A/N: I struggled with myself a lot over this story. A couple times I almost just took it down from fanfiction. I even wrote a few reviewers back stating I might. I know that it's a very different sort of tale. Then I remembered... well, that's just how I write them. My apologies for the lateness of it. Also there will be an author's note at the end, as I've added some elements and possibly spoilers.
"Sakura" - or Cherry Blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring. Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life -From Wiki –
Summary: What should have been a simple C-rank mission to deliver a scroll to Tea Country so a certain pink haired medic could take a break from a tedious hospital schedule became anything but. All within the breath of a moment.
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. Neither does Xenogears which inspired this plot.
Chapter 2
It was a strange sensation for him to hold the seemingly delicate woman in his arms. It was unlike him to bother with saving another person from their own stupidity. He had contemplated for a split second of leaving her behind, but for some reason, something in him rebelled at the idea of allowing his brother to have her. Itachi did not want to give his brother yet another weapon against him. He still had things to accomplish before giving his sibling his sought after vengeance. Her distractions had at least proved useful for the most part. It had been a shocking realization that the girl had been afraid of his brother, a person she had known as a child. But for all of his reputation, there had been no fear when she had turned face him. Even in the Tsukuyomi, a place where his victims curled up upon themselves when they realized where they were.
Then there was the question of the radiant light that had shone like a brilliant beacon from her body. It was a ridiculous thing to contemplate but he wondered if the girl was even human for fragment of a second. He glanced down at the face pressed against his chest. He could see the flutter of her eyelashes, and wondered absently if she was dreaming or if pain was disturbing her rest. Lightning based chakra tended to have a nasty effect on the human body. Her expression was strangely peaceful, and he decided that she must indeed be dreaming.
His thoughts drew inward once more, his usually alert eyes glazing slightly. He was a man who had chosen to preserve peace over the lives of his clan. His hands were so bloodstained, that not even heaven would forgive his sacrifice. He was forsaken, damned. His redemption in the form a brother whose life he spared in a moment of fleeting hope for the future. A brother who loathed him above anything else. The never ending mission that had nearly consumed his soul. Consumed him still.
This woman, had taken an unnecessary blow to protect him. A murderer. Then - she had the audacity to turn to him, with those vibrantly, warm green eyes of hers and told him to 'live.' He wondered what she would say, if he told her - that it was already too late. That he had died a long time ago. Unconsciously his fingers tightened, the folds of her clothing curling beneath the digits. He glanced down again, slightly startled by the cloudy green orbs staring up into his face with bemusement.
It was a strange Sakura thought hazily. Though unconscious she'd been aware of a warmth that had made her feel secure. Safe. The ebb of consciousness tingled at her brain and she found herself opening her eyes, squinting at the bright light. When reason began to reassert itself, she turned her head and her body completely froze when her blurry vision attached itself to an all too familiar black cloak, dotted with red clouds. Akatsuki. Itachi.
Her voice was scratchy, and somewhat achy when she asked him groggily, "Where are we going?"
She felt his body tense, and she in turn tensed. His expression was shuttered and closed off. Her lips almost twisted at the irony. The brothers were in some ways very much alike. His arms tightened around her slightly, causing her orbs to widen. Sakura would have struggled, but her body felt far too weak for such a thing. It was no wonder, after having the chidori impacting her the way that it had.
Sakura flinched when she felt a sudden slightly jarring sensation. Her brain told her that they had landed on the forest floor. She glanced up into stony features when Itachi finally chose to speak to her, "Do you have enough chakra to heal yourself properly?"
At the query, the medic side of her kicked on, and she immediately did a quick scan of not only her chakra reserves but that of her wound. She gave a stiff nod in response. She didn't have much energy to speak of, but it would have to do. Sakura would think about the rest later.
She felt herself being lowered to the ground. The leaves crackled beneath her weight. Sakura forced herself to rise to her knees. The area around her lips whitened with the pain, but no sound escaped her lips. She inspected the wound and was relieved to find that it was just a deep flesh wound and nothing vital had been touched. Green encased her hand as it hovered over the damaged skin and dried blood. Epidermis smoothed over and came together, the burnt and charred skin disappeared, leaving milky hued flesh behind. Her head felt light from the blood loss, but in the end she was fortunate that it wasn't worse than it was.
The memories of what had taken place between them, crawled about in her brain. She forced them back to deal with later. If she got out of this mess, and that's what she had neatly categorized it as, she would deal with that later. Sakura had no clue though, how she would explain her actions to her shishou. Should she ever make it back home, that was. She was as weak as a newly born lamb and at Itachi Uchiha's mercy.
"We need to get moving if you are finished. Sasuke and his team are still tracking us. I was able to divert them for now. Unfortunately, they are still blocking the way out of the peninsula."
Sakura looked up into his stony mask startled. So many questions filtered into her mind. Why was she still alive? Why wasn't he torturing her for information about the scroll? Why hadn't he just left her behind with Sasuke? It all came out as one simple word, "Why?"
The Akatsuki member's eyes narrowed on her but he didn't respond to her impassioned query. Instead he asked her the same, "Why?" Turning it back on her.
Biting her lip, Sakura could hardly explain it herself. The emotions that she had felt had seemed far removed from herself, and yet they had been so strong, she had moved without really knowing why she was moving. She shook her head, lifting her hand stained with her own blood burying her fingers in a tangled mass of pink tresses, "I don't know," and then her eyes went to his again, "I don't know why – I know I should hate you – for what you've done. I should have let him kill you but..." her body quivered beneath the startling intensity of his gaze, "Why am I not dead? Why didn't you leave me there at the mercy of your brother? It –" Sakura forced the nonsensical words to stop. She couldn't look at him anymore. The raw emotion in her gut twisted like a knife, almost painful in its intensity. She murmured to herself, "I didn't even recognize myself."
"You are a kunoichi. Your behavior was foolish. What you've done is considered betrayal to your country," the Uchiha's voice had grown hard. He ignored the questions he couldn't answer himself. He didn't know what to make of her, nor of the emotions that he had thought he had long buried, surfacing the longer he spent in her company.
Lifting her eyes, they settled on his hitai-ite and the slash that ran jagged through the symbol of Konoha. She looked away. He was right, not that she wanted to admit it. What in the hell had gotten into her? Even now she should be deathly afraid of this man, but there was no fear of him, no blinding hatred. A long time ago, she had professed to loathe him with every fiber of her being, had blamed him for Sasuke's defection -had sworn she would kill him if she'd ever have the chance. Then she had gone and protected him instead and could have gotten herself killed over it. It was mind boggling to say the least.
Clenching her fist, the squeak of her gloves a break in the looming silence. Her chakra was low, and she was at this man's mercy. A man who murdered his clan in the span of one night. She had made certain he wouldn't get what he was after. So why wasn't she dead? The self-recriminating smile that adorned her lips drew his attention, "I am foolish." The easy agreement had his eyebrows drawing together but he stood silent as she staggered to her feet and faced him, her knees wobbling with the effort, "So, what do you plan to do with me then? I will not hand over what you are after."
The direct challenge was spoken in such a nonchalant manner. It was a strange. To have someone else, weaker than him, not in the least bit afraid. It was the closest thing he'd had to a normal conversation in a very long time. He waylaid her questioning, "My brother and his followers are in pursuit of us still. It is time to get moving. Can you travel on your own?"
Sakura's brow arced at the re-spoken question. The fact that the Uchiha watching her hadn't tied her up, or left her to die, and was in fact being some what polite, well maybe polite was pushing it, but it wasn't at all what she'd expected. Not from him. Swallowing she said, "I can travel."
Sakura's head shot up, her eyes narrowing on his face when the male in front of her asked, "You aren't afraid. Why?"
"I don't know," she responded honestly and then, "I shouldn't even be following you like this. I should fight you tooth and nail to the death – but –" she felt somewhat ashamed to mutter the next part, "Your eyes –"
It was hard for her to admit something so silly. Sakura was not a young woman prone to flights of fancy. She liked cold hard facts. Evidence, and clinical deductions to puzzles. She wasn't a top medic nin for nothing. Sure, she had her precious people, that she loved just like everyone else. Sakura could even admit that she was just a bit out of place in the shinobi world. At the age of nineteen, she should be hard. Jaded. She'd seen death, had struck enemies down ruthlessly when it called for it. Yet, her compassion had never died. Which was too soft, even for a Konoha kunoichi of the medic profession. She had gotten stronger, yes, but there were times that she still felt weak. Not physically, but rather a feeling of out of placeness with herself. Of not quite belonging. Which was ridiculousness in itself. She was the disciple of a great sannin. A fact that she highly prided herself on.
"We must move." He averted his face, eyeing the treetops above them.
Her hands clenched at her sides, "I may be foolish, but I'm not an idiot. I don't think following you around is in my best interest."
"I could deliver you to my brother," his lips thinned, his patience with the daft girl drawing to a close, "I'm certain he would be pleased."
Her face paled at the threat. Green eyes darkened with pique and narrowed into cat-like slits, "You wouldn't do that. If that was the case, then you would have just left me with him and his little posse of followers instead of dragging me along."
Sakura's eyes caught sight of his shoulders tensing slightly beneath the black cloth. The look of stark impatience in his eyes made her realize she'd pushed him too far. She tried to step back, to give her time to line her limbs with chakra. She clenched her teeth when she realized that she didn't have enough to even travel properly. His hand snaked around her wrist and she lifted her chin in defiance. A gasp left her, when he picked her up once again. At first she froze, not expecting him to do such a thing. This time she tried to struggle, her limbs thrashing about wildly. He narrowly avoided a heel to the face.
"Woman! Your wounds will open again if you keep up your foolishness. Trying my patience will be the epitome of stupidity."
The subtle warning tinging his words slowed her tussling. She stopped completely when he looked into her eyes with whirring sharingan comma shaped pupils. Mutinously her chin tightened at a stubborn angle, and she looked away from the irritating man. Then a sudden thought hit her, why would he care one way or the other? Also, why would he go so far out of the way to avoid his brother and team Hebi? It's not like they could really stop someone like Itachi Uchiha.
Her lips thinned. This time she kept her curiosity to herself. If someone had told her that morning, that she'd end up in a class S criminal's arms being carried through the treetops, she would have laughed herself silly. Either that, or punched said person in the face. It really was ridiculous but at least she would have time to formulate a plan of escape. She refused to be bandied about by either Uchiha.
Tilting her head to the side slightly, her ears caught the call of seagulls. Her nostrils twitched at the briney scent of the ocean. Her green eyes widened in realization. He meant to avoid Hebi completely by taking a ferry across to the mainland. That would take them directly into Fire Country's territory. It was a brilliant idea, she mused. It was the surest way. For whatever reason she couldn't fathom, he hadn't killed her yet. It would be difficult even for someone like him to shield her from his brother's followers should they be ambushed.
Especially if he had decided to take her back to the Akatsuki for further questioning and needed her for the most part unharmed. It was the only thing that made sense. At that thought, a chill shivered its way down her spine. She still couldn't deduce why Sasuke had suddenly decided he needed her anyway. So many mysteries in such a short span of time. It was really all too much for the woman to take in.
Sakura finally spoke, "We are going to Degarashi Port aren't we?"
Itachi glanced down at her, and inclined his head slightly. When they finally came upon the bustling port town, he set her down on her feet. From their vantage point, Sakura could see the main road that would take them past the city gates. She watched with morbid fascination as he shrugged out of the black and red cloud speckled cloak. It was then that she realized that somewhere along the way, he had lost his straw hat.
He did a quick jutsu with his hands that Sakura's eyes couldn't quite keep up with, and the corner tip of the dark material caught on fire. Her lips turned into a frown as she watched it burn into ash. Why would he bother to do such a thing? He had walked into Konohagakure with no compunctions in the complete Akatsuki ensemble. He caught her curious gaze with his as he took off his forehead protector and stuffed it into a pocket. He gestured for her to do the same.
Sakura hesitated but when he reached to do it for her, she immediately spurred into action and removed it herself. Shoving it into her pouch, she folded her arms, and fixed him with a glare, "This is neutral territory. Surely you aren't 'Wanted' here?"
Surprisingly he didn't answer the question. He eyed her stoically from head to toe, the intensity of his eyes forced her to blush. She crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture, and sent him a look that would have made Naruto balk. At the thought of her comrade, her heart ached. She really had to find a way out of this mess she'd gotten herself entrenched in.
Itachi watched the emotions flit over her face, blatantly giving away all of what she was feeling. This couldn't be the same woman who had brought a shinobi of Sasori's talent down. Her face was almost like an open book. He told her without inflection, "Make no effort to draw attention to yourself. You would regret it until you draw your last breath."
Sakura turned her face away from his dark probing eyes, "I understand." She knew he meant every word of that threat. She was surprised that he hadn't bound her with chakra. If he walked behind her, it wouldn't be noticeable to the normal populace. Nin would notice. But they would keep their nose out of their business. Especially in a neutral territory like this one.
He gestured for her to walk ahead of him. Stumbling to to the front, she stepped out onto the road, filled with traveling merchants. Sakura knew she was moving slowly, but her limbs were still aching from the electrical shock that had gone through her from the chidori. When some more more of her chakra returned, she'd have to fixed the residual damaged nerves. Strangely enough the male behind her, didn't seemed bothered by her pace. Once past the city walls, she made a quick sweep of the distant port with her eyes.
Sakura could see the ferries lined up. Amongst them, merchant ships were littered across the bay. Large crates were being sectioned off and stacked with trade goods by the dock workers. What caught her eye however, was the large ocean liner that stood like a giant amongst them. Her lips thinned into a thoughtful line. Her nose crinkling slightly as she surveyed the huge metal tub. She hadn't seen such a large ship since – her eyes widened, when she recalled just when she had seen a carrier like that.
Reminiscence colored her eyes. She wondered how Temujin was doing now. She had been no older then thirteen at that time. Gaara had just become Kazekage as well, she recalled bemused. Had it really been all that long ago? The whole fiasco with those, what were they called again? Gelel Stones and that crazy old bastard Haido. They had stumbled upon that ordeal because Naruto couldn't quite catch a ferret. Her lips turned up into an amused smile at the memory.
As they milled around town, Sakura's brain continued to try and formulate a plan of escape. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she let out a soft sigh. She just couldn't think when she was this hungry. Hell, even a bowl of ramen sounded delicious. And with as much of the stuff she'd consumed over the years, just due to being on Naruto's team, was saying quite a bit on her part.
Sakura sighed. She had ditched her pack when she'd realized she was being pursued by none other then the man behind her. Her eyebrow ticked at the thought. That, had all her food supplies in it, not too mention her traveling money. She had a few coins in her pouch, but that would be barely enough to buy her a small bowl of white rice from a stand.
A small sound of surprise left her lips, when she felt the warmth of a large male hand on her back between her shoulder-blades. She glanced at Itachi, who wasn't even looking down at her but to the side. He guided her towards one of the food stands. She remained silent, relaxing when he finally removed the appendage. Her cheeks were still inflamed with twin specs of bright color when he handed her a styrofoam bowl of white rice, with an umeboshi sitting on the top. Immediately, her mouth watered. Her stomach rumbled again, telling her to get on with it. Her deeply ingrained manners surfaced and she murmured her gratitude when he handed her a pair of disposable chopsticks. She was rewarded by an arching of his aristocratic brow.
As they continued to walk down the street, eating the humble meal. Sakura noticed that she was on the receiving end of a lot of odd looks. Looking around herself curiously to see what the deal was, she finally glanced down and grimaced. It was no wonder. Her still blood stained skin peeked through the gaping hole in her clothing that had gotten burnt by the impact of the chidori. Even her cranberry hued vest and dark forest green jounin jacket couldn't quite hide the stain of her own blood. She probably looked like she'd gone through hell. Her lips twisted into a sour smile. In a sense she had done just that. Finishing up the last of her food, she tossed the trash into one of the city placed receptacles.
Meanwhile, they made their way down to the wharf. She stood on the wooden, craggy surface. Listening absently to the swoosh of water just below her sandal clad feet. She watched the seagulls waddle up and down the harbor, looking for leftover fish parts left behind by humans. An old man sat on a bench facing the wooden platform. She realized that he was tossing the bread out for the birds. He met her eyes and she gave him a small smile. He returned the gesture before turning his gray head away, returning to feeding the eager fowl.
The acrid smell of smoke that came from burning coal made her nostrils flare. She glanced at the huge ship next to her. It was even more impressive up close. Suddenly Itachi halted beside her. Her eyes narrowed on him wondering why he would stop. His face was turned away from her, and his nose was tilted upwards slightly. She thought about asking him what he was looking for. And then she felt it. It pulsed over her senses, and she took a small step back. She murmured out loud, "He's here."
"They were most likely able to track your chakra signature."
"How? I mean, I'm at my lowest right now." Sakura couldn't believe her signature would be track-able at this point.
"That woman with my brother. She is infamous for her ability to track," Itachi explained coolly.
"I wouldn't put it past them to attack in broad daylight." Sakura's green orbs met thought-laden obsidian.
"Hn."
Then, all of a sudden the two of them were suddenly taken aback by the painfully loud whistle from the large, ocean-liner. The massive boat was heading out to sea. Sakura recovered quickly, and making a quick plan of escape on the fly, she lined her shoulder with what chakra she could and rammed into the male at her side. Itachi caught the motion out of the corner of his eye, and moved to avoid her. Her shoulder glanced his, and he went spinning and hit the the ground hard, rolling on impact. She could feel her body protest from the forced exertion.
Ignoring the crowd watching them, Sakura used the last of her energy to run on the water after the massive ship. Lining her heels with the barest vestige of chakra, she was able to make it up the side of the ship. Just barely. She pulled herself up over the railing. She fell into a heap on the slim walkway, breathing heavily from the exertion. She felt a dribble of blood run down her chin and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Curling her fingers over the metal railing she forced herself to stand to her feet. She propped herself up to see if Itachi would make chase once he recovered from her surprise attack. If Naruto had taught her anything, it was how to wing it when the occasion called for it.
Her gaze honed in on Itachi's black clad form, amongst the more colorfully dressed populace. He had picked himself up. In almost slow motion she could see the way his now red orbs zeroed in on her. Even with the distance the ship had put between itself and the shore, Itachi raced across the water after her. Without looking back, Sakura stumbled across the walk way, her body trembling from the effort. She knew she had to get out of sight. There was no way she could out run him.
Her fingers grasped at the knob of one of the many metal doors, and she was relieved when it opened for her. She let herself inside and quickly shut the door behind her. She set the deadbolt, which was a pathetic barricade from a nin of Itachi's caliber. She glanced around the gloom, and walked over to one of the many crates, and positioned herself behind it. Sliding down into a sitting position. Her eyelids were heavy from exhaustion and her head bobbed, but she refused to let them close and forced herself to stay awake.
She heard the knob rattle, and she stiffened in fear. Biting her lip, she forced herself to calm down. He'd give up and go back, she tried to tell herself. There was no way he'd continue to chase after her. It wasn't worth it. Was it? It was just a damn scroll to Tea Country. She hadn't even read the thing. Which he had to realize that she wouldn't have read the sealed document in the first place. She knew she had made him angry, but once they got further out to sea, he wouldn't be able to make it back on foot. Even now she could hear the rising thrum of the engines. She could feel that they were starting to pick up speed.
Her fingers curled into fists when the door slammed open. She slouched trying to make herself very small. Maybe he wouldn't see her, and would leave. Sakura absolutely hated feeling helpless more than anything in the world. Loathed it with every fiber of her being. It not only brought back unwanted memories, but it was something she had once worked so hard to surpass. A weakness that she desired to squash more than any other. Even when the odds were against her, she still never backed down. But today was just too much - even for her.
But now, her entire body quivered when she felt the lash of his signature sear across her senses. Emerged in shadow, she still felt his eyes hone in on her huddled form. Lifting her chin, she didn't dare look him in the eye. Fighting till the very end, she tried to back away from him. He was on her in moments. His hand shackled her wrist, pulling her ruthlessly to her feet. His voice was as cold as an iceberg in the seas surrounding the Land of Snow, "Did I not warn you?"
Defiantly she bit out, "What shinobi doesn't try to escape capture when given the opportunity?"
Before he could reply, a voice over an intercom interrupted them, "Attention! This is your Captain of the Thames. We are set on course to the eastern continent. Come to the upper deck for your assignments. Do not shirk from your duties! We are -" There was a bit of crackling and then the voice continued, "men of the sea!"
The fairly random announcement made them pause for a moment. Sakura rasped in abject disbelief when the reality hit her, "The eastern continent? This liner is way too large just to go to Fire Country. It's only half a day away from the port. He cannot mean -" her words came to a fumbling halt under the fierce glare from the male who held her prisoner.
"What is it?" Itachi's voice held a brittle quality to it, that made all the hairs on the nape of her neck stand on end.
A loud almost hysterical laugh left her, "And here I was thinking about him today," she knew tears were running down her cheeks. She also understood that Itachi was probably only a second away from pulling a kunai on her. Sobering she eyed him through the veil of her damp lashes, "I believe the captain was talking about - the continent on the other side of the ocean."
Sakura saw him straighten, and then he peered down hard into her face as if searching for something. The disbelief on his face following her explanation flickered in his eyes for a brief moment. If she had blinked, she would have missed the expression. They both nearly stumbled as the speed of the ship finally hit its peak and the horn blared its earsplitting call, deafening in its volume. He never let go of his hold on her, as he dragged her out the door uncaring that she was practically tripping over her feet to follow him. He went immediately to the railing. She lifted her head, looking far out over the expanse of the blue waters. She could already tell, that they were far too out now to make it back to land safely. She knew that his chakra reserves had to be dwindling low. He had not only fought, but he had also traveled hard that day to put a gap between himself and his sibling. The shore line always looked closer than it really was and he'd be taking a chance trying to run back with her in tow. They were already many miles out. Her chakra was all but gone, so she'd be no help in that department even if she wanted to be. If they did make it back, Sasuke would be waiting for them. It wasn't a good situation, either way. Especially if Itachi wanted to avoid him all together.
She wanted to shrink inside of herself at the dark look he sent her way. The retribution glimmering in those depths, finally instilled fear in her. The grip on her wrist tightened painfully. Sakura straightened her spine and sent back a hard look at him trying not to let her trepidation show through. It wasn't her fault that he had decided to pursue her.
Her shoulders drooped, her free hand went to her face covering her eyes. Her brain just couldn't take it anymore. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. Just as it had been all day long. Today had to be some sort of nightmare. She let out a sigh, her body really was at its limit. She had no idea how she still was able to remain awake. The medic side of her was screaming at her the damage she could do to her body in this state. Her hand fell away and her arm hung limply. The only thing keeping her up was the man holding her wrist prisoner.
" - so tired," she released a bone-popping yawn and sagged against him.
Itachi stared at the woman thoughtfully. His anger subsiding for the moment. Her face was drawn and pale. She was obviously suffering from the effects of chakra depletion. The side of her chin was smeared with drying blood. She was slowly succumbing to her exhaustion. He was rather surprised that she was holding on as long as she was. Reflecting back on the day, he had no idea why he had bothered with her at all. He couldn't believe her use to his brother would be that much of a detriment to his plans. On the ferry to Fire Country, he had planned to thoroughly interrogate her by means of the Tsukuyomi, and leave her in a location that the ANBU would have found her easily enough.
It would have given him the way to avoid his brother. Itachi only killed when absolutely necessary. And though the pink haired nin was an irritant, there had been no reason for him to do such a thing. He knew in hindsight he should have at least bound her hands together with invisible chakra threads. It was normal procedure, but, after witnessing her strange reactions under extreme stress. He had been somewhat apprehensive to utilize those methods on her. He still couldn't analytically categorize the bright light she emitted. Even now, he could still envision the shock etched deeply in his brother's normally apathetic face in his mind's eye. It was obviously something his brother hadn't expected.
The practical thing for him to do was to take her back to the Akatsuki as amends for failing to retrieve the scroll. Pein would probably use her to draw out the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. However, Itachi had already sacrificed so much to prevent a war from breaking out, and all for the well-being of Konohagakure. The idea was not one he could utilize for any sort of gain. At least it wouldn't be beneficial for him to do that. He looked down at the sagging female. Her eyes had closed. Her cheeks were still stained with drying tears. He could tell by the rhythm of her breathing she hadn't quite succumbed to unconsciousness quite yet.
This female was truly stubborn. His lips tightened with irritation. He would have never surmised that she would have such a strong will. He bent to prop her against the wall. He needed to figure something out. And quick. So intent on his thoughts, Itachi never noticed the person stalking up behind him. He barely registered the unexpected blow to his head. Staggering from the force he crumpled over, unconscious before he hit the ground.
-o-
Itachi could hear the echo of approaching footsteps on the metal grid. As he was pulled under, he couldn't believe he'd been caught unaware by some pathetic civilian. He could practically hear Kisame laughing at his indiscretion. His eyes closed and as he plunged into the darkness awaiting him. He allowed it to enfold him. It was like sinking into the depths of the blue abyss of the ocean itself, it seemed so vast. He floated there in the darkness. Consumed by emotions and memories that were not his own, and yet they were. A sea of many voices and blurred images of a time long past, tangible and yet he couldn't grasp them. Awake he hadn't understood anything, but in this place within his soul, he understood.
That woman. Pink hair. Laughing green eyes. Compassionate. Strong. Stubborn. She'd always been the same. Trouble the moment he met her. Forever drawn to her. Irrevocable. Unexplainable. Two halves of one whole.
Suddenly the darkness was awash in swirling fragments of color. He stood before a canvas, a paintbrush nestled between his fingers. Hands stained with paint. Dreaming – he was dreaming a dream. Perhaps a long forgotten memory. Things forgotten when one is awake. Where the deepest layers of memories become the outmost layers of one's dreams. Which are reality? Which are illusions? One cannot tell until one awakes. Or perhaps they are, at the same time, both truth and fiction. A vast nebulous – with no boundaries. An emptiness equivalent to his own existence. He dreamt such a dream. A long – never ending dream.
He could hear the last strains of the music box a servant had left open for Mother Hoshi. She was regarding him with worry in the depths of her emerald orbs. "Kioshi?" She murmured his name softly.
He averted his eyes from the paintbrush in his hand, and lifted his head to regard her. He could see the lines of strain on her face. A look she tried so hard to conceal from everyone around her. Even those closest to her.
Her smile thinned out into a visage of open concern, "You look tired. Maybe we should stop for the day."
Obsidian eyes searched into the depths of endless green. "I'm fine. Perhaps it would be best if we finished up for the day. You look tired Mother Hoshi."
"Stop it," the unusual sharpness to her tone startled him. He couldn't ignore the soft pleading in her voice, his heart twisted at the plaintive sound, "When it's just the two of us, call me Sakura. Like you used to. It isn't like you to be so stiff and formal."
He couldn't stand the sight of the sadness she tried so hard to conceal from him. He could see it glimmer at him from the depths of her gaze. Her eyes shimmered and he swore she was holding back how she really felt. He hated to think he was the one who caused her to feel that way. Her burdens were far too heavy as it was. His voice was tense and cold although he didn't mean for it to come out that way, "If that's what you want, Sakura."
Sakura. It was a time when she went by such a name. A time when they had met up with one another. He had called her that, even before she introduced herself. It was a time when nothing mattered between them. It was better that way – just two people, together. It would have been better to have left it that way.
Looking away from her, he began to pack his things. He needed to clear his head. He wanted more than anything else to just paint her forever. The emotions churning within him were dangerous. Not allowed. The distance between them was far too large, too vast to bridge. His hand clenched at his side, hidden from her sight. Finally he lifted his head, his voice was slightly hoarse when he finally spoke, "I need to return home. I should be back within a few days."
"Oh?" He watched as her slender fingers smoothed out the creamy material of her garment. He could see on her face, already, that she didn't want him to leave. She averted her eyes and wouldn't meet his gaze, "Is there something wrong?"
"I need to gather more pigments." He cleared his throat as he explained his reasoning to her.
"You are going to go so far just for that?"
He could see she was taken aback by his pitiful excuse. He knew it was a poor one. He turned his face away. He could barely stand to look at her. She was so beautiful, so perfect, sitting there with her hands still folded primly in her lap. He continued to explain, trying to make his excuse sound more convincing then he knew it really was, "If I don't. I won't have the right pigments."
"I see," she responded to him softly. He glanced back at her surreptitiously, seeing the thin, strained smile on her lips. She was still worried about him. He could see it in the tense line of her body, "Why don't you take one of my followers with you? You'll be safer. It's far too dangerous to travel alone."
He stiffened. His insides twisted at the affection in her tone. She was like that. Her compassion was his undoing. Grabbing his case, wanting to exit the premises as swiftly as possible, he replied before he could stop the words tumbling out of his lips, "I'll do that Mother Hoshi. Thank you."
Kioshi seen the look on her face before he shut the door behind him. The stark emotion that broke her professional mask, pierced through him like nothing else could. He sagged against the wooden frame. He buried his face in his hand as his emotions threatened to spill out, and take over.
He had lied. He wasn't out of paint. He just feared finishing the portrait. He wanted to keep on painting forever. So he had bought himself some time. She'd probably despise him if she had known. No, she'd probably have just given him her usual smile. She was that kind of woman.
Dreams. A life of a man named Kioshi... And the lives of countless other men. All but dreams. Those countless numbers of long, heartrending dreams were almost impossible to remember at all. In those dreams, he had loved but one woman. No matter the day. No matter the era. That did not change. Nor did her name.
-o-
Sasuke's onyx eyes followed the length of Karin's arm as she pointed out into the endless expanse of the ocean to the massive ship in the distance. Something ugly churned within him. It couldn't be? That wasn't the route the ferries took to the mainland. Activating his sharingan, he enhanced his sight. Was Karin telling him that they were on that ocean liner that had left the port not ten minutes ago?
"They are on that ship?" He turned to survey the redhead.
Mutely she nodded. Already she could see the signs of temper in his eyes, and didn't want to do anything further to provoke it.
Karin watched as Sasuke approached a worker on the docks. The lines of his body were ones of barely leashed violence. What was so important about that pink haired woman anyway? She was weird and obviously unique, sure. But she couldn't see the usefulness in her. At least not to the point of going through so much trouble. She would never have believed that she'd see the day that Sasuke go after another person over than that of his goal of killing his brother. She couldn't understand it. She had even seen the shock on Itachi's face. It was probably the only reason why Itachi had taken the girl in the first place. She had come to realize after playing the scene over and over in her head, that Itachi didn't seem after the girl for the same reason Sasuke was. She still couldn't quite figure out why Itachi had moved in front of the woman in the first place. Perhaps to spite Sasuke? Karin still thought the whole thing was bizarre.
"That ocean liner that just left. Do you know where it will dock next?" Sasuke asked a man about the same age as them. His tawny eyes lifted to regard the nin, while wiping sweat from his brow.
"Oh the Thames? Aye – it's headed to the new continent."
Karin felt her stomach fold into knots with dread. She could already sense the rage boiling beneath the exterior of his signature. This would not bode well.
"New continent?" Sasuke repeated lowly. He paused and then asked another question, "Is there a layover anywhere before heading out so far? At least to O'uzu Island for supplies."
The sailor scratched his head, surveying the other man thoughtfully. He shook his head in the negative, "Nay. The captain of the Thames always takes 'er straight over. It's a three month journey. But he takes more 'n enough so that he doesn't have to stop. That man loves the ocean more than anything else."
"How long until it comes back?"
Karin could hear the frigid quality in his voice. She knew there would be hell to pay. Sasuke was not a patient man. Not in the slightest.
Lifting his cap, the sailor lifted his eyes and stared at the sky while rubbing his chin, "Well, let's see. He'll first the dock in port. That ship is taking trade cargo. He is also slated to bring some back for Wind Country. It's just a guess, but with all that has to be done, he'll probably sit in the port for at least six weeks before returning. Possibly more, depending on how long it takes to get everything gathered. Why? Did you have a friend aboard that ship and you didn't get to say goodbye?"
Sasuke didn't answer, but pivoted on his heel and stalked back to Karin. He eyed her face, his visage strained, "Are you certain that they are on that ship? I cannot believe that my brother would go so far to avoid me. It's almost too ridiculous to fathom."
Adjusting her glasses, Karin averted her eyes unable to meet the searing gaze that rested on her features, "I felt a flare up of chakra just as we arrived in town. That woman's. It was just as the ship was leaving the docks. I led you here right away of course. Even then I could feel the faint signature retreating. Perhaps she struggled with your brother, and boarded the ship to escape him. He masks his chakra well. I cannot be completely certain if he is with her."
The sailor that Sasuke had questioned came forward overhearing their conversation. His hand was tightly gripping the broom handle as he approached them. Karin looked over Sasuke's shoulder to regard the man.
"Are you perhaps looking for a pink haired woman?"
Sasuke whipped around, to face the man again. He arched a brow, but dipped his head waiting for the man to continue. "Yes."
"We all seen her. It's hard to miss someone like that. She looked like she'd been through a battle - or something. She was dressed like a shinobi, so no one approached to see if she needed assistance cuz it ain't our business. She was with a man, dressed all in black." The sailor's eyes narrowed on Sasuke's face then, "Never seen anything like it. When the Thames was just leaving port, she knocked the man aside. No one could believe the strength in a woman so small. She ran over the top of the water, and up over the side of the ship. The man that was with her, went right after her. The Captain don't like stowaways. If he finds them – they'll be sorry."
With that the man shook his head, and ambled away to return to his job leaving the both of them somewhat stunned by the turn of events.
Sasuke met Karin's eyes. "Call Suigetsu and Juugo back to us. We are going to go after them."
Karin's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull, "But how are we going to do that?"
Sasuke eyed her as if he thought her to be dull-witted, "There has to be more than one ship going to the other continent. We will find one."
"But – that's so far away. Is she that important?" She couldn't quite keep the jealousy absent from her voice.
Sasuke merely smirked at her, "It'll be killing two birds with one stone. Both of them will be unprotected. Especially now since the Akatsuki will most likely believe that he has defected. Konoha will declare Sakura MIA. By the time we return with her, they won't be searching for her remains any longer. It's actually a fortuitous turn of events for – us."
Karin's lips twitched but she didn't respond. She nodded and turned to send the message to the rest of Team Hebi. The redhead was already mentally cursing the events that had transpired that day.
-o-
A/N: The visual of Sasuke's face I had when the sailor told him where that ship was going still amuses me. (Even though I'm the one who wrote this) So I hope it's still entertaining so far to everyone. And hopefully some things are making more sense as I'm fleshing it out further. I already know that some of you may be thinking, Itachi's reactions were really out of character for him. He should be more cutthroat, infallible ect. I am actually going by the basis of his profile in wiki (For the most part) That's all I'm going to say on that subject. As is everything, it's all open to how we interpret. All I ask for is an open mind as this story is going to probably be very different from the normal run of the mill stuff.
Temujin –protagonist in the second Naruto movie, "Legend of the Stone of Gelel." For those who haven't seen it, I don't want to ruin it for you, so I will just give the basic idea. In that movie, Temujin and the others with him came from far across the sea from an unknown land. It seemed in the movie, that the people from the opposite continents were either not really aware of each others' existence, or barely just. The technology itself was something unfamiliar to the shinobi as were the fighting styles the antagonists used. I've always thought that, afterwards, that trade would be opened up between them beneficially as I would think people from the continent where Naruto takes place would be curious enough to seek out this 'new' land. I could be totally off, but that's going to be some of the basis of this story.
The poetic prose in italics is all from Xenogears. I can't write poetry to save my life. Actually, in my highschool days, I shown some of the script to one of my teachers, who was a philosophy major and he couldn't believe that, something like that was in a 'silly little video game' as he put it. I could never recreate that feeling on my own, so I take absolutely no credit for it. That all belongs to Xenogear's creator and I'm happy to be able to share it with you all, but of course with a twist. Except for the first two paragraphs at the start of the break, of course.
Captain of the Thames –Xenogears character. He often called himself, "A man of the sea."