AN: Itasaku. Simple. Dark. Sweet. Dancing inspired with obvious reason, by the labyrinth but not the same by any stretch of the means.
"But when the wearied band swoons, to a waltz I take her hand, and there we sit in peaceful calm, quietly sweating palm to palm"- Aldous Huxley-
Sakura gasped, stumbling as she dragged her two fallen men on makeshift sleds through the snow, their bodies heavy, getting heavier as the hours tolled by. Sweat dripped down her brow, into the scarf wrapped tight around her mouth and neck, annoying in it's stickiness. Her neck was soaked, the cold air causing her to shiver. She was already sticky with sweat that had frozen and melted only to freeze again with the dropping temperatures. Gloved fingers and wet feet felt numb in the glistening purity of several inches of fresh snow.
The kumo ninja had given up the chase with the blizzard that only she was crazy enough to traverse through, though she was through the worst of it now, as few snow flakes fell around her. She could only hope her luck would hold out. Every fiber in her being ached, but it didn't matter because she was almost safe. They were almost safe. If she could just keep putting one foot in front of the other.. if she could keep moving she wouldn't freeze to death. They wouldn't freeze to death. She wouldn't let these men die. She had used the last deep reserves of her chakra to save them, to stabilize their condition and now if she could get them to the transport they were home free. Anbu were waiting at the rendevous. They would get them home, if she could reach them in time.
Agonizing breath, shuttered in and out, retreated from her lungs, sticking to her scarf. Her arms burned from the strain of dragging them in the snow on makeshift sleds. Her skin burned from miscellanious cuts, mingling with her sweat, and from the dry harsh cold around her chaffiing her skin. Sakura could barely keep her bloodshot eyes open. She couldn't keep this up. Not like this. She needed to stop. She couldn't go on further, less she risk her own life and theirs. She couldn't defend them, or herself the way she was now. She'd be picked off by hunter nin if they caught her. She trudged forward, sullenly, praying for her agony to be over. Until she heard the caw of a bird
Kunai out, adrenaline about the only thing keeping her standing, she eyed the feathered compatriot, with suspicion. It cawed again, and flew to a nearby rock, turning its head to look at her from an angle expectantly.
Sakura blinked her eyes again, disbelieving the sight in front of her. She rubbed her tired eyes wondering if she was. A crow. A crow as black as his hair, as his soul. One man had such familiars, dealt with such illusions. That man. Shivering as she felt the chill take her, her mind lingered on that man. He had murdered everyone in the Uchiha clan, but Sasuke. Sasuke who walked in darkness unending, Sasuke who had killed what she loved most. Sakura felt her heart clench at the thought and fought the tears with desperation.
This wasn't about Sasuke. This was about Itachi. He had kissed her. Sort of. He had said he wanted to give her a gift but he had never explained that statement. Had he meant her men? Sakura's cheeks were red with exertion before. They tingled for an entirely different reason now. Shame. He had touched her, bound her so that she couldn't move, a jutsu that she had been unfamiliar with. He had taken, stolen from her, touched her and tainted her with his touch. Sakura's bloodshot eyes narrowed in anger at the memory. How dare he touch her with such unclean hands.
She did not need his help, would not accept it. She could make it back on her own without someone such as his help. She ignored the bird, and it cawed further, annoyed, it seemed, at her passing. She moved on, grunting with exertion as she had stopped and now had to work up the effort to the get the two sleds moving again, her muscles protesting in agony. Until she felt something sharp hit her skull.
Crying out in pain and surprise, the blood warm, and dripping down her head, stained on it's beak, she glared up at the bird. Irritated and annoyed she launched a kunai at it as she released the sleds to do so. But that was stupid, as it dodged, twirling mid flight and crooning victoriously. The bird landed again on the rock, cawing at her. Sakura groaned wanting to pull out her hair in the frustration of it all. If she continued fighting with the bird she would waste precious energy. The other factor was that the bird was loud and could attract more attention then she could possibly deal with in the moment. It kept turning to look at her, it's beady eyes glowing red in the moonlight.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow...in someway trying to get her attention. It wasn't an ordinary animal that much was clear to her now. It might be an illusion but it was at the very least a summons and it knew who she was. The only thing a summons could find was someone it had seen before now. Sakura couldn't send her slugs to find an anonymous person. Kakashi could send his ninja dogs but they were trained. The crow cawed again impatiently as it ruffled it's feathers. She might be insane but she wondered if it was trying to tell her something, to follow it.
But she knew who it belonged to now. Those red eyes gleamed in the light of the moon, just like his. Itachi. What could someone like him possibly want with her? Sakura chewed on her lip at the thought. Her stomach turned. How was it that he was alive? Why had he met her like he did? What did he want from her. Sakura's mind spun with the questions, and of course her obvious conclusion being that he wanted to kill her. But he'd had ample opportunity to do so in the clearing. He hadn't hurt her, though he had killed her men...But what other option did she have? If this crow knew a safe place for her, then she had to take it, because Sakura wouldn't make it another mile without resting. And she couldn't leave herself and her men out in the open like this in the heart of enemy territory.
She dragged the bodies behind her, the crow's call's beckoning insistently, flying forward and returning to guide her, as Sakura pushed herself forward. No doubt about it, it was leading her, though whether it was to safety or a trap, Sakura couldn't predict. The crow led her around to a cluster of rocks. It flew into a cranny between them and disappeared from sight. Sakura's look grew considering. The crow came back out, chattering angrily at her slowness, and swooping down on her. Sakura ignored it, looking for a place to hide the bodies of her men in the formation as she could crawl in there but her could not. The crow flew to the stone and pecked at the bottom, cawing at her. As it would be stupid to have followed it this far, and to stop half way, Sakura decided to examine it.
Beneath the rock was a ledge, perfect for her men as it covered them from the front, the way the rock face was formed was a man made nitch safe from the harsh weather. Sakura herself wouldn't have thought to look behind that if she was hunting for enemy nin because of it's natural contours. Sakura dragged the bodies of her men into it, the crows insistent caws forcing her own haste. She had bundled them for the ride with the cloaks she could they were adequately hidden, huddled next to each other with her own cloak about them to help ward off the chill, Sakura was exhausted. But she still had to place the genjutsu or someone would find their chakra signatures. She flew through the hand seals, finally releasing it into the area. Grimly smiling she had barely been able to pull that off. Sakura stumbled numbly to the crag, falling through it as she fell inside, her body finally giving out on her. The rock kept off the chill of the wind, beginning to howl as the sky grew darker.
The rock floor was cold, and it was tiny, but perfect enough if Sakura curled up. The floor was scattered with dry grass that kept the rock floor from being unbearably cold. Sakura was grateful, as she peeled off her pack, crawling and unzipping it and reaching inside for her own standard mission bedroll and her rations. If she made it through the night, what little was left, she would be surprised. Curled in her anbu standard blanket inside her bedroll, curled, lying on the dried grasses instead of the cold stone, Sakura fell into a deep sleep.
Sakuras dream revolved around those ruby sharingan eyes and she felt herself dive into them, through them as if they were a pond or lake. She was drowning, suffocating and being smothered, and she cried out, only for the red to invade her body, her lungs filling. Screaming though the red muffled it's sound, Sakura's eyes began to turn dark. Slowly she was loosing her vision, adding to her hysterics as she kicked and struggled trying to find the surface, but she couldn't tell what was up from down. Air bubbles escaped and Sakura's vision tuned black.
When she opened her eyes she was completely dry in a place unfamiliar. Crows lined the wall of this circular space, perched atop a rail as they cawed, a cacophany of sinister intent, though the light on them was dim, not enough to light whatever floor she stood on, but enough to recognize the malevolent birds for what they were. Sakura shivvered, their red eyes all on her scaring her, frightening her in a way she couldn't understand. A circular dance floor in the shape and color of the sharingan lit up, and Sakura realized she was standing on it. The room was dark, only lit where she stepped as the spotlight followed her as she walked.
She wore a red dress, her short pink hair down and around her, parted to the side and kept out of her face by a jewel encrusted pin. The necklace she wore was tight, and beaded with intricacy, black jewels interspersed between the beads. Black lacey gloves covered her hands up to her elbows and the dress was elegant with its red and black lace and bright silk. Her top was a corset style, bound and laced in the back though it did not hinder her breathing. Sakura felt the heat rise to her cheeks, as it was far more daring than anything Sakura would have chosen for herself. The skirt connected, and plumed out, ribbons and bows on the back. She wore a hoopskirt as it fanned out around her, though it did not weigh her down. Her shoes were red heels, strappy, but they did not hurt her feet.
I must be dreaming, she thought. A comfortable dress, and shoes. A sliver of light forced her to turn, and she walked towards it, without fear. In front of her was mirror and she gasped at herself, at the transformation. She was beautiful, sultry and seductive looking, though her eyes retained her innocence. Looking up again in the mirror she saw him behind her, and she felt his arm rest on her shoulder. Gasping, trying to protest, but her body seemed to deny her, offering her hand as he took it, placing a kiss on the back of her wrist, burning, though lace stood between those thin lips and her skin. Sakura walked with him as he led her to the center of the dance floor and began to place where he kissed her began to pulse, a low throb.
"What is this?" She asked him, green eyes holding his own sharingan.
"Your dreams" He told her, leading with grace and dignity. He wore a black frock coat with a high collared red lace shirt, pluming out of his dignified coat.
"This is no dream of mine" She replied, eyes hard as she stiffened in his grip.
He smirked, eyes darkening in intensity. "I beg to differ Sakura. You desire a love story that is timeless, classic in an insipid way, dreary and, dull. Not worthy of someone as enchanting as yourself" Itachi told her.
Sakura's eyes darkened. "You don't know my dreams, or my desires. You're speculating, nothing more." She replied firmly, pink eyebrows drawing together.
"Is that so?"Itachi murmured, hot breathe on her ear, burning as she felt her cheeks dust a rosy red. Damn him for his effect on her. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for making her uncomfortable and off balanced.
"Would you rather I use the mangekyou on you for other purposes? "He whispered, sultry and sooty voice giving her pause.
"The mangekyou?" She asked, licking her lips, at once frightened and startled out of the spelled reverie she'd nearly fallen into.
Kakashi sensei had been a victim of it, and she had seen him in the hospital bed, the chance that he might never awaken again resounding in her mind, forcing it to clear.
"This is my world, Sakura, it would behoove you to listen to what I have to tell you" Itachi told her.
"And what if I don't want to listen?How can I trust you?" She asked, feeling her throat dry, as he pulled her close, twirling her.
She felt dizzy, the dizziness of having too much drink, and her head spun. She closed her eyes against it, and her vision straightened, as the dance returned to a simple waltz, Itachi leading her. It occurred to her in that moment that Sakura had no idea how to dance, that her body was acting of it's own volition in a way that she had never trained or seen.
"You will soon discover that I am not afraid to be cruel, Sakura. You are my guest here.... though that can easily change" Itachi told her, as the eerie music began to play, picking up in intensity.
"Guest? You mean prisoner" Sakura replied, as she tried to un twine her hand from his, to take her other gloved hand off of his arm. She couldn't do it.
"Perspective is everything, Sakura." He told her, eyes dancing as they danced together, spinning around the floor. Sakura looked at her feet, startled by her ability, by his own. With a start, she realized that the tomoe on the floor were moving as if a live sharingan.
Startled, she looked back up at Itachi.
"Why are you doing this? Why me?"Sakura asked, green eyes searching his own
"Ah yes, the undeserved attention. Th uncertainty. The trepidation in your tone is vaguely insulting, Sakura. Do you truly believe you don't deserve it?" Itachi asked her, eyes looking deep into her own.
"I don't understand-" She began, though his eyes were laughing at her, the crows above echoing their master as Sakura shivered.
"Why give me gifts and come to me? Why send your familiar to guide me? Why help me when I nearly died?Why didn't you kill me?" Sakura asked him, frightened by this nightmare, this fantasy land of sorts, by the intensity in his gaze in which he stared at her.
"So inquisitive" Itachi replied, leaning forward as he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. The touch seared, burned and Sakura flinched, retreating as she realized she could finally move, and promptly moved away from him and his heated touch.
"What did you do to me?" She demanded as she touched her forehead, reaching for her chakra. She had chakra in this world then!
Itachi only looked more amused, if possible, and Sakura's eyes darkened at his look. How dare he be so calm and collected about this. He was mocking her, making fun of her as he had in the forest. Toying with her.
"I will come to you. Soon." He promised, and the dream ended.
Blinking her dry eyes blearily, Sakura realized that she'd slept the entire day. Her dreams were filled of Itachi, a thought that soured all others. The storm was still brewing but her chakra reserves were there, nearly full. Reaching into her depths, she healed her wounds, and searched her pack. She had taken kumo's rations as dead people no longer needed to eat and when her men awoke they would need sustenance too. She ate the rations more out of necessity than hunger. She couldn't heal men on an empty stomach and being more physically weak than she already was wouldn't help them get to Konoha. She had more important things to do than focus on the portent of her dreams. Wrapping the blanket around her, she scanned for ki, before poking her head outside. Snow and wind made it nearly impossible to see but that was alright, in fact perfect for her to make the trek with them to konoha.
Sakura crawled her way down to the nook where her men lay. Their color had improved, though she'd used the last of her chakra to stabilize them before falling asleep. They were still unconscious though, a bad sign. She put her healing chakra to use patching up the rest of them, though there was nothing she could do to wake them. They needed to be hospitalized and treated as soon as possible. This thought spurred her actions. Grabbing the sleds, she made haste, setting off the for the rendezvous point with haste.