Finally! After some waiting, I am able to give you chapter 7! I really hope you enjoy it and take your time to review.


CHAPTER 7

The no good deed

She stealthily crossed the courtyard in the middle of the night, hiding in the shadows of the castle and the statues and the debris. Sakura hesitated, looked back to the castle, then directed her gaze at the large, dark forest before her, and proceeded to enter. The red moon above her did nothing to ease her way, and gasps escaped her lips when she felt dry branches scratching her skin and tugging at her robes. She barely caught herself many times, almost tripping over things she could not see.

She sighed, recalling what happened the night before, and slightly regretting her decision.

The demon lord had banished his own son, charging him with betrayal and murder. Whether those accusations were true or not were of no importance at the time, but something indescribable stirred inside her when she saw Itachi's devastated and indignant face. As she looked at him, chest rising and falling in huffs, his eyes searching his face frantically, his fists and shoulders shaking…it was then that she knew that even though he portrayed an aloof face, Itachi was far more sensible than she ever thought. Even though his face said nothing, nor did his lips, his wild, frenzied eyes betrayed the anguish he felt inside.

He was just about to be separated from the brother he so effusively loved. The one he had fought so hard to protect. The brother whose side he promised to never leave was being taken away from him. And it hurt, deeper than any curse the king could have cast upon him; and the king knew that, which evidently spurred him further to give such punishment. Fugaku wanted to hurt his elder son, and no amount of physical pain would ever amount to the degree of his intentions. What better way to destroy his son than to take all that he lives for? To taunt him forever with what he can never have or touch again…just like he had taken Sakura's precious shrine, he had taken Itachi's precious treasure. That is something she could completely relate to. And it was that that encouraged her to seek him out after the king left the throne room.

His words had been curt, taciturn and merciless. Right after he officially banished his son, he stood from his throne and strode past him without sparing as much as a glance. The servants all exchanged confused and dubious looks, but quickly scurried different ways to resume their duties. When he assumed no one was left, Itachi fell to his knees, as if breathless and weak. He was still shivering, and his eyes shone with disbelief and rage. He looked up at her when her feet caught his line of vison, and Sakura felt her breath leave her, she didn't know what to do, or what to say. He just seemed so feeble at the moment. He looked inconsolable and forlorn.

"Lord Itachi…"

"Say nothing" he interrupted. "I should have been aware something like this would happen. There is no way the king would ever leave me be after what I have done. It was only a matter of time." He stood quickly, placing over himself a cloak of indifference and distance. He left the throne room wordlessly, and before she could stop herself, Sakura followed him through the corridors. Soon they found themselves at the entrance of the castle itself, and she finally realized he was making his way out…forever.

This was wrong. Itachi did not deserve to be separated from Sasuke, and neither did Sasuke deserve to be left behind. The words tumbled from her lips before she could even process the thought "You cannot leave". He stopped, glancing at her with question over his shoulders. Her heart stopped, just what was she doing? Why was it so important for him to stay? Surely, she thought, it is the guilt for my dishonesty.

"You cannot leave, lord Itachi."

"Why ever not?"

"I…I am not worthy of protecting lord Sasuke. I did not win our match, nor was I the one fighting it at all. I was weakened greatly after the battle against your father, and without my knowledge, a great demon had taken shelter inside of myself. It was he who you fought, and it was his strength the one that you recognized. Even when it was your father, it was them who fought, as I was a spectator of my own body. Because of this, you cannot leave lord Sasuke unprotected"

She regretted admitting the truth. Itachi turned to her and faced her fully. His red eyes were harsh and crass, ever so piercing in the darkness. He approached her slowly, and Sakura feared she would, in the end, meet her death by his hand—as was one-sidedly agreed in their match. She closed her eyes and waited for the final blow. Instead, she felt a strange warmth at the top of her head. Itachi's hand was over her, softly stroking her pink locks.

She looked up, eyes surprised and questioning.

"Kilgarrhander's defeat had as much to do with my father than with you, for while he was battling the beast in the real world, you were fighting the man inside of yourself" he said "when I was fighting you, no, when I fought Kilgarrhander, you were still fighting him. You are strong, because if you had not won the fight inside yourself, that demon would have possessed your body for eternity. It was you who prevented that and rose back to the surface of consciousness. That is why to me, you are remarkable and worthy."

Realizing what he was doing, he quickly retracted his hands and walked away. Sakura watched his back wordlessly. He looked so lonely and heartbroken, walking away like that. Why was he trying so hard to seem as if he did not care?

She ran after him, calling out to him to stop. He did so right before the outline of the dead tree-forest, and turned to her expectantly. Sakura looked deep into his eyes "I know you love him" seeing him open his mouth to disagree, she quickly added "and do not dare to deny this, lord Itachi. I can see it in your eyes, and you cannot fool me. Please listen to what I have to say." She took his silence as interest.

"Because I know how much he means to you, I will bring him to you. Every night, when the sun falls and everyone has succumbed to sleep, I will seek you out here, and you will be able to see him. It is not fair for either of you to live without each other."

He was surprised at her sincerity. The look of compassion—not pity—in her green eyes told him of the priestess's earnestness. His heart brieftly fluttered with something he did not quite understand. But he knew how grateful he felt at the present moment.

"As must as I appreciate your offer, I must decline. Sasuke is too young to be exposed to the atmosphere outside of the castle, and he would suffer dearly for it. If you are sincere in your intentions, then you come meet me every night. Tell me what he has done throughout the day, what he has learned and what he thinks of things. Tell me stories about my brother. I shall know him that way, as he shall know me by stories you tell him about me."

She agreed without hesitation, and Itachi proceeded to explain where they would meet, and how she could find him if he were to ever move from the tree he would wait for her in.

Sakura, tired of stumbling hopelessly, cast a lighting spell for her eyes, enabling her to see to the utmost clarity in the deepest darkness. This eased her travel a great deal, and she silently cursed herself for not thinking about it before.

As promised, Sakura reached a clearing that possessed a great tree in the middle, in which in one of its large root Itachi sat is, holding something she couldn't quite see. She approached him and he extended his arm to her. It was a cloak, made of the finest red silk, beautifully embroidered with silver flowers.

"This is for you. I spent the day making this as a toke of my appreciation for what you are doing for my sake. Also as an apology for how I treated you in our first encounter. My most sincere apology, priestess."

"This is beautiful, lord Itachi! How did you ever make this?"

"I have my ways" he moved towards her and placed the cloak around her shoulders. "Always wear this when you leave the castle. You are new to this world, therefore might not be aware that the air here is stained with miasma. We demons grow accustomed to it, but for you it will take much longer."

"That explains the heaviness I felt when I first came here with lord Fugaku. The air is laced in poison, and that might have even affected my performance in battle. I heal slower, I regain my strength slower, and it was very hard to breathe."

"That is why you do not want Sasuke to leave the castle, right? He is too young to be exposed to miasma"

"Yes. In the castle, he is protected by father from the miasma, but out here his strength cannot reach." Itachi sat back in the giant root and patted a spot beside him.

"Now, priestess, please tell me about my brother. Leave no detail unspoken"

She sat down then, and amiably spoke of Sasuke's day, encouraged by Itachi's content and interested expression.

"Priestess"

"Yes?"

"That cloak suits you very well."

"Thank you lord Itachi, I promise to treasure it" his face was aloof, as always, but his eyes showed elation and pride.

"I most definitely do not regret my decision after all. Seeing this expression in his eyes is worth the danger"

"This is our no good deed"


So, what did you think?! I know this chapter might not seem like much, but it's crucial for the story, so it had to be done XD. Still, I hoped you enjoyed it. Please review and share your thoughts!