Yey! I finally got started on this fic! Okay, honestly, it was almost a week since I finished the first chapter but I barely had time to upload it. I apologize.

I'll be updating irregularly but rest assured that I will not abandon my account for a year ever again. I regret that now. Deeply. But I'm sorry if I take too long with the updates because it's really hard for me now that I'm in college. Sure, I have a lot of time on my hands but I still haven't adjusted to the lifestyle yet.

I hope you enjoy reading this. I'm really excited about this fic because it involves guns and the modern world. It's my first AU fic too!

Chapter I
Troublesome Compassion

Not a speck of blue in the sky as thick clouds hovered over the buildings and towers. In about an hour or two, rain would pour down mercilessly upon them. She could feel the humidity that was accompanied by occasional cool breezes all around. Maybe she was right to wear a simple green shirt that fit her torso well with dark skinny pants after all. Sakura would have enjoyed the feel of the breeze if not for the smell of smoke all around.

Sakura was not an avid fan of smoke belching cars which were the first thing that caught her attention when she arrived in The Central City. This city was four hours away from her hometown, Konoha, by car. But her trip took even longer because the bus she'd taken was moving as slow as fuck, as the man who sat beside her in the bus this morning put it. It took about five and a half hours for them to reach The Central City.

This place was the center of all the towns and was the heart of the whole country. All the towns—from Suna to Mist—surrounded the busy commercial city. It was where the small town dreamers headed to after high school or college. Education at The Central was the best and job opportunities sprung from all nooks of this city.

However, this city is also hit the top list when it came to the country's crime rate. Gamblers, smugglers, gangs and all sorts of illegal activities could be found in this town and crimes for the Centralites—people who lived in The Central City since birth or for a long time—were not a surprise. In fact, everyone in this city must have some deadly weapon somewhere in their bags or clothes to be able to defend themselves.

The Central had them all—from world-class doctors and lawyers to the dirtiest and most sinister criminals to ever live. People from the towns all around knew this place was a city where dreams come true but ironically a city where hopes die because of the unusually high crime rate.

Sakura was not afraid. In fact, it would always send a thrill down her spine whenever she thought of this city. A city full of trouble was one that needed help—help that she was willing to offer any day.

Haruno Sakura arrived here, in The Central City, as a student-volunteer to the most well-known hospital known as Central City Medical. The hospital offered a three-week special doctor-to-student internship and on the last three days, they would be sent on field as volunteers to help the depressed areas of the city. She could care less about the internship if not for the fact that the legendary doctor, Tsunade, was the one who picked her out of the 47 qualified applicants for the program.

She was supposed to meet with Tsunade today after lunch in a restaurant called Gamble-Anza just across the hospital. Sakura could easily recognize the reason as to why the doctor picked the restaurant for Tsunade was fairly notorious for her unluckiness in gambling. Many wealthy gamblers named her Unlucky Strike and those amateur opponents would simply call her a dumb gambler.

The phone she usually kept in her pocket vibrated lightly before sounding an old telephone ring. She was all about simplicity. She found it annoying when people used songs as their ringtone when most of the time, the user only hears the intro if not the first words of the song.

Sakura pulled the phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller's name before bringing it to her ear. "Naruto?"

"Sakura-chan," the voice on the other end exclaimed. "Did you arrive already? What's it like? Is it raining there right now? Where are you? Have you found a place to stay in? Can you—"

"Naruto," she sighed. The voice on the other end of the line automatically stopped. "I'm fine. I'll tell you about the city later because I just arrived and I have to look for the Gamble-Anza to meet with Tsunade-sensei and to find shelter because it looks like it's about to rain."

"Oh," whispered Naruto."Well, be careful. You know what that place is like. You heard Kakashi-sensei in class. Don't worry; I'll keep Sasuke entertained while you're gone."

She narrowed her eyes at the last sentence as she pulled her little bag behind her as she made her way on the sidewalk. "Why am I so scared about you keeping Sasuke company?"

"No worries, I swear. I won't do anything reckless this time. In fact, I won't do anything at all to your precious boyfriend," Sakura couldn't help a smile when she heard the word. "It's a shame you won't be able to spend the rest of autumn break with us. Have fun with your volunteer-thing. Say hi to Tsunade-dono for me and if you run into anyone we know like Yamato-sensei, send my regards. Stay safe, Sakura-chan! Bye!"

She sensed a smile in the loud man's voice and her smile widened. "I will. You too, Naruto. Be careful. Bye." And with that, she put her phone back in her pocket and began to look around. If only she could find a guard or anyone she could ask directions to the hospital.

Bang!

A gun was shot, Sakura was sure of it. Because their house was near a police station back home, she could easily distinguish a gunshot. No one panicked. In fact, it was like they haven't heard anything. Centralites continued as they did like they didn't hear anything. She wasn't surprised though but she was starting to think if the sound was produced in her head.

Great. She was here a few minutes and it was driving her nuts already.

Suddenly, from out of an alley, a brunet appeared in his uniform, holding his own waist and his white polo drenched and spattered with blood. She gasped at the sight, dropped her bag on the sidewalk and walked quickly to assist the man. He didn't move away when she helped him sit on the ground with his back against the wall. Sakura took the hand covering the wound and moved it away. She didn't flinch at the sight of the open wound. She was used to it. Things in Konoha were more decent compared to The Central City's but punishments were still not pretty.

"Hell, it hurts," he groaned.

She looked at him, furious when she immediately realized that he had a gun and looked seventeen—just her own age! "It should hurt real bad," she said firmly. "Wait here." Quickly, she rushed to her bag and zipped it open, searching for her first aid kit. After finally finding it, she began treating the man's waist without difficulties. After applying a gauze pad, she advised him to rush to a clinic or a hospital at once before he began bleeding again. "I haven't taken the bullet out yet so best tell me where the hospital is so I can take you."

"I'll take it from here," a low yet very feminine voice commanded from behind her. She slowly turned and widened her eyes at the golden haired busty woman who stood proudly. "You did well on treating the wound, kid." Tsunade said as she approached the injured boy to help him up.

"Thank you," she got to her feet and bowed before the doctor. "I'm Haruno Sakura."

The doctor smiled at her. "Well, I'm glad to have met my student, finally. I was beginning to wonder where you were." She looked at the injured then back at Sakura. "Call a cab. We'll be taking this man to the emergency room. I don't suppose you know how to take the bullet out?" Sakura shook her head. "I guessed not. You're only seventeen, anyway. Go."

Sakura did as told and while Tsunade helped him in the cab, Sakura repacked her belongings and followed after, jumping into the passenger seat while the professional attended to him at the back. No sooner, the pink-haired teenager caught sight of the hospital's gates and the meeting place, Gamble-Anza, as well.

Tsunade ordered the guards for a stretcher and nurses rushed out from the emergency room and checked him. The professional asked Sakura to wait in the lobby while she finished her work before they got to know each other a little better. The younger did not argue and sat in the lobby, playing with the handle of her pull bag.

It only took Tsunade an hour before she left the emergency room in a white coat and a face mask. She took a seat beside Sakura. A smile was seen when she pulled her mask down as she looked at Sakura. "That was very impressive first aid knowledge, Haruno," she mused. "To think that you're only about to go to college and you can save a life like that."

"Thank you," said Sakura humbly. "How is he? He's… Just as old as me if not a little older," she whispered. "What happened to him?"

Tsunade scoffed. "Who? That guy who got shot in the gut? He's no problem. Taro always pulls through. He's like a regular patient in the emergency room. He's a college student in Central City College and a part of a gang so you realize why we know him well. There was never a month when he wasn't on the verge of death. I swear, one more visit in this hospital and I will kill him myself." Sakura nodded slightly, trying to control her shock. He was just in college and yet he'd been close to losing his life several times. "Don't worry. It's not rare around these parts. There are gangs everywhere," Tsunade continued, standing up and offering Sakura her hand. "Let's go to his room if you're that worried. Is it your first time here?"

"Yes," she said, taking her hand and following after her.

"Then Taro will be the perfect person to orient you about this city since he knows every angle, every nook and every atom of this place," she laughed.

Tsunade took her to the room where they sent the college student to rest. When they entered, he was on the bed, the covers pulled halfway on his bare torso. He was fast asleep when she took the seat beside the bed. Only now did Sakura get to look at him up close and took note that his face looked more youthful than she first realized. If she didn't know any better, she would assume he was a year younger than her. She didn't bother remembering that his hair was a shade of dirty blonde but she did take note of the roughness of his hands. She didn't hold them but she could see the scars and wounds. If someone examined his hand carefully, it wouldn't take them a second to figure out that this boy constantly got into a fight.

Her trail of thought ended when Tsunade informed her that her training would start tomorrow afternoon before the pale-haired lady left Sakura to watch the patient.

After a few hours of waiting on the chair while reading a horror novel, she heard Taro groan. When Sakura had lifted her head from the book, his blanket had been carelessly thrown on the floor. He was rushing to get his shoes on while his head scanned the room for his shirt which he found draped on the couch across his bed.

Sakura was mortified, seeing this patient who had almost been dead moving about recklessly. He was ruining his stitches!

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sakura exclaimed as she watched Taro cross the room in one fluid move to retrieve his shirt. "You're not fully recovered yet. You should rest for a few days and—"

She shut her mouth when she heard Taro click his tongue at her while he put on his shirt. "Little miss," he said in a tone that tried hard to sound polite. "I should tell you that I really shouldn't stay in one place for too long. Someone out there is dying to kill me and I'm itching to murder the sick asshole as well. That's something I can't do if I stay in this place even for a few hours. So thank you for saving my life, pinky. Hope to see you again if I live through this week and, well, bye."

"Wait!" She wanted to chase after him when he stepped out of the room briskly but Tsunade stopped her in her tracks and shook her head.

"Let him be," said Tsunade. "He's always been like that. We tried stopping him the first time but he swore to stab himself if we didn't let him go. Kids like him; they can't stay in one place for too long. If they didn't have a choice, they would choose to kill themselves rather than let a member from an enemy gang kill them."

The pink-haired teenager frowned. "That's awful."

The woman gifted with a chest nodded, "Yes, it is. But it's the reality for those students who chose to join their gangs in this city. Tragic as it is, it's already normal for students of Central City College to die. Of course, we do regret it when we know we can't save the dying but there's nothing we can do except hope that those gangs will be wiped out little by little over the years. Unfortunately, in the last year, members of illegal groups have increased. The death rate rose as well. You will hear gunshots frequently and it is very rare that someone survives because most of the population of this city doesn't seem to give a damn about the kids who die by other kids' hands."

Sakura felt bad and fortunate at the same time. She felt awful for the students who were constantly running and living in fear and paranoia.

A phone rang and by the way Tsunade checked the pocket of her coat, she was definite it was not her own. Tsunade answered the phone formally and answered whoever was on the other side briefly before shoving the phone back in her pocket.

"I have to go to a meeting," she told Sakura. "It's gonna be a while. How about you take a stroll around the city? Try the Fran District. It's pretty secure there considering it's sort of a place-to-be for government officials so you can just imagine all the armed bodyguards with them as well. Have you found a place to stay in, by the way?" Sakura shook her head. "Well, I suggest you start looking before it gets dark. It looks like it's going to rain too. You better get started."

"Thank you, I will," Sakura said before pulling her bag behind her to leave.

Once outside, she checked her phone for any message she might have missed but all there was for her to see was a message from Sasuke that had come in her phone late. He wished her a pleasant travel and luck in her training.

She smiled. He was growing fond of her, she knew. Not that he was not fond of her in the first place. They were dating after all and he'd been the one to ask her this time. After years of constantly pining on Sasuke, she could finally say out loud that her efforts were worth it. And though Sasuke was not at all lovey-dovey with her, she was fine with him simply reciprocating her affection. Ino was pissed the first time, of course, but it didn't matter. She had the new student, Sai, to flirt with now.

Sliding the phone back in her pocket, she sensed an intense presence near her and a pair of eyes burning a hole on her. Whoever it was, she didn't know but she could tell that he was approaching her and fast.

Her head lifted for her eyes to meet his. She gasped inwardly when she found herself looking into ebony eyes that resembled Sasuke's so much that if it wasn't for the dark lines under his eyes, she could have sworn it was her boyfriend standing before her. His hair seemed smoother and was longer. She noted the way it was tied up in a low ponytail behind him.

He was less than a meter away and his voice was low but it was enough to make his question clear to her.

"You are the young lady who saved Takaru Taro, correct?"

She took notice of the gun holster he hid under his black shirt that was carelessly peeking from the hem. She gulped before looking at his face once more and warily answered. "Yes?"

He marched towards her and took her tightly by the wrist. "Come with me," he muttered quickly as he pulled her to follow him. She tugged on her bag as well.

She could tell by the roughness and the tight grip of his touch that whoever this man was, he was certainly no different from the man who almost died earlier. They were the same. This man was a part of a gang. He was trouble.

He paused for a moment to check his phone but never letting go of her like she did her bag. After putting it back in the back pocket of his black sweatpants, he led her down in a small alley and pushed her against the wall with his free hand on her mouth. He let go of her wrist and pulled out the gun from the holster causing her eyes to widen in panic. She couldn't scream, of course. Not with his hand covering her mouth roughly like he did.

"Keep quiet. Stay here," he ordered before turning away to leave her alone.

Two simple commands yet she felt like disobeying both. She wanted to scream in fear and runaway from him but something in his tone conveyed a warning. Her heart was beating so hard, it felt like a bass drum in her chest. She was sweating and was shaky on the knees. However, her desire to escape died down as she heard her captor's voice. It was faint but she could still understand every word. He didn't seem like he was far away from where he had left her.

"I'm still waiting for the girl," he said straightly. "Have some patience, Hidan. She still hasn't left the hospital."

A voice replied, rougher and less friendly than the first speaker's voice. Not that the dark man's voice was friendly in the first place but something about the second voice made her feel nervous. "Good," the nerve-wrecking voice said. "I fucking swear that if I didn't have any other shit needed to be done today, I would cut her fucking head off myself. The little bitch doesn't know what shit she's getting herself into. That little Taro fuck is a hard bastard to kill, isn't he? It's been seven months since I received the assignment."

"You are simply at the wrong places at the wrong times," the smoother voice said. "Taro is merely lucky if not clever to crawl out into the public for someone to notice him in his dying state. He must be cunning and wary now that there are only three of them left in their gang. It'll be harder to track them but easier to get rid of them. And don't worry about the girl. I'll dispose of her the first second I see her."

Sakura's blood went cold when she heard the sound of a gun being prepared. Her body tensed, preparing to flee for her life.

"You better make it brutal as fuck," he snapped. "I really thought I had Taro dead this time," he groaned. "I'm fucking counting on you, Uchiha." Sakura's wish to escape once again was forgotten at the sound of a familiar name. "Now, if you excuse me, I will have to report to leader about another failed job. I'll be hearing it this time," he groaned.

Hidan. Whoever that man was, he was the reason Taro had been visiting the hospital often. He was certainly determined to kill Taro. Maybe it was more of a personal grudge. Whatever it was, he sure was maniacal about taking the blonde's life. And he had a bad mouth as well compared to the man who had brought her here whose voice was as smooth as velvet and his vocabulary as formal and polite as can be.

That man was an Uchiha and there was no mistaking what she heard. She knew only one Uchiha and she couldn't help but wonder if they were related. This man resembled Sasuke so much after all. But from what Sasuke had told her and Naruto, his whole family died during a reunion on a tragic boat ride. Perhaps he didn't know there was another survivor. Perhaps he didn't tell them. Or perhaps they were not related at all.

But the last could not be true. Sasuke's masculine features could also be seen on this man's face and their eyes were too much of a match.

His approaching presence knocked her out of her thoughts. This man, who was now staring towards her, swore to kill her at first sight. And though he technically didn't kill her the first time he laid eyes on her, she couldn't be so sure if he was going to let her go. He seemed like a man who seemed to keep his word one way or another.

"Your act of compassion has complicated things for you. I should escort you home to avoid any casualties," he uttered all of a sudden. "Where do you stay?"

She shook her head faintly, her fear-filled eyes never leaving his calm pair. "I just arrived in town this afternoon and I haven't found a place to stay in yet so—"

"Then I suggest you return home, if that is the case. This city does not have place for someone with compassion. It never was safe for people like you," he said, looking down on her, his eyes piercing deep in hers. His attention was diverted, however, as he looked up in the sky.

Sakura understood why when she felt something cold and small hit her skin. It was a drizzle and in several minutes, it would be pouring rain. A loud clap of thunder sounded shortly. She quickly raised her hands to brace herself and fought to keep a neutral expression though she failed in masking the way her eyes widened. She didn't know it but the Uchiha saw it in the corner of his eye.

"This weather is not suitable for safe traveling," he walked towards her bag and picked it off the ground easily with one hand. "If you do not have a place to stay in, I have a decent place where you can wait for the rain to let up. That is; if you wish to come with me."

He didn't really give her a choice, did he? He was already carrying her luggage with him.

The dark man's house was only a few blocks away from the alley. But as they walked, Sakura could not avoid thinking that this man, whoever Uchiha this was, looked so much like her boyfriend. She couldn't help but wonder how things would be if she was born and raised here. Would she have been hooked up on this man as much as she had been so in love with Sasuke over the years? Probably, considering the way she found him interesting.

When they arrived in front of Uchiha's apartment, it was already raining. They were nearly soaked in rainwater. Fortunately, the drops were not as heavy as Sakura anticipated them to be.

He set her bag down and opened the door with the key he'd pulled out of his front pocket. After pushing the wooden forward, he took her bag again and placed it just beside the door where he took off his sneakers. Sakura did the same with her doll shoes and entered his home while he disappeared into one of the three rooms. He didn't even bother opening the lights but there was a faint glow from outside and it was easy enough for her to make out what his living room looked like.

By the way the living room was decorated, she could tell that he was man of practicality and simplicity. He only had what was necessary in a living room. One brown couch and a recliner to match; a small television set and; a coffee table that looked like it had been turned over in anger a few times.

A small cabinet on one side of the room caught her attention. It was full of certificates, medals, small trophies and picture frames. On the first level were the small trophies arranged neatly. All were from debate competitions. He really loved to argue, didn't he? The second level of the cabinet was filled with small laminated certificates and medals decorated the spaces. Uchiha Itachi, she read the certificate quietly. His name was Itachi. And on the last row were pictures. There was a picture of him shaking hands with who she assumed was a teacher. There was one high school graduation portrait where he looked so much like Uchiha Sasuke if not for the long hair. In the middle of the other pictures was one with an extravagant frame. It was a picture of him looking much younger with a dark-haired baby in his hands.

Could that be? No, it couldn't have been. But the hair said it all.

"Find anything interesting?" She regained composure and faced Itachi. "I see you've finally found my trophies from my high school and college debate competitions," he mused, tossing her a towel. "Wipe yourself dry. If you have a change of clothes, the bathroom is over there," he gestured to the door farthest from where he had come from. "When the rain stops, we'll find you a bus going home and then—"

"I'm not going home," she interrupted. "I'm staying in this city. I still have something I need to do."

"I see," he sighed, bringing the towel to his head to dry his raven locks. "Well then, suit yourself. But please keep in mind that The Central is far different from your little Konoha Town."

She looked at him indifferently. "How did you know I was from Konoha?"

He stopped ruffling the towel on his head and looked at her for a moment before shrugging at her question. "Your accent would be very foreign to me if not for the fact that I've heard it a thousand times."

"Your accent isn't any different from mine," she interrupted quickly.

"Ah, that is because we speak the same accent."

If they spoke the same accent, then he must have come from the same place. Could it be that he actually was related to Uchiha Sasuke if he really were from Konoha Town? Her eyes narrowed down on him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

He smirked at her, "I am Uchiha Itachi, proud product of Konoha Town and student in Central City College." He reached out his free hand while he used the other one to rub the towel in his hair. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Haruno."

She looked back and forth at his hand and face. She could not believe this man actually knew who she was. She didn't even know him for an hour. Who was this person and how did he acquire her name and her hometown? This man, no longer a stranger to her because he had given a name, was dangerous and she was sure he knew well who she was by the smug look in his eye.

Who was Uchiha Itachi?

End of Chapter I