Sakura watched Sasuke scold his house maids and other staff members. He had no emotion set in his face when he did it either. It scared her to think the loveable man she had come to know could act with such emptiness. And the fact that everyone was afraid of him now? Even harder to sink into her mind. Neji did not wake from his sleep yet, so she was not needed in their chambers. For now she would do as she pleased.
Sasuke dismissed the servants and turned to leave himself when his eyes gazed up and saw her. He came to a stop. "You have woken up early."
"I was not that tired." Sakura smiled at him from the balcony separating the second floor and first floor. "Why is that guard in trouble?"
He watched her with a ice cold gaze, his jaw set. "Perhaps you would like to join me for a walk then?"
She knew he was evading the question at hand, but that was the least of her worries. "Yes." Sasuke took her hand in his, leading her to the gardens she had worked in so much. Things looked the same here, but things were far from the same. Where was the other family members and guards? Everyone was gone except for the guards who stayed near Sasuke and the ones patrolling, but that was it. "Sasuke, please, tell me what is going on. I have noticed that you're family is not here and that there are very little people in the castle. Where is everyone?"
"You do not need to worry about that. It is all under control." The young master stopped to admire the snap dragons he had always loved. "You can leave Neji you know, be with me instead. I have everything he has; more so in fact."
"Sasuke," Sakura touched his arm and he flinched away, eyes lost to the flowers, "Sasuke, listen to me. I am pregnant with Neji's child. I want to stay with him." She blushed and looked down. "He has been kind to me, and has given so much. It would not work with us and you know that."
"Why?" He snapped, spinning to face the girl. "Because I am not the father of the bastard child?! I can provide for you, damnit!"
Sakura gasped and took a step back. Never had she seen him get like this. Not unless it was directed to his father. "What has gotten into you? How dare you talk to me like I am yours to control." She spun on her heal to leave when he grabbed her arm in a iron grip. It hurt, bad. "Let me go, Sasuke."
"You do not walk away from me!"
"You will let me go or-"
"Or what? You will call for help from that brat Hyuga?" His grip on her tightened until she could not stand it for another second.
"You are hurting me."
Sasuke's eyes showed so much anger and hatred that she thought he wouldn't let go, but he did. His arm slid away until it was at his side again. "Why, Sasuke? Why are you acting like…" How could she bring herself to finish the sentence?
"Say it."
"I didn't mean it-"
"Say it." His eyes flashed with urgency. He knew what she would say and now he would make her say it to prove he was right.
Sakura's voice was just a whisper when she said it. "You are acting like you're father. Cruel and angry like he is."
"I suppose I have started… acting like him." He shrugged and turned away from her. "Go back to the house." His feet moved only a few steps when Sakura grabbed him as roughly as he had with her. It made him panic, the contact, and he found himself thinking of his fathers and Orochimaru's rough hands. He spun quickly, a hiss escaping his throat.
One moment he was walking away and the next he was looking at Sakura who was on the ground. Her cheek was red and looked like it was bruising.
"You… You hit me." She looked up at him with tearful eyes, her hand cupping the cheek. His hand stung from the impact.
"I didn't mean to; I thought you were-" He hurried past her for the house. "I am sorry."
Sakura watched him go with dread. Dear God, he had changed. He was just like that wretched father of his. She wanted to go to him and demand what was going on, but that might make things worse. What had been done to make him so filled with rage? Surely it was the years of enduring his father's wrath. She had seen it first hand on so many occasions. The most fearful time was when Sasuke had been late to the family ball. Everyone worth something was there-except the young Uchiha. He had been gone for nearly the entire thing. She had gone out looking for him by the King's orders and found him in the stables, sword fighting with a training dummy.
"You are in a great deal of trouble, my lord. The King has sent out several guards looking for you," She had said. Sasuke just smiled slightly and glanced at her with those beautiful eyes.
He panted from the work he had done and then scrutinized the handy sword in his hand. "I am almost there. Just a little more training and I will be at the same level of my brother."
"Sasuke, please, let us go back to your chamber to prepare you for the rest of the evening." The young lord smiled at her and fallowed. He knew it was time to go and there was nothing to do about it. He had gone to the family ball and soon after all the members had left, he was called into his father's throne room.
Sakura had gone in after the King had left, only to find Sasuke on the brink of death. He had spent nearly two weeks in his chambers recovering. His father never killed him; he only made him on the brink of it. A lesson learned. Sakura had come a dozen times during those two weeks, a dozen times each day just to make sure he was ok.
He had told her not to be so worried; it wouldn't do anything for either of them. She went to him anyways. "Why do you test your father's patients?"
Sasuke had grinned and shrugged those shoulders. "Why not? He has never made me happy, so why should I make him happy? I am simply showing him that there are those out there who do not listen to him."
"He will kill you one of these days." Sakura had whispered in a dead voice.
"Not if I get there first. I will strike before he even has the chance." Is that what had happened? Had Sasuke striked like he had told her he would?
She bit her lip and headed to the stables. Sasuke had changed for the worst. It was time to find out what was going on with him. She would figure it out.
XXXXXX
Sakura had dug up as much info she could on such a short notice. The stable master was the one that had told her where to find Itachi. So she had gone all the way into town in hopes of finding him at the right location. Sure enough, Neji and Sasuke would think she were simply in the gardens or something.
She knocked on the door to a small Inn, waiting for someone to answer. This was were he should be, at least said the stable master. He might be lying and Itachi could be far off somewhere else. She could only hope.
The burly pub owner answered, his mustache and beard soaked with a brew she had not known of. He looked like she had woken him, and that was not good. "I am looking for Itachi. Itachi Uchiha."
"There aint no Uchiha here, girl." He was about to close the door when she slammed her small palm against the heavy wood.
"Then I would like a drink."
"We're closed."
"I have more money than you have seen in your life time, so let me in." She smirked. Where had she found this boldness?
The man looked her over once. Then twice. "Come on. Hurry, my guests will not like being woken up by your noise."
The Inn was on the second floor, leaving the entire top floor to the pub guests. Most people who stay overnight here were down in the pub drinking. She scanned the place for Itachi, coming up with older and more disgusting people. Maybe he wasn't here after all. No point in stay-
"Sakura?"
Her head swiveled around to see Itachi hunched over a big glass of brew, his face seemed pained by the sight of her. "It is you. I knew it."
"Itachi, I must speak to you." She sat in the booth beside him, her body turned enough so she was looking directly at him. "It is of great importance. Sasuke, he's-"
"I can't talk about that. No one can know who I really am. I wont turn out like the others." Itachi took a heavy drink, looking away from her.
"What do you mean? What happened to the others?"
"He killed them all." The elder Uchiha tried keeping his facial expressions closed, but it hardly worked. "I hid because I thought he was going to kill me too. He almost did, but I got away."
"Itachi, focus." She cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "What did he do? Who did it?"
"The system lord, Orochimaru. He killed them all. Sasuke found me and told me to leave, I don't know what's going on."
"Sasuke is in a great deal of trouble then. I need your help in order to save him." She knew he was not the same. If what Itachi is saying is true, Sasuke may be in a great deal of trouble with Orochimaru.
"What are we supposed to do? I can't defeat a system lord! They are the devils of this world!" Itachi's panicked face went up a notch. "No one has ever defeated a system lord, especially not the king of the system lords!"
"We will find a way. Right now I need you to find out what is going on with Sasuke. Okay? Can you do that?"
"I… I guess I could talk to him…" The older Uchiha looked down at his drink. "What will you do?"
"I will be looking around for clues." Sakura stated with a nod. "You just make sure to get the answer from him."
Though she was not too keen on digging around in peoples life, this was a emergency and it did call for drastic measures. Why couldn't things just go back to normal?
"Itachi, do you know where the system lord Orochimaru is?"
He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I do not. He would have been with Sasuke if anything… But if he is not within the castle walls, then there is trouble for sure. He would not leave without what he came for."
"I think I might know something… No, I will have to double check that. Just get to Sasuke as soon as possible." She hurried back to her horse without another word to Itachi. She had known the system lords could do nearly anything, but could they go as far as human manipulation? Why would Orochimaru need that?
XXXXXXX
The next day, Sasuke found himself waking up to Itachi's face hovered over him. His brother looked like he was terrified and that was what made Sasuke frown. He should not be here, he should be in town like Sasuke had ordered. If Orochimaru knew, he would for sure have him killed.
Sasuke waited for his body to react without him wanting it, but nothing came. Orochimaru must not be in his head quite yet. The system lord needed his rest, as does anything with a heart beat, but since he was hiding within the depths of the Uchiha's body, he would come and go. No voice meant he was resting it up. Kinda like sleeping. "Itachi, you should not be here."
"You're eyes. What has happened?" His brother held a hand over his mouth, clearly trying not to say anything wrong. Did he still have Orochimaru's snake eyes? Damn it.
"Leave." The young Uchiha got up from the bed, pulling a pair of brown leathers on. "I do not want you here, I thought you would have gotten that hint earlier."
Itachi grabbed his upper arm with a glare. "Who is it you think you are talking to? I am the eldest and therefore it is my right to be here, as King I might add. You however have no say in this. Now tell me what Orochimaru has done to you to make you such a cowering fool as to make everyone in this kingdom gone?"
"Don't talk to me like I am you're damn servant! You treat me like father did!" He ripped his arm away, stalking over to the other side of the room. "I am trying to protect you, so leave!"
"You still want her." Itachi took a step toward him, saying, "You want her because you're not supposed to."
"Shut up, shut up!" The raven covered his ears, backing away from his brother. The elder Uchiha kept fallowing with a menacing stare.
"You want her because father forbid it. You can't stand the look of happiness on Neji's face when he see's her. You want something that will never be yours!"
"Stop! That's not true!"
"You look at her like a piece of meet that is on the menu. She is in another man's arms and it kills you from the inside out." He didn't want to torment him this bad, but he needed the truth. This would have to do for now. "She bears his child, not yours. She is in his bed, not yours. She is never to be yours, brother."
"Enough!" His head snapped up, snake eyes locking on Itachi's cold black ones. He felt himself launch onto the older brother, his fists smashing into his face. Orochimaru had returned. He had helped Sasuke's rage reach a higher level. Make him regret ever coming back…
"You think," Itachi grunted in pain, bracing himself for each and every hit; hands pushing Sasuke away, "that this will make things better? Tell me how to get rid of him, Sasuke."
The raven groaned, shaking his head. Orochimaru was screaming at him to finish it. "I can't get him out of my head. He wont go away!"
"Orochimaru? Is that who?"
"I-" Sasuke chuckled darkly, a blade appearing in his hand. "Stupid, Itachi, I told you not to come back here. You will have to share the same fate as Neji." Itachi's eyes widened. Was he really planning on killing Neji just to have Sakura?
Sasuke's hand slammed down to pierce his brothers heart, but something slammed into him, sending them both to the ground. Sakura was breathing heavily, pinning him to the ground. "Sasuke, you can't do this!"
"Get off of me!" He threw her to the side, letting her body crash into the wall. Itachi had already gotten up and put himself into a fighting stance.
He grabbed the knife again, running at Itachi with everything he had. Sakura's plea's died by the sounds of their struggle, the knife fighting to dig into human flesh.
Sakura couldn't believe it had come down to this. Was this the fate they were given? She watched the two Uchiha's try to fight their way for control over the knife, but they were nearly equally matched. Her breath caught by a heaving pain that burst through her stomach. Dear, God, it felt like she was dying. She crawled for the door, ready to call Neji for help. Only she did not get to the door, she didn't even get half way across the room before she screamed in pain and fell to the floor.
The last thing she heard before the world went black was Itachi telling her to stay with them and that he would get help.
