The Calling
by stones
Day Two
On the second day, she was feeling a tad bit uneasy.
She awoke this time feeling purpose. It was still so early in the morning, she could feel and smell the moisture of the dew spread upon the grass outside, reflecting everything in such a way that there was no hiding from the truth—but this time, she decided, she would face this reality and do anything to bring back normalcy. She wasn't quite sure what this entitled, but she figured she would take it step by step and eventually everything would fall in to place.
Who would have thought that it would just unravel further?
She woke to the sound of Naruto shifting next to her, running his hands through his hair with a heavy yawn that coursed through his body, tempting to let herself omit her own. As he stumbled out of the tent, she retrieved the ring from under her pillow, keeping it closed in her clenched fist, almost afraid to look at it. When she heard faint talking outside of the tent, she opened her hand, keeping her eyes focused on the ring sitting on the palm of her sweaty hand. As she looked at the ring, it resembled what it did only a few weeks ago—a dull, cruel teasing, which further led her to question if she had even seen that blinking light at all.
"Sakura," someone said behind her. She jumped, holding the ring close to her, shielding it away from the world. It was hers alone. Only for her eyes. Her greedy, selfish eyes. Naruto looked at her expectantly, tired lines under his eyes. "We're going soon."
"Right," she said with a nod, sending a sort of reassuring smile towards him.
Naruto, not fully understanding the ways of the female mind, but understanding enough to know that women like Sakura did not liked to be bothered to a large extent in the morning, gave her an awkward smile before disappearing once more, the flap of the opened tent swaying as he took his leave. As it stilled, she rotated the ring in her hand, eyes still fixed on the spot Naruto had just left. Instantly, she felt distant.
She could almost see him there, poking his head through the tent, only instead of Naruto, eyes red and dark, hair messy and untidy, telling her to hurry up for she was taking too long. Almost as if this was really happening, she rolled her eyes with a smile-- though he wouldn't take this kindly. He would send her a look of his own, that look she knew so well, and even though it would always bring uneasy feelings, she would do anything to see it again.
But she turned her back on the opening of that tent and looked back at the ring, running her finger over it. Today she would have to focus. Today, she decided, was nothing but business. Today was the day that she would redeem herself and become the person she had always wanted to be. She was never quite sure what she wanted to do, but she knew the woman she wanted to become, and suddenly, everything was growing clear. She was sure of it.
Because the day that he left, she screamed and she cried.
She wasn't done screaming, but she promised herself that she was done crying.
X
All that she could hear was the whizzing sound of branches passing by as they jumped from tree to tree. Some stray leaves slapped against her bare legs, giving her a taunting reminder that she was always left vulnerable somewhere. Later she would wear longer pants, remedying this thought, though it would do no good. There was no hiding what would always be seen. Though she was strong and confidently accepted that fact, she couldn't help but feel that she was once again straggling behind.
She glanced ahead at the figures bouncing from tree to tree, though they looked like small blurs passing her by. She did not fit with this team, though she tried to her best. A vision of blonde caught her eye and she gazed ahead at Naruto as he continued forward. Next to him, she could just imagine Sasuke. The images were of them during their younger years—chubby cheeks, soft, curved eyebrows, and a fake mature sense that they so naively were sure they possessed. And here she was, running behind and expectantly waiting for their directions and protection. Well, she told herself, not this time.
She sped up, falling in step with their fast movements. Just as soon as she was at their pace, they all stopped and she paused on a tree branch, glancing behind her shoulder to look at where they had all stopped. The branch that she landed on bobbed up and down, making the image of Naruto's team shake erratically as she glanced at them. Without wasting anymore time, she jumped back to them, landed softly on her feet. Naruto turned immediately to her as one of his other teammates spoke, voice deep.
"Strong chakra."
Sakura focused, eyes scanning the greenery around them. Now that she concentrated, she could feel the chakra. She was surprised she had missed it before. It was large, overpowering. It felt as if there was so much of it that it channeled into her own body, filling her with adrenaline and power. It slowly faded, though, becoming a far smaller threat. Still, they all stood rigid, expecting the worst to come. With the rustle of some bushes, they all turned to the noise, falling into their own unique stances. Sakura's fingers shook with excitement as she crouched, hand near the kunai strapped to her foot. The threat, however, was not deemed to be such a hazard. It entered the small clearing slowly, putting them all in a sort of comfortable reassurance. When they stepped into vision, Sakura, along with Naruto and his team, relaxed. They too were Leaf.
There were four of them, masks on their faces, hiding their identities away from the world. Her throat, she realized, was very dry as they neared. They did not walk with strong, sturdy steps. They used small movements signalizing discomfort and when she was close enough to see the red on their uniforms, her medic side kicked in and she stepped forward to the closest one to grab his arm, inspecting the large cut on his forearm.
"What happened?" she asked, once they had all settled in the isolated clearing, the heavy air reeking with blood and sweat. The earth was trembling. She knew they all felt it.
"Akatsuki," one said from behind her. Sakura looked from her current patient to steal a glance at the one who had just spoke, eyes furrowing together. They had all paused from what they were doing to listen closer. In the corner of her vision she could see Naruto drop the sticks he had been chucking into the fire that was giving him difficulty, only to thin his lips and look back at the pieces of wood.
"How many?" Sakura asked, ripping her attention away, determined to keep focused on the bleeding arm that she was cleaning.
"One."
"Just one?" Sakura asked, knowing that they usually traveled in pairs. "What did he look like?"
"Large," the ANBU answered simply, leaving Sakura wishing for more. She didn't turn away from her duties. No matter how much she wanted to, there were more importantly things that she had to do—that she was supposed to do.
"Large as in tall? Muscular? Heavy built?" she asked, questions shooting out rapidly. She wiped away the last trickles of blood, throwing the dirty cloth to the side. She ran some of her chakra through her fingertips and onto the wound, giving it the extra push towards healing.
"What's with the interest? It was an Akatsuki. That should be enough to take alarm."
Sakura huffed, grabbing the gauze beside her quickly. She ripped into it, beginning to wrap it around her patient's arm. There was a moment of silence, the only thing heard was Sakura's movement as she wrapped the gauze around the newly treated wound and the clang of wood toppling as Naruto attempted to build the fire.
"He had a large sword," the ANBU she was treating said just as Sakura had finished wrapping the wound. She looked back at him as she packed her medical supplies away. "Known to travel with an Uchiha."
And it was then when she remembered the ring in her pocket, annoyingly digging into her hip.
"Where is he?" Sakura asked desperately.
The ANBU shrugged. "Around."
"You know, Sakura," she heard Naruto say behind her. Immediately she prepared herself. He was going to give her the protective guilt trip. "Maybe you should go back to Konoha with them."
"Naruto-"
"This area just isn't safe for you traveling alone," he started, forgetting the campfire once again. "Not just you, but anyone."
"-I'll be fine."
She had said it sternly enough for Naruto to get the picture. She wanted him to drop it and for now, he would oblige. It grew quiet again as everyone occupied themselves with their own business, some more important than others. Sakura, volunteering to retrieve more wood, made her way into the surrounding area, looking over her shoulder as the clearing grew smaller. When she was far enough from the camp, far away from everyone's prying eyes, she pulled the ring from her finger and paused in her steps. Enveloping the ring in her hands, she peeked through a tiny crack in her palms and without a doubt, she could see the flickering flight.
Something was calling her, and it wouldn't stop.
It wasn't just the ring. Even though the ground itself wasn't moving, she swore she could feel the earth shaking even harder than before.
X
"I should be leaving soon," she said as she looked over her things, Naruto approaching from behind. Her eyes scanned her bag filled with extra clothes and her simple medical kit. For a second her heart throbbed with nervousness when she hadn't seen the scroll, but gave a sigh of relief when she found it squished at the bottom of her bag.
He sighed, making Sakura a little tense. "I don't have a good feeling about this."
Neither did she.
"Naruto, I'll be fine," she insisted, turning around to give him a confident smile that greatly contradicted everything she was feeling at the moment. She lifted her hand to lay it on his shoulder and gave him a sure nod. "It's just a delivery. It'll be over in no time."
"What if you run into someone dangerous," he countered, giving her a sad smile. He didn't dare shrug away her hand for that would do nothing but push her away. Instead, he took his own hand and placed in on her shoulder, faces even. "I don't want you to get into trouble."
"As soon as I see those red clouds, I'll turn tail and run," she said, her voice drifting back and forth from deceiving to truthful. Dropping her hand from his shoulder and shrugging his off, she turned back to her bag, zipping it shut. She hoisted it onto her shoulder and straightened out her clothes—a sort of preparation.
"I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you," Naruto announced, causing a jolt of guilt to course through her. This was something she was sure she didn't deserve. He was something she figured she had always taken for granted.
"Naruto," she whispered, voice soft. "Nothing bad will happen."
Or at least she hoped.
X
It was late already. She figured if she didn't stop that'd she have the scroll delivered by tonight. Rest for the night and then once the sun engulfed the world in light and new beginnings, she would make her way back to Konoha—back to normalcy. The sun was low in the sky. Brilliant hues of deep reds and rich purples flooded the sky and her sight, making her wish that she could just stop to look around and take a deep breath. The moments were rare when one actually paid attention to the minor details usually overlooked, only to realize the most things beautiful are right in front of you, waiting for your acceptance. She could connect to that.
The weather, however, could have been better. She was still in Rain Country, though closing on the border fast. It didn't change the humid temperature however and sweat lined her skin, making her clothes and hair stick to her flesh irritatingly. It made her feel enclosed, almost suffocated. And she was ready to reach fresh air. Very ready.
She stopped for a second, looking down at the hand that was holding the ring, and had been holding it ever since she left Naruto and the camp. It had stopped calling to her a while ago, but still she had it in her hand just in case something were to happen. For this time, she determined, she would be prepared. This time she would take all the clues that were so kindly laid out in front of her and piece together the puzzle of her path. Easier said than done.
The sky was now much darker for the sun seemed desperate to escape the world, and Sakura, well, she couldn't really blame it. The sky turned into a dull dark blue, spreading darkness over what was once a sight to behold. Now the sky held other feelings. Anxiousness. Fear. Maybe even a slight pang of rejection. For the sky might have been dark, but someone's hair was so much darker. The humid air might have been warm, but someone's piercing look was so much hotter. Going for a mission was good, but being with Sasuke would have been better.
And then it happened.
Her nerves ran high. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, determined not too lose her balance with both her body and her mind. Once again she could feel the overpowering energy, swirling around her, growing closer and closer until the mixture of heat, humidity, and force were wrapping themselves around her throat and tightening painfully. Her fingers twitched lightly once before she pulled them into fists.
Something was happening.
Her instincts were itching in the back of her head, trying to warn her of events about to happen. The sky was growing dark, the humid air made her forehead sleek with sweat. She glanced around the area, finding it very hard to do so with the thick fog clinging onto everything so tightly and desperately that it strung her feelings of anxiousness even higher, for she felt that she was losing her grip on the reality around her. The tips of her pink hair were already brown with dirt that was turning into a muddy mixture from the moisture nearly drowning her. She heard a rustling beside her and for a minute, she felt time skip because suddenly someone was in front of her.
Her eyes first landed on his feet, scanning slowly to catch a cloudy glimpse of red. She squinting, trying to see through the fog. The figure was so dark, so looming that she stepped back. She dropped her bag onto the ground with a heavy thump, her things scattering on the ground. And she knew that she was in trouble when the figure titled his straw hat up and revealed his red eyes.
Rich, deep, red eyes.
"Medic."
She wasn't sure if he had really said it, for at the moment, nothing seemed real. His voice was so thick that it had cut through the bulky fog, making her clench her fists tighter, nails digging into her skin. She opened the hand the ring was not in, the tips of her fingers grazing over the tip of the kunai hidden away from open eyes.
"Uchiha."
Her voice sounded foreign. It was deeper than usual, laced with confidence, caked with suspicion, and most of all, decorated with fear. All of her feelings clashed against each other, bumping and thrashing until they all cancelled each other out, leaving her emotionless as she stared back at the stoic man in front of her.
"You have something that belongs to me," he announced, slowly removing the straw hat from his head. Once again, she took heed to the red ring clenched in her hand, painfully digging into her skin.
"You have something that belongs to me," she replied sharply. The last time she had seen this Uchiha, he had taken some things she so desperately valued. Her mind, for instance, had been set. She knew where she stood and certainly knew where her loyalty laid. With her amazing village, but most importantly, with an Uchiha, and it wasn't with the one standing in front of her. But he had gone and decided to muss up these neat ideals, making her scramble to put them back into place. He had stolen a kiss—she pushed aside the fact that she had engaged in it too. After all, it took two to tango. But most importantly he had stolen a small place in her heart, one devoted strongly to someone else, and she was determined to get it back.
A million emotions flooded her. A million memories drowned her. She felt it all. But most of all, she was pissed.
It was a constant battle. Because when she pushed, he pushed. And when she pulled, he pulled. It was the dance that they had come to know and would never forget.
He did not ask questions, rather, he let go of his hat and Sakura watched in the corner of her vision as it drifted slowly to the ground, seemingly going in slow motion. It landed on the wet grass, pushing the green blades aside. He began to remove his cloak and she spared a glance at the small rip in the corner, the rip where her piece had come from. They had both taken something from each other. Sakura was reluctant to let this notion go. His cloak landed in a heap atop of his hat, the darkness of the fabric beginning to blend into the grass that was slowly turning murky. The sun, she had realized, was nearly gone.
Her eyes caught red for a second and she looked past his shoulder, slowly letting her fingers wrap around the kunai strapped to her leg. She had no doubt that he noticed this. It was obvious. It was rash. It was how Sakura did things. In a second, she had flung it forward, aiming straight for the Uchiha's head. It was no surprise to her that it had not connected. As she looked, she realized he was not standing anywhere near. She glanced around, hair whipping back and forth as she quickly analyzed her surroundings. She heard him before she saw him.
"Too slow."
She whirled around, fist already prepared to connect with his gut. But once again she was left with nothing but air. Relying on instinct, she flipped backwards, successfully dodging a blow from him. Her only option, she figured, was to cause distraction. Quickly, she gathered her chakra into her fist as she had done so many times before, the feeling of the ring in her energy-charged hand feeling awkward. She sent her fist downward, crashing into the earth violently. The ground, she could hear, had not cracked due to the moisture all around. But the ground did shake erratically, causing a certain Uchiha to be caught of guard. She smirked when she saw him in the corner of her eye next to him, and without wasting any time, she pounced, tackling him to the ground with a juvenile style, though it mattered little to her. He was below her and already she could feel him moving. Panic-driven, she sent another fist to his body, happy with the fact that she had skimmed his cheek, no doubt leaving some kind of scratch. As soon as her triumph had happened, it had disappeared. In the blink of an eye, her back connected with the ground, knocking the air from her body and her reason from her mind.
She opened her eyes wider, looking up into red.
"Finished?" he asked, a large exhale of air coming from his nose.
She nodded, closing her eyes shut. She was not about to get sucked into his world. Not after she had just found her way out.
She could feel him lift from her, finally giving her some room to breath though she still found it hard to do so. The air was even stuffier and her body was drenched with hard-earned sweat, as she figured, his was. And as if someone up in the sky saw her pity attempts and decided to take sympathy upon her, tiny drops of moisture landed on her forehead and she opened her mouth, breathing the wet air deeply.
As soon as she lifted herself, the rain started to pour harder until it was nearly pounding down upon them. She looked up at him, realizing he already had his cloak on and was putting on his straw hat. In her hand, she could feel the ring pulsate, though she had no doubt it was her lively imagination. And she figured if the sky wasn't so dark, she would feel better, knowing there was a rainbow waiting for her.
Her hair now was even rattier. Her clothes were muddy from the small scuffle. Slowly, she took her fingers up to her eyes and tried to rub away some of the make-up she could just imagine was running down her face messily. She gave her full attention to him then, trying to figure out what he was going to do next, though it was of no use. Uchihas were not made to be read.
"Come then," he suddenly said. "We'll find shelter."
She gave him an incredulous look, but quickly hid it. Pushing her tatty hair from her face, she made her way to her bag, shoving the wet clothes and ring from her hand back into the already soaking bag. She shook her head, glad she was not facing him, therefore, avoiding his intense stare.
"What if I don't want to?" she asked bitterly, zippering the bag back up. "What if I want to stay here?"
"You would not be lifting your bag onto your shoulders if that were the case," he replied, voice sounding too smug for her liking. She huffed, turning to him. "So we don't have to worry about that, do we?"
And with that, he already turned to leave. Sakura, searching around desperately, seemed to be looking for the easiest way out—the road with the bright lights, clearly labeled the right direction. But as she looked, she saw none of this, rather, she saw cloudiness, confusion, and loss. She watched herself as she stood fully from her crouch. She cursed herself as she stepped forward.
And she could not believe what she was doing as she followed him into the dark.
X
They had finally reached the small cluster of a village that they had seen from a distance, the lights dotting over the black horizon. It was still raining, though they hadn't been moving for long. As soon as they had walked a few feet, he took off, leaving Sakura to trail behind him, wishing that she could just take cover under some sort of tree. Was it really necessary to burden the small village with their presence? Well, she supposed it was to him.
The small wooden buildings came into view, the streets feeling empty as the rain pounded down upon the roofs of the houses, patting loudly against Sakura's eardrums. It was a large enough village to house travelers, though she wasn't really ready to jump for joy when she had seen the small inn. It was lacking anything traditional. It was tiny, dirty, and something about it made her want to stay out. Not enough to make her willing to sit out in the rain, however. They stopped in front of the entrance, and she shifted uneasily when she could feel his gaze on her. This was the moment Uchiha Itachi had chosen to fully look her over.
She was good looking, no doubt, but she didn't possess a storybook attractiveness to her. He wasn't even sure if he would call her appearance beautiful. If he had stumbled upon her in any other circumstances with other women around, he figured he probably would have looked past her after giving her strange colored hair a look, settling to lay his eyes on someone else. But now, as he looked her up and down, dark makeup running down her cheeks, eyes red with itch, and hair damp and limp with dirty rain, and hands shaking from the cold, he realized that her fingers were dry and rough, stories of past battles and lost dreams caked heavily into every fiber. He realized that she carried herself with a certain charm. She held confidence in her hands and all around her swirled determination. She wasn't gorgeous, but in the end, she didn't need to be. He, for some reason, didn't want her to be.
"Well?" Sakura finally cut in, voice sounding light against the heavy patter of the rain pouring down around them. She glanced over the small cut on his cheek. The small cut that she had managed to give him.
He merely quirked an eyebrow. Slowly, his arm came up and he stepped closer. And just like that Sakura caught sight of his thin lips, dotted with beads of rain, and could just feel her own pressed up against them as they had done so only a few months ago. The feeling was so strong, so pure, that she could feel it now. Such feelings did not fade away. They lived on.
His hand was close to her arm and she could feel the wet rain on his fingers graze her skin with a ghost-like charm. His hand continued to move forward, running up her arm. She looked up at him, at his deep red eyes. And for a second, she couldn't even hear the rain, just the world finally singing a song so silent that it was just the both of them. Just them. The Uchiha and her. But that moment had passed quickly as soon as his hand kept moving behind her. She tensed. Just what was he trying to do?
The next thing she felt was a small gust of wind from a door opening and he held it out, merely saying, "Ladies first."
"Never thought of you as a gentlemen," Sakura replied, finally tearing her eyes from him, taking a step back from the cloud of confusion that twirled around him, sucking her in whenever it had the chance.
"As you shouldn't."
'Asshole,' Inner Sakura huffed.
Outside of her head, however, Sakura merely shrugged, her eyes scanning around the small lobby of the hotel. The man at the reception desk looked up from the newspaper he had been reading, giving them one look over.
"One room?" he asked, already disappearing behind a door to already retrieve the keys.
Sakura's fingers fumbled with the edge of the reception desk, getting ready to correct the man. Two rooms. Not one.
The man came back, setting the keys down harshly on the desk, making Sakura's head jump at the loud noise. She licked her dry lips, lifting a finger to point out the receptionist's mistake.
"Yes, one room," Uchiha Itachi said next to her, cutting her off. Her head snapped to the side, giving him a look on the border of frustration and confusion.
"One room?" she asked, as Itachi looked over at the keys and the number of the room scribbled messily on the metal. Looking back for a second, she sent the receptionist a grateful look, turning back to continue walking.
"I suspect that you do not currently have enough money on you to pay for your own room," he explained, aiming the key for the lock. It missed and rubbed off on the wooden door, creating a scratch. With her eyebrows bent, she looked up at him. His face was emotionless, but she could see him try to hide an exhausted sigh. Slowly he straightened out, dignity written along those fine lines on his face, and slid the key into the lock, twisting it before the door opened. "I will be paying the expense. Two rooms are unnecessary." He titled his head slightly and Sakura looked up at him, his eyes seeming to look slightly past her. "Perhaps, Sakura, you should be more grateful."
Perhaps she should have. She thought otherwise.
She stepped into the room, met with a stuffy smell that greatly mirrored the scent of the muddy rain that had faded to a light drizzle. There was one bed that faced the left wall. She looked over to the side, grateful that there was a small bathroom. She walked further into the small room, leaving wet footprints in her wake. There were quiet sounds of movement behind her, and she turned, feeling completely vulnerable. In fact, what was she doing here? She tensed, clutching onto her bag tighter. Wasn't this the very thing she had promise Naruto wouldn't happen? Wasn't this going against everything she had ever worked for—everything she had ever loved? Wasn't this bordering betrayal?
She didn't want to admit it so freely, but yes, she believed it was.
Just what did the Uchiha expect from bringing her here? The whole scene was scandalous. She shook her head, giving an indication that this was not happening.
"This is wrong," she said against the light tapping of the drizzle on the roof. Nervously, she rubbed her right arm, trying to create some sort of warmth, some sort of shield over herself.
"You are free to go whenever you like."
That certainly didn't pose much of a threat. She searched him, keeping away from his eyes though this gave her a big disadvantage. Eyes were the gateway to the soul. They separate fact from fiction, truth from deception. But she gathered he could hide such things anyway. She let the strap from her bag slip from her shoulder, and her bag landed on the wooden floor. Sakura had never been a rational girl. He just blinked, followed by a curt nod.
"Rest," he simply said after a moment, turning to head for the door. "You look horrible."
"Yeah? Well you don't look so good yourself," she snapped back, crossing her arms in a clichéd sort of way. He turned, a small smirk that Sakura had deemed daunting and mocking adorning his face. He quirked one eyebrow.
"Oh? You don't think so?"
She snorted at his arrogance. Once he had finished taking pleasure from her moment of embarrassment and conflict from telling herself that he did not look good standing in the doorway mysteriously, he turned.
"Wait," she called out, stepping forward. He turned to look at her blankly and she pulled herself back, feet close together. "Where are you going?"
He didn't answer. She wasn't sure if she really expected him too.
"I don't know if I trust you," Sakura answered, turning to look at the bed. Anyone who would have said sleeping and being unconscious beside any S-class criminal, more importantly, a certain S-class criminal who had slain his entire family, leaving only one to pick up the pieces, was not scary certainly hadn't been put in this position. Or possessed any sort of common sense.
"If I were to kill you," he started slowly, "I would do it while you were conscious."
She snorted, rotating her tired neck. "That makes me feel much better." She tried running her hands through her hair, though the knots and dried mud had made that close to impossible. A nice, warm shower was in order. "You have a way with comforting someone."
"Don't get used to it," he replied, turning again.
She paused. This was all too surreal. Her relationship with this man was far too casual. Anyone would have been appalled by the way she was acting. But already the awkward stage was receding. The relationship that they had planted and grown those few months ago was blossoming already. She almost forgot how sarcastic and mocking he could be and how their personalities so greatly crashed, but then again, so nicely coexisted.
He was leaving right now, going who knows where. What if she was in the shower when he came back? The teenage girl in her blushed at this. He turned pushed open the door and Sakura cleared her throat.
"When will you be back?" she asked, surprising both him and her. She could see him visibly stiffen as she did the same. Without even turning around, he spoke, voice sounding highly amused.
"Medic, you are not my mother."
"Yes, I know," she responded, a sad smile on the corner of her lips. "We established that last time, Uchiha."
She watched as he disappeared, the door closing quietly.
As soon as she had situated herself, she made her way into the cramped bathroom that reminded her of her own back in Konoha. The water beat down upon her back. She turned up the pressure until it was near painful. She scrubbed her skin till it turned red with itch. The water was brown as it flowed from her drain. The dirt was murky, but the tension flowing away from her was even gloomier.
She tried desperately to wash away all of her past biases and the long and exhausting troubles clouding her mind the past few days. Once she was sure she was clean enough, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself. The mirror was clouded with fog and she wiped it away with a hand to look herself over. Her hair was a dull pink, having lost a lot of luster over the hard years. Her make-up was completely off, leaving her bare. But instead of cringing, she smiled, running her fingers along the glass.
Fashioning herself in some of the extra clothes she had brought, she locked the door. It would do little, she was sure. He did have the key after all. But knowing that she could make a small gesture, some kind of proof that she was trying to keep him away was something she wouldn't take a second-guess to doing, though it had proved to be all a lie.
That night she lay on the stiff bed in the hotel room, staring up at the ceiling. There wasn't a small watermark from the leak that she had in her apartment, but if she tried really hard and squinted, she could see it. Seeing Uchiha Itachi brought her back into the fake world she had created a long time ago, starting the day she had laid eyes on the beautiful Sasuke. These two brothers had a way of turning things around, making everything around her move slowly. Making her act upon impulse. Making her question everything about her. For sometimes, she felt she barely knew who she was. But she was determined to find out.
She promised herself she was done crying.
So she justified that small bead of liquid running down her cheek as some extra water stuck in her hair, finally falling from her pink tresses. She steadied her breaths and closed her eyes.
Once again the room was still, but her world was shaking.
X
X
Chapter Preview:
"Give it back, pervert," she warned.
"Pervert? Medic, I suggest you take a look at yourself before calling others names," he said, his face completely serious. His eyes, deep red, she realized were darker and sharper. The red was so dark that she could have considered it to be on the edge of black. On the edge of insanity. And with the counting of the pupils in his eyes, she realized, that he was looking past her. Or perhaps it was just her vivid imagination. Perhaps it was a cruel metaphor. The mood changed drastically from teasing to serious. The eyes that had suddenly become so very different than Sasuke's. Later she would think back and conclude that they just seemed more real.
A/N: Thank you for reading and please review!