Perception
Chapter Four: A Day with a Shark
When Sakura woke the next day her headache was gone. Although she no longer felt like throwing up and she'd managed to sleep through the night without the pain of her injuries waking her, she was incredibly sore and stiff. A night on the cold hardwood with no blanket made her aches and pains that much more intense.
The good news was that her chakra levels were up enough to heal some of her injuries. She began on her ribs first; they were the most painful and the most potentially dangerous. Next came the bruise on the back of her neck and the inflamed nerves around it. The rest was superficial and would heal on its own in a few days, so she left them. She didn't want to expend chakra for minor injuries; she hated the feeling of total helplessness she'd had the night before.
Much relieved, Sakura sighed heavily and assessed her surroundings. Now that there was enough light to see properly, she was certain this was just some empty room in a regular, older house. The wood floor and wall paneling were aged and beginning to crack in places, and cobwebs lined the corners near the ceiling. From the light outside the window she guessed it was late morning, but couldn't be sure. Were they still in Grass country?
Finding nothing of interest, she sat up carefully and tried to stretch out a little. She was on her third neck roll when the door clicked open and Kisame entered, carrying a tray of food.
"Good morning, sunshine."
Did he always talk like he was laughing at his own private joke? "It was until you walked in." Sakura was not a morning person on the best of days, and her captors were going to learn that very quickly.
"Oh, so you don't like food? And here I was, thinking about your poor, distressed state and how hungry you must be. I slaved to make this for you, princess. You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings." He set the tray on the floor and shoved it with his toe.
Sakura didn't move, watched the tray slide to a stop in front of her. There was a small loaf of bread, a bottle of water that sloshed with the rough movement, and an apple that fallen off the tray and was rolling along the floor. She reached out and stopped the fruit, picking it up before glaring at Kisame. He chuckled again.
"I can't eat with you watching, fish-face."
"Heh. And why is that?"
He sounded a little less amused that time. Good. "I think I might get sick."
Something dark and wholly frightening flashed in the shark's small silvery eyes, and she wondered if she'd just gone too far. He may not kill her, but there were plenty of other things he could do that would probably be worse. He seemed to be thinking the same thing, but after a moment the dark intent passed and he laughed at her again.
"You should think before you try to bite that hand that feeds, little girl, or one of us may have to teach you a lesson." He turned to leave.
The rational part of her said she should just stay quiet and eat her food. She was lucky he hadn't broken something for insulting him like that. But there was something inside her that couldn't stand feeling cowed, an inner spark that flared to life when she was threatened or mistreated. It had saved her life more than once. It could just as well be the end of it, too. And sometimes, like now, she just couldn't help herself.
She threw the apple as hard as she could at the back of Kisame's head.
He whipped around and caught it inches from his face. She wouldn't have thought someone so big could move so fast. He stared at her bemusedly, then threw the abused fruit right back at her.
Sakura caught it, but the palm of her hand stung like hell. She glared at Kisame defiantly, and with slow, deliberate movements, wiped the half-smooshed apple against her dirty, bloodstained shirt before taking a bite.
Kisame watched her with a mix if indignation and amusement. The implied insult that she preferred the taste of blood and dirt to anything he had touched was not lost on him. But he couldn't kill her and she probably knew that, so she felt a bit of freedom with her attitude and the result was quite entertaining. He enjoyed getting a rise out of people. He would have to provoke her more often from now on to see how clever she could be. He smirked at her, showing a flash of pointed teeth. She continued to glare at him. Her petulance was almost…cute. He laughed to himself and walked out.
Once he was gone, Sakura ate ravenously. She didn't know how long it had been since her last meal. The bread was stale, but she didn't care. As much as she wanted to cram every last morsel into her mouth at once, she took it slow. Her stomach was completely empty and she was dehydrated. Gorging would only make her sick.
How many days had passed since she was taken? She didn't like not knowing. She needed an idea of how long before Konoha sent a search party.
Every last crumb devoured, the water bottle drained, she pushed the tray aside and returned to stretching. Once her blood was circulating properly again, she stood and examined the room more thoroughly. She was careful not to touch anything; Itachi had said there were chakra seals all over the place, and she didn't want anyone barging in and attacking her if she triggered one. Her backpack was stashed in the far corner, which surprised her. Crouching down to examine it, she saw it was slightly crushed. She'd still been wearing it when Deidara knocked her into the wall. Of course all of her weapons had been removed, just as they'd taken her leg holster and emptied her vest and apron pockets. All the scrolls had been opened, but once determined to be only medical jutsu they were left in the pack. The change of clothes and cloak were still there, as were her toiletries. She sat again and began to brush her tangled hair. Not that she much cared what she looked like, but the normalcy of it comforted her. Now if only she could brush her teeth. It occurred to her then that she had just drank quite a bit of water and would probably have to relieve herself soon. She chuckled at the thought of asking one of the Akatsuki to show her the way to the little kunoichi's room.
It was at that moment, as she was laughing aloud to herself, that the door opened and Kisame walked in. They stared at each other blankly for a moment before the shark spoke.
"It's about time you found that." He indicated her pack. "I was beginning to think you liked looking like shit. Let's go."
"Where?"
He leered at her. "Bath time."
The way he said it sounded so dirty that Sakura inched backward instinctively, shooting him a distrustful look.
"What? I figured you'd want to clean up. You smell as bad as you look." He snickered and turned to the door.
Sakura got up, grabbed her pack and followed. She'd never been this close to the shark nin before and never really noticed how huge he was. He had to be nearly seven feet tall. His blue-grey tinged skin was oddly fascinating, and she fought the urge to reach out and touch it. Was it a bloodline limit? He had what looked like gills on his cheekbones. Surely they weren't functional... Kisame noticed her inspection and gave her a saucy wink. It was highly disconcerting, and she quickly fixed her gaze on the floor. He snickered again—he was always laughing—and walked down the hall. Sakura quickly followed after, though not too closely.
There wasn't much to look at in for a clue of where she was, just a long narrow hallway of the same dark wood paneling as her room. There were several closed doors and no larger side passages, so she guessed she was on an upper floor. Other than that it was as nondescript as could be. Kisame stopped at a closed door three down and one across from her own and turned to her, indicating this was their destination.
Sakura was struck by a thought suddenly, and peered up at the shark man's aquiline face. "Why is it always you coming to my room?" Her tone was a mix of curiosity and distaste.
"I got the short straw," he answered flatly.
She just stared at him.
He laughed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Itachi isn't here at the moment. I don't think Tobi will ever come near you again after what you did to him. And Deidara would probably kill you if he saw you. So you're stuck with me for now, princess."
Accepting his answer, Sakura opened the door to what she presumed was the bathroom, but stopped halfway in when Kisame's lilting voice sounded behind her.
"Want some company? I've been told I make quite a fun bath toy."
Sakura turned to regard him with open revulsion. He was laughing again, and she was relieved to find he was only joking. She wanted to kick him, but decided that amused was better than angry when it came to dealing with a behemoth monster-man who worked for Akatsuki.
"Don't worry, girlie, you ain't my type either." His eyes traveled slowly and deliberately over her form, and she tried not to squirm under his blatant leer. "Your tits are too small."
"Thanks," she said dryly, then went into the bathroom and forcefully shut the door.
Kisame's muffled voice echoed through the door. "You got half an hour."
Sakura set her pack down and removed what she needed before moving to the sink. She made face at herself in the mirror. Kisame was right; she looked like shit. She was covered in grime and dust, and the cut on her lip was scabbed over and dried blood smeared her face. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was clumped together with dried sweat and dirt.
Half an hour, and she planned to use every last second. Was the shark man literally standing guard outside? She felt for his chakra signature which she'd learned to recognize and sure enough – there he was outside the door.
She brushed her teeth first to remove the foul taste of blood and dirt that her meal had only partly covered. Then she undressed, wincing at the soreness of her muscles. She looked at her reflection again and saw her abdomen was covered in ugly, purple bruises. Put there by Deidara or Itachi? Probably both. There was a large claw-footed tub with an attached brass showerhead. The knob gave a loud squeak when turned and the antiquated plumbing groaned and sputtered inside the walls, but the water running from of the old pipes was clean and free of rust. There was shampoo and soap already in the tub, but she made sure to run the soap under the water thoroughly before using it. She didn't want to think about where it might have been. She washed up quickly and spent the next several minutes sitting on the bottom of the tub, letting the hot water relax her tired body and calm her mind.
So many things were strange about all of this. First, Akatsuki had managed to commission a fake mission specifically requesting her. It didn't surprise her that they had contacts in various governments; most people of power had ties to less reputable sources in one way or another. Second, they made a big show of taking her captive in broad daylight with a large crowd of witnesses, rather than ambushing her en route in the open countryside, which told her they wanted her capture to be discovered. But why? To hold her for ransom or blackmail? The only reason she could be useful was for her medical abilities. Again she wondered if they intended to try to force her to heal someone.
Suddenly she recalled what Kakashi said to Itachi at their last encounter in Wind country: 'How fast are you losing your eyesight?' Due to continual, prolonged use of the Sharingan, both men were slowly going blind. From analyzing Kakashi's, she knew the Mangekyou form accelerated it. How far had Itachi's vision deteriorated? She had worked on Kakashi's a little, removing the chakra buildup that gave him headaches, clearing the pathways for easier use. As long as he didn't expose it for extended periods he was fine, and with regular treatment she was able to halt and even reverse some of the deterioration. But Kakashi's eye problems weren't his fault; it wasn't his natural eye and he didn't have the genetic markers to control it; he couldn't turn it off. Itachi chose to keep it on all the time, and Sakura didn't feel sorry for him. If that was why they brought her here then they were sorely mistaken. She would burst his eyeballs out of their sockets before she gave him a better weapon.
But that didn't seem right either. If all he wanted was for her to heal his eyes, why did he need three other Akatsuki to take her from a very public place? Itachi was perfectly capable of capturing her by himself even if he was half blind. Kisame was with him at all times, but Deidara and the other one—Tobi—why did they help? Why were they still here? She knew they were; becoming a medic had made her sensitive to chakra and she could feel their signatures moving around the building. Maybe they were just bored and tagging along. She definitely needed to sort it out some more.
Sakura stepped out of the tub, looking and feeling much better. She found towels in a cabinet under the sink. She felt very strange about her situation. Normally, if one was taken hostage and held in close quarters with four of the world's most wanted criminals, they would be terrified. Normally, if an enormous bloodthirsty shark-man with an even bigger sword that had its own evil sentience was standing outside one's door while they were stark naked and unarmed, they would feel panic. But so many things that had happened were not normal, and somehow Sakura wasn't afraid. Whatever they wanted, she believed they needed her alive and relatively sound to do it, and so she was fairly certain now that they wouldn't kill her. That gave her confidence that she normally wouldn't have. Possibly too much…but oh well, she was furious. She didn't want to help them, didn't want to be here, and she was going to make sure they knew it.
After dressing, she stuffed her belongings back into her bag, retied her hitai-ate into her short hair and began finger-comb it. A moment later there was a loud bang on the door. She'd been expecting it, but still started at the abrupt noise. Her time was up. She grabbed her pack and quickly opened the door before the behemoth on the other side knocked it down.
Kisame's large bulk loomed over her. He looked bored, and his eyes traveled slowly over her figure again as he took in her refreshed appearance. Eyes narrowed, she regarded him stiffly and waited for him to move and let her out. When he eventually backed away, Sakura brushed past him and headed in the direction of her room. Kisame simply snorted and raised his eyebrows at her back. He didn't follow, and once she entered her room and closed the door he walked off toward the other end of the house.
Sakura wasn't surprised that he hadn't followed her. He didn't need to dog her steps to catch her if she ran.
Now that she'd eaten and cleaned up, there was absolutely nothing to do. She dropped her backpack and sat down next to it with her back against the wall. She had a good view of the window from here and was able to reasonably guess what time of day it was, though watching the hours slowly pass wouldn't help the boredom that was quickly setting in. Patience had never been her virtue, and she was already restless. She almost wished Kisame would come back, just so she had something to interact with besides the four walls. Almost.
There was no way to know when someone would bring her next meal, or finally tell her why she was being held hostage. There was nothing to do but wait. Sakura's mind wandered again to the possible reasons she was taken. They obviously didn't know much about her other than her medical skills, because they hadn't expected her to put up a good fight. Did that mean they didn't know she was Tsunade's apprentice? If so, that almost certainly ruled blackmail or ransom out. Was it because she killed Sasori? That didn't seem right for several reasons. Sakura wasn't the only person she knew to have killed an Akatsuki, and they had never retaliated before. Deidara had been his partner, but he hadn't come near her since the fight, and if it was about revenge, he would have told her so and probably killed her straight away. So that theory fell apart as well.
The more she thought about it, the more everything seemed to point to Itachi. This was his operation. He was the one who wanted her, she was sure of it, and the only thing he could possibly need her for was to heal his eyes. But Itachi surely he knew that if chakra could be used to repair the body it could be used to destroy it as well, and he wouldn't be foolish enough to let her near his eyes. No amount of torture or intimidation could change the fact that he would have to allow her to put her chakra into his body, and once it was in it would only take a split second to blind or even kill him. He would be helpless against her.
Sakura thought back to the last time she had seen Uchiha Itachi: three years ago during the Kazekage's rescue. He probably thought she was still that girl. That explained why they underestimated her. They didn't know her at all if they thought she was just going to comply with their demands. She had no incentive to help them. The only way to force her hand was to hurt or threaten someone she loved. But they hadn't.
Sakura smirked. They were in for a big surprise if they thought a standard ANBU team would be sent after her. Not when she was Konoha's second best medic and practically the Godaime's surrogate daughter. The fearsome woman would come after them herself if she wasn't the Hokage. And her boys were going to flip when they found out she'd been taken captive and by whom. Especially Naruto…
Oh no.
That was it, wasn't it? It had to be. That was why they took her in broad daylight, leaving no doubt about what happened. She curled her knees to her chest and put her head in her hands as it all sank in.
The Kyuubi. They wanted Naruto for the demon sealed inside him. Akatsuki had been after Naruto for a long time, had tried to take him several times before and failed. Jiraiya originally told them Akatsuki planned to have all of the bijuu within three years, but it had been seven since then. Itachi must be tired of chasing and had come up with a plan to bring Naruto to him instead. And Sakura knew with devastating certainty that it would work. Naruto would never let this go. Even if he was forbidden to come after her or be part of the rescue, he would never listen. If Tsunade tried to stop him he would leave on his own.
Her team was coming. That's why Deidara and his partner were still here—as backup. Sakura felt completely helpless. There was nothing she could do to stop this. Even if she somehow managed to escape, there was no guarantee she would find her team before they found the Akatsuki. The best she could hope for was to be there when they arrived and find a way to fight beside them.
She had complete confidence in her team, but these were Akatsuki they were dealing with. The last time they fought it had been seven Leaf shinobi against two Akatsuki and the Leaf had barely won that battle. Several of them had taken serious injury, including Kakashi and Naruto, who were two of the strongest ninja she knew. There were four Akatsuki this time, and the chance of winning was dismal. Itachi's plan was frighteningly brilliant.
Sakura wouldn't sit idly by waiting for this nightmare to play out. Her captors weren't going to kill her, and they had been surprisingly lenient so far. They were professionals, above bullying and terrorizing, and wouldn't hurt her without reason. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage. Maybe she could get them to let her out of this room. If she was lucky, they may even tolerate her in their presence. She didn't think she could gain their trust or that they would ever let their guard down around her, say or do something she wasn't supposed to see, but every bit of information would help.
Sakura calculated her plan for some time before Kisame returned. He carried another tray of food, but this time he didn't put it down and slide it across the floor, simply held the tray and regarded her expectantly. Seeing his fishy face after finally figuring out their intentions only made her angry, and at first she just glared at him from her position on the floor. Then she remembered she was supposed to be somewhat nice for the time being, so she rose and walked over to him. He held out the tray and Sakura saw what was on it: rice and soup with hot tea. That was a surprise. Did he make this for her himself? More likely they were leftovers from his own lunch, but he could easily have given her another loaf of stale bread.
"Thanks…" she muttered quietly, taking the tray.
Kisame grunted noncommittally. It wasn't until she'd sat on the floor with the tray that he finally spoke. "Itachi will be back tonight, and he'll probably want to discuss your situation," he said gruffly.
Sakura didn't know why he told her that. Maybe it was a hint that she should mentally prepare herself. At any rate, she needed to figure out what she was going to have to say and do to convince them to let her out of this room and at least go to the bathroom without an escort. She nodded in acknowledgement and Kisame walked out, closing the door as he went.
It was the briefest exchange they'd had all day, and she wondered if he felt as odd about it as she did. Things were just getting weirder by the hour.
She ate carefully this time, grateful for a hot meal. Afterward she quietly paced the room and worked out the details of her plan. After several minutes she found herself in front of the window, staring through the dirty pane to the ground below. She was right about being on an upper floor. The distance was nothing for a ninja to jump, but she knew there was a chakra seal on the window.
Feeling a little devious, she reached out to touch the glass and sure enough, after a moment there was a presence near her door, waiting to see what she would do. She removed her hand from the window pane, and eventually her unseen watchdog went away. From what she could see through the window, they seemed to be at some sort of abandoned mill or farm. There was a walled yard below with a gardening shed, and what used to be plowed fields beyond the wall. She wondered if this was a regular Akatsuki hideout or if they had just found it and were squatting.
Eventually she grew bored looking out the dirty window and moved away. It was getting dark, and she wondered how long until her meeting with Itachi. With nothing else to do she lay down with her back against the wall, using her backpack as a pillow, and silently rehearsed her plan again and again until she fell asleep.
Sakura woke at the sound of her door opening. The yellow glow from the hallway illuminated a cloaked silhouette in the rectangle of the open doorframe. There was no mistaking Kisame's hulking figure, and Sakura sat up slowly, squinting at the invasion of light.
"You asleep again?"
"What else am I supposed to do? There isn't even a light in here," she answered tartly. "What time is it?" She stood and looked out the window, trying gauge the time. It was completely black outside. She must have slept for hours.
"Late. Let's go." He said it like they were going for an evening stroll, and not to what was sure to be a tense confrontation between a dangerous killer and a very hot-tempered kunoichi.
"How do I look?" she asked with her hands on her hips, voice dripping with sarcasm. The shark laughed aloud, and the two enemies walked together down the hall.
Kisame led her in the opposite direction from before, and they descended an old, rickety staircase that would have creaked loudly if anyone other than ninja were to walk on it. They passed through a large sitting room full of dusty, worn furniture. The place had clearly been abandoned for many years. They went around a corner into the formal dining room, featuring an old-fashioned, solid oak table that seated eight. A modest chandelier hung over the table and heavy draperies blocked the windows. The room might have been downright cozy, if not for the gang of notorious criminals watching her like hungry wolves.
At the head of the table sat Uchiha Itachi. He regarded her impassively, but his crimson eyes glinted with hidden thoughts.
Deidara was on his right, while Tobi sat on the other side toward the middle. Kisame motioned for her to take the seat at the far end, and she did so stiffly as he moved past her and sat next to Deidara, leaving Tobi by himself in the middle. They must have just finished eating; there were several takeout containers on the table, some empty, some still half full. It smelled delicious and her stomach clenched, but she wasn't about to ask for any.
They stared at her intently. Sakura looked at Deidara, who blatantly glared at her in a way that was almost pouty, and Sakura had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smirking. She held eye contact with him just long enough to prove he didn't intimidate her—which wasn't exactly true, but she faked it well. She turned her eyes to Tobi next and even though his mask his his features, she knew he wasn't making eye contact with her. He was uncomfortable with her presence, just the smallest bit frightened by her, even with the other three here. It struck her as odd, though she had nearly killed him, and his skill was surprisingly subpar for an Akatsuki. The realization filled her with a nervous sort of amusement. She gave him a cruel smile and he shifted his gaze to the tabletop. At last she turned her attention to the final member of their little party.
Itachi's expression remained unreadable, but his eyes analyzed every movement she made. Sakura maintained her outward calm, and with a pounding heart, did what most sane people would never willingly do: she raised her eyes and met Itachi's deadly, crimson stare.
A moment of instinctive fear passed before she realized she wasn't trapped in a nightmare world of torture. After another moment she breathed again, and managed to hold his penetrating gaze. The seconds ticked by as they sat there, looking at each other. She relaxed just a little when it became clear he wasn't going to do anything to her other than stare, and for the first time, she felt comfortable enough to really see him.
It disturbed her considerably to discover he was incredibly handsome. Better looking even than Sasuke, and she hated that she thought so. His eyes were his most striking feature, and not because of the Sharingan. They were simply beautiful, large and shapely, framed with long dark lashes that made her jealous. She wondered what they looked like without the crimson bloodline limit. Were they the same deep ebony-brown as his brother's, or charcoal grey like Kakashi's? But this was Uchiha Itachi…they were probably black as the pits of hell and as empty as his soul.
That last thought cut through her initial shock, and she wondered if he was going to say something soon. She was becoming uncomfortable, and at this point she was only maintaining eye contact through sheer willpower.
The corner of Itachi's mouth turned slightly, but Sakura couldn't tell if it was a smirk or a frown. "You aren't afraid to look in my eyes, kunoichi?"
She was, and yet wasn't. Not knowing how to explain that, she remained silent.
He didn't press her. "Do you know why we took you?"
"I can think of several reasons."
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you share some of your theories with us."
Steeling her resolve, she leaned forward and clasped her hands together on the table. "At first I thought it was because you want me to heal your eyes. I know you're going blind. But I also know you wouldn't put yourself in a compromising situation with someone who would harm you at the first opportunity. My next thought was that Akatsuki has some other need for my medical skills. Or that you might be attempting a ransom or blackmail, as there are some powerful people who would be upset by my capture. However, none of those theories explain why you need these three," she gestured vaguely at the others. "And then I realized: you plan to use me as bait for Naruto." Her voice was quiet and dark as she finished, and she no longer bothered to hide her contempt.
Itachi gave a faint nod. "You are correct, kunoichi. I thought you might figure it out on your own, but I have to say I'm impressed. You are as intelligent as your reputation indicates."
Sakura was taken aback. Did Uchiha Itachi just compliment her? The others were also regarding her with a sort of grudging respect.
"Are you hungry?"
"What?" Was he having a different conversation than she was? He'd just confirmed his intentions on the life of her best friend, and now he was offering to share a meal with her?
"I asked if you were hungry," he repeated simply, as if nothing was strange about any of this. "You may help yourself, if you wish."
This had to be some sort of surreal nightmare. Dreaming or not, she was hungry, and so she cautiously leaned over the tabletop to inspect the cartons, chose one and quickly, and sat back. It was mostly cold, but that hardly mattered to her neglected stomach.
"You're not worried it might be poisoned, hm?"
She looked up at Deidara. "If you wanted to kill me you would have done it already, not bring me all the way out to this place. Besides, you wouldn't need poison to do it."
"You're awfully acceptant of the situation. You act like you get kidnapped all the time. What happened to the all the hissing and spitting from yesterday?"
Was that his impression of her, an angry cat? She shrugged and calmly replied, "Oh, don't get me wrong. When my teammates find us I'm going to help them kill you all."
Deidara and Kisame both laughed dismissively, but Itachi remained unmoved. Sakura continued eating.
"Is that right? You seem pretty confident about that, yeah. Does that mean you're not gonna try to escape?"
"I wouldn't make it far with all four of you on my ass, so there's no point in trying. Besides, whether I escape or not isn't going to stop Naruto from coming for you." She looked to Itachi. "I have to admit, your plan is disgustingly brilliant, but you're wrong in thinking you're going to win."
"Spoken like a true Leaf ninja," he said with the barest hint of amusement. "What makes you so sure of the outcome?"
"You can't possibly believe that Naruto will come alone. You knew enough about me to set up that fake medical mission, so you must know who my other teammates are and that they won't just sit around while you work your evil little plan."
"Of course I am aware."
"Doesn't mean we won't win, princess," Kisame added, grinning.
"Should be quite a fight, especially if the other guest of honor shows up, yeah."
An unsettling feeling crept over her. "Who would that be?"
Itachi regarded her intently. "My brother."
It was a good thing she was sitting down. Sakura was shocked to say the least, and a bit confused. "Sasuke would never come for me." Having to admit it aloud burned her up inside.
The Uchiha gave a small, indifferent shrug. "Perhaps he would, perhaps not. But he will come for me."
"He's been looking for you for six years. What makes you think he'll find you this time?"
"Because I want him to."
The last three years had proved beyond doubt that Itachi wasn't one to be found if he didn't want to be. This situation was very, very bad. If Sasuke did come, she didn't know if he would help Team Kakashi or simply follow his own agenda. He may even fight against them if he thought they were in his way.
Itachi seemed to read her thoughts. "It will be quite a reunion, don't you think? Are you sure you don't want to run, kunoichi?"
"No," she said angrily. "I'm not going to run. Especially not now."
"Hn. Are you so eager to be scorned and abused by my foolish brother again?"
He was taunting her. She shot him a venomous glare. "I'm not going to run because I want to be here when he kills you. I want to watch as he slowly chokes the life out of you, Itachi. I want to hear your death-rattle."
He was on her before she finished the last word, moving so fast that she didn't even register it until he was behind her chair, holding her throat in a deadly grip. He could snap her neck before she even tried to fight back.
His handsome face was contorted in fury. Her heart raced wildly, and she was sure he could feel it against his fingers. The other three Akatsuki stared with wide-eyed alarm at their comrade, and that terrified her more than anything. She had provoked Itachi to act in a way that shocked them, because they had never seen it before.
Itachi leaned over the back of her chair, his breath hot against the side of her face. After several terrifying seconds he regained composure and his face slipped back into a blank mask, though his blood-colored eyes still glinted angrily. He loosened his death-grip on her throat, but didn't let go. Sakura took several shaking breaths and fought down panic.
Itachi used his grip to turn her head a fraction, his lips almost brushing her cheekbone. His voice was nearly a whisper, but it filled the tense silence. "Perhaps you will get your wish, kunoichi…though I doubt my brother will live up to your expectations. Perhaps you will get to watch me do the same to him instead. After I take the Kyuubi, of course." He watched every flinch, every tremble of her lips, the tears in her fear-bright eyes. "Once I have accomplished those things your usefulness to me will have ceased. Perhaps, little kunoichi, the death-rattle you hear will be your own."
He moved away from her then, and she couldn't prevent the small pant of relief that escaped her lips. Her heart was pounding so hard against her ribs she was sure everyone could hear it. Her cheek was cold from where his breath had moistened it. Now that she was free of the deadly grasp her instincts screamed to flee, but she managed to stay seated. She didn't think she could stand right now if she tried. Her fingers had been clenched against her thighs and she could feel the pain now as the adrenaline started to wear off. She would have more bruises later.
Itachi stood in the doorway, his back to them. He turned just far enough to reveal his profile. "Since you made it quite clear that you have no intention of escape, there is no need for you to stay confined. The chakra seals will be removed tomorrow. You are free to move around the house and immediate grounds, and you may make use of anything you find here."
A moment later the soft rustle of his cloak indicated he was gone.
He'd said it like nothing had just happened between them, like he hadn't just lost control and nearly killed her with his bare hands. That kind of compartmentalization was frightening. Sakura couldn't imagine how a mind could work like that.
No one else moved from their seats. Sakura stared unseeing at her shaking hands, and the three remaining Akatsuki watched her with a mixture of shock, curiosity, and awe. She didn't look at them. She had forgotten they were there. The blood wouldn't stop rushing in her ears. After several moments she poured all of her effort and strength into standing and made her way blindly out of the room, the three Akatsuki staring after her.
Sakura closed the door to her room and ran her hand along the paneling until she stumbled into her backpack and slid down the wall in a heap. She could still feel Itachi's dark chakra curling around her, could still feel his fingers on her throat, his breath on her cheek.
Alone, in the pitch darkness of her room, she could no longer hold back the tears.