Chapter 4- Entangled Fate
You better pray that I'm dead before the next time I see you again, Kakuzu.
Itachi gritted his teeth as yet another shout drifted across the walls and intruded into the 'privacy' of his room. If there was one thing he had learnt since he entered this village, it was that domestic violence was as mundane as your everyday flu.
"I already told you I'm sorry!" The man's aggravated respond nearly drew a sigh out of the unwilling participant two rooms down. He should have known better than to trust Kakuzu's recommendation when he heard they were headed for his ex-village. Reflecting on this now, he should have known there was a hidden agenda to the mercenary's goodwill. After discovering that the hotel's boss was actually his ex-lover, he immediately felt his brows elevated and wondered for a moment whether Himiji Misao was the abandoned fruit of his love.
It was heartening to know he had a heart (besides the ones he stole), but it was unforgivable to sacrifice Itachi's comfort to feed his guilt-ridden soul. When he stated that it was a 'decent accommodation,' he had conveniently omitted to mention their fragile water systems, or how thin these supposedly sound-proof walls were.
"You lied, again! Why are men always lying?"
Itachi slammed his book shut, uncertain whether it was out of annoyance to their ruckus or the woman's general insult to men. She had hit quite a nerve for that hasty remark. He was about to leave this nasty accommodation for good when an explosion rang in the next room.
In an instant, the light in his room went dead.
He could only ignore the uproar for this long. Releasing a loud sigh, he climbed out of the uncomfortable chair and went out to check on the commotion.
Sakura jumped out of the river and immediately realised her mistake – she had forgotten to bring a towel! Scampering across the turf, she ploughed through the depthless bag for her clean lingerie, her teeth clattering madly as she slid them on.
It felt like she was back to square one, with her hair and new clothes clinging to her body just as she had emerged from the river earlier in the day. She hastily stuffed the soiled laundry into the paper bag and hurried through the chilly woods, hoping to run into a door that would teleport her to room right then.
She was so close, the warm light of the hotel threshold like a hundred arms demon pulling her nearer…
"Meoow…" A white cat with bobbed brown tail was rubbing its neck against the edge of the hotel, looking lonely.
"Aww, what is a bright furry ball like you doing here?" She bent and reached out to rub behind its ear when she noticed that it had a sallow complexion uncharacteristic of its breed. She picked it up and quickly examined the cat, eyes narrowing when she felt its erratic heartbeat and the noted the amount of furs it shredded over her hands.
"Poor cat's been sick for at least three months… Now let this nosy onee-chan try to get rid of this bad bad disease…" After a minute of concentration and consolation, the once-again healthy fur ball leapt out of Sakura's bosom and escaped into the gap of the hotel's sliding door.
"Not even a thank you? Ungrateful soul…" She mumbled good-naturedly and followed after its tail. She found the Japanese bobtail nestled in Misao's embrace, the scene warming Sakura's heart.
"Is that your cat, Misao-chan?" Her voice startled the lady boss in-line, nearly dropping the cat.
"Oh, Miss Sakura you scared me! Yes, sorry I haven't got the chance to introduce the other member of the Himiji family, Nozzle."
"Nozzle?"
"Yes, because it likes to leap into my arms without warning, like the water rushing out of the hose," She explained sheepishly, stroking Nozzle's back fondly. "It has been sick for some time, always lurking at the back of the hotel and being anti-social. But today, it's suddenly so energetic, back to how it used to be when I first bought it!"
"Ah, guess it must have finally recovered, thanks to your endless love," Sakura replied promptly.
"Yes, it seems like a dream, but if it is, don't ever wake me up!" Misao exclaimed and she grinned, thinking whether it was for this smile that she had become a medical ninja. Guess she would never know until her memory was restored, she thought sadly.
Just then, an explosion reverberated throughout the building, shocking the girls out of their trance.
"What's that sound?" Misao gasped out, fear ringing deep from her sunset orbs.
"I think it came from the upper floor; let's go check it out." Nodding, Misao deposited Nozzle by the counter and sprinted up the stairs with Sakura in tow.
A middle-aged man was slummed against the foot of what was once Sakura's bed, looking broken but fortunately still in one piece, unlike the bed. There was already a group of perturbed customers crowding by the corridor as Itachi absent-mindedly pulled the door closed behind him and joined them. If not for his Sharingan, he was as good as blind in this all-consuming darkness.
What the hell…
"What the hell?" Himiji Misao exclaimed at the head of the stairs. She rushed forward to help the man out of the wood crumps while doing her best to ignore the hole in the wall dividing the rooms. Just when business was picking up…
Itachi's eyes rolled over to the woman standing behind the hole in the next room. The only thing remarkable about her besides her disheveled hair was her monstrous strength, thinking she might be a good match for Kisame. He could definitely do with a woman like that to tame his occasional mood swings. Any men would cower under those eyes and fist.
"Guess the couple fought and took it a little too far…" An elderly woman whispered to her friend and Itachi snorted at the word 'little.'
This village's a mess; it's no wonder why Kakuzu left-
"Oh no, that's my room!" Another female cried out, and Itachi's heart stopped at the familiar voice.
"I'm not paying for any of this; please charge the room's tabs and the damage to my ex-husband. I'm sure it's nothing if he could afford to keep a mistress behind my back for a freaking year." With that, the woman grabbed her luggage and picked herself out of the mess, leaving behind mixed feelings in the crowd.
His eyes were fixed on Sakura as the woman with the potential to be Kisame's 'other half' knocked against her shoulder and fled the scene. She remained rooted to her spot near the stairs, her eyes staring in disbelief in a way that mirrored his.
"Sir, are you alright?" Misao's voice broke into Itachi's jumbled thoughts and emotions at seeing her for the third time.
"Urgh… Yeah, somehow… I'm sorry for the mess; I'll pay for all of it," The pitiful man groaned and attempted to stand on his own.
"Oh no, don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're not hurt," Misao answered sincerely, though secretly glad that he made the offer. "For now please use the empty room next door and recuperate…" With shaky hands, she unlocked the door and led him inside. She turned around and grimaced apologetically at Sakura.
"I'm so sorry, Miss-"
"Misao! What's the meaning of this?!" A man in his mid-thirties cried out as he peeked through the window of Sakura's room.
"Oh, Kazuki…" Misao scurried to unlock the window and helped the man in.
"I was out there connecting the last of the water pipes then suddenly BOOM! I nearly tripped…" His voice descended into a string of consoling murmurs only for Misao's ears as he rubbed curatively at her shaking shoulders.
Itachi noticed Sakura's shoulders were also trembling slightly, though for a different reason altogether. Did she not bring a towel? He swallowed back the urge to shelter her from the male guests' lecherous leer, regretting not leaving his towel by the riverside.
Kazuki peeled through the darkness at the aftermath and his crisis management immediately kicked into gear. He gently guided Misao over the wreckage and stood in front of the crowd.
Itachi blinked; what the hell was he thinking about again? She was not Mimiko, and that woman meant nothing to him, nothing…
"Looks like even the lights got a scare huh? That is why men should never anger a lady," Kazuki quipped, eliciting knowing smiles and muffled laughter from the crowd. He whispered something into Misao's ears and she scuttled down the corridor.
Seconds later the corridor lights blinked to life. Kazuki nodded as his face turned somber. He turned to face everyone and bowed all the way to his waist.
"On behalf of Himiji Hotel, I apologise for this unforeseen circumstance. As a way to atone for our bad customer service, we'll be issuing discount vouchers that you can use for this or your future stay in our hotel." At the approving nods and rising murmurs, he mentally smiled and continued, "We'll see to the cleaning up and the promised compensation by tomorrow morning, so everyone please kindly head back to your rooms and enjoy the rest of your stay."
As the crowd began to disperse on what was a satisfied ending, Itachi leaned against the wall and observed the man. He thought that he was shrewd to identity an opportunity in a crisis like this, taking the chance to advertise the hotel and entice customers to return using vouchers as the bait. Too bad for him, no amount of vouchers could tempt Itachi back to this hotel, ever.
He cocked his head to his left and it was at the same moment that Sakura turned, their gazes meeting in the throng of moving heads. Sakura's jaw fell and she immediately stormed toward him.
"What the hell are you doing here? Were you stalking me?" Holding back his snort, he crossed his arms and raised a brow.
"Hn, and why would I be stalking… a nameless woman like you?" He sneered as Sakura turned red from his mocking eyes travelling down her body.
"You asshole-"
"Miss Sakura, I'm so sorry! I didn't expect this to happen and now your room's busted…"
"No no, it's not your fault. I just have to move into another single room right?"
"Y-Yeah, but the only room available-"
"Misao, I can't get the emergency lights to work for the adjoining rooms, could you please inform the guests staying in rooms 208 and 209 that they may have to move-"
"Don't tell me you're staying here?" Sakura interjected Kazuki mid-sentence, pointing accusingly in Itachi's face.
"That might explain why this commotion happened; misfortune seem to follow wherever you go," Itachi dodged the question and jabbed at Sakura.
"Oh, so you two know each other?" Misao cut in, gleefully dissipating the rising tension between her two beloved guests. She turned to face Itachi, who was engaged in a staring contest with a fuming Sakura. "Sir, you're the guest in Room 209 right? I apologise for the inconvenience caused."
Itachi finally tore his eyes away from Sakura. "Don't worry about it. Which is the next available room?" At the ditto request, Misao and Kazuki's eyes met, silently communicating their options.
"Ah Sir, the thing is…" Misao started.
"All singles and family rooms are taken up…" Kazuki continued.
"And there's only one room left on the third floor." The two room-less guests directed their steely eyes onto Misao, causing her to retreat deeper into Kazuki's arms.
"I'll take that room," The duo chorused, sending murderous glares to one another.
"Miss, Sir, please don't fight…"
"Ever heard of 'ladies' first?'" Sakura taunted, jutting her chin out defiantly.
"Don't women these days preach about gender equality? Funny how they tend to forget when their interests are at stake, like now," Itachi countered with a 'go ahead and disagree' stare.
"Don't you love nature? You can go back to the river and camp and leave the room to me," Sakura backtracked and tried the 'softer' approach.
"Says the one taking a nap on the river."
"Don't act dumb you know I was unconscious-"
"Guys, as much as I hate to interrupt, but may I make a proposition?"
"What?" Sakura and Itachi barked simultaneously.
"T-The only room left is actually the executive suite, the most expensive out of the rooms. If you two are willing to compromise and share, I'll charge you both according to the single's price." There was a ringing silence as her fellow guests debated the offer.
Sakura eyed Itachi from the corner of her sight cynically. Well, we hanged out for a while back in the forest, so I doubt he's going to do anything funny to me even if we're in the same room…
Itachi caught her not so secretive glance and she quickly averted his eyes. They had made up their mind.
"Deal," They declared, much to Misao and Kazuki's relief.
"Okay, please pack your luggage and I'll pass you the key to Room 302 in a moment."
To their surprise, the executive suites were actually Japanese traditional rooms, as revealed when Misao slid aside the fusuma (sliding doors made up of wood and washi paper). It was just one extremely spacious room, with all functions rolled into this brown and white space.
"Quite a generous space for all kinds of activities eh- hey why did you jab me?" Kazuki complained as Misao pulled him out of the suite.
"Right, enjoy your stay. We'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, hopefully?" With that, Misao and Kazuki bowed and left the room to the odd couple.
Itachi went over to corner of the room to sit by a round wooden coffee table, taking out a stack of hardcovers. He then proceeded to read, as though nothing had changed other than the room.
If that's how he's planning to do it, then I guess I shall play along…
Setting her only 'luggage' by the fusuma, she wandered uncomfortably across the tatami mats, trying her best to block out the lone futon bed sitting in the centre of the room. She stopped by the sliding door at the opposite end of the room, pausing for a second before opening it.
Sakura welcomed the burst of cool and untainted air into her face, temporarily blowing off all the underlying tensions and troubles in her mind. If only life was a breeze, Sakura thought and smiled self-indulgingly over the nightscape of Waterfall.
"You may want to take off your clothes," Itachi mentioned causally, since damp clothes and wind equated cold and the last thing he wanted was to be infected by flu on his mission.
"W-What?!" She gasped and spun around. Gosh how brazen; was she mistaken about him after all?
"Unless you want to catch a cold, you better change out of your clothes." He was leaning his chin on his palm, lazily watching her getting the gist of his message.
"O-Oh, that's right. How careless of me…"
"There's a screen over there," He began as Sakura's empty mind attempted to comprehend his words, "Just in case you forgot that I'm here."
"Mock all you want. And it would take a lot more to not notice Your Majesty's presence." Just to humour herself, she added a mock air bow in his direction. Itachi felt his eyes twitched.
"On second thought, it doesn't even matter if you're changing behind the screen…"
"What are you say-"
"Not that there is anything to see," He concluded with a smirk and resumed reading. Stunned and speechless, she launched for her bag, slipping out the shirt he gave her earlier and darted behind the changing screen opposite him. What a jerk! She could not believe she was forced to spend nights, no minutes staying with someone this impertinent.
"You're still wearing that?" She heard him asked from the other end of the room.
"Besides the ones I just took off, I have nothing else to wear," She replied crudely, not certain why he even cared.
"I'm turning in for the night. Don't touch my things," He announced after a moment. Sakura waited for a few beats, until she was certain he had slept before coming out of her hiding spot. She was convinced that he would be sleeping on the tatami mats and giving her the futon bed but immediately stopped in her tracks.
She had underestimated this man.
"If you're expecting me to sleep on the mats, you can dream on," She declared with her arms crossed, watching him tucked comfortably at the other end of the bed.
"Then don't."
"Well, there's only one bed," She noted sarcastically while he ignored her. Just great.
Where did all the chivalrous men in this world go...
"It's big enough," He said softly after a while.
Big enough? For what, for you, for the two of us? For- oh… Sakura realised and smiled; damn him and his pride. Why not just come out of the hiding and say he did not mind sharing the bed with her?
"Geez…" Now that it was confirmed, she felt her nerves picking up and she ran hands over her hair trying to neaten it. It was absurd and pointless; it was not like he was going to notice that a strand was out of place or even be looking at her sleeping.
Out of habit, she went around the house to double-check that all doors were safely locked, then once more just for the peace of mind before releasing a low breath. She found the light switch and nervously flicked it off. It was time for bed.
"Excuse me for intruding…" With as little disturbance as possible, she lifted the soft cotton quilt and crawled beneath the security of the blanket. They were sharing the same blanket! Forcing her heartbeat to get a grip, she pulled it over her head and shut her eyes.
She was perfectly safe in this double-locked room, lying on the smoothest bed imaginable (anything would have been more comfortable compared to a tree trunk) in an air-conditioned space. So why was her heart still beating so fast and her mind all over the place?
"Have you found back your identity?" He suddenly asked less than a few inches away from her stiff body. She was not about to admit that she had not exactly been diligently going about doing that, risking to sour her image even further.
"No, but it seems that I'm not from this village, seeing that nobody recognises me."
"Is that so, Miss Sakura." She felt herself swallowing uneasily at the provocative way he enunciated her makeshift moniker.
"That's what I'll be calling myself for the time being." Or forever, depending on what the future lies for me.
"Your hair…" She inched her head slightly towards his direction to catch his words. "It matches your hair." Maybe he did notice her hair. Surprised, she smiled and touched the split ends of her pink locks, immediately developing a love for the colour.
The mention of hair reminded her of the photograph she looted from the charred piles, renewing her interest towards the beautiful lady. She thought of asking him then, but given the extensive knowledge she had gathered about him thus far, probably not a good idea.
"Good night," She whispered instead, even though she knew it would be another case for her. Despite being bestowed with amnesia, there was still enough going on to drive her over the wall, and she wondered if getting back her memories would only made things worse.
Would remembering make a difference? What if I was a wanted ninja with no place to call home?
Her life was sad, really. Losing her memory, her room and winded up having to sharing bed for the first time with some dude she met in the forest, without even knowing his bloody na…
"Itachi…" Her eyes flashed opened at the sonorous sound of his voice. "My name is Uchiha Itachi, just in case you are curious," He added with a knowing smile, as though reading her mind. That jerk… Just to spite him, she wrenched the blanket out of reach.
"About darn time you tell me." She hugged the blanket tightly, burying her face to hide her growing smile. Maybe sharing bed was not such a bad thing after all. For a minute, there was only the faint cricking of the cicadas and the dull humming of the air-conditioner.
"Are you going to give it back, or do I have to go over there and take it?"
Lucky Sakura; heroine always gets the luck we're desperately lacking in real life. Well hope you enjoyed this short chapter ^.^
