebrow and shook his head at her as he put his fingers in his ears. This girl was going to kill him too. Where did he put those earplugs Deidara had given him before he left?
"Sasuke-kun? What was that?" Karin asked, looking backwards where someone yelled "Screw you" so loud it permeated the air.
"Someone fighting in an extremely loud voice?" Suigetsu guessed, shrugging it off.
Sasuke froze. It was louder than she was, but it sounded so much like Sakura. But it couldn't be. She was always so sweet. He looked at the nearby sakura grove and caught a falling blossom. He kissed it, then blew it away, as had been his nature ever since he left Konoha.
Suddenly he heard music boom and he covered his ears, as did the rest of Hebi. What the hell was going on? He looked to Juugo and Suigetsu--his friends since he left Konoha--and they all agreed to follow the sound. Something was going on over there.
Pein felt like his ears would pop soon with the music that bombarded him--it was coming from thin air. Sakura wasn't even doing a thing to create it! It seemed almost like techno until it broke the beat.
Dare ga fusagareta kono hitomi no oku ni fureru no darou
Yureru kagerou no naka de mitsumete ita tsuki ga warau
Mimimoto de sasayakihajimeru rekuiemu no yuuwaku wa
Kizu tsukeru koto de shika osaerarenai mama de
Itami wo yami ni sarawareta boku wa
Kaeru koto nado deki wa shinai kara
Chigireta bara wo mune ni daite
Shinku no umi ni ochite yuku
Kasanariau karada no ue de
Shinu made odoritsuzukeru
Itami wo yami ni sarawareta boku wa
Kaeru koto nado deki wa shinai kara
Mogakikurushimu emono no you ni
Ishiki wa ubawareru mama ni
Kairaku ni oborete kieteku
Tsumetai kono ude no naka de
Chigireta bara wo mune ni daite
Shinku no umi ni ochite yuku
Kasanariau karada no ue de
Shinu made odoritsuzukeru
He had no way to block against her, but somehow he lived through it. It amazed him that she wasn't affected by the volume. It hurt, so much.
As Sasuke arrived, his jaw dropped in awe. There, fighting the Akatsuki leader with a series of flip-kicks and kunai-strikes, was Sakura Haruno. She even seemed to be in control of the noise and beating the bastard.
"Sasuke-kun? Who is she?" Karin asked, noticing his shocked stare. The girl was strong, and she had immense chakra. "Isn't that you're brother over there?"
Sasuke's head spun to look at Itachi Uchiha sitting and watching the fight with rapt and attention and occasionally cheering Sakura on. He almost seemed human right then. He even turned to Sasuke and smiled, before yelling, "Sakura! My brother's here! Beat up yours later!"
Sasuke froze. Pein was her brother? They looked nothing alike!
"I'm busy, Itachi! Tell you what, you kill him, I'll clear out the body, okay?" she replied, hurting Sasuke's ears even more. "I don't even feel like finishing my mission right now."
"Ha! I knew it! You still love my brother!" Itachi yelled, getting up and dancing. "I don't want to kill my brother--I like my brother. He's cute, he's little, and he's..." He just barely had time to avoid one of Sasuke's punches. "Really pissed off at me!" Itachi yelled back to Sakura.
"How's that my problem? Tell him what happened. Maybe he'll forgive you! How are you not bleeding out of your ears?" Sakura asked.
"Earplugs from Deidara! He was so nice before I destroyed the Akatsuki," Itachi replied, making Sakura burst out laughing and forget to block Pein.
He hit straight for her throat and she let out a strangled scream. Sasuke froze and watched her go flying into the dirt, not far from where he stood watching. Did she really expect to win against Pein? Sakura was always Sakura--weak, but beautiful.
She was the type that was meant to be seen and protected, not fight and defend. If there were princes and princesses, Sasuke was sure Sakura would've been a princess. And if he was lucky he was the prince. Or the knight in shining armor.
The move was painful, and she again coughed up blood. But worse, it deactivated her onkyou, and she couldn't call out her kouseitan'i. She had to do it manually.
"Feeling tired?" Pein mocked, staring down at her. She couldn't even voice her comeback, and it was music to his ears. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? I guess you can't use your other skills. No more onkyou, no kouseitan'i. What a shame you won't even get to say goodbye."
Maybe I'll say goodbye someday, she shot to Pein telepathically, but I'm not saying goodbye to you. I don't care for Pein, and Nagato-niichan died before I got the chance to say it.
Pein froze, giving Sakura just enough time to fling herself up and kick Pein's groin, sending him flying backwards. She stood up shakily, and Pein looked at her with saucers for eyes. How was it she could control terepashi and not activate her kouseitan'i?
Kouseitan'i is the elements, she told him, scaring him into letting her punch him into a wall of rock. All I'm doing is using one element to activate the others. And since I can't use sound, I'm sure as hell using thought.
He fought back, slapping her next attack away and pushing her back. She flipped in the air and crossed her arms, uncrossing them to reveal two fans. She flapped them twice, then dropped them and stood. And suddenly she was airborne.
Itachi looked over to Sasuke. "Yo! Otouto, come take a seat. It's a good show to watch," he told him, smiling and patting the dirt next to him. "Just don't expect either of them to remember you're here. They're kind of into fighting right now. And you might need some earplugs."
Sasuke quirked and eyebrow and complied. He'd wait, and see if Itachi would reveal what happened during the massacre that made Sakura forgive him. Sakura seemed to, but she didn't forgive people easily.
Where to begin? Itachi thought.
It always helps to start at the beginning. Otherwise the ending doesn't make sense. Explain about Orochimaru, Sakura told him, scaring the shit out of the unsuspecting Uchiha. Sorry. I can hear everyone's thoughts when I use this one. He wants answers.
"You're too good for you're own good!" Itachi yelled at her.
Sasuke watched as his brother struggled for the words. Silently Juugo and Suigetsu slumped to his right, relaxed and in leisure. Karin was fidgeting, trying to get Sasuke to notice her.
Suigetsu had enough and yanked her arm, pulling her down next to him. "Stop it or I'm going to kill you."
Itachi smirked, while Sasuke hid his amusement in a scowl. "Sasuke. You have to know that I never meant you any harm. I never meant any of our family harm. But I...I was possessed."
Right, Sasuke thought, snorting.
No, he really was, Sakura told him, fending Pein off with a water attack, her fans long forgotten and dissolved again into the elements she had taken them from in the first place. He loves you Sasuke. He doesn't want to lie to you.
He rolled his eyes. That's as believable as you still loving me.
How did you know? Sakura asked through the mind, freezing. She just recomposed herself in time to block another of Pein's attacks with fire. Not even Naruto knows I still love you, and he and I share everything.
Even your lives?
Like marriage? No, you idiot! Naruto loves Hinata. He's always loved Hinata. Are you that dumb? When I drag you back to the village, ask anyone. I'm the ugly spinster and Naruto's the Great Hokage.
Sasuke froze. Naruto actually made Hokage? How did you use--
Later. I'm busy, and Itachi's apologizing.
"I refused, so he took me over and...well...I killed everyone. Sasuke, I didn't even know I was doing it, and I still feel guilty that I did it," Itachi finished, just as Sasuke tuned back into him.
Silence pursued and Juugo felt he could cut through the tension. Finally, Sasuke turned to his brother and smiled. "I forgive you."
Sakura was not fairing as well. Her chakra stores were large, but she could feel the tugs of exhaustion on her muscles, and the aches from where Pein struck her already. If she didn't get help soon, she'd pass out from it. And then Pein would kill her.
Itachi? Can I get some help from you and Sasuke? Please? she asked sweetly, making them both turn.
She was battered and bruised, almost making Sasuke gasp at the state she was in. While she no longer seemed like a princess, he didn't think she could ever look anything less than royal. It was always what attracted him to her--how pure and regal she looked, no matter what.
Itachi nodded and grasped the sword from its place on his hip, and started to swing it towards Pein. Itachi was able to cut his arm before Pein kicked him back and unconscious.
Sasuke looked at his brother, and then Sakura. His brother was so strong--even now, he was the strongest person he knew. But it took seconds to fall. Sakura had been at it for more than an hour now.
Was he really always so wrong? It was like she was stronger than Itachi, but he always called her weak. Which was it?
Sasuke was frozen, Sakura decided. She'd get no help from him. She was on her own. Not like she wasn't on her own, many times over the years, for the past few, on missions and in mind.
"What's the matter, Sakura? Not getting any help?" Pein taunted, smirking at the frozen Uchiha. "Such a shame when they one you love is so weak. You want to cover up their faults."
Sasuke looked at the man. He treated Sakura like she was dirt. Taunting her, fighting her. Didn't he know? Suddenly Sasuke felt like yelling at Pein, and he did.
Even if he wasn't the best choice to defend her, at least he'd have peace with himself for admitting he was wrong. Because he was, so many times.
"Don't you dare make fun of Sakura! She's stronger than you'll ever be, and she's twice the shinobi either of us will ever be because she loves people, even with their faults! And I love her!"
Pein took his gaze away from Sakura, and that's when she made her move. Using a ninjato, she yanked him up to a wall and pressed it right to Pein's jugular. "One move and I slice right through you."
"When did you get you voice back?" Pein asked, surprised.
"Awhile ago. I just didn't feel like using it. I was having fun listening to everyone's thoughts. Especially the pervy ones. Any last words?" she asked, digger it deeper towards his jugular.
"Shinjimae," he spat back.
"Nande sonna koto dekiru no?" she replied, slitting his throat and tearing his jugular. As he slumped onto her, she closed her eyes and hugged him. "Ippai ashiteruyo...Nagato-niichan. I guess this means...I guess this is...Sayonara. Zutto."
Sasuke closed his eyes and held back his own tears. This man...she knew him as a child. She had to. And she loved him. It was always hard to have to kill the ones you love. Even he couldn't do it. Speaking of which, Sasuke went back to haul Itachi back to Konoha.
"So, what's the plan, Sasuke?" Juugo asked.
"You're free to go wherever you want now. I appreciate you all helping me. Sometimes I feel like we've become close," he replied, smiling faintly as he high-fived the men. Then he bunched his eyebrows when he saw Karin go to hug Suigetsu. "Did you two finally get together and I didn't notice?"
"Yep," Suigetsu replied. "Just now."
"Juugo. You owe me cash. I won the bet!" Sasuke declared.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Konoha will be shocked to see the Uchiha both back. But I think they'd be honored if they have people like you three become residents," she offered, smiling at them. They seemed almost as close as Team Seven was back when Sasuke and Naru..."Oh crap!"
Sasuke looked at Sakura, waiting for her to elaborate, concern lancing through every nerve in his body. "Nani?"
"Hinata's baby was due this week. Naruto will kill me if she has to go through the childbirth without me. And if Hinata's in pain...Hell, I'll have Neji and a pregnant TenTen to face if that's the case."
Sasuke sighed. "Are all the female ninja in Konoha getting pregnant? And any reason in particular if they are?"
"Nope. Just the Rookie Nine and Gai's Team are getting kids. Shika and Ino, Chouji and his wife, Kiba and his girlfriend, even Shino and his fiancée. I'm probably the only virgin left in the Rookie Nine."
He smirked. "We can fix that. Besides, don't I count?"
Her jaw dropped and Sasuke used the distraction to kiss her. She tasted like blood, but at the same time completely innocent. She was still the princess he always thought she was. And maybe someday Sasuke could be her prince. He released her quickly and smiled.
"Aishiteruyo zutto ippai," Sakura breathed into him, smiling and hugging him.
Or maybe he was now. "Kekkon ishite kureru?" he asked.
Sakura gasped and smiling nodding. "Hai."
Itachi pried opened his eyes and smiled at the scene--his brother and Sakura were kissing--and getting married. Maybe it was too much to ask them to let him be the best man right now. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, only really mulling over how he'd find a better wife for himself.
"So, how much has Konoha changed?" Sasuke asked.
"Naruto's the hokage. Just guess how much," she replied soberly.
"Kami-sama. Please say there's more to eat than just ramen." Sakura remained silent and Sasuke moaned. "I don't want to eat ramen all the time!"
"Jodanyo!" she replied, smiling. "Not much has changed. Naruto just has his face on the mountain, and Konohamaru follows him everywhere to apprentice him. Naruto even has his own genin. He really didn't want to give that up."
"Kuso. I believed you!" Sasuke whined, smiling.
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to make up for it?" she asked.
Oh, their marriage was going to be a joy.
Okay. Phrases people will almost definitely not know, but I wanted to use anyways:
"Ibiki" : snoring
"Shinjimae" : go to hell
"Kono-yaro" : Screw you
"Nande sonna koto dekiru no" : How could you?
"Ippai Aishiteruyo" : I love you SO much
"Aishiteruyo zutto ippai" : I love you so much forever
"Zutto" : forever
"Kekkon ishite kureru" : will you marry me?
"Jodanyo" : just kidding