Sakura's POV
Finally, everything would end. No more pain, no more tears, no more death.
He wasn't understanding, but that was totally okay. Two years ago, I would have thrown the piece of paper away. But Tsunade had taught me the way of reading them. Those were medical writings.
"This" - I held up the paper - "will save your life. I forget that possibility completely, but now I saw it – it's clear. Why didn't I see it before? But it was obvious all along. I was so blind. And I just need a few more things, like the root, and then I could start mixing everything and -" I stopped. I was talking to much.
"You sure?" he asked.
I came closer again, laying my hands on his warm chest. 'Is it still warm from the fever? Or is it normal?'
The electric shock this time was small, sent shivers down my spine and rested inside me, filling me with glowing desire. So pleasing hot.
"I am" I whispered. "One hundred percent. Trust me." His red eyes were burning in the candle light that lit the room.
"Trusting is hard for me" he grinned. I felt his breath on my sensitive lips.
I kissed him, pressing mine body close to his. The electricity came out again, into my veins and from their through my whole body. Every inch of me was glowing. His touch on my back made me moan.
Then he ripped us apart. My breath was coming out hard, his was also uneven.
"Stop that" he growled.
"What?" I asked, unsure what he meant.
"Making me … feel like this. It's wrong. This is wrong." He sat down on the bed, far away from me.
I was yearning for him. And I bet he knew. Though he ignored it.
"I am going to pay for this. And I thought you wanted to save my life, Sakura."
Should it have been ironic?
"I will" I said enthusiastic. "I can. And nobody's gonna stop me. Not even you."
Not like Deidara. I held the pain back. No more tears, I told myself again.
Steps outside. Short after the door opened, Pein entered with a glass of water in his hand.
He looked at me and Itachi.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding angry.
"It was an accident." His voice was cold again, while my body still burnt from his touch.
'He's driving me crazy!'
"He just brought me the solution for his illness" I explained, hoping to loosen the frightening atmosphere.
"Then you can go now." The order of a leader. And Itachi obeyed.
But I could feel his presence behind the door. He was listening.
Pein gave me the glass. "Thanks" I said, drinking it empty. The precious paper landed in the book. He came closer, stopping in front of me.
"Are you feeling better?" He reached out and touched my cheek.
I backed away instinctively. "Yes, now that I know how to save Itachi."
But what would happen after that?
"Yes, and after him, you will have the time to save maybe even more of us."
"What? Who's sick?"
"Now? No one. But maybe later."
"What do you want to say by that?" I got frightened; that sounded like I was going to -
"You'll stay here. Forever. As my bride." He smiled. A cold, egoistic and non-caring smile. I trembled. "No" I whispered. "We had a deal" I said louder. "I heal him and you let me run."
"But Deidara is dead" came it back.
"Itachi survives. Please, let me go. I wanna go home." At last I hope I wanted to. Cause actually it was something else. A living being with blind eyes that could see.
"No. Sorry, Sakura, but you broke the deal." he shook his head like it would concern him. Just playing with me.
"It was Deidara, to be true. Somehow, he stopped his heart to beat."
"Liar."
The word stabbed right through me. Now I was lost. No good ending in sight no more. I would die or live on as a bride. And I would rather die that live a life that wouldn't be one. But Pein would figure that out soon enough. But, before all, I had to save Itachi.
I changed the subject. "I need ingredients again."
He nodded. "Konan will guard you. But do that tomorrow and rest now."
He left through the door, but not before Itachi was gone.
I went to shower first. And under the rain of water nobody saw my tears.
I was going to die. But I had wanted to do so much. Come back to Konoha. Save people. Love somebody. Live. But now, I had just one last mission: Save Itachi's life. Only after that I was ready to go.
With still wet hair I crawled into bed. I slept without dreams, in black silence.
Itachi's POV
I was confused. I didn't know the actually reason.
When Pein had came out of the room, he had glared at me and told me to get lost and don't ever come near this room again.
Sakura had kissed me so passionately that I nearly had forgotten myself and had given up to the fire in my heart and in my whole body.
And now she was marrying Pein and I had look at her every single day. It made my heart ache and I went outside to get fresh air.
It was quiet, too quiet and I became caution. I looked everywhere, but couldn't find the cause.
"You are here, too?"
I turned around and saw Sasori on a branch. He looked as disinterested as ever, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. I jumped to a branch next to his.
"Yeah... How are you?" It wasn't something I would ask every person, but I felt a bit guilty, because I would live on and his partner not. Sasori looked into the sky and a sneer appeared on his lips.
"Stupid. I'm fine. Now this idiot is finally gone." His voice broke at the end of the sentence and showed that he lied, but I didn't say anything. Was just by his side.
"He will marry her," he said after a while and looked at me again. "Does it not bother you?"
"Why should it? It doesn't have anything to do with me." I was a little surprised.
The puppet stared at me. "You should know your feelings sooner than me."
"What do you mean?" I whispered, didn't know why.
"I mean that I couldn't tell Deidara that I didn't hate him that much, but you... You have still time left, but if you wait, until you are healed, then it will be too late."
I wanted to ask what he was talking about, but I knew he wouldn't say anything more. I waited a few more seconds before I jumped down and walked through the forest. I didn't know where I was going, but I was so deep in thoughts that it didn't matter.
Sasori had said that I had feelings for someone which I didn't tell that person. He also had said that I had to tell that person my feelings, but what were these feelings? And for who? Why would it be too late after I was healed? I didn't understand anything anymore.
"What are you doing here, Itachi Uchiha?"
I looked up, a little surprised to hear his voice now. Then I realized where I was. It was the road that leaded to Konoha and the sun was already setting.
"I am taking a walk, Kakashi. Nothing more."
"Why do I not believe you?" His one eye glared at me.
"Well, that has probably more reasons than one." I wanted to walk away, but another person landed behind me. I looked over my shoulder and recognized my little brother.
"There you are, Sasuke. Where has you been?" Kakashi sounded angry.
"Fight me, Aniki. Now and here."
I sighed. "No. It's too early for that."
He glared at me, the red markings fully visible. "It's perfect." He ran toward me, a kunai in one hand and the other hand as a fist.
I dodged it and jumped on a branch. "Stop it. It's too early for that."
"You are just a coward! You know you will loose!"
"No, but do you really want to fight when you have a handicap? I am sick, you remember?"
He didn't say anything, just thought about it. "Fine. But promise that we will fight when you are healthy again!"
"Promise." I nodded. Kakashi was watching us suspiciously.
"Itachi, how is Sakura and Naruto doing?" Sasuke sounded really concerned. I hesitated.
"I have no information about the blonde and about the girl... It's difficult to say."
"Speak up!" Kakashi stood next to Sasuke and I sat down on the branch.
"One of my partners died because of the illness and now she is blaming herself. Our leader is hard and has no intentions of letting her go." I hesitated again, but before one of the other two could anything I said it. "Sakura will marry our leader and won't come back to Konoha."
Silence followed my words and the faces of the two Konoha ninjas was pure shock. I couldn't blame them.
"We need to rescue her," Sasuke shouted and ran toward the hideout.
"Idiot" Kakashi cursed him and ran after him. I looked after them, but then decided that it wasn't a good idea to let them alone. So I followed them short after.
Sakura's POV
It was time. Time to go. Time to leave everything behind, to leave the mess behind...
No. There was still one thing to do.
I opened my eyes. It was dark, the candles were burnt down. And so was I. My chakra was low, almost empty from the healing in the past days.
I left the bed, got dressed and picked the phial with the green liquid for his eyes and the mixture for suppressing the poison. I left the room and entered Itachi's, after knocking. But no one was there. I put it down on his desk and went on the corridor. Where could he be?
I thought I should start outside. On the way I saw to persons, I feared I would never see again. Sasuke and Kakashi. I ran after them, yelling their names.
They stopped and turned around.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "They could see you."
"We were searching you" Kakashi answered. "Itachi told us, Akatsuki won't let you go. We are here to rescue you. Now."
I was relieved. So relieved. I could go ... home. But …
"Not now. I still have to save one life. Please." I saw in both eyes that my plea wasn't understood. "It's important. I already lost one. And it's my fault, don't try to change my mind, you don't know" I interrupted their interference.
Sasuke cursed, while Kakashi sighed. "You're so stubborn sometimes, Sakura. Where is that girl that obeyed when I ordered it?"
"Still there, Kakashi" I said smiling. "But my life goes after the others. It was always like that. No please -"
"You will get seen by someone, when you all continue standing here, fighting." Itachi's voice came from behind me. I spun around.
"You!" Sasuke hissed.
"Me" came the cold answer.
"He's right." Kakashi said. We went into a empty room. Tense atmosphere was filling the silence, until Itachi spoke.
"We could make a deal."
"What sort of deal?" Kakashi sounded cautious.
"You let Sakura stay until I am healthy and then I will help her to come home." Straight and clear.
"Has a catch?" Sasuke asked.
"No, not really." Is he sounding … amused?
Kakashi thought long about it. But finally he held out his hand.
"Okay."
Itachi took his hand. "Deal."
We parted in secret, nobody saw us.
On our way back to Itachi's room I watched him. Why had he done that? Why did he wanted to help me? But I didn't knew the answer.
-A few weeks after-
I had healed Itachi. With the medicine from his parents it was far more easy. His eyes were okay, he had no fever and I had finished my mission.
So I waited for Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto was gone again – Itachi and I had freed him and made it look like an accident.
But no one came. We have changed messages, but still … Itachi said, they would need more time, but I didn't have that time. I wanted to go home now.
And Pein was getting angry at me. He wouldn't wait much longer. And I couldn't stand the idea of getting married. Not to him.
Itachi and I grew close. I still was loving him and he still was ignoring it, but the deal made us to partners. And he really helped me a lot.
So now I was in my room. It was almost night. And dark. Pein had been here, seconds ago, telling me we would marry in one week. One week.
I trembled. 'No. He wouldn't get me. He didn't even wanted me, just my medical powers.' But I would also refuse him that.
I took a kunai. The light from the candles made it shimmer in golden and silver at the same time. I pressed it on my wrist. The kunai was sharp and cut right through my skin. Pain. I pressed harder. Blood started to flow. It dropped on the floor.
Time slowed down, focused on the seconds right here. I felt a bit dizzy, like I was on drugs. But no killing now. Just looking how it would end if Kakashi and the others wouldn't come within this week. More blood dropped on the floor.
"Sakura!"
I looked up. Itachi was standing in the door, frozen.
"Yes?" I answered calm, not pulling the knife away.
"What are you doing?" he knelt down beside me and threw the kunai away. He took my hand pressing it on the wound. Then he ripped his shirt at the end apart, a small,long part of fabric. He bound it around my wrist.
I flinched when it touched the flesh. But he showed no mercy.
"And I thought you were a medic."
"I am. But I will have to end my life. So I was just trying out." I said that clearly,strong, with no doubts. He shouldn't try to change my mind, because he would be the only one who could.
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