Aftershock
By: dolce bebe
Disclaimer: I wish I owned them, sadly I do not =(Summary: Sakura wondered how on earth Itachi had suddenly become interesting. Ita/Saku
A/N: Yet another Sakura gets abducted by Akatsuki. Not sure if this story is considered AU, but it does take place four years later after Sakura and Chiyo defeat Sasori. If I'm missing anything, please let me know. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Atop the happily, chirping birds nestled between one another in their straw filled nests, the two sung their lovely tune, all the while unaware of the growing danger as a figure swept past, landing just on the branches a few feet away. They took to the skies as the bark from the tree swayed against the intruder's force and watched angrily, praying that their beloved eggs would not be harmed in the process. In an attempt to ward off their enemy they came swooping down, wings spread wildly, tiny claws and beaks outstretched to attack.
"Wha-Get off me!"
Grumbling to herself, the girl swung her arms about to distract her two flying assailants and frantically lowered herself to the soft moss at the grounds below. She took the bottom of her lip in between her teeth and clenched her fists tightly by her side, her back firmly steadied by the tall bark and moulding herself to hide.
Within a few seconds, two figures swept past in all but a blur and practically invisible to the naked eye. But the girl knew as she hid, that if she were to be found death would surely be inevitable. Still, she remained hidden as they passed in a quick haste, not noticing the speck of pink hair hidden between luscious bushes.
The girl made herself noticed moments later, limping with her right leg as she appeared into the clearing. She grimly stared into the emptiness of the path her two suitors had disappeared to. At the utter silence that drifted in the next few minutes, she finally slumped to the ground, chakra drained and used.
She could rarely smell the scent of wild grass as her face tilted towards one side. In her state she lay motionless, knowing that in her condition and only small bits of chakra forcing between her fingers to her abdomen would not be enough to completely cure her injuries. Infection had to be dealt with firstly, and then she knew that simple bandages and rest would do her more good than nothing.
Suddenly the girl stiffened, emerald green eyes swirled wide with fright as soft footsteps marred the earth. Trying with all her might to leap away, the girl only managed to turn her head. She was met with a pair of deep blue eyes and wild blonde hair, but it wasn't his smirking facial expression that had her suddenly shaking. It was his garb. The black cloak that consumed the man was rimmed in dark-red, cloud like patterns.
"Found you," the blonde said with a chuckle and behind him, several other footsteps neared.
She shouldn't have passed out-should not have succumbed to her injuries and remained helpless as they dragged her away, but the girl could not help herself. She groaned, a painful sound emitting from her dried, chapped lips and sat up clutching her abdomen. The bandages under her light touch, made her grimace. What was the point of bandaging her up when they would eventually kill her off in the end anyhow?
Growling under her breath, she watched as the soft, green glow of her chakra engulfed her mid torso, the warm sensation bringing another moan to her lips. She closed her eyes gently, feeling the purr of flowing energy work to establish a slow, but prominent healing process.
"So it's true."
At the low voice, the girl's head snapped up. A figure stepped forth from the shadows of the dimly, lit room, making his appearance. He was clad in the same black robes with the unimportant, red patterns, and regarded the girl sitting upon the beds with swirling, crimson eyes.
She was on her feet within seconds, ignoring the pains from her strained body as she swung at him, fists flying in the air. He dodged her effortlessly, his speed so quick that he seemed to be materializing from one area to another. The girl held nothing back and with a cry of persistence she swung again, this time her fist connecting with the wooden floorings. It gave a sickening crack, causing the whole place to shake and the boards to collide to the farthest walls. But the man evaded once again, and before she could retaliate, he had appeared behind her.
"Your attempts are futile, kunoichi," he said lowly.
The pink haired girl whirled to face him, her eyes glued firmly to his neck and avoiding his gaze. "What do you want from me?" she spoke, her voice hard and demanding as she ignored her own panting.
He remained silent, face emotionless and utterly stoic, causing the girl to lose her temper all the more.
"Don't toy with me, Uchiha," she hissed. "If you're going to kill me, do it now and stop this façade. It doesn't suit you."
It seemed like hours before he let out a reply, his voice far from what she imagined. "Oh?" he started. "And what do you think you know about me, Haruno, Sakura?"
She inwardly winced at the low tone he used to call out her identity. "-That you're a cold blooded murderer!" she snarled at him, and again she refused to meet his eyes. She'd rather he end her life in one swift move and not bare the torture of his Mangekyou.
"Is that so?" he replied.
Flashing green eyes met his neck again, and Sakura pondered for a moment if she had enough agility and speed to at least knock him on that flawless neck of his and take his head off, but he seemed way to wary of her movements.
"What do you want from me?" she asked again. "If you think that Naruto will come for me, you're in for some bad luck." She huffed and turned to the side, her pink hair swaying. "I'm supposed to be on a three week mission. They wouldn't know something's amidst, so you can shove that pathetic idea you have if you think you can lure him to you just like that!"
He remained unfazed. "The Kyuubi can wait," he started. "It's you that I want."
Her head snapped up to look at him, their eyes finally meeting. A deep string of hard emotions raced through her, the familiarity of his glowing orbs taking her in. Her heart clenched painfully upon realizing that his was not the man that she longed to see, and punished herself once more by attacking him. Perhaps she sought out her own death, she didn't really know at the moment, but she hated their similarities. The fact alone and the monstrosity that he had committed in his past was enough to send her into fits of rage. Everything was his fault.
Snarling with grief she lunged, but he was faster and twisted her arm whirling her around, back now pressing against his chest, and her arm caught in his deadly grip. Sakura struggled against him, but the dark haired Uchiha merely responded by whispering in her ear.
"It is up to you whether you wish to cooperate or not. You're actions are becoming tiresome," he drawled lazily. "If you do not participate, there are other methods to keep you silent."
She stiffened against his warning when the door burst open and the same blonde haired fellow marched up to them. He tilted his head to the side as if regarding the situation somewhat amusing.
"What's taking so long, yeah?" he asked. "All the noise is attracting unwanted attention. Kisame thinks we should move." He nodded his head towards the girl and she shot a quick glare at him.
"Leave," came Itachi's low reply. He gave the blonde a narrowed stare.
The Akatsuki member nodded, but Sakura noted the roll in his eyes as he turned and headed out the door once again. Her brows knitted together. What was his name again? So far all she could conclude was that he was the clay user that had meddled in the attack against Sunakagure with his deadly explosions. She frowned at the thought.
"Let me go," she said stiffly. "I'm not-" When she was released abruptly, the girl nearly tripped over her own two feet. At once stabling herself, she turned halfway to meet him. "I wont be used for some sort of sick entertainment," she spat.
"Hn."
"And I sure as hell won't go down quietly," she finished seething.
"Your ranting is bothersome," Itachi said and moved past her towards the door. He inclined his head towards her, a delicate eyebrow twitching in mild irritation. "You are here for one purpose and one purpose only." He stopped to make sure she was listening. He was not the type to repeat himself. "Your healing capabilities are what we have sought you out for, not your body…if that consoles you." Sakura's eyes widened and he continued. "You will stay with us for as long as we see fit. If you are as great of a medic-nin as they say, there is no point in killing you… at least, not for the moment."
With that he headed out, half expecting her to follow him, and the other half not quite caring what she did as long as she stayed within their presence.
Momentarily the girl pondered his orders, her fists clenched to her side and eyes glaring at the empty doorway. It was true that her blonde team mate knew of her mission, but she rather didn't plan that she would get abducted, and as proud as she was, the pink haired kunoichi deemed it ill fated that she wished them to rescue her.
Sasori, the puppet user had been more than enough for her to handle in the past four years, but a whole row of Akatsuki members, plus their glorified, red eyed leader would be too much for her to take on. Frankly, Sakura was surprised that she had lived through the whole ordeal of insulting the Uchiha prodigy, much less attacking him, and lived to…ponder about it?
Her lips twisted in concentration. So they needed her to heal them? She noticed that the Uchiha hadn't been harmed in any way, the blonde snickering fool was obviously still alive and kicking, and judging by the way the blue skinned fellow aimed his sword earlier at her, she guessed that he was in great shape as well. The girl grumbled under her breath. Healing any member of their organization would be called treason to Konoha, and she would rather be torn apart by them than have any lingering thoughts on betrayal.
She needed a plan.
She needed to come up with another option besides using her fists. Perhaps she could delay them? It was clear that for now whom ever was hurt would not be making an appearance, and if what the blonde said was true and they indeed needed to 'move' as he put it, then they would need to travel. She knew that with their speed and Itachi's sharingan that there was no use in outrunning them, but if she found a way to delay them, perhaps Konoha would be able to sense that she had not arrived in the withering, old man's home in Suna and send out a team of shinobi to collect her.
The other plan was of course a suicide attack. She could force them to kill her if she thought necessary. It wasn't exactly too hard to rile them up. Itachi would be difficult as he showed little emotion and only mild irritation, but the others could give an entirely difference performance. She shrunk at the thought. He seemed far more powerful than the other members, so perhaps they would have to put up with her rough attitude rather than oppose the red eyed Uchiha.
So far, those were the only two she could come up with, not that it helped the sinking feeling in her chest, but as her feet moved against the flooring and out into the silent hallway, she decided that being civil would be the only way for them to remain calm and not torture her. Then she would escalate her plan.
Smirking to herself, Sakura made her way down the steps. Below she could hear a faint conversation, one that stopped abruptly when she neared.
They turned to look at her, much to her dismay. There were four, one she hadn't seen before who was sitting nearest her way with an orange, swirled mask covering his face-The rest she recognized with utter disgust. Itachi stood leaning against a wall, his eyes far off, the blonde clay user had stopped his rambling and turned to stare, one leg propped up against the tip of the table, and the blue skinned sword carrier sat, a cup seated between his fingers.
"Well look who decided to grace us with her presence, yeah?" the blonde smirked and gave the table a soft nudge with his foot, sending his masked comrade at the other end tumbling to the floor with a screech.
The others made no move to acknowledge him.
"Deidara-senpai!" the odd one squealed. "That hurt. Tobi is hurt and you caused Kisame-san's liquor to spill!"
The blonde's eyes narrowed and then he snapped out of his glare and instead opted to rolling his eyes. He turned back to her smirking. "Well now that our little guest is awake we should get going, yeah?" He inclined his head towards Itachi who remained silent.
"But Tobi is hurt. Tobi is fragile, and Deidara-senpai should be very careful next time he decides to kick anymore furniture. Tobi is a good boy," the masked person was met with another glare.
"Next time move then!" Deidara retorted.
"But I was only resting-"
"So?"
If Sakura hadn't been so consumed with her deathly glare towards the uncaring Uchiha, her eyebrows would probably have shot up, but instead she kept her face void of amusement. They had been staring now for a few minutes since the argument arose, neither saying a word. His silence was only edging her forth. She wanted to drive a kunai into his gut. She wanted to bleed him out-to make him pay- She wanted to-
"We leave," he suddenly interrupted and pushed away from the position with ease.
The two bickering fools stopped their quarrel, the blonde nodding and the masked member with his head low. The strangely coloured sword wielder known as Hoshigaki, Kisame, stood from his seat, sword slung over his shoulder as he took one last gulp of his drink. He gave a loud exhale as if in deep doubt whether he should leave the cup on the table or bring it with him.
"Don't worry Kisame," Deidara announced, patting their tallest member on the back. "We'll get you more sake along the way."
Sakura scrunched her nose at this, the scent of alcohol drifting to her senses. As the four made to leave, she frowned noticing the slumped form of the inn keeper by the bar counter. Blood adorned his clothing, eyes wide with fright and a gaping hole in his centre. She turned to them suddenly furious. "What did you do to him?" she demanded. The four stopped, with only Deidara and Tobi turning to glance at her. "You didn't have to kill him!"
Deidara raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing, and with that Itachi continued his way and paying no mind to the outburst. The others followed not a moment sooner.
The pink haired kunoichi gave a frustrated cry, stomping after them. "Uchiha!" she growled, fists curled at her side, her face red and flustered. "I'm asking you a question!"
The oddly, masked fellow let out a frightened squeal, waving his arms about in alarm, but Sakura ignored him, instead focusing her glare at the back of her target's head. Deidara suddenly appeared by her side, a bewildered expression on his face. He blinked at her for a few seconds and then to her astonishment he burst into fits of laughter. His chuckling attracted the other two members. Kisame turned back annoyed, and their crimson eyed leader shot her a horrible glare.
The blonde clutched his chest, trying to contain his amusement. "Oi, Itachi," he started, a glint in his eye. "Is this girl serious, yeah?" He turned to her suddenly finding her glare sported on himself instead. "Hey girly," he said. "You know who you're talking to? We're Akatsuki. We don't need to explain ourselves… yeah."
Piercing green eyes narrowed. "I wasn't talking to you," she spat.
Tobi wailed louder at the clay user's shocked expression.
"Looks like this one's got a mouth on her," Kisame grinned wearily at his partner.
So far the Uchiha prodigy hadn't uttered a single word, but with his eyes flashing dangerously, they already knew the answer and kept silent. Deidara marched angrily to stand beside his blue skinned comrade, grumbling in the process about blowing her arms into pieces. He crossed his own over his chest in a huff and gave her his back.
"Well if you're all done," Sakura stated, glancing at Tobi's wild form. "Do you honestly believe I'll let you drag me with you without some sort of fight? I'll have you know that-Ah!"
Before the girl knew it she was thrown over the other shoulder of Kisame, her face nearly connecting with the bandaged sword he had slung over his other side and her bottom and legs by his front. She felt her cheeks redden and she angrily knocked him with her fists, shouting obscenities. "What did you do to my chakra!" she shouted, finding her punches light and feminine.
"Quiet, girl," Kisame grumbled, "or my Samehada will go through your neck if you're not careful."
Sakura froze. 'So his sword can drain chakra-?' she thought solemnly.
They marched forward, with Deidara and Tobi near the front, Kisame and herself in the middle and Itachi trailing behind. Honestly, the pink haired medic-nin always thought him to be as the alpha in their little pact. Shouldn't that place him in front? Unless… The girl glared at him as he followed not too far behind-Unless the murderous wretch was watching her on purpose. She almost rolled her eyes at the thought. She absolutely had no chakra left to spare besides the few that kept her conscious. Secondly, Kisame practically had a death grip around her waist, there were the two oddities in the front, and as irritating as they were, they were probably still strong enough to disintegrate her into nothingness. So what in hell was he so damned worried about?
She huffed, crossing her arms and leaning them against the missing-nin's back. "Is this really necessary?" her question was directed at man who held her, but her glare aimed at the Uchiha who simply gave her a blank stare. "I do have legs you know."
Tobi appeared by her side jogging. "Haruno-san might escape, Tobi knows. Kisame-san is very, very thoughtful in carrying you, I'm sure he is!" he chirped.
A low rumble emitted from her captor's chest, and Sakura glared at the strange Akatsuki member.
"Oh I'm sure he is," she retorted.
"Be silent."
She shot her gaze towards the sharingan user, surprised at his intrusion. Kisame had stopped moving, waiting as his partner made his way to stand just in front of the kunoichi. His expression was void, but his eyes were flashing in mild irritation, his brows together. Without another word he reached out and tangled his fingers in her pink locks, causing Sakura to lifted her head to face him.
"Do not try my patience," he said, and gave her hair a slight squeeze. The girl jerked back, all the more pulling her hair, which remained firmly in his grasp. "If you think your behaviour will be tolerated, then you are mistaken." He dropped her head, his hand still lingering in mid air for a few moments before it disappeared in his robe.
Sakura clenched her teeth meeting his gaze. She paused. "Fuck you."
The pink hair medic-nin woke up with a start. She scanned her area roughly, noticing the pulled back curtains and dark mass of the room. She exited the bed, heaving in anger. Her neck throbbed and judging by the soreness and the odd pressure she guessed that the bastard had knocked her out. Her look soured. She was alone, but that did not mean that they were not outside simply waiting for her. Sakura clenched her fists. Her chakra had not returned, she noted, and delaying them as a part of her plan A, had not exactly fallen into place. She groaned in frustration, slipping near the windows.
They were in a secluded village, the silent rooftops and dark windows suggested as much that it was either late at night, or early in the morning. Frankly, the girl had no idea where they had stopped. Did these villagers really welcome such monsters? It was unlikely, and the petite kunoichi nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Of course no one would bother. With the robes that they wore, they were practically announcing their identities as the Akatsuki and no shinobi would even think to attack them let alone chase them out of the village. It would have been suicide.
She left a soft growl escape her lips, as her hands found their way to her stomach. It was still quite painful, and the way Kisame had carried her with her stomach set on his boney shoulder hadn't exactly helped her recovery. Not that they cared of course. The girl staggered towards the door, a sudden wave of nausea hitting her. Without her chakra, the process of healing her injury would take a fairly long period, that, and she hadn't had anything to eat to regain any bits of her strength since the day before her capture. Akatsuki or no Akatsuki. Damn that Itachi. They could knock her out, torture her and pull her hair out as many times as they'd like, but she sure wasn't going to starve to death! If they had some use for her, they had better well feed her.
Trying to ignore the grumbling in her stomach, the girl made her way down the silent hall. Her room it seemed, was at the very end, the hall itself narrow and eerie, her steps creaking even as she tried with all her might to keep silent. Her eyes scanned around warily. Either the pronounced missing-nins were extremely dense to not sense her, or they simply didn't care and thought her useless. Sakura didn't know which was worse. But the girl got her answer, because just down the stairs and seated to a corner table, was the person she least wanted to see. She attempted a huff, but it came out as a strange croak, her throat dry. She would have been embarrassed if his eyes hadn't been closed, as he sipped his drink.
Feeling reckless, she stuck her tongue out at him as she wandered around the deserted resting area. Paling slightly, the kunoichi wondered if the inn keeper here had been slaughtered as well. She shot a glare towards the brooding Uchiha who sat comfortably in his wooden chair. He was finally regarding her with cold, red eyes.
She noticed a bowl placed in the centre table and immediately the smell of ramen filled her nostrils. Her stomach gave a loud rumble, and Sakura prayed that the stoic bastard hadn't heard. As if she could live with enough embarrassment. He simply wished to torture her. Well, she wasn't about to ask to share, if that's what he wanted from her.
"Eat."
Her eyes narrowed at his low tone, but her feet disobeyed her by more than happily trotting to other end of the table. She kept her eyes on him, noting that he once again had his eyes closed as he sipped his tea, then peered at the bowl in front of her. Her pride forbade her to have a taste. It would be fraternizing with the enemy, a traitorous move against Konoha. No, she couldn't possibly.
Itachi's eyes flew open suddenly at another low grumbling of her stomach. She saw his eyebrow lift up, amused and he leaned back against his seat.
"What?" she managed, not sure if she was thankful of the dim lighting that hid her blush. She supposed that he knew anyhow. He kept his sharingan promptly on every time she saw him. Not that it mattered anymore.
His eyes narrowed at her rudeness. "Eat," he said again.
She gave him a hard stare before turning her face to the side, a frown placed firmly on her lips.
"Cease this childish behaviour," Itachi said, crimson eyes swimming. "If you do not eat, I will make you."
"Don't think you can threaten me," Sakura seethed, her eyes once again finding his. "I'm not hungry, and even if I was, I wouldn't eat anything that you've touched."
Placing the tea filled cup at nearly the edge of the table, he now focused his full attention towards her, causing the girl to stiffen. "It is not poisoned. If I wanted you dead, you would have been a while back. I do not show mercy upon my enemies," he stated rather bluntly.
"So I've heard," she replied coolly, trying hard to push back the clear visions of what his Mangekyou was fully capable of.
"Then eat. I will not repeat myself again."
A low growl emitted from the pink haired girl's chest, settling herself down upon the backless chair. She grabbed the bowl harshly, ignoring the slight sting of the boiling water as it seeped from the rim and ran down her fingers. She refused to show weakness, even if she was as defenceless as a newborn.
The contents of food seemed fairly passable. Though she could not be entirely certain that it was not indeed poisoned as he claimed. And so she brought her face closer, taking a huge whiff. She was experienced with poison, whether it was infused into a weapon or food, she would know. And fortunately for her, the ramen didn't seem contaminated. Actually upon further contemplating, she'd rather have it poisoned so she could throw it back in his face and scream out that he was a despicable liar.
"Satisfied?" he murmured.
She shot him a quick glare, picking up the chopsticks in a hurry and burying herself in the bowl's contents. Frankly, she could care less if she showed him any manners. She was starved, tired and chakra deprived. It was true that she would have rather died than touch anything that he prepared for her, but that was plan B. If she could execute plan A without having to kill herself off, then it would benefit her more. Plus, she was well aware that his threats on forcing her to eat was truthful. Whether he meant it by physical force, or by his sharingan, she didn't know, but the thought of his murderous hands on her was not something she'd take down lightly. She'd rather not end up getting knocked out again.
So she ate feverishly, her eyes darting from her meal to the devil in front of her every few seconds until she had consumed the entire bowl. Slouching in her seat almost dreamily, she sighed in relief. "Don't you have something better to do than stare at me? It's rude, you know," she said without thinking.
His bored expression remained. "Hn."
"You know that I'll never consent to helping you heal whom ever black hearted comrade you have in mind, right? What exactly is the point in all of this?" Sakura asked. Honestly she was quite furious and damned well confused. They knew that they'd have a better chance of obtaining another experienced medic that would succumb to their threats and gladly help them rather than her who could barely stand to be in the same room as any one of them. "I'm not stupid. I know that you have something that you can use against me. So what is it? It's Naruto, am I correct?"
Itachi closed his eyes briefly. "You are smarter than I originally believed you to be," he started. "It's true that based on our observations we've noticed that the kyuubi is rather taken with you, and you with him." He noted that her breathing quickened at this. "And although we do plan on extracting the kyuubi, there are always ways to… prolong his agony during the process."
She let out a small gasp at this, her hands curling along the fabric of her shorts. "D-Don't you dare-"
He cast her another blank look. "Again, I've thought you clever, so I'm sure you understand the circumstances if you do not wish to cooperate." The cup tilted in between his fingers, the burning tea swirling in smooth circles around the rim. He kept his eyes on her. "You have my word that you will not be harmed during this… agreement."
"Agreement?" Sakura blared. "From my understanding, agreements consists of both parties having equal parts that can benefit them both. What exactly am I getting in all of this?"
"You will live," he answered. "…For the mean time." Her glare intensified and he continued unfazed. "Until our orders are to directly end you, you will remain here, unharmed and well fed."
The kunoichi huffed, turning her head to one side in mock laughter. "And what makes you think I care whether I live or not?" She turned to face him once again, a small smirk on her lips. "I would give my own life for Naruto. I don't care what happens to me. You're the one that needs assistance, am I right? If that's the case, I should be the one striking up the deal, not you."
His eyebrow rose in amusement. "Oh? Then perhaps like I have said earlier, you'd like this precious friend of yours to be tortured before his extraction." His eyes darkened. "It would be wise to remember that you are our captive. This is not a request. You are merely imagining it as such. You will follow what we say, or your kyuubi friend will suffer the consequences."
Sakura gritted her teeth together, her fists clenched tightly on her lap. "And if I agree, Naruto will be unharmed?" she hissed at him.
"Perhaps not," he said coolly.
"What do you mean?" she hissed.
Itachi's eyes flickered. "He seems to be reluctant in being taken without a fight, and so I cannot guarantee his own safety," he said.
"But it will kill him anyway," she replied blandly.
The girl was not a fool. She had been present when Chiyo-obaasan had given up her very life to bring Gaara back. The extraction had killed him, drained him of his existence, his body left to rot. She knew the Akatsuki had their ways and motives and keeping the host alive was certainly not something that they had considered, nor would they have cared in the least bit.
She scowled at this, her teeth gritting together at his silence. "Am I right?" she started again. "If Naruto will die after all of this, then what is the point?"
He kept quiet for a few seconds, his long lashes drooping. "That," he said, "will be entirely up to you."
"Me?"
He gave her a pointed stare. "Yes, you," he drawled, eyes looking even more less pleased. "You, kunoichi, will be the one extracting the kyuubi."
Sakura froze. "…What?"
"Are you hard of hearing?"
"What?…No!" She managed. "W-What do you mean I will be the one extracting the Jinchuuriki from Naruto? Have you lost your mind? Why would I do something like that?"
"Because, Sakura," he paused, a small smirk playing upon his lips, "with you doing so would benefit both you and your…friend." He shifted, Sakura suddenly on her highest alert. But he merely turned his head to glance at the nearest window. "As you know, Akatsuki's goals are to simply remove the Jinchuuriki from the host. We do not care what happens to them after the extraction nor have we even tried to find a way around their…end. Naruto's time will come. That is inevitable." He turned back to face her. "You, however, are as much of a prodigy as I am. Your medical skills are quite admired, or so I have heard. Wouldn't it be miraculous if you finally proved your worth?" Itachi pushed himself up from his seat, gliding around the table and paused as he swept by her. "We will let you keep what is left of your friend and the both of you will be free to do as you wish."
His eyes slid over her stiff posture. "It is something to think about," he added before the sound of his feet stepped lightly up the stairs, leaving the pink haired girl frozen and her mind reeling.
Deidara gave a loud yawn, stretching his arms over his head towards the sunlight that peaked through the forest trees. He ignored his partner who trotted far too closely for his liking, muttering about in his usual, irritating manner. He didn't know what was worse, being partnered up with someone who contained such idiocy, or being in the presence of Itachi and Kisame.
The two were as silent as a passing leaf having been blown away from it's branch. There was no one to blatantly admire his artwork, nor share any form of views on anything artistic. He desperately needed to blow something up.
Glancing over his shoulder, he noted Kisame's slight frown. The foul mouthed kunoichi had been thrown over his shoulder as they departed the inn earlier that morning. Not that she seemed heavy or full of insults today. She was just a complete annoyance. If this little side mission wouldn't benefit him in the end, the blonde honestly didn't know why he would have bothered.
He huffed. Sending four Akatsuki members to retrieve one, tiny female. She was nothing more than a girl. He was horrified suddenly, realization hitting as he reminisced on his danna's defeat by the kunoichi and an old hag. The girl even had pink hair for crying out loud. How Sasori could have lost against…He didn't even want to think about it.
Instead he opted to grumbling under his breath as he, for the third time that day, blew Tobi into the sky.
Behind him, he heard Kisame chuckle.
"You think it's funny?" the blonde hissed.
"Entirely," the sword wielder replied.
The kunoichi perched on his shoulder grunted.
"Was I talking to you?" the clay user retorted, his eyes narrowed.
Kisame simply ignored him, passing the blonde with Itachi in pursuit, eyes blank.
Deidara grumbled under his breath, stalking ahead of the group once again and taking his place. A rustle in the bush made him frown as Tobi squealed, limping miraculously towards them with arms flailing.
"Deidara-senpai can be so cold hearted!" he wailed, simpering next to his partner.
He was met with a dark glare. "If you don't shut up, yeah, I will forcefully make you-"
Soft, mocking, gleeful laughter interrupted them as the captive kunoichi giggled on her own accord. In turn, Deidara gritted his teeth, bounding over behind the tall shark-like shinobi for a better glare.
She simply smirked at him, eyebrow raised and her head cocked to the side. "Well if I thought that the notorious Akatsuki had these kinds of mindless squabbles, I'm sure they'd think twice to have titled you as under S-Class criminals," she scoffed at his reddening face. "Pathetic."
"W-Why you!"
"Enough."
Itachi sauntered towards them, an impeccable look upon his face. He frowned disapprovingly at Deidara, whose hand had stopped mid attack.
Kisame's shoulders bounced slightly, trying to hold back his chuckle as he peered over his shoulder at the seething blonde. "Best listen to him, boy," he said with a toothy grin. "Don't want to get caught up in another genjustu, would you?"
"Who says I'm not prepared this time, yeah?"
Sakura rebounded with another laugh. "Honestly. You all fight like dogs starved for the last bit of bone. It's really quite pathetic really." She gave a half yawn, drooping her head down in a soft sigh.
"Can I kill her now?" Deidara begged, eyes glowing with anticipation. At Itachi's silent disapproval, he scrunched his nose, leaning close to the girl's blank face. "Just you wait," he smirked. "One day, you'll be lucky enough to get a true taste of my art, and when that moment comes…BANG!" He clapped his hands together loudly and laughed at her sudden jump, holding his stomach afterwards to contain his happiness.
She rewarded him with a low growl. "Animal," she mumbled angrily.
Itachi began moving again, ignoring the pair and signalling for Kisame to follow. Tobi and taken sides with his danna screeching and pointing gleefully at the grumbling kunoichi as they made their way.
As the wee hours flew by, Sakura studied the four with keen eyes. She hadn't been lying about her previous statement on her shock. Their behaviour was most…amusing. She had read the Akatsuki profiles many times, often falling asleep in strategising ways and counterattacks in case of a run in. So far, the profiles fitting both Itachi and Kisame were as pointed and true as they implied.
The pair went about silently, neither speaking a word. She rather concluded that Kisame at least had a sense of humour unlike his stoic partner, whose eyebrow didn't even twitch to acknowledge any snide comment. Apparently the two had a mutual agreement on the matter, that, or the former Mist-nin could really decipher between the 'Hn's' and the 'Aa's' that were probably the Uchiha's two favourite non words. Either way, Sakura wasn't quite sure if Kisame was worth the praise.
Deidara and the… strangely masked fellow however, were a different story all together. Beside the constant bickering, the two were simply impossible. It wasn't clear to her as to why they had all banded together for this little operation, but she could predict that the two silent duos weren't too thrilled with the constant arguments and insignificant use of chakra (mostly from Deidara's part in blowing his partner halfway through the forest).
Sakura huffed to herself. They were once again in formation with the two squabbling at the front, Kisame and herself in the middle and Itachi promptly guarding at the end.
Before they had set out at dawn, the girl had mulled over their conversation. She wondered if Itachi himself could come up with the rules. She knew they were members of their organization, thus they should or could be answering to their superior. Sakura's eyebrows narrowed. If it wasn't in the Uchiha's place to negotiate, much less guarantee both her and Naruto's safety, she couldn't very well trust him. Not that he was leaving her any other option.
She believed solely in Naruto's strength. He had grown and showed too much potential to lose, but then again, they were nineteen and the Akatsuki were older and was much more experienced. Naruto was rash. Itachi was pronounced a genius. Naruto fell asleep during watch. Deidara could blow up an entire city without being detected. Naruto cried from paper cuts. Poisoned senbon probably couldn't even penetrate Kisame's scale-like skin. Akatsuki probably worked as a team (she stretched the probably), and Team 7 had recently disbanded.
She wasn't left with much of a choice. And as much as she racked her brain, she could barely register the thought of her performing an extraction, much less saving Naruto's life. She hadn't anyone to work on, and even if she did, she wasn't exactly fully prepared on experimenting with people's lives as if they were toys to be discarded.
The only research she had done was solely based on a blood sample that Gaara had willingly given to be tested after he had been brought back to life, and even then Konoha's finest were stumped. The procedure was simply too complicated and complex for the human body to remain intact afterwards, and unless the Akatsuki gave her a luxurious space to work in (which she doubted they would do) for several months, there was no other way around it. The thought of 'winging it,' was out of question too.
Sakura lifted her chin to glance at the expressionless Uchiha. He was staring ahead, which appeared to be right her way, though his eyes didn't say much. He looked on as if she simply wasn't perched upon his partner's shoulder and kept a rather slow pace. It was clear that they weren't in any hurry.
She frowned. "You know," she started. "You can let me down. I hardly doubt that I could get very far before you track me, and seriously, even if I managed to get further enough, I don't even have enough chakra to take out a genin much less defend myself." She gave a sideway glance to what ever she could see to Kisame's neck.
When the only reply was a solid grunt, the girl rolled her eyes, facing the Uchiha once again.
"Well? Aren't I right?" she challenged.
The only sign that she knew he had heard her was the slight movement at the ends of his lips.
And then…
"Kisame."
The tall, massive, sword wielder paused, then gave another short grunt before seemingly throwing the girl off his shoulder. She landed with a thud on the forest dirt. Deidara chuckled up ahead, and she promptly shot him a glare as she rubbed her aching behind.
"Screw you, you egotistic blonde," she hissed.
"W-What did you say?"
Kisame grinned, shaking his head. "Now, now, children shouldn't fight."
Tobi bounced alongside him, nodding. "Tobi agrees!" he said. "No fighting."
"Shut up, idiot," Deidara countered.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. If the usually impassive Uchiha could rub his temples in agony, she was sure he would be doing just that. Though he kept on such a façade, she noted the lines under his eyes were weary and dark.
He gave her a pointed look, then darted up the nearest tree branch, and out of sight.
"Stay close, kunoichi," Kisame warned. "We don't like stragglers."
Breathing in a low sigh, Sakura followed.
The stop over was in Rain, and although Sakura had not visited in years, she had forgotten how utterly…damp the hidden village was. The journey had nearly taken up all of her strength and she found her breathing laboured as they swept through the forest. She tried to keep her herself from gasping throughout, but by the raised eyebrows from Kisame told her that she wasn't quite as adept to going without the use of her chakra. Still, it was better than being dragged off on someone's bony shoulder.
"Guess we stop here for the night?" Deidara half wondered. "Could have been nicer, yeah."
Sakura stiffened as they entered a crowded inn setting. The half bar half check in counter was to the far end of the room, tables spread throughout with men intoxicated beyond belief, and sake spilt on the already stained floorings. She scrunched her nose, shrinking back from a fair few stares that were thrown her way.
A bearded man with his belly hanging over his thighs as he sat whispered something to his companion whilst pointing in her direction.
'They better not be talking about my forehead. I'm not in the mood,' she thought angrily.
Her frown worsened when she noticed that Itachi had made his way back towards them.
"Two rooms are vacant," he said.
"Great!" Deidara exclaimed sarcastically. "Just great, yeah. What the hell do you have to do to get a room around here?"
Sakura paled. "Don't tell me you're going to kill all these people," she hissed.
"Can we?" the blonde asked hopefully, the tongues around his palms wiggling in excitement.
Her eyes widened.
"That is not necessary," Itachi responded lowly. "The kunoichi may have a room, and you will share the other."
Three sets of eyes, apart from Tobi's one, blinked at him.
"W-What? No way, yeah!" the blonde clay user was quick to complain. "I'm tired and I need to rest and Kisame snores like hell!" A murmured, 'I do not,' was heard, before Deidara continued, pointing a rather long finger at their female captive. "Why does she get the room all to herself, yeah? She'll do something-she'll escape-"
"I will stay with her."
Sakura's jaw nearly hit her shoes as she stood gaping. "W-What?"
Kisame chuckled, shaking his head and disappeared towards the bar. Deidara growled deeply and marched after him, Tobi tight on his heels, leaving the two of them by the doorway.
The girl's mind was still reeling, her eyes searching his. Perhaps the Uchiha was a joker. Maybe to close off the argument with Deidara, he had to pull off and say something…anything to shut up the loud mouth blonde. She almost pleaded to him, but whether she was too mentally exhausted or simply out of her mind, she knew that Itachi was as close to making practical jokes as Naruto was to ace a test at the academy. Her heart shattered.
"Y-You're serious?" she asked, appalled.
"Aa."
She scratched the back of her head, wincing inwardly and watched him as he sat himself with the others. She paused for a moment. She had no place with them-with S-Class criminals, and yet here she was being held against her will and forcing upon her such burden that she couldn't possibly face. With a great sigh, she pulled the last chair next to Deidara, who shot her dirty glare as he sipped on his sake.
Bowls of ramen were placed on the table along with three plates of assorted sushi and sashimi. Sakura's stomach grumbled and happily dug in, pausing only to glance at Deidara as he wolfed into his own bowl. Satisfied, she let the sultry taste of food swirl around her tongue. At least she wasn't expected to pay.
When their late dinner ended, the kunoichi found herself very much bored. With her chin propped against her palm and her stomach satisfied, she gazed wearily. Kisame must have been on his eighth cup of sake, Deidara not far behind. Tobi, who she had barely seen poking at his food earlier, continued agonizing his partner, and Itachi, from what she could tell, had folded his arms underneath his cloak with eyes closed. Perhaps getting pointers from him wouldn't be so bad. She had to find a way to block out the inane bickering soon or she would be throwing fists.
A large hand on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts and she turned her head to face the bearded man from before. Her eyes narrowed.
"Hello there, girly."
Sakura wanted to gag at the foul smell of sake from his lips as he leaned in close. The two others who were behind him chuckled, giving her sly smiles. She feasted them with a heated glare and shrugged his hand off her shoulder, placing her arms by her side and gripping the edges of her seat.
The tallest of the trio winked. "You know, pretty little thing like you shouldn't be in these areas. We know a place where you'd be safe for the night," he suggested. "Wouldn't you rather be with us than with these…lowlifes?"
Deidara swayed, raising his cup. "Please take her away, yeah!"
'So much for a knight in shining armour,' Sakura thought grumpily, but she hissed lowly. "No, thank you." 'Go away before you get killed.'
"Come on!" the bearded man urged, gripping her forearm and tugging the girl to her feet. "We're a whole hell better lookin' than your boyfriends over here."
Sakura growled, but Deidara's laughter hung in the air.
"Better looking, yeah? You blind or something?" he said in between chuckles then gestured towards Kisame who sat looking bemused by the situation. "Except for him, of course, but have you seen me?"
To say that the blonde was tipsy was stretching it a bit too far. Clearly, the clay user couldn't hold his alcohol as he slurred and laughed.
"What'd you say, kid?" the bearded man bellowed. "You know who we are?"
Deidara scratched his cheek with his index finger and grinned. "No," he said. "But I can tell that you're the type that appreciates good art, yeah?"
Sakura blocked his path, giving the trio a warning glare. "Please leave," she commanded slowly in warning. "We don't want trouble."
"I do!" the blonde retorted. He got to his feet, sake forgotten and stretched, the tongues in his palms wriggling. "I haven't blown anything up in a long time, yeah." He smirked. "You should be lucky to have experienced this moment."
"Deidara-senpai is drunk!" Tobi wailed. "Deidara-senpai shouldn't be fighting when he's not himself!"
The lankiest of the three puffed his chest, his katana by his side. "I'm going make sure to cut those freakish hands of yours right off!"
Sakura snuck a glance to the unmoving Uchiha, who she thought had almost fallen asleep, but instead she found him staring blankly into his cup of tea. He met her gaze suddenly and she stared with hard eyes. He was clearly unfazed by the situation for he merely turned his head to the side as a response. His lashes drooped down once again.
"Oy, Deidara," Kisame suddenly started, noticing his partner's movement. "You're annoying, and you're giving me a headache."
"Shut up, Kisame, yeah!"
Sakura struggled in the man's grip as she tried to pull from his grasp. "Let go of me, you overgrown-"
"I suggest unhanding the girl," Kisame's voice interrupted with a smirk playing on his lips. "Leader here," he nodded his head at the silent Uchiha, "…well, he doesn't like to share."
Sakura's face flushed. "What?…No! I'm not his anything!" she hastily made out.
It took only mere seconds for the three fools to stare with their lop sided smirks at the calm Uchiha, and as his eyes opened to meet theirs, Sakura felt the grip on her arm loosen and three maddening shrieks echoed, catching the shocked attentions of the inn keeper and the other cowering men who sat by.
"S-Stop it!" she begged.
At her cry the contact was broken, and she found herself face to face with the unusual swirl of Itachi's tomoe. Her lips twisted into a frown and the faint sounds of the horror stricken men dashing out the doors barely registered as she feasted him with an intensive glare.
"Sit," Itachi commanded, eyeing her stiff posture.
Sakura's eyes flashed. "What did you do to them?" she hissed.
Deidara flopped down in in his seat, arms crossed and looking entirely sour. "Pfft. Obviously he-," he muttered under his breath.
"Shut up! I'm not talking to you!" the pink haired kunoichi retorted, startling both the blonde, his masked partner and Kisame as he coughed up bits of his drink.
The Mist-nin chuckled lowly at growing red that crept Deidara's face as Tobi jumped to his feet to hold back the raging clay master. A side glance towards Itachi showed that he seemed unpleased with the situation, and although his face displayed no hint of irritation, the long years of travelling with the silent ex-Konoha-nin, gave him the clear advantage of deciphering mere eye movements. A simple glimpse could very well be an entire conversation, however complex it could seem.
"W-Wait! I'm not done talking!" Sakura demanded as Itachi slowly rose form his seat.
Promptly ignoring her, he casually made his way up the stairs and out of sight, enraging the poor girl further.
"Serves you right, yeah. You horrid banshee." Slouching back into his seat Deidara motioned for a server. "What do I have to do to get some service around here, yeah? Refill!"
Kisame sighed, and the grip on his cup lightened. "Relax, kunoichi. It's late. There's plenty of time to voice your…opinions in the morning." He pointed in her direction as a mousy looking girl came by with more sake. "And one for this one too," he said.
"I don't drink," Sakura grumbled through her teeth as she sat with hands clenched.
"Well you do now, yeah." The blonde nearly slammed the cup in her direction. "Bottoms up!" As he gulped down his.
Sakura scrunched her nose.
"There's no harm, girl," Kisame grinned. "Loosen up," he laughed. "Don't forget, you're going up there," he pointed his finger towards the ceiling, "and sharing a room with Itachi. So try to calm down. The guy's as emotionless as a rock-"
"But you're so annoying, I don't know…maybe he'll crack, yeah?" Deidara interrupted, a smirk playing on his lips.
Snapping a quick glare at him, Sakura eyed her cup wearily.
An entire night sharing a room with the single person she probably despised most with all her being. The monster that had taken away the future of the one person she truly cared for… If it weren't for him, things would have been better.. He would have been happy-she would be happy and still head over heels. If it weren't for him…gods, she wouldn't be in this ridiculous predicament! A-And now she was forced to spend the rest of the remaining hours of the day sleep deprived and jumping at the possibility that he could pull a stunt that would leave her defenceless without the use of her chakra.
The girl swallowed nervously. Frankly, she didn't know how she could survive without throttling him in his sleep in the first place. She was beyond exhausted, the bandages around her abdomen hadn't been changed in two days, and she was just dead set on getting a good night's rest.
"Give me that," she hissed and snatched her cup.
The two men sat with smirking faces as the pink haired kunoichi's face soured.
"How can you stand this stuff?" she groaned squinting her eyes before raising pouring herself another helping.
"Tobi thinks Sakura-san should slow down. Look, Deidara-senpai can barely open his eyes!" the masked figure pointed out as another cup was consumed.
She in turn pointed right back with a stiff index finger. "Don't talk to me like we're friends," she snapped. "And don't tell me what to do. If I had my chakra right now I'd shove that mask straight up your-"
Deidara burst into fits of laughter, banging his hands against the wooden table, while Kisame bared his sharp teeth in amusement.
"Do it, yeah," the blonde mouthed. "Give her back some, Kisame. Let's have ourselves a show."
Sakura slammed her empty cup on the table surface and got to her feet. "Screw you. You're all just mindless murderers."
"That we are, yeah."
"Cheers," Kisame followed.
She gave a frustrated growl and brushed past them, trotting up the stairs whilst stamping her feet.
"Tobi thinks that Sakura-san is very frightening."
"She does have a point, yeah."
"What is that, senpai?"
"That you're stupid, so shut up, yeah!"
Clonk.
His eyebrow twitched slightly and with heavy lids, sharp, ruby eyes opened casually, long lashes still cast downwards in angle. The usually calm and composed Uchiha prodigy normally kept himself out of others personal affairs. What was the point? Since childhood he had learned that keeping to himself and not voicing out his opinions was what pleased the clan. Formally, he would attend meetings to appear as a presentable family, and in time he had come upon eventually learning to block their unnecessary comments and hold off on his own.
It had made him the perfect candidate for a son or heir, as they termed him. With his perfect, strategic, battle tactics and fast paced capabilities he was worthy of such praise. To master his sharingan at such an early age of eight, swiftly taking out his opponent and passing the Chuunin Exams without batting an eye at ten, and assigned as the youngest ANBU captain at thirteen. Truly, the Uchiha Clan had numerous things to celebrate for.
And so he had learned to tune out their cheers and boasts and continued his path. The only path that was strictly chosen for him. And at times when he felt as if his body was weakening and exhausted from mission after mission and endless training-the only thing that kept him sane in the lone hours of the night was the light, but nervous steps that padded down the halls and waited outside his door.
His little brother was surely annoying. So often would the little Uchiha peek, and press his ear against the frame, watching for his older brother's reaction-waiting for an approval to be let in. Those times Itachi wondered if it was Sasuke's innocence that drove him mad, and sometimes he assumed that it was the only thing that kept him from screaming out in agony. Innocence. It was not something he was accustomed to being a shinobi. He had grown amongst them, grown powerful for the sake of the clan, all the while his brother sat in the comfort of his mother's arms. Innocence. It was something he had not been born with, or perhaps he had just merely forgotten and it was the very thing he still found irritating to this day.
So the fact that the pink haired kunoichi mimicked his estranged brother as she stood from what he concluded was close to a fifteen minute period outside his door, did the Uchiha prodigy suddenly feel a twinge of familiar annoyance. Whether the girl was oblivious to her own swaying and sharp intakes of breath, or if she was just not entirely herself, he didn't know. What he did know was that her nervous pacing wasn't settling his nerves.
Annoying girl.
He felt her go rigid as he swung the door open effortlessly.
She had backed up against the wall with fists clenched the next second. Faintly, by her rapid breathing and odd angles, he registered that she must have had a few to drink. Slowly, he allowed his eyes to rake over her form. The strange, pink hair fell past her pointed shoulders, her eyes rooted into the glare he was accustomed to seeing, and her lips were twisted into a scowl.
He found himself… surprised by her actions or rather her blunt display of dislike as she kept her glare firm and eyes on his. He had met and fought many shinobi in his lifetime, and the one thing they all seem to have in common was the solid information to keep themselves from catching the eyes of an Uchiha. His eyes, to be exact. However, the girl was as stubborn and as foolish as he had first believed her to be. Her hatred glowed and shown through her green orbs, daring him to challenge her.
Itachi allowed a small frown to grace his lips, deciding not to play into her game and turned to walk back into the room, keeping the door open for her to step in.
He waited.
Tilting his head to the side, he ushered her in with a blank look, and after several minutes of silence, he heard her feet tapping noiselessly on the floors, and the door close shut.
"Sleep on the floor," she uttered.
The dark haired missing-nin kept his eyes closed as he spoke. "There is enough room for two."
"So?" Sakura retorted. She sat herself on the bed to mark her territory.
"If you feel that it is rather inappropriate then perhaps you should take the floor."
Her scowled deepened. "Why don't you?"
He opened his eyes to meet hers, feeling faint irritation. "You are my hostage, you do not get to decide. Either get accustomed to sleeping next to a male or have the floor. It is your choice," he drawled lazily.
Sakura growled and turned her gaze to the dimly lit lamp top the dresser. "Pfft. Uchiha men…they're all the same-Raised with no manners," she mumbled under her breath.
When she was met with silence, she tore her eyes away from the distorted lamp to find him resting against the wall, eyes closed. Sakura nearly kicked herself for not picking up his stealthy movement, but waited for his reply while trying to desperately calm her building anger.
"Well?" she asked, finally not being able to stand his lack discussion.
"I require no rest," he said suddenly. "Take the bed if you wish."
"Damn right I'll take the bed, and I'll- Wait what did you say?"
Itachi glanced her way, his lashes drooping. "Perhaps your current predicament has damaged your hearing." He smirked at her narrowed stare. "Sleep."
He heard more muttering, but kept quiet, soon discovering that the sounds of bed sheets fumbling had ceased. Peering at her still form he noted that the girl had indeed buried herself within the blankets. The dark haired Uchiha sighed to himself.
Annoying.
If he had his way, the Kyuubi would have been captured a while back, and although following orders and accomplishing tasks from superiors had been engraved in his mind since childhood, he very much… disliked their leader's rather complicated thinking. And now with the involvement of his brother's wench, he predicted things to worsen in time.
She seemed nosy and troublesome. Her presence would only hinder his own motives.
"I'll do it, you know."
Her head was turned the other way and facing towards the window, but her voice was dull and lifeless.
"I'll do what you ask," she whispered again. "Just make sure you hold your word at the end."
Itachi didn't feel the need to reassure her with a reply and kept his own eyes closed, welcoming the silence that followed.
Her breathing was ragged, almost as if she were holding back sobs, and his eyebrows knitted together.
Troublesome indeed.
So another 'Sakura gets abducted by Akatsuki fic.' Tell me how it was with reviews! *wink*