A/N: I'm going to try to keep everyone's personality relatively IC, with some exceptions. I don't personally feel Itachi or Kisame would engage in any sort of sexual relations with the enemy (or perhaps anyone at all), so that's the main deviation here.
I warn you, this story has nothing to do with romance. No one here falls in love, and as I would imagine an S-class criminal to behave, there isn't much in the way for compassion or friendship to emerge.
Comments, suggestions, constructive criticism, and questions are all welcome and appreciated. Please let me know what you think.
She was reaching her limit. The dull, burning ache that spanned from her sweating calves up to her thighs was a continuous reminder of that, which had begun almost fifteen minutes ago, but was now quickly increasing in its intensity. The world had always been a big place, but it'd never seemed as big as it did tonight. When the trees became nearly infinite in their passing-a collage of endless midnight green and brown-and yet her legs were pulling her down, down into the earth, weighing heavier with each hurried thud of her sandals.
Normally she would be soaring through the branches, darting from one to the next, and at a faster pace than she was going now…but Sakura wasn't afforded that opportunity this time. She was lucky enough just to be running in the first place, but that stroke of luck by now was dwindling into a joke. Entertainment at her own expense, serving as a false hope of freedom and the return to her beloved home, Konoha, and the insufferable Kyuubi that she was always wanting to smack upside the head. Right now, all she wanted was to hug him for a solid five minutes or so, and perhaps buy him some ramen just to show that she appreciated him, despite how annoying he was at times. Yes…that's how desperate she was.
"So help me Kami..I will never yell at him again if I can just get out of here.." She muttered breathlessly to herself, as her bound wrists rested against her damp abdomen.
Deep down, she knew she wasn't going to get away with this. She knew he'd catch her. Without even a single kunai, or the hands to use them even if she possessed one, she was so far up shit creek it was laughable. So many things, big and small, she took for granted, and they were all coming back to haunt her now, at her most terrifying hour. But still she ran, and she would keep running until her joints snapped and her muscles tore and brought her to a face-planting halt...because she was Sakura, and she wouldn't be able to give up even if she wanted to.
Driven by the same willpower that, along with Naruto, had refused-and still refused-to give up on Sasuke. The same willpower that was always pushing her to be a stronger shinobi, and a better medic. It was also the same willpower that made her stand tall and unyielding even in the darkest of times…but this was different. There'd always been someone there with her in the past. There was always something else to protect, someone else to protect, and someone else to be protected by. There was always a team, friends, a goal, a mission…but this was pure, unraveling chaos. This was the type of scenario she had always been warned of in the past by her mentors, and had always mentally attempted to prepare herself for, yet secretly never imagined would actually come. Tonight, she was utterly alone. Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Tsunade-sama…everyone she ever loved, trusted, and relied on was kilometers away, and she was racing through a forest blackened by a canopy of leaves from an S-class criminal.
This was not supposed to be a part of her mission. In fact, her mission hadn't included encountering any criminals whatsoever. It had been simply to retrieve some new, advanced medical supplies from an allied nation. Originally, she had cringed at the thought, convinced that it would be just another boring solo mission…but oh, how she had been wrong. So many times in the past she had been prepared and willing to battle the worst of the worst, but they chose now to run into her. Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.
Hours earlier, with the sun inching lower in the sky, she had merely been walking along the dusty road, lost in thought with a warm breeze rustling her soft pink hair and the sounds of chirping birds lulling her into a dangerously false sense of security. She hadn't even glimpsed a blur of their trademark black and red coats before shit hit the fan. They had ambushed her in broad daylight before she even knew they were there. Embarrassing, but not terribly surprising. They were the Akatsuki, after all. One should expect no less from them. They would have been formidable enough even if she had been with her team. Without any backup, running or hiding really was the only option...and obviously, she had failed at both.
A frustrated, yet determined growl lost itself in the cool night air as she continued to sprint, praying ceaselessly that she would not trip over an unseen rock or root as she searched blindly in the near-black forest. The heaviness of her own legs wasn't something she was used to…but being stripped of her own chakra wasn't something she was used to, either. Granted, she wasn't entirely lacking, but she'd been left weak enough to feel useless.
She tried another futile tug at the softly glowing metal that bound her wrists together, serving as a faint, pale blue torch as she darted along. She honestly couldn't tell if it was reason she was lacking most of her chakra, or if something else was the culprit, but she was willing to bet the bindings were to blame.
A dab of crimson smeared into the forest floor with every frantic step she took as blood leaked from a gash on her ankle, stinging as much as it throbbed as beads of sweat mingled in wound that chafed against her sandal. Moments earlier, there had been the same metal binding around her ankles, glowing that dull blue. Samehada had taken care of that. But that's where her luck had run out. It was silent, save for her ragged breathing, but she knew this wouldn't be the end of her nightmare. She just knew…
Her mind was trained to keep going, to push until she physically collapsed, and to never look back…but she could feel the tug. She wanted to look back, and to confirm her own fear that he was right behind her. She knew he was. He had to be. He could move faster, without a doubt. He possessed every advantage she lacked. So what was he doing? Why was it taking so long for her to feel the blow? Why wasn't he there? Was he toying with her? Watching her, perhaps? Waiting to see how far she could go before he swooped in, cutting off her exit at the last possible second, just to be able to see the last flicker of hope die in her jade eyes? Sakura wouldn't put it past him. Kisame…he was such a bastard. Hate wasn't a strong enough word for him. He probably felt like such a big bad shark, circling the ocean's depths below its struggling, half-devoured prey that clamored to stay afloat, gasping for air.
If it'd been Itachi chasing her, it would have been over after the first step, but he was gone. He'd disappeared just after the sun had set, for reasons beyond her. He had simply left her alone with that blue, two-ton slab of muscle. Kisame didn't need any weapons. The sight of him alone was frightening enough. But throw in that chakra-hungry, monstrous sword of his—was it even truly a sword?—and she'd gladly choose a day of captivity with the silent, crimson-eyed companion of his.
And that was truly saying a lot, given her feelings for Itachi. In her mind, he was the sole reason Sasuke had been stolen away from her. Itachi had ruined the life of his little brother—the life of her first love and teammate. She wanted nothing more than to see him brought to justice. But right now, she'd sooner hug the cold, calculating Uchiha than spend another minute with his beast of a companion. But this day and night was not ruling in her favor.
Those frantic green eyes snapped up just in time to see the massive bandaged weapon swing straight for her face. He had emerged out of nowhere, right in front of her, and she dropped to the forest floor, sliding straight between his feet and past him. It had been a stupid, risky move, and she found herself a bit bewildered when her head had remained on her shoulders, but there hadn't been any other option. He'd moved so fast, and she couldn't even use her own hands. Behind her, a loud crack disturbed the silent, damp night as a tree had been demolished by the hungry, living blade…and she felt the splintered debris whisk by her. Too close. It was starting to feel as if she had just enough luck to prolong her own misery, and nothing more.
Sakura jumped back onto her feet and spun around to face him. Short, disheveled hair fanning out wildly, and flinging a few wood chips with it. This was it...she couldn't go any further. If he was going to splice her in two, she might as well face her death with a bit of courage. Turning and fleeing was pointless. Her knees shook in protest as she stood there, feeling as if she was trying to stand erect on jello, a few feet away from the man that had sealed her fate. What exactly her fate was, she didn't know...but she imagined it wasn't going to be very pleasant.
She stared at him expectantly, beads of sweat pooling in her hairline and creeping slowly down her face. Muscles burning, ankle stinging, wrists aching as she tested her bonds once more defiantly, she watched him turn to face her. Beady pearls locking onto her as the black shadow of his coat swished around his feet. Samehada hung from one clenched blue fist, tip jutting into the earth in front of him as those thin, vile lips peeled back to reveal a sickening, sharp-toothed grin.
"Why'd you stop?" His deep, amused voice struck her. "We were just getting to the fun part." Neither of them moved, feet planted firmly into to the ground as they analyzed each other, her eyes quivering with more intensity than his. This was ridiculous…he was playing with her. Sakura's jaw clenched as her frightened stare narrowed into a hateful glare.
"You asshole.." Her sharp whisper cut through the air back at him, and the shark calmly blinked. "WHY!" She shouted suddenly, the change in volume startling herself, though Kisame merely watched her. "I have nothing you could possibly want!" Fists clenching into white-knuckled grips, her emotions were beginning to get the better of her, which was probably exactly what he wanted. She could sense all of this, and yet somehow found it impossible to stop the chain reaction.
"I'm not a Jinchuurikin! I'm not hunting you!" Sakura could feel the artery in her neck strain as she screamed. "I'm not even strong enough to join you! WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Though, even if she could actually fit the criteria to be an Akatsuki member, she'd never in a million years admit it. Attention from their kind was the last thing in the world she wanted.
Sakura barely had time to register the slight movement in his hand before Samehada was slashing towards her again. Feet springing her backwards through the air as she wailed, she landed poorly, gashed ankle twisting under her as she stumbled to the ground. Her head smacked into a tree trunk she had landed against, and before she had time to reopen her eyes after the impact, his foot slammed into her gut, pinning her there.
A choked squeak fell from her open mouth as her head fell forward. The blow made her want to vomit instantly, but she was physically incapable. It felt like her stomach had been crushed, along with her lungs, like deflated balloons. A string of saliva dangled from the corner of her mouth as she fought to inhale, failing miserably. The pressure increased slowly as his heel dug into her, inciting more alarmed squeaks and grunts..the only sounds she could muster. Just when she felt her ribs were about to snap under his weight, and cave into her own lungs, he paused.
Pained eyes cracking open, she stared up at the towering figure of blue, black and red framed in shadows. Those same sharp, gleaming teeth greeted her. "You're the one that chose to run, Pinky. You did this to yourself." His cold words filled her ears, followed by a deep chuckle. In the back of her swirling mind, bombarded with the pain she was in, she vaguely noted that he'd never answered her question of why she was their captive in the first place.
"I was expecting more, Haruno…is this really all you've got?" Her eyes closed, cringing in pain, fear and anger as she gritted her teeth, struggling to quell the rising panic as she was continually denied oxygen. She wanted to keep screaming at him, to curse at him, fling any insult the darkest corners of her mind could come up with, and to argue that her chakra was depleted and that her hands were bound, so it was hardly a fair fight…if a fight is even what it could be considered. But she couldn't give voice to any of it.
"Pitiful." Kisame concluded, that grin never fading as he stared down at her. "Let's try this again, mm? Using Samehada to break your bonds was clever, but another stunt like that, and that ankle of yours will be the least of your worries." Those unearthly eyes glanced briefly to her wounded ankle, now covered in bloody dirt. Finally, his foot parted from her, and Sakura released a loud groan of relief before sucking in as much air as her lungs could hold. And with her first breath of life, she used it to exhale a roar up at him, "FUCK YOU!"
CRACK!
Sakura's eyes snapped wide open as the blur of bandages streaked past her vision, and the tip of his massive sword imbedded itself into the bark a mere inch from the side of her head. The shielding coat of his parted open and billowed out as his knees bent, and in the next moment he was crouching over her, one leg on either side of her slumped form, angled knees barricading her in. A warm breath wafted down over her shocked features as she stared up at the Akatsuki member that was now uncomfortably, confusingly close to her.
"Bitch, I can see right through you." He whispered harshly to her, giving her a closer view of his jagged, glinting teeth than she had ever wanted. All the while, he seemed only more and more entertained by the whole ordeal, if not a bit excited. Although she didn't know much of the man from personal experience, an excited Kisame seemed like the worst possible repercussion for her. Any man that resembled a damn shark was not the type of man she wanted to get worked up, in any way shape or form. It was bad enough that he was nearly decapitating her while he was calm.
"So stop trying to act tough. I'm willing to bet you've never been this terrified in your life." Sakura's lips were sealed shut, her eyes staying wide and alert, unable to break from her shock as she watched his every movement, every mere twitch like a hawk. Almost as if she half expected him to lunge at her with the intent to bite her face off at any given moment.
"Now then…" He began with a satisfied snort, taking her lack of response as regretful compliance. "You're going to get up and walk back to camp with me, got it? If you want to be a pain in the ass, let me know right now, so we can skip to the part where I make you a paraplegic." Their eye contact broke with the crackling sound of Samehada ripping free from the tree trunk, and gliding past her face as he stood back up. Reluctantly, Sakura climbed back to her shaky feet, and was given a shove in the direction he meant for her to start marching in.
