7-Twisted

Her nightmare was going berserk.

She was dependent on Itachi, she'd already acknowledged that. And she was being quickly overwhelmed by something she knew was even more potent than that. The gut-wrenching feeling that was threatening to make her cry again told her that, on no uncertain terms, she was going to cling to the Uchiha.

She was going to fall in love with him. She didn't want to.

She was dreaming that Uchiha Itachi was a good guy with a low tolerance to alcohol and a meek personality. She was dreaming that he was sweet and kind, and would do his utmost for her. She was dreaming.

He was in love with her. She just had to be dreaming.


The house was cold in the morning.

There wasn't any music playing, there wasn't a bath made, and the messes were left just as she'd had them the night before. She was in bed in a wrinkled old t-shirt of Naruto's that was somehow still residing in her stuff. The papers on her desk were still waiting to be filed, and the curtains were still closed.

She wandered around the house. No matter how you looked at it, there wasn't a sign of life to be found.

She made a bagel for breakfast, spreading the cream cheese on it thickly, the way she liked. She added the same amount of sugar and creamer to her coffee that she always had. Her life was normal.

See? She had been dreaming.

She looked at the sink. The dishes were clean because of her spree… but they were still there. The coffee pot was empty, because she'd only made enough for one. Her coat was still haphazardly thrown on the counter, and her boots still flopped this and that direction. There wasn't any note wishing her a safe trip on the door.

Nothing ever happened. She'd been dreaming.

Sakura finished her breakfast, and slipped into her boots and winter coat. It was early December, and the wind here made it even colder than it really was. This was the Fire Country; even just above freezing, it felt too cold. She walked to the hospital, passing by the shops as they were opening in the early morning, or some where they were just closing, until they opened again in the evening.

The hospital door slid open silently as always, and the chattering nurses at the desk looked up and gave her a respectful greeting. No, there weren't any emergencies. Yes, it had been a quiet night. No, there weren't any special cases for treatment.

There weren't any of the comments about her love life that she had in her dream. Just as expected.

The hospital was warm inside, but there was a stony feeling in her heart. She just felt… heavy. Even though she was concentrating like normal, she had the feeling that her mind wanted to wander. There was a weight there that begged to be lightened by a little daydreaming, but she wouldn't allow it that foolishness.

Who wanted to daydream about a nightmare?

When her shift was over, it was only just 1 o'clock. Sakura wandered over to Ichiraku, and Ayame served her some miso ramen before she even ordered, though it was exactly what she wanted. It wasn't long until Naruto came by, and Hinata was with him, surprisingly. Sakura had brought along a little something with her as a plan for the two… but somehow, she didn't feel like teasing the heiress about it. Out of her medic apron, she pulled a little bottle, and when the girl was distracted she dumped it in her water.

A few sips later, she was passed out on the counter.

Naruto unglued, and Sakura pretended to do the same, telling him to take her to his house since it was closer and keep an eye on her. He rushed to do that exact thing, and Sakura smiled quietly to herself. It was a sleeping drug mixed with an aphrodisiac. She'd wake up in about 15 minutes, horny as hell. Naruto would be caught in the butterfly's trap, and they'd both be thanking her later.

She wasn't deriving as much satisfaction from this as she normally would, but she tried not to think about that.

The next day was much the same. She went on with life as usual, and yeah, Naruto and Hinata got together just as planned, and the opal-eyed lady was the very personification of the phrase 'glowing with happiness.' Ino was already teasing her about when to plan the wedding.

The next day.

And the next.

Sakura was wandering after her shift, and ended up in the deserted park that she could see from her window seat, and she sat down in one of the swings, staring at the sky. It was grey and overcast, as if it would snow… but it wouldn't. At best, it would be a mix of snow and rain, or maybe just frozen rain that would turn the streets to icy obstacle courses for the civilians and kids.

That face was still stuck in her head. That long, brown-black hair, and the eyes that were so dark they looked as if there wasn't anything to them at all but a void. The long, soft lashes that would sweep down over those eyes. The tiny little quirk of lips that was a smile. The small puff of breath that was a laugh. Skin that had at first been very pale had gotten healthier, and the bags under those mesmerizing eyes had slowly disappeared.

His frustrated face.

His amused face.

His gentle face.

His sleeping face.

His loving face.

She wanted to scream.

Uchiha Itachi was a dream. The man called Uchiha Itachi that she almost loved was a dream. She had no reason to be conflicted over it, because it wasn't real. Just like Kakashi, he was dead. Killed by Sasuke or some disease or something; but he was definitely no longer in the world of the living.

Even as she shook her head and told herself so, the sensation of his hand on her hair was suddenly making her head feel colder, as if he'd just been petting her like that. She put her hand up to that spot and held it over her hair. It felt warm.

But it didn't feel right.


Even though she had initially cleaned up her apartment, it was back to a disaster area now. The sink was full of dirty dishes that she couldn't be bothered with, and the floor was papered from one side of the room to the other. Her room was a mess of clean and dirty laundry. Her desk was piled up with medical reports.

She was sitting at the window again.

At this time of year, the park was always empty. The children would be playing indoors, where it was warm, since no one in the Fire Country really appreciated cold weather. She hadn't turned up the heater, so it was absolutely frigid; but she hadn't bothered to put on a coat, either. She didn't really feel cold.

Just… strangely, strangely empty.

It felt as if he was supposed to be there. It felt as if he was supposed to be taking care of her like she'd dreamed he had. Keeping the apartment toasty, and clean. Cooking her those extravagant breakfasts that he had to concentrate so hard on. Wishing her 'welcome home' when she came back at the end of the day. Tucking her in at night.

The scent of pine and metal and leather that was so familiar… covered by soap and him, a scent that was warm and masculine, and deeply comforting. How could she still remember even the exact way he smelled?

She buried her head in her hands, doubling over until her forehead touched her knees. This was ridiculous- but even as she thought that, her heart constricted painfully. Not like it was being gripped… but as if wire had been tied around the middle and was trying to spit it in two. Jagged, razor wire that would be painful.

It was painful.

She was starting… to wish it had all been real.


She went to parties like she always did. Surrounded by bright lights, by friends, by laughter, by pure hilarious insanity. She danced, she flirted, she drank.

And then she went home.

The apartment was cold, it was messy, and above all, it was empty. It wasn't just melancholy that settled on her any more. Kakashi was dead. It was reality.

Itachi had never been here to begin with. She had started to feel like this for him… from a dream.

She cursed softly, and even though she wished she were angry as hell, all she could do was keep her self from crying. Why did the men she fell for always die? Sasuke, Kakashi… and yeah.

Itachi.

She walked down the hall, carelessly stepping on the papers that were littered everywhere. She stopped at her door… but turned to look just a little ways down the hallway. The door to the spare bedroom was closed, as always. No one had ever used it. Still…

Still… in the dream, it had been his room.

Her bare feet rattled quietly across the papers. But after a couple of steps, there weren't any more. She never came near this door. Callused fingers stroked the brass doorknob, and hesitantly… she gripped it. It turned without a sound, and the door swung open, revealing a stark, untouched room. The white curtains were spotless, the dresser was cleaned off, the bed was made.

But the floor was stained with blood.

It was as if the last four days she had been sleeping. He had been here. It had been real. Every meal, every awkward silence, every embarrassed blush, every stupidly sweet but lovable thing he'd done-!

"Sakura-san?"

She whipped around, and it was as if she'd wished him into existence. The beautiful features, the stature that was tall enough for her to be eye-to-shoulder with him, those brown-black eyes that looked at her with a curious affection. He was real. He had been, from the beginning.

It wasn't a dream.

"… Itachi…?" She must've looked as insecure as she felt, because he looked thrown by it. Sakura reached up hesitantly, and wiped a fleck of blood from his face. "Where…?"

"I was avenging you." He gave a complicated half-smile at her surprise. "That foreign dignitary was known for hiring odd and powerful bodyguards, and pardoning their crimes as long as they worked for him. Last time, one thought I was too curious for a simple hangyoku, so he beat me. But they were the ones… who killed Kakashi-san. So I returned the favor."

Her heart couldn't decide whether to speed up, or stop beating altogether. After a few moments… she simply snapped.

"I thought you hadn't existed! I was scared out of my mind that I'd had a dream!"

He startled, and backed to the other side of the hall. The stress was like a ball of rubber bands inside Sakura, and now, each one of them was snapping and flinging off in its own direction. It was haphazard, it was sudden, and it was complete.

"Damn it, I thought all this time that I'd been dreaming that you were here! I thought I was going insane for remembering a dream so vividly! I stress and I freak, and then I try and act normal, and the more normal I act the less normal I feel, because you screwed it to where up is down and in is out! You turned my life into a chaotic mess, and then you think you can waltz out without even saying goodbye?!" She took a breath, steadying herself. It didn't do any good. When she finally looked up at him, the first tear started to slide down her cheek. "What good would revenge do me, Itachi? Sure, the guys who killed Kakashi are dead, but what if you had died?"

He hesitated. "I am superior to those loose canons, Sakura-san."

"So what if you are? What if I had lost you? The possibility isn't zero, Itachi." She moved forward and fisted her hands in the travelling cloak he was wearing. The tears weren't stopping, and at the moment she didn't care if they did or not. "I thought I had dreamed everything about you. I thought I was losing my mind over a dream. I can't even imagine what would've happened to me if you hadn't come back, and I don't want to. Damn you for turning me into a dependent! This is exactly what I grew strong to avoid, and you're turning me this way anyway!"

And when exactly it happened, she wasn't sure. Who started it wasn't exactly for sure, either. But they were kissing. His hands were cautiously at her waist, but she was stroking her fingers through his hair, letting them get caught in the tangles and not bothering to pull them out. His lips were a little chapped, but she didn't care. She knew that he was being careful of her, for her, but she didn't want him to be. She simply wanted him, whatever way he would give himself to her.

This time, she knew that she started it.

She dropped his cloak from his shoulders, and just let it pool around their feet. Her hitai-ate was next, and then her shirt. He seemed to be withdrawing, as if he was afraid, but she wouldn't let him. Her medical apron hit the floor.

When she pulled his shirt over his head, he looked overwhelmed. Served him right. She'd been feeling the same way for almost a week now.

She didn't pull him towards his room, but hers. The golden coverlet felt cold against her fingers when she pushed him down, but it only made the heat more acute. His ghosting fingers, and hers that might have left bruises, were different, opposites, but completely harmonious. She needed him.

She needed him.

He wasn't a possession. He wasn't a leech, or a servant, or a demon bent on spiriting away his promised bride. He wasn't anything but a man. And she needed him.

It was her first time. She'd been saving herself for Sasuke, and then fell in love with the reserved Kakashi, and she had never given herself to a man. She encouraged Itachi to take the lead, and when he did… surrender was so easy. He was gentle, and eventually, he was firm. His kisses began to stray, and she let them. Beneath her touch, his skin turned feverishly hot. Where his hands passed, needles of delicious electricity shot across her skin, raking it with pain, with pleasure. She should have called him by his name, but she was cursing him.

And for every curse, she kissed him. She hoped he knew she didn't mean it. That night, she murmured only one thing to him before drawing him under the covers to sleep.

"Bastard. I'm already twisted around your little finger."


AN: ... Yes, I'm sorry it took so long. I was going to wait until I finished writing the next chapter to post, but I haven't finished writing it yet, and it's been a month since I last updated. So I used up a cushion chapter. ^^; I could NOT wait to write this when I was working on this story, because Twisted was my absolute favorite song. XD At any rate, I hope you liked the chapter! I'll try and complete chapter 10 today, so maybe you'll get to see another update this week! Isn't it hard to believe that the story is over halfway through now? XP

Have a good one! R&R PEEPS~!