Luminescence

SeraphimLullaby

Full Summary:

Meeting in the heat of battle, two swordsmen develop a deadly attraction to one another. It's only natural to fight with each other when in love, right? It's not about what side they're on now. It's personal. (AU) ItaxSaku

A/N:

This is a revised chapter, so welcome and enjoy yourself new readers and previous readers (if you are bothering to read this again) I hope you enjoy this as well. I changed things around a bit because they weren't to my liking. Oh well…on with the story!

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything other the plot and any OCs that might be placed in this story.

Chapter One

Changing Seasons

Change hung heavy in the air. It tended to creep up on everything in its path and take no prisoners. The green on trees began to brown, turning the leaves into an assortment of colors and the warm air became cooler with each passing day.

All of the animals began to make any necessary preparations in order to survive what nature would be throwing at them in a month or so. Though access to crops were becoming difficult, it didn't damper the peoples' spirits. Even though hardship would be brought, joy would follow it as well.

Sad to say it's not always that simple.

Those who had no home would not be able to enjoy the holidays seeing as they would constantly have to find sustenance and warmth this time of the year. Though the world is beautiful, it can be rather ugly as well. People just like to bring out the worst in mankind sometimes, especially troublemakers.

Clad in an elaborate emerald kimono with twin blades strapped to her back, young Haruno Sakura drifted off into a world of her own. Surrounded by her trustworthy comrades and friends, the pink-haired girl found this to be one of those rare times where she would be able to just zone out and relax. Their last mission had been rather successful and they were rewarded quite handsomely for the effort that was put into the task.

Today, a festival was taking place.

Why? Sakura had no idea nor did she really care. They just happened to be invited and Naruto decided that it would be good to accept the offer to unwind a bit. He claimed that they hadn't taken time off in a while and he was feeling "stressed" from all the work they had been doing. Sakura often wondered if he even understood the meaning of stress but knew damn well that the blond was certainly under pressure constantly.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul.

Sometimes, whenever she looked into his eyes, she felt immense sorrow. She was one of the few who took the time to understand what he went through as a child and quite frankly, she always wanted to look out for him after she listened to his tale. Not out of pity, but because she genuinely cared about him.

No human being should be treated with disrespect.

Aside from this thought, exhaustion finally seeped into the youth's body as the events of late finally took its toll on her petite body.

She decided that she would enjoy today's festivities, for Naruto's sake. She knew Kakashi could care less. As long as he wouldn't have to interact with others and have time to himself, everything would be fine. Besides, who wouldn't mind a little time off? Still though, something told Sakura that Kakashi allowed them to stay here for another reason as well…although she couldn't put her finger on it yet.

For quite sometime now, she noticed the change in just about everything herself. It wasn't like she was opposed to such a thing, it was actually nice and almost refreshing, but she wasn't so sure if it was for the better or worse. That was what she was truly worried about.

She also noticed that Keisuke, her other fairly new comrade was acting a bit…off, almost nervous and jumpy. During the short time she got to know him, he was one of those people who normally kept calm and acted accordingly to the situation. She briefly wondered if he was uncomfortable with the idea of being surrounded by people.

No…he was an outgoing person and that was for sure. He was always able to charm the ladies and had a way with words. At one point, Sakura herself was almost swayed by him. He wasn't that good though… she thought while scrunching her nose in memory of it. At least that black eye I gave him will make him think twice before pulling a fast one on me…

Maybe he was excited? Whatever the case, she wouldn't dwell on it too long. She never really took to the brunette entirely anyways. He was mysterious and sometimes acted far too "naïve". Which really did bother her. Sakura found that she couldn't trust him quite as well as the other two. Maybe it was because he replaced Sasuke…

Sighing, Sakura remembered what it was like the day her and Naruto found out he vanished from their lives, merely leaving his bandana with the village symbol on it behind for them to find. They searched for him for awhile but were told to give up on the young man. With much reluctance, they did so, but not because they wanted to.

Stop it Sakura.

It was over and done with, and she decided that she wouldn't dwell on the past either. Not at a time like this. It wouldn't be fair to Naruto.

Only one more day until they would arrive home…

Sakura actually anticipated returning to the village. They had been out for months trying to find and eliminate some rebel group who were causing quite a ruckus in some neighboring villages. It seemed they were after something very important, why else would they attack specific villages? Though the team hadn't been able to locate them yet, that didn't stop Naruto from remaining optimistic.

Sarutobi, the head honcho of her hometown, sent them out to take care of the problem so that they wouldn't bring any trouble to Konoha. Trouble was the last thing everyone needed to worry about especially since they were already on the brink of war with the village Sound.

With a sigh, the youth tilted her head to the side and stopped thinking. She was beginning to get a headache. Suddenly, she tensed up. Noticing that her group was nowhere in sight, or around her for that matter, the girl inwardly cursed. How long had she been spaced out? Doing a quick scan of the area, the pinkette frowned. Should she stop? Or should she continue looking and get even more lost than she already was?

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a mysterious person completely dressed in dark attire, dancing about whilst waving a beautiful sword around in the air. The crowd that gathered around him (she assumed the person was male judging by the figure) seemed to be captivated as he swung the blade with ease and precision, as if he were dancing with it.

At this, Sakura felt re-energized and couldn't help but wander over to observe the talent the performer was exerting, each and every move made so powerful yet beautiful and graceful at the same time. As he traveled around the circle, amazing each and every person for at least a couple of seconds, he seemed to linger a bit longer when he came in front of her.

He was wearing a mask in what appeared to be the shape of a weasel (Sakura was pretty sure that's what the animal was called), but despite that it covered the face, she still managed to get a good look at his eyes.

Sakura felt chills run through her body. Those eyes were as captivating as his dance but what shook Sakura to the core was the amount emotion she saw flickering within those dull irises (which was nothing, she noted). Though his dance was passionate, his eyes were not. This made the girl wonder whether he enjoyed what he was doing or not.

He made another lap the opposite way this time and when he came back to her, he circled her slowly, as if she were prey. He was so close, she could almost hear his heart beat, but despite his closeness, he did not touch her at all. Before he left her to go to circle someone else, she felt him brush against her. Whether it was on purpose or by accident, she felt…uneasy upon contact. Growing tense, the female narrowed her emerald hues slightly.

There was something about this guy... she could sense and feel it the moment he brushed against her. Just what was he playing at?

Before she could ponder this any longer, a loud crash rang throughout the area causing people to freeze in their tracks and search for the cause of commotion. It was then that Sakura became serious. She automatically assumed it was another case of thievery judging by the person running away from the scene. Though theft was common in most places, especially her hometown, it still upset her and gave her no choice but to hurry over to the site before the culprit could get away unscathed.

"Damn…" she muttered under her breath as she noticed people beginning to panic and get angry. Where was Naruto, Keisuke, and Kakashi? A lone thief she could handle, but a mob of upset people was more than a handful. Not to mention irritating and troublesome.

Reaching behind her to pull out a sword, she began to run the moment she spotted the thief. He seemed to be weaving in and out of stalls, giving Sakura a little bit of trouble as she pursued him. After all, it was not that easy to run in a kimono. He turned his head to look behind him and realized that Sakura was gaining on him so he pushed an unsuspecting girl into Sakura's path, scaring the poor innocent bystander to death.

Catching the girl successfully without tripping, the pink-haired swordsman managed to set her straight before taking off once more. At the last second, when Sakura thought she would lose the thief, the mysterious performer from earlier appeared out of nowhere and struck the thief down, causing the bags of money in his possession to land in front of the masked stranger.

As the thief scrambled to his feet, Sakura opened her mouth to say something but was cut short as a crowd came charging out from the right, screaming something incomprehensible as they wielded weapons. They would deal with him. Turning back to the male before her, she caught sight of his sword handle and she suddenly realized something. There was a little red cloud embedded in it and that symbol was infamous in it's own way.

Akatsuki…

Sakura scowled at the realization and proceeded to charge at him, sword ready to draw blood. Almost as if he read her mind, the male readied himself for battle as he raised his own blade, which was sheathed. In under a second, their blades met as well as their eyes.

One would usually hold some sort of emotion but this man was something else. His eyes never betrayed him once as he remained emotionless, proceeding to fuel Sakura's frustration and anger further. Pushing against her opponent with one arm, she used her free one and flicked her wrist, the movement bringing forth another set of steel from the depths of her kimono sleeve.

Her opponent seemed to anticipate something like this for he kicked up the bag of money in front of him accurately to intercept the dagger from wounding him. Gold coins flew everywhere and it was as if time slowed down for them. Amidst the raining coins, she witnessed a flash of amusement in her opponent's eyes and this only made her angrier. This was all a game to him! Time became normal once more and the soft thumping of the gold coins could be heard as the crowd's shouts fell silent.

Deciding to finally push against the petite female, the masked male pulled something out of his cloak-like attire before throwing it to the ground, getting the desired effect as a bright light snapped to life.

This seemed to catch Sakura off guard as she leapt back, momentarily blinded from the unexpected burst of light. She figured this wasn't going to be easy, considering that this man was Akatsuki.

The male was already on the run the moment she jumped back. With a feral snarl, the pinkette mentally cursed the male for the dirty trick he pulled but thought about what she did only moments before. Sometimes under certain circumstances, there was no such thing as honor.

Running in the direction she assumed he ran off in, the girl barely made it past the rabid crowd of people as they fought with one another to get to the money. During this confusion, Naruto, Keisuke, and Kakashi appeared only to find that Sakura had already run off on her own, catching sight of her back as she did so.

"Where is Sakura-chan going?!" Naruto called out to his comrades.

"I don't know but we better catch up as soon as we finish taking care of this situation. Keisuke!" Kakashi replied and managed to avoid a few more people running to get to the money.

With a nod, the male darted off in the direction he saw Sakura run.

It was quiet. Aside from Sakura's light breathing, things seemed too…tranquil. The houses around her stood tall and nearly intimidating because of the danger that they brought. For all she knew, he could be ready to jump her, and she wouldn't know where he was coming from. She strained her ears to listen for any sound, hoping that the male would make some sort of noise and give her the chance to locate him.

He did go this way...right?

Focusing on the task at hand, she proceeded to stay alert and get in tune with her senses. She knew he was around here…she could feel him. Hearing something rustle, she automatically turned and found herself peering into the eyeholes of the stranger's mask. Feeling her breath catch in her throat, the youth narrowed her eyes and attempted to lift her sword only to have it knocked out of her hand.

The stranger tilted his head and stared her in the eye intently, thus making the petite girl nearly squirm under his gaze. This was the first time Sakura feared for her life. Any other time, she openly embraced the danger of battle but now, just looking into those eyes, she felt pure terror, something she hadn't felt in so long. Hearing some strange sounds coming from somewhere, the girl, to her horror, realized it was her making those strange sounds.

Pull yourself together Sakura…!!

Shaking her head, she hardened her gaze once more and raised her knee swiftly, connecting it with his midsection. Though it didn't hurt him, the action surprised him and made him stop whatever it was he was going to do to her (which couldn't have been good, she thought with a mental shudder).

Sakura felt satisfaction from the payback and proud that she got herself out of his grasp. Quickly diving for her blade and rolling to her feet once she got a hold of it, she turned back to him only to find he was running away again.

Oh no you don't…stay still…!! She thought as she got up to run after him once more.

"Sakura-san!"

Upon hearing Keisuke, she became distracted and averted her gaze to look back at the brunette.

Big mistake.

The moment she did and looked forward once more, her opponent was gone. Stopping abruptly, Keisuke a few feet behind her, she began to shake.

"DAMMIT!" the pinkette yelled as she threw her sword onto the ground. Though the game of cat and mouse they played was short and even, Sakura had to admit that what happened was actually exciting. Aside from the fact that she was terrified only moments before Keisuke arrived, she found that fighting with that masked stranger was…invigorating. She didn't even feel tired anymore but an adrenaline rush like no other.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself after a few moments. Regaining her posture fairly quickly after sheathing her sword once more, the girl seemed to be back to normal causing Keisuke to feel slightly disturbed in a way. When Sakura was angry, she stayed angry for a while. After all, he was once on the receiving end of her temper… which wasn't pretty to sum it up. To see her calm down so fast…was abnormal to the brunette.

"Keisuke-san."

Shaking his head and snapping to attention, the male looked to her for orders.

"Let's go find Naruto and Kakashi."

Merely nodding in response, he followed her without hesitation. She may be strange, but she was strong. He had to give her that much credit.

"Sakura-chan! Are you okay?"

The pinkette couldn't help but smile upon the blonde's loud greeting. He was pretty annoying sometimes but he always made her feel warm and welcome. Immediately engulfed in a breath-taking hug (literally) the youth let out a squeak as she felt all the air being pushed out of her body.

"C-Can't breaf Naru-kun…"

Letting her go instantly followed by a string of apologies, Sakura smiled. That was Naruto alright…

"Report."

And then…there was Kakashi.

"I regret to inform you that the enemy escaped."

At this, his visible brow raised. For a moment, the girl cursed the mask that covered his face.

"Escaped?"

To him, this was news. Sakura was always successful. To hear that the enemy slipped out of her sight and away from her blade…

"Yes. I also want to inform you that he was an Akatsuki."

His eye narrowed.

"Is this true Keisuke?"

Although…I have no reason to doubt Sakura-chan's words… Kakashi thought to himself.

Jumping at having his name called, the brunette offered the silver-haired man a nervous smile.

"I arrived after he escaped sir…"

Sighing softly, he shook his head.

"Understandable. Do not let the enemy escape next time Sakura-chan."

"Understood."

"By chance...did he seem to be looking for something?"

Sakura tilted her head as she tried to recall anything of the sort.

"No...why?"

"Just curious..."

With a frown, Sakura wondered why Kakashi asked that. Now she knew there was a reason for stopping here.

"Kakashi-san...?"

"Hm...?"

"Are we here for any particular reason? Is there something you aren't telling us?"

"Now now...what makes you think that Sakura-chan?"

The look in his eye told her that this discussion was over. Dropping the conversation for now, Sakura kept in mind that interrogating him later would be a good idea... she hated being left in the dark. She also thought that it was dangerous not having any idea of what was going on. There was a reason they were placed in a team…so they could work together.

Brushing this off, she settled for what she planned. Kakashi would give her answers, and she would see to it. She couldn't afford to have Naruto, Keisuke, and herself in danger because their leader failed to inform them.

"As for you Naruto…I'm baffled as to why you dived in there with all those people! It's not like you are poor and it's highly degrading…"

"But Kakashi! I am poor! You spent my money on your damn porn without asking me you selfish bastard!"

Tuning her arguing comrades out, the pinkette turned her attention elsewhere.

His eyes…so beautiful yet dangerous… she thought to herself.

Feeling the strange and creepy sensation of being watched, Sakura quickly rotated her body but to her dismay and relief, saw nothing among the trees or rooftops.

You won't escape next time…I'll see to it that you don't…

Chapter One- End

There you have it. Chapter one. Please review and let me know if you like this or not. This idea was just swimming around in my head and I am seriously dying to hear what you reader's have to say about it! So please please please review! And I will know how many of you are reading! You lazy bastards! Share your thoughts with me! Please!

Next time on Luminescence!

Chapter Two- This Mysterious Feeling

A girl...? He thought to himself as he managed to cut the front of his opponent's shirt along with their shoulder. This whole time, the girl was binding her chest and disguising herself as a male. Noting the fiery look in her eyes as well as the slight sting in his left thigh, he felt himself going to a new level of a turn on. Wait… a turn on?

No one, especially a girl, had ever landed a blow on him in such a long time. Actually, a girl was never able to wound him. Physically at least. Look's like things are going to get a little rough here, he thought and waited for her next move…

Revised 6.25.2008