Header:#10, thunderstorm, ItaSaku
Title: Accident
Author/Artist: Lady Kyoshoku
Claim: Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura
Theme: #10, thunderstorm
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Summary: She was normally fearless, but some nights he would catch a glimpse of the woman beneath it all. He would merely hold her and watch the rain tumble down, replacing the memories of his past with memories of her.
Done for the 50_themes challenge on LJ.
A C C I D E N T
When he was a child, he had learned that shinobi did not fear. They were bringers of death themselves, and if they could fight for themselves, then what did they have to fear? Nothing, in his opinion, but his pink-haired angel broke all conventionality when it came to that, and always managed to make a smile pull at his normally blank features.
And this time, it was her irrational fear of thunderstorms.
It was springtime, and so the skies of Konoha were sometimes turbulent and split apart, showering the inhabitants down below with large, heavy drops. Most of the time this was partnered with thunder and lightning, and when this happened, the twenty-four-year old medic began to act like a child, curling up under her blankets and covering her ears, praying to anything that would listen for this stupid effing storm to go away.
That was how he had found her, after sneaking into the village through one of his various entrances, slipping into her apartment without a word. Instead of finding her sprawled out rather invitingly against the blanket, he found her curled up under it. It was rather hard to puzzle the great Uchiha Itachi, but he found this both amusing and aggravating. He could recall her promising that she would be 'waiting' for him, and instead he had found this... And surprisingly enough, he liked it.
When she had eventually felt his presence she had poked her head out from under the covers, dishevelled and slightly teary-eyed, he had only smiled at her and extended his hand. She took it and allowed him to pull her from the bed, a small, sheepish grin covering her features as he brought her close to him, holding her tightly against his chest and stroking her hair. It was oddly comforting, and she told him so. His only reply was to kiss into her sweet-smelling hair and sigh, but she didn't mind.
She had instead reached for his hand and brought him out to her living room, cringing every time the thunder boomed or clapped. His vague amusement was evident, but he was also concerned for her—he had never seen her scared before, other than the first time.
The first time they had met she had been injured, bleeding out in the middle of the forest, during a violent storm. She did not have enough chakra to heal herself—instead she had given it all to her team, though they wound up dead regardless. When she had caught sight of his cloak all the air left her lungs and she tried as best she could to crawl away, but consciousness was rapidly escaping her and he caught up easily. It was then that he figured out that the young Jounin had been attacked by other members of Akatsuki, and for no valid reason. He stared at her for a while, and the pain that glimmered within her fathomless green green eyes called out to him. She was hurt more than physically, and he then made up his mind to bring her to safety.
He had carried her many miles to a hospital in a small village, and for some reason stayed there the three days it had taken her to recover. When she had woken and her bleary eyes had focused on him, it had seemed almost like a dream... She did not say anything for a long moment, merely stared. And then finally her lips parted, and she whispered three words. Nearly silent, but he had caught them.
"Thank you... Itachi."
This time it was his turn to be surprised. For the first time in nearly a decade he was being thanked, and by someone who should have hated him. And she did hate him—hate what he apparently was. But there was something beneath it, she knew now, and she would get to it, much to both of their surprise.
It had been a total accident, their relationship, but the best thing that had happened to both of them in some time.
Their first kiss had been an accident.
She had been healing his eyes—she insisted on doing at least that much for him—and he had leaned forward just a bit too far. His lips had pressed to hers almost desperately, as if he were searching for something that he had never been allowed to have.
Their first time had been an accident.
He had shown up at her house sweaty and bloodstained, and she had made him take a shower. Of course he didn't have a change of clothes and she had never had a man in her house before... He had come out in only a towel while she had been getting ready for bed. His eyes had roamed her body, finally fixing on her face, but her gaze was much further south. In seconds he was on her, his lips roaming the sweet skin of her neck and jaw. She had made such beautiful noises for him, crying his name with the sheer passion that he had desired all his miserable life.
The ring had been... a well-planned accident.
Or so he had said. She never believed it. One day he had shown up in the middle of the night, breathless, at her window. They had been seeing each other for eight months now, and Sakura knew that she was falling for him. And so she had invited him in, asking mutely what he was doing here, though she really did not mind. She had not gotten an immediate reply from him, just a wonderfully passionate kiss. He had guided her back against her bed, pressing her soft body against the mattress.
He had hovered above her, taking in everything. Every sigh, every sultry parting of her lips, the look and feel of her skin. When he was finally through with her he just held himself close to her, burying his nose into the crook of her neck, murmuring something against her skin. It had taken him a moment to repeat himself, and she hung onto his words as if they were her only lifeline.
"Run away with me."
She would have gone if she could, but there were things to be done before she could even think about it. As much as she wanted to, she wanted his promise, and that was what she had gotten. His hand scrambled for the dark fabric of his pants, pulling out a small box with an even smaller gift inside. A silver ring, etched carefully around the ruby centrepiece. He slid it onto her shaking finger, promising her that someday he would find a way for them to be together, to truly have a relationship. And she believed him; she always would, and for reasons she was scared to tell him.
And this.... This was their final accident.
Now they were on the couch, he was leaning against her armrest and she had her back to his chest. His arms were wrapped around her shoulders to hold her close against him, his chin atop her head so that he could watch the rain outside the window. He could still feel her shaking out of fear, her breath coming in short and shallow as she tried to remain calm throughout the rest of it. She was not really paying attention to him, he knew, because if she was the young man would have to bat away questions that she would ask out of concern.
And she had every right to be concerned... The Uchiha could not look at the rain without feeling the pain that came with his past. The war... All the blood and the battles that took place, all of the people he had seen dead, all to make him some emotionless killing machine that his clan could use for their own purposes. The first time he had killed a man he had been six years old, and scared beyond belief at what he had done. It had been raining that night.
It had been raining the night he killed his best friend, Shisui. And the night that he had killed his clan and turned his brother, the person he adored more than anything, against him so that he could die and Sasuke would feel some sort of closure. The more he watched the rain, the more he was reminded of the tears that filled his brother's eyes as he screamed his hatred towards him. He felt the pain deep within his heart and the stinging in the backs of his eyes, but he felt as if there was nothing he could do. All he had, the only peace in this life, was here with her.
That was why he had come tonight, to try and forget; to erase all the terrible memories from his mind while at the same time bringing her the comfort that he wished he could always have. He didn't want to remember anything else, he wanted to remember her. To be happy, to be himself, to be just Itachi. No one else could look at him with such kindness and trust apart from her, and no one else could sent his heart fluttering with a single smile. Nothing would ever compare to her, and he trusted no one else to know him the way she did.
Because she knew him so well, she knew exactly what was on his mind. And she wanted to fix it, to make him feel better, and she thought she knew how... But she was scared. Of everything that she could lose, she did not want to lose him; she did not know how things would turn out if she did. But finally her lips parted, and she could almost sense his anticipation. Her fingers sought his, and she threaded them gently and squeezed for reassurance.
He asked what was wrong, and she shook her head, dismissing the question. His brow creased out of concern, wondering what on earth could possibly be bringing her this kind of nervousness. But he waited patiently, listening as she told him that she knew what was on his mind.
Of course she knew. She had always known how to read him.
But he could not read her. He could only listen as she fumbled for words, thumbing the ring on her finger as she thought of how to word it. She cleared her throat, and when she finally spoke, this time it was he who was lost for words.
"I love you... There is no reason to think like that anymore."
His lips were slightly parted, his face contorted into an expression of utter confusion. Sakura's eyes hit the floor, but he tipped her head back to press a tender, chaste kiss to her lips, pushing forth all the emotion he could muster. She welcomed it, her fear disappearing with every passing second, and his worries following suit.
Yes, it was a good idea to come tonight. To rid her of her fears, and to remove his doubts. But he also gained something tonight. Not only memories of her to replace the bad ones, but her love and trust.
Their entire relationship had been an accident, and this was no different.
Only this time, their love was an accident, but neither of them cared.
The rain could fall and erode the earth, but this was the one thing it could never wash away.