Warning: Errors and language.
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Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and Naruto are awesome works of Mashima Hiro and Kishimoto Masashi respectively.
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CHAPTER VIII: Clandestine Objective
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"I am aware," Lucy said with a slight smirk, very uncharacteristically of her. "And I am aware as well about your thoughts of me, Sasori-san. I may not be a great fighter but I am a very capable wizard who will knock the lights off of you."
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Itachi immediately opened the bathroom door as soon as he heard Lucy yelled. He had the odious idea that Lucy's spirit was doing something to her master. And he came to rescue, if that thought is true.
But, oh well… He thought wrong.
He blinked and blinked some more at the sight in front of him. Then, he cursed himself mentally when he felt the heat rose to his cheeks.
A half-naked Lucy was leaning against the bathroom wall while her spirit was standing in front of her and was holding Lucy's black bra, expressionless as ever. Without saying anything for permission or something like that, Virgo pulled her master's bra upward, revealing Lucy's naked breasts to the ravenette.
Lucy watched in horror as Itachi's Sharingan eyes travelled from her chocolate orbs down to her naked chests in slow, and quite tempting, manner. Itachi blinked and narrowed his eyes, somewhat trying to identify the two, round things he was seeing that moment. Then, after realizing what those are, he shut his eyes forcefully as ignominy hit him.
Lucy could just gape like a fish, not knowing what to do, what to say or what to think that very moment.
Being the polite Uchiha man he was, Itachi coughed softly, muttered a soft apology under his breath and bowed once before gently leaving the bathroom and closing the door quite hastily.
Upon the sound of the clicking of the door, Lucy finally found the idea to pull her bra down and covered her not-exposed-anymore chest with her arms. Still flushed, Lucy glared at her maiden spirit who was still standing like nothing shameful had happened. "Virgo!" She hissed.
Taken by confusion, Virgo tilted her head slightly to the right with an innocent look. "Princess?"
"What the heck is that?" Lucy whisper-shouted, as she was giving at the door glances every now and then. "Do you want me to be seen naked in front of that… of that man?!" Her tone began to rise as the sentence goes as she pointed to herself then to the door back and forth.
"But I thought you are very confident of your body, princess," Virgo answered blankly.
"I am!" Lucy felt like using the Force Gate Closure that moment, somewhat believing that if she do that, none of these shameful happenings would happen. Okay, Lucy was awfully confident of her body but still, she didn't want anybody to see her naked. "But, I don't have to be naked to prove that point."
Virgo began to reach for Lucy's bra again and frowned when Lucy backed away, as far as a cornered stellar mage could, of course. "I am certain that the man with crimson eyes did appreciate what he had seen," Virgo, instead, began to reach for her master's black panties.
Lucy blushed at the thought of Itachi liking to stare at her naked breasts and shrieked when she felt Virgo's cold hands touched her bare thighs.
Lucy then immediately covered her mouth to stop the noise before glancing in horror towards the door, afraid that if the man outside the bathroom door would hear her he might come entering the bathroom once again.
"Princess, you need to dress now," Virgo said, snapping Lucy from her thoughts of Itachi entering the door and staring at her now without any clothing to cover her body parts.
Lucy glared at Virgo then grabbed the new sets of clothing on the sink. "No, you don't need to help me." She gestured Virgo to turn around, which the spirit obliged but quite hesitantly. Lucy began her work dressing up.
"Leo the Lion wishes to speak to you, princess," Virgo began as she turned around after several moments without warning. Fortunately, Lucy had finished dressing up. "However, he is still exhausted and drained of magic. He cannot pass his gates yet in his own will."
Lucy removed the ribbon on her hair, frowned when it was slightly tattered – it was one of her favorite ribbons – and Virgo helped her do and style her hair by pulling a comb out of nowhere. "Loke wasn't recovered yet from his fight with Madara?" Lucy asked then frowned at the thought. Madara surely was that strong to do something like that to a spirit.
"No, Leo has been long recovered once he stepped back to the Spirit Realm," Virgo answered as she combed Lucy's blonde locks in soothing manner. "He went to Earthland."
Lucy froze at the remark. "That's impossible. I have his key. He couldn't go there."
Virgo pulled Lucy's hair in a high pony tail before making a response. "Leo wishes to answer your inquiries, Princess, if you have so many." She then faced the blond mage. "I am here to tell you to summon him whenever and wherever you are alone. We, spirits, and you have many things to discuss about this world. This is very important, princess."
Lucy began to panic when Virgo began to glow a golden light. "W-Wait! Don't go yet! I have many questions to ask!"
Virgo held her master's hand and smiled, this time, sincere. "My time is up. Your new found energy is not strong enough to keep me in this world against your consent. We will answer your confusions once you are alone, princess." Virgo gestured towards the door.
Oh, right. Lucy would have to summon her spirits once she was alone, so that nobody would interfere. She could only just nod in understanding.
"Very well, princess. See you later." With this said, Virgo vanished and left nothing but pecks of golden light.
Lucy sighed and straightened herself. Despite feeling refreshed and slightly uncomfortable thanks to her new found energy within her, she felt very nervous. She has the feeling that something bad will happen… sooner than she thought.
Dismissing any kind of worst scenarios in her head, she began walking to the door. Great, she has to deal with the Uchiha first.
She held the doorknob when an idea flashed inside her mind. The idea was random and sudden. She opened the door but without summoning a Zodiac Spirit.
XXXXX
Itachi took his former seat, a bit panicky for his liking which was very unusual about his person.
Itachi was usually calm and impassive, cold, menacing, emotionless and articulate. The reaction he showed earlier and the panicky-feeling he was feeling right now made him slightly uncomfortable.
He glared at himself, if that is possible, for showing such undesirable emotions such as panicking, — well, outwardly — and blushing.
He nearly choked on the word. An Uchiha never blushes.
It was very impossible for an Uchiha to blush! Let alone, show any relative emotion closest to that! His body and mind were betraying him, he concluded. His body and mind were reacting according to their own will and without the consent of Itachi. Is that even possible!?
But still…
Itachi had seen, even though not that many, naked breasts before. Even one or two of his targets on his assassination missions, he saw them fully naked, and no, he had no pervert thoughts about the situation, in all honesty.
An Uchiha is always able to resist any kinds and forms of temptation.
But Lucy's breasts would be the largest he had seen so far, well, naked. And the roundest, the biggest, the —
He stopped thinking and replaying the image of Lucy in his head. He cursed his luck. He cursed himself for staring more than a second. He cursed himself for liking what he saw.
Itachi froze and nearly choked on the word liking.
He hadn't realized what he had thought and now that realization hit him, he cursed all over again, this time in four different languages unknown to man.
For the first time in a long time, Itachi felt like cursing and swearing verbally like Hidan.
Itachi's red eyes snapped open when he heard another shriek from the bathroom. He controlled himself to his best not to barge in again like what he did before without thinking. Because if he would barge in like what he did before, he had the feeling that naked breasts were not the only things naked he might see.
Itachi almost cursed aloud for letting himself to think such unnecessary thoughts. This might be the result of being with Hidan for more than a minute alone. He swore never to stay with the said Jashinist ever again.
Too occupied all thanks to his thoughts, Itachi did not feel the blonde woman exiting the bathroom. He blinked at her, and blinked some more when she appeared on her bed, like magic.
"You are… here." Itachi had to slap himself mentally for that lame remark. Of course she was here! He just told her how low his guard was. He cursed his thoughts for lowering his guard.
An Uchiha never loses his guard.
The blonde lady could just smile; the flush on her cheeks was stating clearly that she had not yet forgotten about the incident from before.
Well, how could she forget? That would be one of her unforgettable moments in her life.
Itachi debated between apologizing again or just wave the incident off, as though it was unimportant, like a cool person he was. He decided against the latter.
An Uchiha always apologizes when he is at fault. Well, Sasuke on the other hand…
Itachi cleared his throat and locked gaze with Lucy, trying his best to look intimidating as much as he could. "I extremely apologize for the incident before."
The visible angry blush on Lucy's cheeks made it quite clear that she was very uncomfortable at the mention of the previous incident. Itachi decided to apologize again, this time for making her feel uneasy.
But what surprised him was the smile she gave to him. The smile was very sincere and the blush on her cheeks emphasized it. He wondered for a moment the reason behind the smile. It wasn't the reaction he was expecting. This lady sure was strange…
"Uchiha-san," Lucy began, quite sheepish as her gaze looked everywhere but him. "I have accepted your apology so don't worry about it anymore." Then she looked at him and smiled.
Itachi wanted to insist his point, that what he did before was very impolite, that he should not be forgiven until he pays for what he had done and that she should be mad at him for barging in without her consent and for staring at her in that naked state. However, he decided against all of it as he realized that the incident before wasn't troubling her that much anymore.
Instead, he inquired her needs. "Do you, Miss Heartfilia, by any chance, need something?"
Lucy just shook her head. "No, thank you." She looked at him and he realized with a frown that she was not intimidated by his almighty Sharingan…
Maybe she didn't know the real power of Sharingan. No, she said earlier that she had read everything about their world so there was a chance that she also had read anything about the Uchiha clan and about its bloodline, the Sharingan. Or maybe, she knew the power of the bloodline but couldn't believe it until she witnesses it.
"And please," she began again, snapping him out of his thoughts. He cursed himself for thinking too many thoughts. It was distracting him. He looked at her, focusing instead at what she would say. "Just call me Lucy."
Itachi, as usual, wanted to protest against the idea, that calling her using first name basis was not polite, that he wasn't familiar with her yet, and that calling her Lucy was very informal.
But then again, the smile she gave to him silenced him for what he would about to say.
The smile was shy, but sincere. It was half-hearted, but true and real. It was unnerving, and yet it was innocent. It was pure and seemed it was meant for him.
Only for him.
Itachi blinked, and felt a big amount of disbelief to himself thinking such ridiculous thoughts, and blinked some more trying to delete any forming thoughts in his traitorous mind to his best. "Are you certain?" He confirmed instead. He needed a distraction now! Her smile was like a genjutsu that he cannot escape. Damn.
"Yes," Lucy answered before tucking a blond lock behind her ear. "I think… you cared for me long enough."
Upon registering the statement in his so-called traitorous mind, Itachi almost choked. Take note, almost.
Cared, he repeated inside his traitorous mind.
The way she said it was like how she said it to her beloved or… boyfriend, there he said it. And he is not her boyfriend for the sake of all Uchiha. They are merely strangers and acquaintances!
Not that Itachi had never been in a romantic relationship before…
He frowned visibly. He couldn't believe that his name and some other words associated to romance would be used in one sentence. That was impossible!
An Uchiha never thinks about romance. Well Obito on the other hand… That Uchiha who looked like Itachi's foolish little brother's best friend… That Obito plus Shisui… always the loud, obnoxious, and cheerful one who will put Naruto Uzumaki in shame.
Maybe the cause of the jinchuuriki's loud, obnoxious and cheerful traits was the result of putting Shisui's eye inside Naruto. He always believed that an Uchiha should act cool, though not necessarily emotionless, mysterious, dark and downright awesome.
Never mind Obito and Shisui.
OKAY. Itachi was officially distracted now. He was thinking too much irrelevant, nonsense, ridiculous and random thoughts! How on earth can she do such thing to him!?
He gave her an incredulous look once he regained his mental composure, telling that he was not too happy about what she had said.
But because he was an Uchiha, who is always cool and emotionless, that means the incredulous look he gave to her was not that visible and noticeable. The slight narrowing of his brows was the only evidence that he had the incredulous look on his face, which is still unnoticeable for that manner.
The blond could just look at him with a small smile on her lips, oblivious at the said incredulous look on Itachi's face.
What's wrong with this lady and her smile? Did all of her kind smile the way she did? Are all of her kind was this strange and weird? How come she could show that kind of smile if she was very fully aware of the fact that she had been kidnapped and forced to do something very cruel against her own will? How did she – stop.
Once again, Itachi was distracted. And he could not rid of it. Cursing, he hoped for something that would distract him from being distracted.
That sounds quite… confusing.
That's when he heard a small, low growling noise in front of him. Looking at the source of the said noise, he found Lucy's stomach.
In reflex, Lucy covered her stomach with her arms, blushed, feeling embarrassed, and then she laughed nervously and sheepishly. "I, uh, I think I'm hungry."
Itachi let himself to show a small smirk. "It is indeed time for lunch, I presume."
Lucy was quite surprised to know the time. "Oh, really?" Her blush intensified when her stomach growled again, this time, louder. "I have not eaten anything since I, uh, left my world."
Itachi mentally checked what day it is and found out with a frown that it is the day he was scheduled to prepare lunch. Fortunately, Hidan, Kisame and Kakuzu were all absent due to missions so he did not have to cook a lot. "The timing is good. I am preparing lunch this afternoon."
The blond lady looked at him incredulously. Itachi felt like being offended at the reaction. "What?" She asked. Did he sense the tone of disbelief? "You, uh, cook?"
Itachi reflected her disbelief with his own unnoticeable frown. "Yes. We all do."
The comical widening of her eyes made it quite clear that what he had stated surprised her more than belief.
Itachi debated between being offended at said reaction. Again. He might seem not the type of person who can cook, but he actually did well in the kitchen.
"Sorry for my reaction, but I actually found you not the type of person who can actually cook. It's just surprised me…" Lucy apologized with a sheepish expression.
Itachi waved her apology with a wave of a delicate hand. "I wish to know what you would prefer to eat."
Itachi noticed that the woman contemplated his remark. Before thinking any further thoughts, he found Lucy looking at him with a new found determination written on her face. "I would like to come, Uchiha-san."
Itachi raised a delicate eyebrow at her sudden reaction. "…Whyever so?"
"I can cook as well," Lucy answered. He narrowed his brows and she began to panic noticing it. "Not that I'm saying I distrust your abilities, but I don't want to be a burden. I am too tired of everyone treating me like I'm a princess when, after all, I am a wizard."
He sensed the sharpness of her tone saying the last part but before he could come up with something, she stood up from her seat and proceeded towards the door.
Raising another delicate eyebrow, he copied her actions then opened the door before heading towards the direction of the kitchen.
What dish he would make this time?
XXXXX
Kakashi brought the unconscious fire mage to the infirmary and quite surprised to find his former medic nin student inside.
Sakura was sleeping on the chair next to the bed which was occupied by a certain ice wizard. She must've fallen asleep as she waited for Gray to wake up.
Silently and carefully, Kakashi went to the vacant bed adjacent to Gray's and dropped the unconscious dragon slayer on the bed not too gently. He then glanced at Natsu then to Sakura.
Kakashi debated between telling Sakura what he had found out earlier and not telling Sakura. He could always tell what he had discovered straight and directly to the Hokage.
But still… He had the feeling that Sakura must know first. He didn't know the exact reason why. But he knew that it was wise to tell Sakura first. Not that he distrusts the Hokage's judgement…
Kakashi approached the sleeping medic nin then tapped her on the shoulder gently, waking her up. She stirred quite violently and Kakashi had to back away just in case… He knew very well that Sakura doesn't like it when somebody is interrupting her in her so-called beauty sleep.
After stirring for a short period of time, Sakura did not wake up. Kakashi didn't know if to feel relieved or the exact opposite that the pink head kunoichi did not wake up.
Trying for the second time, Kakashi managed to use words. "Sakura…" He whispered as he patted her on the shoulder, this time, less gently.
It took less than a minute before Sakura managed to croak an eye open. Finding Kakashi in front of her too close, she would have shrieked and told her oh so beloved sensei he's perverting and yada, yada, if she didn't see the sleeping Gray on the bed. She somehow managed to cover her mouth with her palm to stop the noise. Then, she fixated the silver haired Jounin a glare then mouthed a 'what the fuck'.
Kakashi laughed nervously and felt relieved that the kunoichi didn't snap like what she did before during their mission with Naruto and Sai.
He shuddered violently at the memory.
He was interrupted from deleting the images in his memory when he felt Sakura glared at him as hard as she could. "I can feel your glares, Sakura. Oh, if they could just burn…"
"That's what you've got from interrupting my beauty sleep!" Sakura whisper shouted before glancing towards the sleeping ice mage, reassuring if her voice was not that loud to wake Gray up.
Kakashi rolled his eyes, knowing better, then stopped midway when he caught sight of the male pink head. He remembered that he has business to do.
Trying his level best to ignore Sakura's intensifying and burning glares, Kakashi pointed a finger towards the unconscious Natsu.
Sakura followed the direction of the finger but without sending her former teacher one last deadly glare and planning some random and nasty payback — which involves hiding Kakashi's Icha Icha Paradise Book Collection to a place that Kakashi would never know.
All planned paybacks for her beloved sensei disappeared inside her mind once her emerald orbs landed on the figure of Gray's so-called nakama. Narrowing her eyes, she fixed her sight on Natsu alone. "The same happened to him?"
Kakashi was somewhat glad that his former student was a grown up professional doctor. She acted so much like Tsunade. He could only hope that Sakura wouldn't inherit her shisou's love for gambling and drinking. "No," Kakashi managed to answer at last. "He fell unconscious after fire-berserking, as Naruto put it."
"Fire-berserking?" Sakura stood up and her hands glowed that minty green glow. She then made her way towards the sleeping dragon slayer.
"Don't worry, no one's been injured. Saved for Naruto," the silver-haired ninja managed a soft chuckle upon remembering the memory. "Oh, and another thing, Sakura."
Sakura gave her sensei a glance before resuming her walk.
"Natsu has chakra in his system already."
Upon hearing this, Sakura immediately hovered her glowing arms over Natsu's body. She noticed some burn marks on his tan skin but dismissed them instantly when she felt a small, familiar and yet unknown chakra on the fire mage's system.
"Sai had told me that you've once healed Natsu-kun."
Sakura, upon confirming that the fire mage was out of danger, began fixing his burnt injuries. "I see, but what exactly happened to Natsu-san? I thought he couldn't be injured by fire."
"True," Kakashi's expression became serious but Sakura didn't notice it as she was busy fixing Natsu's injuries and trying to find out the reason of those said injuries. "But it is not the fire that injured him."
Sakura stopped healing momentarily before resuming her work. "Then what is it?" Sakura asked out of curiosity and slight anxiety.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, clearly stating that he still couldn't believe what he had found out. He couldn't doubt the power of his Sharingan but he still couldn't bring himself to believe what his Sharingan eye had seen.
"Tell me," Sakura said, this time, because of impatience.
The silver haired Jounin carefully opt his words. "It is the Kyuubi's chakra."
"What?" Sakura snapped towards her former sensei. "Don't say Naruto had snapped?"
"No, no… Naruto did not snap." Kakashi was very sure that the chakra he saw was very similar of that of the Kyuubi's, by this time he saw the chakra not inside of Naruto's.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura faced him now that her work was done. But despite being former student and former teacher, Sakura couldn't bring herself to address Kakashi as merely Kakashi. "I am not getting you."
Kakashi first heaved a sigh and closed his eyes before making a response. "Sakura, Natsu has the Kyuubi's chakra in his system."
There was a pregnant pause before Kakashi opened his eye again and found Sakura staring at him with wide eyes.
"…What?" Sakura managed at last. "What did you say?"
Kakashi was about to answer and to explain what he had discovered but decided against it when he felt two familiar chakra sources nearby. Instead, he stepped closer to her former student and took her hand. "It is better to discuss somewhere else."
"But–"
"Naruto is on his way here to have an eye over those two wizards, so don't worry. C'mon." Kakashi tugged her and Sakura let herself be pulled, still wondering about what her teacher had said.
XXXXX
Deidara was in the middle of the usual agreement with his Danna when the blonde woman and the weasel came entering the living room. The argument ceased for a moment as the two artists watched them walked straight to the kitchen.
Deidara immediately noticed Lucy's change of clothes. He merely frowned at the simplicity. The bomb artist was always the marvellous and magnificent one when it comes to fashion. He does believe in a way that his judgement and refinement in vogue and fashion is similar to his perspective about art. His fashion and trend is a bang!
Deidara sceptically watched as Itachi escorted Lucy to the kitchen counter and asked her several questions, maybe asking her for what food she would prefer.
"Do you prefer cooking instead?" Itachi's low voice reached Deidara's ears. "Let me know what kind of food you desire and I will make for you."
Deidara watched the blond woman flushed slightly hearing the offer. He frowned ever so slightly at the reaction and it wasn't being jealous.
Women should never blush in front of a dick Uchiha, as he may put it.
He somewhat believed that blushing is an art because it is like an explosion. Blushing is like a bang! It appears and disappears instantly.
And an Uchiha is never, ever able to make a woman blush!
An Uchiha knows nothing about art!
"I am starting to believe about the zealot's words," Sasori muttered suddenly, smirking as he studied his partner. "You found a sort of quixotic liking to the woman, did you not?"
Deidara glared at the puppeteer, disbelieving and incredulously. "I am not jealous, yeah!"
"That is not, obviously, what I implied," Sasori threw his partner his smug smirk.
Deidara paused, caught off guard, before turning his head to the other way. "Shut up, danna, yeah."
Sasori chuckled softly in amusement before standing up then he made his way towards the kitchen. Deidara could just stare and mouthed a 'what the fuck'.
"Don't bother," Lucy declined softly with a polite smile. "There's nobody else I know who indeed enjoyed cooking other than I do."
Itachi blinked once, Sharingan eyes spinning gently. "No, I insist to do the food preparation."
Lucy was about to answer back when she felt someone walked ghostly behind her, brushing her naked thigh ever so slightly. Gasping softly, she turned around quite unwisely and almost slammed her forehead on Sasori's jaw. Itachi managed to catch her by the wrist to avoid any further physical contact.
Lucy blinked before feeling Itachi's grip around her wrist loosen. Sasori stared down at her with half-lidded eyes and a smirk playing across his lips. If she knew better, she would have noticed the mischief in those hazel orbs.
The redhead eyed the eggs on the counter before locking gaze with the woman again. "What cuisine you are capable of making, doll?"
Startled at the sudden attention and the new – and slightly creepy – nickname, Lucy had to think of the meals she can make with the limited resources she has. "I can actually make—"
Sasori cut her off instantly with a raise of a hand. "I want onigiri."
Lucy blinked, and blinked some more, trying to comprehend what the redhead means.
However, before she could come up with something as response, Itachi decided to intervene, getting what the puppeteer wanted to indicate. "She is not a servant, Sasori."
Sasori regarded the Sharingan user with a slight raise of an eyebrow, smirk widening the slightest bit. "I know." Then he locked gaze with Lucy once again. "But you wouldn't mind, would you?"
Lucy sensed something under that tone. She had the feeling the Sasori never regarded her and recognized her as an associate of the Akatsuki. His tone and use of words betrayed what he truly felt for her.
And she didn't like that.
Lucy felt the violently spinning of Sharingan of Itachi and she knew it was no good. Stepping forward, Lucy stared, with a knowing look in her eyes, at Sasori. "Of course, Sasori-san." With that, Lucy left them and reached for the fridge to gather the ingredients.
Sasori shrugged before walking to the living room and taking his former seat beside the bomb artist. Itachi decided to stay to attend the needs of Lucy but without keeping an eye of the redhead artist.
"What was that, yeah?" Deidara asked, watching the slight confusion between Sasori and the couple. Itachi was now preparing the fire.
Sasori leaned on the seat and smirked. "Nothing that will concern you."
Deidara glared at his partner before leaving the redhead in his own world. Instead, the bomb artist focused his attention at sculpting. The mouths on his palms were chewing the white clay and he watched them in pure amazement. How awesome he was.
Sasori just rolled his eyes at the idiocy of his partner.
Soon later, the small table of the living room was filled with various clay sculptures such as birds and spiders with various numbers of legs.
Time had passed shortly before Deidara abruptly stopped sculpting and he felt a familiar and disgustingly shiver ran down the column of his spine. Looking up, his blue eyes met crimson orbs, staring at him intently.
"Take your surreal creations away, Deidara," Itachi commanded using his silky voice.
Deidara would have scowled and told Itachi to fuck off and mangekyou his own Uchiha self had he not notice the blond woman standing right behind the weasel.
Peeking over the weasel's shoulder, he saw Lucy and she smiled at him before gesturing towards the small tray filled with deliciously looking onigiri.
Deidara responded her with a half-hearted smile before glaring at the Uchiha and muttering filthy things under her breath. He then commanded all his creatures away with a visible frown.
Lucy put the tray on the center of the table and Sasori wordlessly grabbed an onigiri and began eating. Deidara raised an eyebrow at the gesture before looking at Lucy for silent permission. The blonde mage nodded once and Deidara took this cue to grab his own onigiri.
"Try some, Itachi," Lucy offered softly.
"My thanks, Lucy," Itachi answered with a small bow and gently picked an onigiri gracefully. He muttered a soft 'itadakimasu' under his breath and took a delicate bite. He chewed like a prince with such grace and carefulness.
Deidara would have rolled his eyes at the 'table manners' of the weasel hadn't he noticed that Lucy and Itachi addressed each other casually, even using first name basis.
Deidara would have pondered about it a little more but was distracted with such thoughts when the taste of onigiri touched his tongue.
The blond artist may not be a professional when it comes to culinary expertise but he could tell that the simple and yet deliciously looking onigiri the blond lady made was a bang, like a great master piece and worth piece of art and he wasn't exaggerating.
"This is quite good, un," he said out loud while staring at the little dish. If he raised his head to look at the mage, he would find her blushing slightly.
"Thank you, Deidara-san," Lucy responded with a small, sincere smile.
"I must agree," Sasori seconded and grabbed another one. There was a slight twinkle in his hazel eyes upon tasting the delicate dish that Lucy didn't fail to notice. But the twinkle vanished as soon as it appeared that left Lucy wondering if she was just imagining things.
Lucy was about to thank the puppeteer when the redhead cut her off instantly.
"However, I think you are only capable of cooking, doll."
There was a moment of silence after the remark. Lucy narrowed her brows, not liking what she had heard. "Excuse me?" She managed at last.
Deidara had stopped chewing as he watched them with slight interest while Itachi raised a delicate brow, watching the two stared at each other with different emotion; Lucy having angst and Sasori having mischief.
"You heard me," Sasori muttered before grabbing another onigiri. The twinkle in his eyes appeared again but disappeared right away. He finished one onigiri before locking gaze with Lucy. "Do you not know how hard it is to be a member of this notorious organization?"
Lucy controlled her temper. She knew what Sasori meant. "I don't want to be here in the first place anyway."
The redhead ignored her statement as he continued. "I sense you are weak," he said as if it was the most natural thing to say. "You are just waiting for your demise here, doll."
Both the artists expected her to snap, like what usually women with low patience do but what surprised them was the strange recognition in those chocolate orbs.
"I am aware," Lucy said with a slight smirk, very uncharacteristically of her. "And I am aware as well about your thoughts of me, Sasori-san. I may not be a great fighter but I am a very capable wizard who will knock the lights off of you."
Sasori chuckled at this, clearly stating that he was not convinced at what she had said. "Are you?"
Lucy curled her lips into thin line. Grudgingly, she stood up from her seat and went to the kitchen to fetch the pitcher and glasses.
"That is not nice, yeah." Deidara muttered.
Sasori rolled his eyes. "We're part of a notorious organization. There's no reason to be nice."
Deidara said nothing then made a grab for another delicious onigiri.
Lucy appeared in the living room with the said pitcher and glasses on a tray she was holding. She poured herself a drink then sat down next to the ravenette on the chair adjacent to the couch occupied by Sasori and Deidara.
"I think," Sasori muttered only for Deidara to hear. "The doll should need a little more… provocation, don't you think?"
And before Deidara could come up with something, Sasori called for Lucy's attention.
"So, Lucy is it?"
Lucy snapped towards the redhead and kept herself not to glare. She just let herself think that Sasori just wanted a conversation so she played along. "Yes," she managed a response though it sounded hesitant and reluctant.
"Even the name sounds… weak."
Lucy once again kept her mouth from uttering something entirely not nice towards the redhead. Lucy was very much aware of her strength but it wasn't nice for someone to disregard her abilities especially he knew nothing about her. "You know nothing about me and my abilities. Don't you judge me yet."
Sasori simply chuckled at her. "With the 'abilities', as you humbly say, that you have shown to us earlier? I say it's a play of an amateur. Yes, it is something 'out of this world'. But, that is just it. And no more."
Lucy glared at him at last. "…What really do you want to imply, Sasori-san?"
The puppeteer gave her a mischievous smirk. "You do not understand any of it, do you?"
"I will understand what you want me to understand if you could just stop being a smirking-freak!" Lucy finally snapped.
If possible, Sasori's smirk widened, loving to see her snap like that. He chuckled again. "Leader-sama has informed us, and you have been informed as well, about teaching you how to be a… murderous psychopathic associate of this notorious organization, has he not?"
Lucy narrowed her brows. "Where are you getting at this?"
"We're here to teach you everything you need to know, doll."
"I already knew that!" Lucy almost shouted, her patience wearing thin as the time goes.
"I am just telling," Sasori was saying as he raised his right hand, chakra strings flashed when light hit them. "You are better to be my doll."
With a swift move of a finger, chakra strings attached to various parts of Lucy's body. But before she could react, she was abruptly stood up from her seat and walked towards Sasori without her consent.
"What the—"
"Mm," Sasori hummed as he watched the blond lady. "So doll-like indeed you are, Lucy Heartfilia. You can become my favorite if you will obey your master's wishes, that is." He chuckled.
Lucy couldn't move. She was like paralyzed. She began to panic though she tried her level best to maintain calmness and composure. "…What are you doing to me?"
Sasori's index and middle finger moved and Lucy leaned forwards to him, shrinking their distance to an inch.
"Making you," he leaned her even closer to him as he marvelled her unique vanilla scent. "My own puppet," he finished.
Lucy's eyes widened.
XXXXX
Sakura and Kakashi went to Ichiraku's for lunch. Upon sitting, Kakashi gazed towards Sakura and he raised an eyebrow. "Ichiraku's? Really?"
Sakura talked with Ayame for their orders a moment later before making a response towards her former teacher. "It's the closest."
Kakashi rolled his eyes and the two waited silently for their ramen.
Not long after, two steaming bowls of the delicious ramen appeared in front of them. "Here you go. Apologies for the wait," Ayame said with a smile.
"We don't mind. Thank you," Kakashi said and with that, Ayame left them.
Sakura watched with huge interest as Kakashi split the chopsticks before she remembered the significance of this lunch. "Kakashi-sensei, talk," she commanded.
"Go on, ask," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.
There was a moment of silence.
"How the hell can Natsu have the chakra of the Kyuubi inside him?! Is he a tailed-beast container like Naruto and Gaara?! I thought he came from the other world so how?!"
"Sakura," Kakashi called her tiredly. "One at a time."
"Is Gray a tailed-beast container also? What's with the chakra of the bijuu doing inside Natsu's body? They can be a threat if not attended immediately, sensei!"
"Sakura, you have to calm down–"
"It is all that Madara's fault! I'm going to punch the lights out of that bastard, with my bare fists! I'm so going to kill that threat, he'll see."
With this, Kakashi merely sweat dropped.
"Then I'll skin him alive, feed him to Sasuke because he's a bastard of an Uchiha, then I'll steal his orange mask because it's kinda cute, though I won't admit then I will kick his ass!"
Kakashi realized that she was talking out of the league now.
"Then after kicking his ass, I'll kick the part of his anatomy where the sun does not actually shine."
Upon seeing that creepy smile on Sakura's face, Kakashi shivered slightly. "That's quite harsh. Most men do not deserve that kind of punishment," he muttered softly.
"Ha! Then I'll rip his Sharingan eyes off his face then feed them to Danzo, because the old geezer deserves it more than any other else. After that—" She was cut when a hand patted her on the shoulder. Looking sideways, he found Kakashi.
"You're quite a sadist, aren't you?" He withdrew his hand and smiled. "As much as I want to hear your sadistic rants and ways how to kill Madara, I think we are slightly turning away from the main subject, don't you think?"
Blinking, Sakura managed a small smile. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry." She looked sheepish.
Kakashi then recalled her questions and answered them in correct, sequential order. "I don't know either how did Natsu acquire the Kyuubi's chakra, but I have the feeling that Naruto is involved."
Sakura remained silent though she was eager to ask more questions as she listened intently to her teacher.
"I don't also think that Natsu is a jinchuuriki. I also don't know about the third question. We may find answers when those two woke up."
She nodded and Kakashi took this cue to continue.
"Like Natsu, I don't think Gray is a jinchuuriki also, as I've seen the chakra in his system a while ago. The fifth question needs a little more observation and analysis but I can tell that the chakra is not harming Natsu internally, only externally. And I assure you that they cannot be a threat if they are aware of these facts."
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief before attending her lunch. "Let's talk to them once they woke up."
"Agreed." Kakashi, after seeing Sakura not looking at him, tugged his mask down and began eating.
"Are we not going to tell this to Tsunade-shishou?"
"We will talk to her about this matter some other time. She is busy dealing with some other important matters."
"And what could that be?"
"Oh nothing," if Sakura looked at him, she might see the smirk on his uncovered face. "She only found a very nice lead to Akatsuki."
CHAPTER VIII — END.
