"I already told you that I will not fight indoors Shisui-san!" She gave him a stern look as he pleaded. He wanted to see her strength in person, so she said, "Look I will not damage the hideout in which we are staying in, so if you must, bring in the biggest rock you can find and we will call it a day."
He ran as fast as he could outside of the hideout and picked up a rock that was about the size of his torso and lugged it in using full chakra in his arms. He placed it on the ground and Sakura said, "Ok but you will clean up this mess…" He waved her off and told her to continue.
Sakura used two chakra infused fingers to softly flick the side of the rock. A sudden dust cloud appeared and the rock was pulverized at their feet. Shisui could only look at her with awe struck eyes as he said, "That is amazing my blossom. Your chakra control must be perfect to not exert almost any chakra on that!" She chuckled and said, "So me saving your life was not proof enough of my chakra control?"
He turned red immediately and said, "No, that came out wrong. What I mean is that you are amazing and one of the most powerful kunoichi's that I have EVER met." His praise was evident and genuine, so Sakura accepted it and gave him a small kiss on his cheek, "Thank you Shisui-san, very few people actually praise me for it, most fear it so…"
Shisui could only touch his cheek where she had just placed a small chaste kiss and said, "They are fools to not see what I see in front of me… and I only have one eye too!" She laughed at his corny joke but took the compliment that was weaved in just the same. Shisui put her at ease and she enjoyed his carefree company a lot.
They continued to banter as she handed him the broom and he kept his end of the bargain and cleaned up the mess. Once the dust had been removed, they both decided that they would train but only in taijutsu, without any chakra or jutsus.
The training dojo was quiet and Sakura was the first to charge. She landed a quick succession of hits to his leg and thigh. He, in turn, used her momentum to flip her over and kick her legs out from under her. She had been ready for that and gracefully jumped out of the way. Her movements were elegant. The way that she looked was graceful and Shisui was caught in her gaze for a second. She was powerful and he knew it. He tried to throw a punch but was easily outmaneuvered. She said, "I think that your depth perception will need a little bit of work."
He touched the empty socket of his right eye and shook his head. He needed to find a way to overcome this setback. She landed next to him and said, "Kakashi always fought with one of his eyes covered and always overcompensated for it, I know that you will too. How about we work on target practice to begin with. Once we master that, it should be easier to weave this skill to physical fights."
She had a point, and his resolve to help his best friend made him want to work harder at everything that he did.
He saw her pull out plain targets and placed them on the back wall. This was stuff that five-year-old children played with…
"Come on blossom… give me a bit more credit…" He covered his face with both palms as he heard her laugh and say, "Who says I will go easy on you… You get one shot to hit the targets, but you have to deal with me at the same time."
Her challenge called to his competitive nature and he readied himself. Sakura stood in front of the targets and yelled, "Begin!" He rushed at her and she moved from one place to another changing her position and distance with each leap. It distracted him because he couldn't focus on the trajectory of his kunai with her enchanting lithe form dodging his attacks.
Sakura saw her opening and tackled Shisui right before he disappeared from her grasp. She landed on her back as Shisui threw his kunai at the target hitting it straight in the middle. As he looked back he saw the way that her eyes sparkled with energy and she smiled saying, "Wow your body flicker technique is amazing…" he jogged to where she was sitting and helped her up. As she picked up the kunai from the targets he said, "Hey Blossom, did you know who I was when you saved me that night by the river?"
She put away the weapons and walked over to him as she softly shook her head, "No, I didn't… I just saw someone that needed my help and I went based on pure instinct. Even when you said Itachi-san's name I still didn't know who you were. I had to ask him what your name was, and once he told me it all clicked…" She softly gazed at him as he looked down at his hand. "You know that I took out my eye prior to jumping, I wanted to die… I needed to die…"
Sakura placed her hand on his forearm and said, "I know that you did it out of your duty to your village, but the world needs more people like you. Don't ever think that you are not worth fighting for… We will fight for you…. I will fight for you."
He listened to her words and understood that in her heart she had a sense of compassion towards others that might change how he viewed his life. He was no longer a tool to be used, he was someone that had a dream to achieve something greater than himself.
Shisui placed his hand over hers and said, "Thank you." She noticed the intense look of his eye and how he stared at her. She noticed how handsome he truly was, soft black hair that was short and unruly; an eye that was gleaming with mischief and spontaneity; a smile that could make anyone spill their secrets willingly. He was a full Uchiha, but had none of the characteristics that seemed to dominate the clan.
Sakura blinked a couple of times to get herself out of the trance that she was falling in. She wondered why her heart was beating so fast. She had felt a similar feeling when Itachi captured her gaze. Before she could further dwell on her feelings, she looked around the room and said in a rushed tone, "Shisui-san, I think that I need to start dinner, so… you go get cleaned up and… and I will get started on that."
Shisui could tell that she was nervous so he smiled and said, "Ok, but since you are making dinner, allow me to clean up. It's only fair." He grinned at her and she agreed with a half-smile. This man could convince her to do just about anything with just a smile.
As Sakura was making dinner, Shisui walked into the kitchen and started cleaning up as she made dinner. When it was finished, most of the dishes had been washed and put away and it seemed that the time that they had was flashing by. As they ate dinner, they got to know each other better. Shisui opened up to her about his relationship with Itachi and Sakura was able to confide in someone about how she had felt growing up with Sasuke and Naruto.
They talked for almost three hours about everything and anything. With a yawn escaping her lips, Shisui told Sakura that it would be better if they went to bed. At his sudden mention of sleep the young woman looked up and said, "Do you mind staying until I fall asleep again."
He smiled and said, "For you Blossom, I will do anything." He held his hand out for her and said, "Go ahead and get ready for bed, I will be there in a second." She nodded and they both went into their bedrooms to change.
Sakura climbed into bed and Shisui gently knocked at her door. "Come in Shisui-san." He opened the door and walked in. She was already in bed and she looked ready to fall asleep at any moment. Shisui grabbed the chair, once more, and took it next to her bed. He sat in it and said to her, "Goodnight my sweet blossom." She looked at him and said, "I know it's stupid asking you to stay, but I want you to know that I really do appreciate it. Once I go to sleep, please don't wait up. Go get some rest yourself. I know that sleeping in a chair is not the most comfortable thing in the world."
He replied, "Don't you worry about me sweetheart, I am fine just where I am." Honestly, he wanted to crawl in and hold her as she slept, but he knew that Itachi would be coming in a few hours and if he discovered him right there, it wouldn't have mattered all the years of friendship. Itachi would have murdered him in cold blood, either that, or just beaten him to a bloody pulp.
True to his word, Itachi had rushed back to the hideout and the first thing that he did was to check on Sakura.
Itachi's eyes flashed red as he noticed Shisui's chakra flare from his room, but when he opened the door and saw that Shisui was fully dressed and sitting in a chair next to Sakura he deactivated his Sharingan.
Shisui silently made his way across the room and went into the hall with Itachi. The younger Uchiha whispered in a restrained voice, "What are you doing in my room with her?" Shisui grinned and said, "Well wouldn't you like to know…" he chuckled when he saw Itachi's hands ball into fists at his side and then said, "Look Itachi, she asked me to stay…"
Itachi's world stood still, the words reverberating in his head. 'She asked him to stay?' Shisui noticed the alarm in his best friend's eyes and said, "Look brother, it's not like that. She had a horrible dream last night and woke up screaming. I wasn't able to use my Sharingan yet, so I wasn't able to place her in a genjutsu to calm her down. It seems that she is trying to work through all of her emotions but she is still traumatized by what she saw. I was never inappropriate with her… ok?"
Hearing his friend's explanation Itachi calmed down and looked back at sleeping form of the woman sleeping in his bed, wearing his shirt. There was something almost possessive about what he saw that he didn't want anyone else, including his best friend, to see.
It even frightened him that he would react in that way to someone that he had just met. Going into someone's mind always had repercussions and it seemed that he knew far too much about her that she would have ever allowed. In a way, he had intruded in her most personal space and he knew that he had to slow it down, lest he lose her with his words and actions.
Shisui put a hand on Itachi's shoulder and said, "Really man, nothing happened. I would never take advantage of her like that… she's special…" Shisui looked at Sakura and Itachi looked at his friend and saw the same face that he probably had whenever he looked at her. This was going to be a challenge, but it was one that he was not going to back out of.
Itachi then said, "Go to bed old man, you need your sleep in your old age." Shisui grinned at Itachi and said, "Yeah, sure thing kid. At least I'm a full-grown man and don't need to grow up like your pathetic teenage butt." They both looked serious for a second before bursting out in a hushed laugh. It was times like these that Itachi was able to forget who he was to others and just be himself. Itachi pushed Shisui into Sasuke's room as he walked in a step behind. Shisui looked at him and said, "I don't care that this is your hideout, I already claimed the bed, so you sleep on the floor."
Itachi swiped the pillow from the bed and then took the blanket off the mattress and went to one of the corners of the room as Shisui protested the theft of his pillow and blanket. Itachi looked back at him with a serious expression and said, "You claimed the bed. You said nothing about the pillow or blanket."
With an exasperated sigh, Shisui gave in and flopped down on the mattress. In less than two minutes he was asleep. Itachi had always said that falling asleep in less than two minutes was a secret talent that Shisui possessed.
As Shisui's slowed even breaths lulled Itachi to sleep, the young Uchiha wondered how much his best friend had bonded with Sakura in the short time that he was away. He wondered how much he had to play catch up, and he wondered if Sakura even saw either of them in that light. As he was closing his eyes to welcome sleep, Sakura screamed out for his younger brother in a gut wrenching scream.
Shisui woke up in a heartbeat and in the next they were both in the adjoining room holding onto Sakura. Itachi grabbed hold of her upper torso and held her close to his chest. His hands were gently supporting her head as Shisui was at her side embracing her from her back and restricting her hands from further hurting herself.
She was inconsolable, yelling… no pleading for his brother's life. She cursed Kaguya for torturing him. She cursed herself for being useless. Shisui murmured in her ear that she wasn't useless and that she was precious to them, that she needed to break free from these visions. He saw that his best friend truly cared for her and overlooked the fact his hands held onto her forearms, just underneath her breasts, to prevent her from moving.
Sakura kept crying for Sasuke, begging him to live, offering everything that she was to any god that would hear her pleas to take her instead of him. Itachi couldn't hold back any longer, his eyes burned with the force of chakra that surged through them. He looked at his best friend who clutched the girl tightly from behind and said, "Hold her still for a second."
Shisui noticed the immediate change in the pattern of Itachi's eyes and yelled, "No Itachi! You don't know what your Mangekyo is capable of doing"
Instantly Itachi realized the truth in his words and his eyes shifted back into the spinning Sharingan. He looked at Sakura and pried her eyes open for a millisecond. That was all it took for her to fall into a powerful genjutsu.
"Sakura… Sakura… Listen to my voice…" Itachi was in a dark place in her mind. There were images of death and despair. People's mangled bodies hung from vines. These were people that Sakura had known, people that she cared for. As he ventured further in her mind, he finally found her clutching his younger brother's body. She was nearing hysterics and he could see why she was being driven to that state. If he hadn't known that this was all in her mind he would have gone into a maddening rage trying to find the person who had taken his brother's life.
"Sasuke… please come back to me… please come back." She repeated over and over. She cried as she said, "I'm so sorry… I want to break the cycle… I want to break the curse… Sasuke come back to me… Please don't leave me again." Itachi approached her and knelt beside her.
She looked at him and then cried once more, "Itachi… I couldn't save… your brother… I am… useless… Why me?... Why not them… I don't… deserve to live."
He took her in his arms and she felt so fragile, nothing like the woman that had fought chakra depletion, to the point of exhaustion, trying to save Shisui's life.
Itachi caressed her hair and kept repeating how important she was, how much she meant to their village, and how much her being there would change the future.
Slowly she stilled and he could rid her thoughts of its visions. Her inner mind had fought him for dominance but finally relinquished its hold on her subconscious. He imagined a calm and serene field surrounded by the forest of the Leaf. He conjured up flowers and the sound of a relaxing stream to soothe her senses.
Sakura sighed as she slept in his arms and when he noticed that she was in a deeper state of sleep he darkened the sky and painted millions of stars to watch over her.
Itachi came out of her mind and back into reality as Shisui stared at him, deep questions in his eye.
The younger Uchiha shook his head and said, "We need to get her to see that Sasuke, at least our Sasuke, is alive. Maybe that will jog her memory into thinking that what she sees in her sleep is all made up."
Shisui continued to caress her arms now that she had relaxed into his chest. He then whispered, "Itachi she has a theory that this is all a cycle that she needs to change so that those things we saw in her memory won't ever happen."
'A cycle… maybe she is right. She is changing things in this time as we speak, maybe it's true…' He had a sudden ominous feeling and then looked at Shisui and said, "But if she changes things now… will she, this Sakura in our arms, still exist. The Sakura Haruno of this world is still a child, not even out of the academy…"
Shisui didn't pick up on that train of thought as quickly as Itachi did, but when he did understand, he visibly paled and held her closer to him.
None of this made sense to them and they would have to rely on others to help them figure this out. Her life was now in the balance.
A/N: A huge thank you to whoever recommended my story to a community. Thank you for all of the reviews/favs/follows each is very precious to me.