A/N: Okay. Here's chapter 4. I wrote this at school, and my cheeks were burning nearly the entire time, hoping no one would look at the screen. Geesh. And, don't kill me for the end of this chapter. Warnings and fun stuff all in one: Kisame, for what it's worth, may be OOC (I have no way of knowing), SMUT...of course, BLOOD...lots of it, angst (and lots of it), a sulky Naruto/Pakkun fight...oh, just read it! Thank you for your reviews!
Legal Stuffiness: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul, too.
Time: 3 years after Sauke's departure, six months after Gaara retrieval misson
Place: 20 kilometers south of Sunagakure
Dog Days
Chapter 4: Fear, Blood, Seduction
"Damn! Master, that hurt!" Sakura growled as she pushed herself to her feet and rubbed her sore bottom. She'd been knocked to the ground when they reappeared from him using that stupid teleportation jutsu, which he absolutely refused to teach her so that she could do it herself. He smirked and pulled her to her feet. She looked around, squinting. It was very bright here, and sandy… "Where are we?"
"Twenty kilometers south of Sunagakure. Why?" Itachi smiled down at her, and cocked his head to one side.
She pursed her lips. "Gaara is a cautious man. The Kazekage will have patrols out this far. We should go, Master." She didn't want to have to fight anyone just yet. That would be bad, since they hadn't done anything to get used to fighting together. She looked around, seeing nothing but rolling hills of sand. It was such a barren place…
"Too late, little Sakura. Look to the east." She did, and found that off to the east, there were three small figures approaching them at high speed. She cursed under her breath. Sakura had no weapons, and the ninjas approaching most definitely would be armed to the teeth. "Here." He tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned, she found that he was handing her his katana. She took it, shrugging to herself. It had been a while since she'd held one of these things. "This will be our first true test," Itachi leaned down and took her face in his hands. His face level with hers, he said, "Are you ready?"
"Are you insane? Of course I'm not ready." She took hold of the collar, and turned it so that the chain of the leash was behind her. He still hadn't let go of her. "Master? They'll be here any moment." He nodded, smirked, and then took her mouth in a fierce kiss that left her breathless. With a final playful bite to her lower lip, he straightened. She cursed under her breath and then turned to meet the Sand nins that were only ten meters away now. "I'll thank you not to do that next time. It makes my head all fuzzy." Her voice came out as a growl. He chuckled behind her, and she heard him pull a kunai.
The leader met Sakura head on, a kusarigama in hand. He was good, and had her giving ground quickly. However, he dropped his guard for a fraction of a second, and Sakura lunged forward, katana in one hand, chain in the other. The chain was swiftly wrapped around the man's neck, and Sakura planted a foot in the middle of his chest, then began to pull on the cool metal links in her hand. Cut off from all oxygen, the man fell to his knees, dropping his sickle-like weapon. Sakura, keeping her grip on the chain with her teeth, and her foot on the man's chest, bent down to pick up the weapon. Then, she leaned down to the man. "I'm very sorry to do this. I am only defending myself." As an after thought, she remembered Itachi. "And my Master. May you find peace." Crossing the katana and kusarigama, Sakura beheaded the man. Blood sprayed her, soaking her to the skin, and she let the man's body drop to the ground.
Turning to see where the others were, she found one dead on the ground, and the other still fighting with Itachi. Steadying herself, she took a deep breath. Just as she was going to help, Itachi shook his head at her. He swept the man's legs from under him, and then moved faster than Sakura could see and broke the man's neck. He looked up at Sakura, and blinked. She must look affright. Her hand went up to her hair, and came back bloody. She knew her face was covered, and looked down at herself. Sakura found that she was positively soaked in the man's blood. She felt the chain being hauled in, and followed numbly.
The entire way over to where he stood, she stared at him blankly, not blinking. He looked down at her and asked, "That was your first, wasn't it?" She nodded. There was a sick feeling in her stomach. She felt like she needed to vomit. Truly, she had never killed anyone before. Not like that. And there had been so much blood…Unexpectedly, Itachi sent a crippling wave of something through the leash, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. The only way she remained upright was by dropping both weapons and clutching onto his shirt, holding on for dear life. It didn't hurt. Kami-sama, it didn't hurt. It felt like…she didn't know what it felt like, because she'd never felt it in her life. Sakura felt like her entire body was going to spontaneously combust. Her breath was coming in short, quick gasps, and her heart hammered against her ribs. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe. It felt so good, like every bad thing she had ever done just for fun, all put together, and then some.
"Ah…" Sakura opened her eyes to see Itachi watching her. His eyes burned into her. They were calling to her, telling her to come closer, begging her to. When Itachi's arms encircled her waist, and pulled her to him, it made her shudder. The sick feeling in her stomach was gone now, replaced by the squirming, writhing, searing-hot feeling of pure need. Gripping the front of Itachi's shirt, she yanked him down to her, still looking into his eyes. "Stop this, Master. Please. I can't take it." He did not, and she began to shake. "It has to…oh, Kami-sama, stop it, please!" But as she said this, it came out as a weak whisper, and her lips found his, sliding in a bloody kiss. The feeling stopped coming through the chain, but she was unable to stop herself. Her hands burrowed into his hair, trying to pull him closer, allowing her to feel all the things she wanted and needed.
Sakura's leg wrapped around one of his, and she pushed him, causing him to fall to the ground. He seemed slightly surprised, but did not make any move to stop her. She used the part of the chain that was closest to the cuff to twist around his hands and secured them, before pulling the chain behind his shoulder and the rest of his body before wrapping it around her foot to keep him in that position. She smiled in an almost predatory way. Blood still dripped from her hair, disappearing into the black cloth of the shirt he wore. That shirt was annoying her.
Itachi blinked up at her. She had secured him in a very creative way. Using the tension of the chain, she'd managed to immobilize his hands. Now, she was smirking at him as her hands slid under his shirt, against his skin. Sakura was covered in blood. Her clothing clung to her wetly, and he felt a familiar stirring, something like what he felt the first time he'd seen her.
"Was I good, Master?" He heard her say as he felt the blood that covered her smear over his chest. Sakura's hands were teasing his skin, causing it to burn. Blinking in surprise at her words, he could only nod. What was she doing to him? Her hands left his skin, and took hold of the cloth of his shirt. Just before she ripped it open, he felt something from her that made him start. Itachi could hardly breathe as Sakura reached over and picked up his katana. She turned from him for a moment and used it to secure the chain to the sandy ground, driving the point into the ground inside one of the links. Hands now played over the bloody patterns she'd made on his stomach and chest. "Pretty…" Her voice had a purring quality to it, making him more aware of that feeling coming off of her. Try as he might, he was stuck where he was.
But than again, he didn't really try. What man in his right mind would? Sakura leaned over him, blood dripping from her hair, and let some of it fall onto his face. "You're bloody, too, Master. More than me. You've bathed in it." She was pressed tightly against him, now, and her eyes blazed. "Do you ever feel like I do? Like no matter how much you wash, it won't—" she bent down and licked the blood from his face "—ever completely go away?" What was with the questions all of a sudden? Her eyes locked with his again, and he found himself unable to look away. He couldn't look away when he felt her hands on him, or when he heard her removing her clothes. Her eyes seemed to draw him in, to pull him under and drown him. Why? She was a tool. She was nothing more. "I need to feel something other than the blood. Please?" That did it.
"What?" Itachi asked in a voice that could barely produce a whisper. She wanted to feel something…other than the blood. This wasn't desire, as he thought. It was desperation, escapism. She was running from the fear of killing. Relaxing his arms and bringing his hands further down his neck, he loosened the chain that held his hands, and pulled his hand from it. Sitting up, he gripped her around the shoulders. "Stop. Just stop. You will not run from what you did. There is no shame in defending yourself. Do you understand? That man would have killed you, then he would have killed me." Sakura flinched from him.
"But…Master…it felt nice. Much nicer than the sick feeling in my stomach. I thought, it would be good to forget, just for a little while. I just wanted to forget." Itachi took her face in his hands. He looked into her eyes, and saw none of the nearly animalistic pleasure there. She was frightened, but not of him. Sakura was scared of herself. She was capable of killing, and it scared her.
"We're going back." He reached behind her and pulled the katana from the ground and sheathed it. Then, while still seated, he formed the seal needed for the transportation jutsu, and they disappeared from the blood-soaked sand.
"Don't screw around, dog. Which way did they go?" Naruto growled at Pakkun, who growled right back at him. The dog had been following a trail for some time, and now said that it went in two different directions. "Which path is stronger?" Naruto sniffed, and he could smell the faint scent of Sakura's perfume. She had been here. If only he could find her already! He would probably not be able to fight Itachi and win, but he had to get her away from him and his cohorts, no matter what. He walked a few steps down the other path, and sniffed. The scent was stronger here. "Come over here, mutt. It's stronger this way." Pakkun nipped at his heel, and Naruto made a kick at the animal's hindquarters.
Kakashi smacked Naruto's still-fresh ANBU tattoo. "Cut it out, baka. He's doing the best he can. Your nose is nearly as good as his and mine, so you should know where she is, too, but cut him some slack, ok?" Naruto's hand went to the small injury, and he made a hissing noise.
"Fine. Just I don't think he really wants to find her." He knew he was sulking, and he knew he shouldn't, but it was so hard… The dog looked up at him with an angry expression. "I'm sorry, Pakkun. You know how I feel about her, don't you?"
The dog chuckled. "I can smell it. You're acting like another male is trying to take your mate. She isn't your mate though, is she?" The dog had hit far too close to home. Naruto shook his head, and looked away, adjusting his mask. He was grateful for the thing, because otherwise, they would have seen the tears forming in his eyes. He blinked them away. He didn't have time to cry. Sakura was out there somewhere, and she needed to get the hell away from Akatsuki. He nodded to Pakkun.
"Okay. I think she's this way. Can you confirm?" The dog nodded, and sniffed for a moment.
"She's this way. The scent is old, though. We might end up going in circles." He ran ahead, sniffing. Naruto felt Kakashi's hand on his arm.
"We'll find her, Naruto. I just don't know that we'll like what we find." Kakashi wasn't helping his mood, so he just ran after Pakkun, keeping as close to the dog as he could without crowding him or adding his scent in to what the dog's very sensitive nose already had to sort out. They continued like this for a very long time.
Sakura was floating in the bath, Itachi standing next to her. She felt completely numb. All she could think of was the blood. There was so much blood. So much…blood. He was watching her. Glancing over at him, she saw the look in his eyes. Concern? Oh, that's right. She was his weapon. His tool. Can't let the edge of the sword get dull. Sakura still didn't understand why he wanted her for this. He could have picked any of the shinobi in Konoha. She was a medic. Not a weapon. Well, all shinobi were weapons, in a way, but she had dedicated the last few years of her life to saving lives, not taking them. What the hell did he want her for?
She dropped her feet to the bottom of the tub, and turned to look up at him. "Master, tell me why you are keeping me. Please. I need to know. Why me? Why not Naruto? Why not…anyone but me?" Panic began to creep in at the edges of her thoughts. She was not willing to let go of her little shred of hope just yet. Her mind didn't have that capability, just now.
"I wanted you because you have abilities that I wanted. You have the ability to heal, which I never had. I've bathed myself in the blood of those who loved me." His eyes stared down into hers, sending a chill through her. "Killing is what I do. You do it well, too. I wanted someone with me who could heal as well as hurt." She could hardly believe her ears. He wanted her…to balance him out? Things were making less sense than before!
"But why not take Shizune? She's a medic, too."
"I don't like her." Sakura's eyes widened. Did that mean that he liked her? Like that? Sakura had thought that the unbelievable amounts of pleasure he sent through the collar into her body were simply a method of controlling her. That couldn't be how he felt, could it? And why? She was fifteen years old! That was merely a child compared to him!
"Master," Sakura asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I am going to ask you something, purely as an inquiry. Okay?" He nodded. "Do you have plans for the relationship between you and I, sexually?" He looked at her, an amused smile on his face. Then, he nodded. She blinked. Was he trying to throw her off? To take her mind off of the fact that she had just killed a Sand nin, one of the allies of Konoha? If so, it was working. "What are these plans of yours?" This was asked purely out of morbid curiosity. She supposed that if she was in a bad position, she should know what position she was in.
"I could demonstrate, if you like." He smirked, and she backed away from him. "Why so shy? Not fifteen minutes ago, you were ripping your clothes off. And mine, too." He started hauling the chain in. "Sakura, I'm not going to force you to do anything. You will eventually want me, just as much as I want you. You'll feel every bit of the desire I feel. And you'll want to feel it. For now, I'd settle for a kiss." He did not wait for her answer. Sweeping her up in his arms, he pulled her against him, so close that there was not even water between their bodies. Sakura's entire body was pressed tightly against him. She could feel the hard muscles of his stomach flex and relax, the way his heart beat in his chest, and the way his body reacted to her flesh against his. When he kissed her, it was a long, warm, slow, and almost romantic kiss that she could not keep herself from responding to. It was how she'd always dreamt of being kissed. Kami-sama, how can he be this gentle? Sakura felt his hands resting lightly on her waist, and the thumb of his right hand began stroking the skin there. It felt so wonderful…but he was not the person she wanted to have do these things to her.
Who was? Sasuke? She was beginning to have her doubts. He was cold. Looking at him was like staring at an ice sculpture. Cold perfection that you thought you could understand, until you looked at it in another way. Then, your perception of it is completely shattered. He was not the person she had wanted him to be. If he had been, he would have stayed with her. Stayed in Konoha, and continued to get stronger by fighting with Naruto all of the time. But, he hadn't stayed. He had left. Sasuke had left her on a roadside bench, after he knocked her out.
For now, the kiss she shared with the elder of the two brothers sufficed.
Blood. Yes, there had been blood. Red eyes surveyed the scene that the carrion birds were now cleaning up. Three bodies. Sand nins, all of them. From the looks of things, there had been two assailants. The reason he was here was not the deaths of the unfortunate men lying on the ground. There was a familiar chakra signature that was quickly waning, but he could still feel it.
Something dark and crumpled caught his eye. Measured steps took him over to this small pile of …clothing? Pulling a kunai, he picked up the cloth, now crusted with dry blood. It was a woman's clothing, small, and would be tight-fitting. His eyes narrowed at the sight of mesh leggings and a shirt of the same stuff. Why would he have a woman with him? Then, from the clothing, another chakra signature, even more faint than the first, gave him pause. He knew this chakra.
Hearing footsteps from behind him, he turned to see a young man with silver hair. He wore it in a ponytail at the back of his head, and was tall. Dark eyes stared shrewdly back at him through round glasses. As this man adjusted his glasses, he said, "You are needed. It is time, Sasuke-sama." The young man's expression was tense, and he did not seem to like the situation. Sasuke didn't blame him. He didn't like it either. Not that he had any plans of actually going through with it.
"What do you see, Kabuto?"
The medic looked around. "Two assailants. Two chakra signatures, one male, one female." He continued to survey the scene. "It looks like two rogue nins randomly attacked a Suna patrol."
"And this?" He held up the bloodied clothing. "Generally, a shinobi leaves as little evidence of their presence as possible, ne?" Sasuke watched Kabuto's face contort in confusion. "Kabuto, use your brain, you moron. She left her clothes behind. Why? There's something else going on here."
"I suppose we'll never know. Come on." Kabuto turned to leave, obviously expecting him to follow. Sasuke cocked his head to one side. He walked after the man, and just when he was almost even with him, he acted. His motions were too fast to see, and far too quick to react to. Kabuto's eyes widened in surprise for just a moment, and then he was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. Sasuke looked down at him. He was still alive, but he wouldn't be able to move, ever again, with his neck broken like that. Therefore, the humane thing to do would be to kill him.
"See you in the next life." Sasuke said smiling, and then formed a very familiar seal, one he'd known since he was right around six years old. "Katon Gokakkyu no Jutsu." The fireball that he aimed at Kabuto consumed the young man's body, burning it to less than cinders, and Sasuke smiled again. "One less henchman for you, Orochimaru." With that, he continued to look at the scene, separating the chakra of his jutsu from that of the man he hunted.
Itachi had been here. But the question that was nagging, gnawing, and poking at the edges of his mind was: what was Sakura doing with him? Then, he found it. The departure point. His smile turned into a smirk, because he was going to finally meet his brother again. It wouldn't be long now.
"What are you talking about?" Kisame leaned back on cushions in his room. Zetsu was always spying on someone, and it seemed that he had picked Itachi for the time being. He had just told him that Itachi had gotten back from who knew where, and his little pet was covered in blood. What was that all about? If he knew the Uchiha, he had been training her. But if she had been hurt, they would have known. Kisame wasn't jealous. He just felt a little left out. It had been days since anyone had seen Itachi. He was always in his room with her. The man simply shrugged in reply, and walked away. He'd told Kisame that on purpose. There was always a reason for everthing Zetsu did.
It used to be that he would come and play shogi with them, or at least have a cup of tea. But there had been nothing. The man was a recluse. He wanted his friend back.
The wind here was fierce. The few trees were stunted in their growth, and they had all grown at an angle to the ground, showing that this wind was almost constant. It was here that Itachi chose to have them meditate. Sakura pulled the coat around herself tighter, hiding behind the collar. Now, she wondered what would happen. There was no way that she was going to be able to meditate on the top of the mountain. He was quite at ease, though, and she was just going to have to deal with it. Seating herself on the rocky ground, Sakura tried to get comfortable. Itachi had not settled himself anywhere yet. When she closed her eyes, all she heard was the rushing wind. It was like the sound that static on a television set makes.
After a few minutes of taking deep breaths, and reaching out with her chakra, she found that she could almost see the layout of the small area atop the mountain. She could also sense Itachi's position. He was directly behind her, standing nearly five feet away. She could feel his chakra, not only through the leash, but also in the air, when hers touched him. It was as if her chakra bounced off of him and came back to her, like the way bats see in their blindness. Then, Itachi moved. He sat down directly behind her, and leaned toward her. Sakura could almost make out the features of his face now. She hadn't know this was possible. You could, using a minimal amount of chakra, feel your way in the dark! It had infinite application possibilities, if there was a way to hide the chakra.
"Sakura, that's good." He was smiling. The strange thing about this was that she had 360 degrees of vision, just like the Byakagun. She could see in any direction that her chakra went in. "I didn't expect that you'd learn that quickly." She felt him pull the collar of the coat away from her neck, and his lips replacing it. Sakura was starting to feel like a dog. She was being rewarded for doing a good job. Itachi's lips parted, and his tongue began to caress her skin. Her head leaned instinctively to the side, giving him more room. Where her body was concerned, Itachi was correct. Her body (mostly her hormones) wanted him. There was no denying that. He was tall, dark, and handsome in a kind of brooding way, and he was a very dangerous man, which, of course, added to the appeal. But in her mind, and most definitely in her heart, she knew that what she let him do to her wasn't right. The fact that it wasn't right didn't stop her from enjoying the way his hands felt when they touched her, or how small tingles went all through her body when he kissed her.
It had now been three days since she killed the Sand nin. They had gone to various places, once to the Lightening Country, to check on Zetsu, once to the Wave Country, to pick up news from a spy that Itachi had planted there, and other places after that. Now, it was meditation on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. She wasn't even sure what country they were in. As Itachi's mouth attacked her neck, she allowed her mind to wander. She sent her chakra further, exploring down the sides of the mountain. The trees got taller the further down you went, and she could sense the little animals running around, living their lives. Then, on opposite sides of the mountain, she felt three very familiar chakra signatures. Keeping her breath even, she made no indication that she had found anything out of the ordinary.
In fact, to put him off his guard, Sakura decided that she was going to have to distract him. And distract him she did. After letting him nip at her neck for another moment, she turned, and took hold of his coat. "Master…why do I feel like this?" Sakura let herself be wrapped up in the pleasurable sensations that had been running through her body. "I don't understand." Her body began to shake. "Why do I want you? I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. Make it stop. I tried. I…I did. But it won't stop." All the time she spoke, her grip on his coat was taking her ever closer to him.
"It won't stop, my little Sakura. You want me. There's nothing that can be done about it. I can't stop it. All I can do is…alleviate your pain." Itachi's eyes blazed, and the Sharingan marks spun, very fast. His hands pulled her into his lap, and she straddled his hips. There was a hardness pressing against her, in a most pleasant way. She made a little whimper at this feeling. He reached to her coat, and popped the buttons open. She did the same with his. Sakura could feel the three chakra signatures closing in now. They were only 500 meters away now. Climbing was going to be more difficult the further up they went, so she needed to give them as much time as she could. Unfortunately, that could mean doing something that she would prefer not to. But, if it meant getting away from him in the end, she would.
Itachi unzipped her outer shirt, but did not bother with the mesh. His hands were cold, and she hissed as they moved over her body, causing her to arch into the touch, moaning. She supposed it was a little over the top, but if she was going to be a distraction, she had to do her best. When those sensations became bearable, she pulled his shirt up, and raked her nails down his chest and stomach, stopping only when she found the waistband of his pants. After rocking against him once, and producing a strangled kind of moaning sound from his lips, she smirked as she unfastened his pants and loosened them before continuing her rocking motion. This went on for what seemed like minutes, and then she made a few moans herself, because it really did feel good. So good, in fact that she lost concentration with her chakra, and nearly let it slip away.
When she reined in her hormones just a bit, she found that the three people were now only 200 meters away. They move so fast! That meant that he was going to have to be very distracted when they got to the top of the mountain. Swallowing her pride, she grasped the back of his neck, and pulled him to her, kissing him the way she used to dream of kissing Sasuke. It was a long, slow, teasing kiss. She would draw him in, flick her tongue against his playfully, then pull away. At least, it was that way until she became dangerously involved with it herself. Then, she did lose control of her chakra. Itachi took control of the situation, pressing her closer to him, then laying her on the ground and settling on top of her. So much for your brilliant plan, Sakura. He'll be finished with you before they get here. For all she knew, he would be, but with the way her body was overriding her brain, there was little chance that she would care in the near future.
Sakura could feel him tugging at her leggings, and after a moment, she heard them rip. Her underwear got the same treatment, digging into her flesh before the black cloth ripped away. Itachi grasped both of her wrists and held them above her head. She tested the grip he had on her, and it was firm. He was not going to let her go. Sakura suddenly realized, that unless the men coming up the mountain got here very soon, she was going to be in a very compromising position. The entire time this was happening, she couldn't look away from his eyes. The black markings spun around, swirling so fast that they made rings around Itachi's pupils. There was no turning back. She could not stop him. Finally, Sakura closed her eyes and waited. Something warm touched her inner thigh, and it was both soft and hard all at once. She swallowed audibly, and tensed, feeling his breath on her neck, and the warmth moving slowly, slowly down. "No, Sakura, look at me." She opened her eyes, and saw him. "I want you to look into my eyes when we do this." Sakura was shaking. This was not right. It wasn't. How did she let this happen?
She was kunoichi. Kunoichi had to seduce men all of the time on missions. But Sakura had never even been intimate on normal terms. Never, with anyone, let alone with Itachi, mass murderer, and a man who had kidnapped her and turned her into some strange version of a bondage fantasy doll. She tried to think of it as a mission, a means to an end. But now, so close to losing the only thing that was really hers to give freely, she was truly frightened. Her eyes tried to close again, but Itachi leaned down and bit her neck. "What did I say? Look at me." She did, and she felt the warmth moving again, ever so slowly. How could she want this and fear it at the same time? He was teasing her, drawing out her anxiety. It was driving her mad. Finally, she'd had enough.
"Master," she panted, for her breathing had sped up nearly to the point of hyperventilation, "Please…" Her tone was pleading, and of course, he found it amusing.
Just like when he had given her that first 'treat,' he growled seductively next to her ear, "Please what? Stop? Continue?"
A/N: How's THAT for a cliff-hanger? (Hentais are going to hunt me down for this...) I promise not to do it again, IF... you're good boys and girls, and review! I love you guys!
