Hello everybody! I somehow managed to post chapter 7 earlier than promised! This chapter is a bit shorter than the others have been, and I feel like it's not quite up to my usual standards, but... it's early! I hope that makes up for its lameness, at least a little!
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto!
Warnings: None for this chapter...
Notes: Wow! I was blown away by the response I got for the last chapter! 11 reviews out of 176 hits and 148 visitors! You guys rock!
KitsuneNaru: Don't worry! Sakura will get hers eventually! I can't promise anything right now, since she's still important for the overall plot, but... soon!
Vitwo: Thanks for reviewing twice! And as for Gaara preventing Sakura's death... I can't have my main villain die too soon, now can I? ;)
DiYella-Sama: Thanks for saying my story is different from Phantomsnow's! I'd been worried that some similarities might creep up on me...
Durkheim: Thanks for the review! And your wish (or at least half of it) will be answered in this chapter!
geetac: Thanks for the review!
KoTenshi: Haha, I hope I haven't made Itachi seem TOO bad in this fic. Most of the evilness comes from Sakura ;)
deepsapphiresoul: I totally agree with you! I love the soundtrack for this version - but that might just be because it's more modern :)
shirookamiinu: You'll get to see SOME of Itachi's reaction in this chapter. Unfortunately, they still don't know (yet) that Sakura forced him into it. And yes, I know what you mean! Yanez is WAY too big to be hot (for me, at least!) and his facial structure isn't appealing at all! And yes, Renato IS cute. He's my favorite XD
takuya: I've updated! Thanks for the review!
Haha, wow that took a long time. I don't mind, though! Please keep the reviews coming!
Now, please enjoy this (short) chapter!
~ SAVAGE HEARTS - THE BEGINNING OF THE END ~
Itachi awoke to a pounding headache. He was lying on a soft, comfortable bed, but it was not his own. He could tell there were three people in his immediate surroundings (which, judging by the presence of the bed, would be a bedroom), and many more a bit further away – his excellent chakra detection told him so. He could also tell that none of the people in the room meant him any harm, although there was a strong feeling of tension hanging in the air.
Most importantly, though, Itachi had a huge headache.
With a soft groan that he hoped conveyed to those around him how utterly crappy he felt at the moment, he finally deemed himself ready to face the world. Itachi opened his eyes only the slightest bit, sitting up slowly and coming to rest against the headboard, using the many pillows on the bed as a support for his back. He could feel unpleasantly warm rays of sun streaming onto his face and did not want to face such a strong light so early in the day.
"Could someone close the blinds?"
After a short pause, one of the three figures moved to comply with his request. By the soft swish-swish sound that accompanied the person's movement, Itachi guessed that it was a woman wearing a long dress. When all the blinds were finally closed and the pesky sunlight was blocked, Itachi let out a sigh of relief and opened his eyes fully. The dim lighting in the room was comfortable, and Itachi had no problem distinguishing the features of his guests due to his sharp eyes.
"Iruka-san, Gaara-kun," he greeted, giving them each a respectful nod. He ignored the fact that neither male returned the polite gesture (Gaara was immobile and Iruka merely pursed his lips into a tight white line), and turned to greet the female in the room. "Mother, you're here too! What is going on?"
Ayako Uchiha, Itachi's mother, did not answer immediately. Instead, she raked her eyes over her son's form, looking for injuries. She had been summoned to the Namikaze-Uzumaki residence late last night (or was it early this morning?) by a messenger that said she had to attend to an "unfortunate event that transpired during the celebration," an event that needed her immediate attention. She had hurried over as quickly as possible, worried for the safety and welfare of her only son, her precious heir, Itachi. She had found him here, in this bed, unconscious and slightly bloody. Fortunately, the blood had only been from small pinprick wounds on his back (from Naruto-kun's claws, she was told), not from anything extremely serious.
"How are you feeling, son?" Ayako asked, smoothing out the quilt covering Itachi's lower body in a nervous gesture. Her anxiety gave her extra energy that she often didn't know what to do with.
Itachi frowned, taking stock of his body. What was most prominent was the fact that he had a killer headache, one even worse than the headache caused by the overuse of his Sharingan. Itachi realized that his stomach felt hollow and empty, but that, at the same time, he felt completely nauseated, reminiscent of the time when, at six years old, he'd stuffed his face with birthday cake. As he moved his head to give himself a more thorough look-over, Itachi also noticed that his entire back was sore. I think I pulled a muscle, the dark-haired young man thought, raising a brow in surprise at his discovery. But I have no idea how that could have happened…
"I feel okay, mother," he finally answered, still checking himself out. "I have the worst headache, though… And, for some reason, my back feels like I've crashed through a wall," he added, mystified.
Gaara snorted, which brought Itachi's attention back to the fact that he was lying in a strange bed, surrounded by his fiancé's guardian and twin brother, as well as his mother. Itachi fixed the current Lady Uchiha with a piercing stare, finally realizing that she'd completely avoided his question and successfully derailed his thoughts for a few moments.
"Mother," Itachi said, in a forced calm tone, "what is going on?"
Ayako cleared her throat, sending a slightly fearful glance towards her son before looking away at the very interesting wallpaper on the far wall. "Well, son…" she started, floundering for words. She knew this wouldn't go over well, and was slightly nervous as to how her son would react. Despite the fact that she was his mother and that she loved him very much, she was not blind to the way her son could become very volatile when enraged. And this situation is certain to anger him, she thought, biting her lip.
"Your engagement to Naruto has been broken," Iruka said firmly, hands clasped serenely in front of his body. So far, he had managed to remain quiet, even though all he really wanted to do was vent and punch the younger Uchiha in the face. However, for politeness' sake, he had stepped in only when it became obvious that Ayako could not find the courage to break the news to her son.
Itachi, at hearing Iruka's proclamation, drew back into his pillows with a gasp. "What are you saying, Iruka-san? Why would my engagement to Naruto-kun be broken? What is the meaning of this!"
Gaara stepped forward, teal-colored eyes set into a harsh glare. "Oh, don't play innocent, you dirty bastard," the red-head hissed. "We all saw you yesterday; there's no point in denying it!"
Itachi merely shook his head, sending his loose, long black locks flying. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he yelled desperately. Itachi's usual clam was lost in the midst of his confusion. His pale pink lips pulled down into a deep frown. "Could someone please tell me what's going on?"
Ayako stepped forward to place a calming hand on her son's shoulders, gently pushing him back to rest on his pillows again. "Son," she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching out to brush Itachi's bangs out of his eyes, "you did something very inappropriate yesterday…"
Itachi's brows merely drew together at her announcement, clearly showing his confusion. Ayako, being Itachi's mother, was one of the rare few who had witnessed most of Itachi's well-hidden emotions. At this time, she believed her son was genuinely confused; he was not faking. He really didn't know what had transpired last night.
"Itachi, I know you care for Naruto-kun very much," she said, clasping one of his large hands between both of hers. Her small pale hands were dainty in comparison. "However, for some reason…" Ayako paused to take a deep, fortifying breath before continuing, "For some reason, last night you decided to have intimate relations with Naruto-kun's cousin, Haruno-san!"
Itachi was dumbfounded. "Mother, what are you saying? I would never do that! I am engaged to Naruto-kun!" Itachi's eyes, which had so far been ebony, turned into the red of the Sharingan due to his mounting rage. "I can't believe anyone would say such baseless things – especially not you, mother!"
Iruka shook his head, bringing Itachi's angry gaze to him. The brunet did not back down from the younger man's anger, despite the fact that Itachi was many times more powerful than Iruka could ever hope to be. Itachi was the one who was in the wrong, not him – he had nothing to fear. This thought gave Iruka the renewed courage necessary to say, "Itachi-san! Both Gaara and I saw you with your pants down in the kitchen! Sakura-chan had her dress all out of sorts, and her panties were nowhere to be seen! What else could someone gather from those facts other than an affair between the two of you?"
Itachi glared, not convinced. "I'm sorry, Iruka-san, but I don't care what you saw. It could have been a set-up, for all I know. I would never willingly cheat on Naruto-kun!"
Ayako's heart went out to her little boy. He was emphatic; he really didn't believe he had done as he was accused. She was just about to speak up in his defense, when –
"Naruto was the one that found you," Gaara said quietly, pinning the Uchiha heir under an extremely angry stare, arms crossed in front of his chest to hide the way his hands were tightly fisted. "He wanted to kill you both. He would have killed Sakura if I hadn't interfered. Whatever you say, it doesn't matter. Naruto is the one that announced the end to your engagement. He left the mansion to complete his Hokage training because he couldn't stand to see your face!"
Itachi looked as if the red-head's words had been a physical blow. Did I really do it? Could I have been capable of cheating on my precious Naruto-kun? Itachi stared down at the blanket covering his form quietly. The navy blue coverlet was caught in his tight fists, but he couldn't really feel the material in his hands, not even when his knuckles turned white from the force. Right now, he couldn't feel anything, inside or out. He was frozen.
"That's not all, Itachi-san," Iruka said, feeling some kind of perverse pleasure out of seeing the Uchiha so broken and miserable.
He deserves it! he thought maliciously. He deserves all this and more for hurting my little Naru-chan! Naruto might act like he's all tough, Iruka reflected, thinking back on the way the blond had tried to smile as he'd said goodbye before leaving for his Hokage training, but he's actually a really sensitive boy. He's really broken up about this, and it's all this man's fault! Iruka thought, glaring at Itachi.
The brunet's tone was frosty when he said, "You are now engaged to Sakura-chan. Your marriage will be in exactly two weeks from today."
Itachi's head snapped up, his fingers finally releasing the tight hold they'd had over the blanket. "What?" he croaked, his mouth suddenly incredibly dry. He couldn't believe – didn't want to believe – that he'd heard that right.
Ayako took over for Iruka, bringing her son's disbelieving gaze to her. "Itachi, son…" the woman said, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles in her dark gray dress, "Iruka-san and I have agreed that the best thing to do now would be for you to marry Haruno-san. Many of the party guests were also witnesses to the…" she trailed off, waving her hand through the air as she tried to find an appropriate word for the catastrophe, "event of last night, and tongues have already started to wag. We've managed to stop most of the rumors, but that won't work for long. It is only a temporary fix. We must announce your engagement to Haruno-san as quickly as possible to avoid dragging both of our family names through the mud."
Ayako knew that, as the Uchiha heir, Itachi could see that there was no other choice. He had been raised as part of the great Uchiha clan, and was therefore used to being under public scrutiny at all times. Itachi had grown up knowing that any scandal could bring ruin to their family. Clans as old as theirs were built on prestige as well as power; they could not let the commoners see them mess up or fail at anything. They were the best of the best – always. 'Mistake' was not part of their vocabulary.
Please, Itachi thought, squeezing his eyes shut tight, momentarily blocking out the world and all the problems that came with it, forgive me, Naruto-kun.
Snapping his eyes open, Itachi said, "Fine. I'll do it. I'll marry Haruno-san."
~ SAVAGE HEARTS - THE BEGINNING OF THE END - END ~
Gah, I really hate how this chapter came out! I hope it wasn't TOO horrible...
Please review!