A/N: Ughh…post-finals brain drain…what an icky feeling. Since the latest Naruto chapter left such an awful taste behind with all the gross misinterpretations going around the internet, here's a new chapter to wash it away ;).
"Sakura…? Sakura…!"
"Sakura-chan, wake up!"
It had been a few minutes since the image of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan finally faded into the flesh on her neck, but the girl had still remained unresponsive on the floor of his bedroom. Placing her head in his lap, Shisui rattled her forcefully, hoping to wake her from her stupor while Itachi gazed down at her.
Panic settled within the pit of his stomach. Had he overdone the Tsukuyomi?
The furrows lining his face deepened in thought. She had seemed markedly sluggish that morning and had mentioned staying up all night to monitor Naori and her new baby. It was likely her fatigue may be contributing to her delayed responsiveness. However, he noted that she seemed to exhibit a particularly flat affect in the face of his genjutsu. It was as though she was pre-occupied with something else. As if she was completely consumed in thoughts deviating from the pain of his genjutsu.
Shisui felt something warm seeping through the fabric of his pants onto his skin. Tears rushed from the girl's half-opened eyes as her facial muscles suddenly became taut with pain.
"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Shisui asked gently, rubbing her tense back as she sobbed into his lap.
"It's just that…Rin told me…" she sobbed loudly as Itachi crouched down to catch her words.
"What is it?" Itachi pressed her for an answer as her voice trailed off into harsher sobs.
Shisui gazed up into his dear friend's dark, worry ridden eyes. Although Itachi's tone had bordered on the edge of curtness, he knew he was clearly distressed by the girl's anomalous behavior.
She finally continued through her choked voice, "Rin told me…we'll be setting up for the Cherry Blossom Festival tomorrow…"
"Sakura-chan you scared me…" Shisui forced a sigh and smiled softly in relief. "I thought something horrible had happened. You shouldn't be crying about that. It's a happy event."
"No it's not!" She snapped upright from her place in Shisui's lap, startling the two Uchiha. Her eyes descended to the floor as she spoke shakily, "…It's not for me anymore…
She sniveled loudly and shrugged her shoulders in a vain attempt to stifle her grief. "The Cherry Blossom Festival is the biggest event in my village…we always used to celebrate with crops from the spring harvest…but now…but now…I don't know if my village was able to repair the damage done to our irrigation system…I don't know how my people are faring in my absence. Who will be there to care for them if they are sick or injured? Are there people dying right now because I can't be there for them? And my parents…were they able to return to the village? This would be the first time I would experience the Cherry Blossom Festival without them…"
Although a part of Sakura chastised herself for not withholding her emotional spill before the Uchiha, she could not curb her words from rolling off her aggrieved tongue. "When…when I was a little girl I used to cry every year because I wanted to wear a beautiful, fancy silk kimono like all the noblewomen wore but my family could never afford one. My mother always told me that cotton kimonos looked beautiful too but it just wasn't the same. At that time, it had become apparent to me that I could never experience nice things like other people simply because of my bloodlines. I never asked to be born a peasant! It wasn't fair! One year, my father bought me a beautiful red silk kimono and crafted a garland made of the most magnificent flowers for my hair. He told me he wanted me to feel like a princess…"
The Uchiha exchanged glances, remaining silent as she wiped the tears from her face and took in a fresh breath of air before continuing her emotional spill.
"…When I wore my beautiful silk kimono, the other girls from my clan would get so jealous…I truly did feel like a princess. It wasn't until I was a bit older that I found out my father had used up the clan's savings in order to buy me that kimono. I had only received that kimono by virtue of being the clan leader's daughter…I felt like such a brat…" Sakura buried her forehead into the palm of her hand as her anguished sobs seemed to wane slightly. "But then Tsunade-sama came to our village in order to provide medical relief when our clan was stricken with an outbreak of the flu. I couldn't believe she was the daughter of the Senju Lord. She wore simple clothing and worked so hard to help out those her caste doesn't even take into consideration…I wanted to be just like her so asked if I could be her apprentice. I traveled with her for a few years learning all I could until I felt ready to independently manage tending to my clan…"
Suddenly, she bit her lip and paused before her cries intensified. "In addition to not spending the Cherry Blossom Festival with my clan, my birthday is coming up in a few days…Tsunade-sama had promised to take me out for my eighteenth birthday for my first sake…but…but now…"
"Wait, Sakura-chan…" Shisui placed one hand on her shoulder and fished for something within his dark navy robes with the other. "You should've told us your birthday was coming up. Well, I guess you can consider this an early birthday present then."
He unfurled her fingers and placed a kunai within the palm of her hand. She accepted the gift and curiously inspected the kunai. Although it appeared to be just a regular kunai at first glance, she noticed a strange ink-like marking etched into the handle of the small weapon. Otherwise, she didn't note anything exceptional about the weapon that had been gifted to her.
"A kunai?" She cocked a single brow suspiciously although she did not seek to offend the Uchiha for his offering. She beamed at Shisui, hoping to mask any sign of ungratefulness from gracing her face. "Thank you."
"Keep it hidden on you at all times and don't ever leave it behind. I assure you, it will save your life." He beamed back at her, returning her gratitude.
Save her life? Sakura scrutinized the weapon more closely, bemused by Shisui's cryptic statement. While it was certainly endearing for the Uchiha to be concerned with her safety, she wasn't exactly certain as to how the kunai would protect her against the Uchiha's visual prowess. Shisui's words about keeping it on her at all times convinced her that, perhaps, there was some special function to the kunai he wasn't disclosing. Sakura searched for a place to conceal the kunai within her robes but to no avail. The slave robes seemed to have been specifically designed to prevent them from concealing anything within them. Itachi handed her a roll of bandaging, which she used to secure the kunai to her upper thigh. Unsure if she would be concealing the weapon indefinitely, the upper thigh the most comfortable area to stow it for now.
Bidding the Uchiha her farewell, she headed off for her noon shift at the infirmary.
Once the Haruno was out the door, Itachi turned to Shisui. "I will send off a crow after we hide one on Rin and one in the slave quarters."
Shisui nodded in agreement with the plan and smirked confidently. "He won't suspect a thing."
Sakura rushed towards the infirmary as she had been—yet again—late.
"Hey!" she heard a masculine voice call for her.
Sakura paled considerably as Naka hampered her pathway. She halted immediately, skidding slightly on her heels. Sasuke watched from the distance as he spotted Naka approaching the Haruno with a stern look on his face.
"You seem to be in a hurry," Naka said flatly. He suddenly lifted something in his hands that had been wrapped in a brightly colored cloth.
"Huh?" Sakura took a step back as he lifted the object before her.
"Naori made lunch for you and Rin." Naka suddenly cast away the sternness in his face and smiled amiably. "I appreciate what you did last night. If it weren't for you, Oka wouldn't be alive. I don't know what our clan would do without you."
"Thank you..." Sakura smiled modestly and accepted his offering.
Although he observed the interaction from afar, Sasuke could easily discern the pain masked behind the girl's smile. He knew the girl sought nothing more than her freedom, but was trapped within the confines of the clan—and it wasn't just the clan's tight scrutiny, or the seal, or even the threat of retaliation confining her.
As the girl and Naka parted ways, Sasuke resumed his course towards the training grounds. Madara impatiently awaited his apprentice and visibly conveyed his annoyance with his tardiness. He tossed Sasuke a blade and armed himself with one as well.
Sasuke caught the blade and activated his Sharingan, primed to read his mentor's movements. Soon after, Sasuke found himself exchanging blows with the leader of the clan. Madara easily parried the boy's strikes, countering quickly with his own. To his dismay, his apprentice seemed sluggish and preoccupied as the accuracy of his strikes began to dwindle with each passing moment.
"Focus, Sasuke!" Madara nearly disarmed the young Uchiha with a particularly merciless strike.
Sasuke leapt backward, adding distance between them in an attempt to recover his balance and shake off the numbness that had gripped his hand after fending off Madara's vigorous attack.
"Tell me, what's on your mind?" Madara asked firmly, permitting the younger Uchiha a moment to catch his breath.
Sasuke kept his eyes trained on Madara, reluctant to drop his guard in spite of the brief respite. Despite his efforts to remain blunt, his voice was teeming with anger. "The Cherry Blossom Festival is tomorrow. The Uzumaki will be visiting…"
Madara furrowed his brow suspiciously. His voice ascended in a manner Sasuke clearly knew was his way of expressing condescension. "Why the anger? Are you not happy to see your fiancé?"
"I can't go through with it…"
"Hm?" Madara hummed contemptuously. "You didn't seem to hold any objections to the engagement before. What has changed?"
Sasuke failed to respond as he searched for a tactful way to address his disapproval of the engagement. He absolutely could not reveal any hints as to the identity of the woman who had plagued his thoughts ever since their trip to Akagane. Although he had fought fervidly to eradicate the girl from his mind, it seemed he couldn't avoid her no matter where he went. She always seemed to pass him on her way to the infirmary and he would hear his comrades mention her in passing conversation.
"Well? Tell me," Madara pressed him again.
"I'm interested in another woman," he said before slipping in a smooth lie. "A woman within our clan."
"Interested in another woman? Well that's a shame. It's too late to do anything about it now."
Like a flash of lightning, the young Uchiha lunged for his mentor, clashing his sword with his. "Call off the engagement! I'm not going through with it!"
Engaging in a shoving match, Madara stepped closer, granting himself leverage over the boy. Sasuke shuddered as he felt the cold, sharp tip of Madara's blade prick the thin skin of his throat. Madara's voice descended icily, sending a shiver down the typically stoic boy's spine. "That's not for you to decide."
The Uchiha Lord flung the boy away as if flicking a pesky fly off his skin. Sasuke grunted painfully as he collided with the ground and quickly hoisted himself to a seated position. His mind immediately wandered to the moment he had invaded the Haruno village and threatened to slash the throat of a magenta haired man who dared protest their demands.
"Sakura-sama will never help your clan!"
"That isn't for you or her to decide."
Sasuke sat on the ground, glaring spitefully at the man he had staunchly served and respected. It was finally clear to him. The engagement was nothing more than a power trip to Madara—a means of governing his life so that he would always remain inferior to him. By forcing him to spend the rest of his life with a woman he did not love, he would remain trapped, forever condemned to a level of inferiority…just like the Haruno.
"Just try not to embarrass yourself tomorrow." Madara tossed his blade into the grass before Sasuke. "And one more thing. Send the Haruno to me after her shift is over tonight. She's needed for questioning."
The Uchiha Lord said nothing more before turning away and walking off, missing the venomous sneer from Sasuke.
As the sun began to descend behind the horizon, marking the onset of dusk, Sasuke dutifully followed his orders and set out to retrieve the Haruno woman after the group of healers set off towards the slave quarters for the night. He plucked the Haruno away from the line of slaves and seized her by the wrist.
"You're needed for questioning," he said forebodingly, inciting the girl's green eyes to widen in fear.
He wasn't exactly sure why Madara sought to interrogate her now. He hadn't heard of the girl acting notably defiant recently or behaving in such a way that would necessitate Madara's involvement. Although he hadn't heard or seen anything, it didn't mean she wasn't in some kind of trouble with the clan. If she was being questioned by Madara personally, he knew he would use the harshest means of interrogating the girl that could easily elicit her death…He had promised to help the girl in any way possible and he knew that delivering her to Madara would break that vow. As he contemplated the consequences of bringing the girl directly to him, he decided it best to take a slight detour.
Sakura's heart fluttered within her chest as they drew closer to the path she recognized as Madara's house. What had she done to demand questioning? Did he suspect anything regarding her involvement with Itachi? Tears began to form in her eyes as she couldn't fathom the magnitude of torture she knew the Uchiha Lord would inflict upon her if she did not provide him with the answers he desired.
Suddenly, Sasuke diverted from the path towards Madara's house and led her towards the forest. Anxiety filled her as she followed him through the forest, fearful of what was to come next. The frigid night air nipped her windpipe as they began to ascend the hillside of the forest. When they finally reached the summit of the hillside overlooking the Uchiha territory, Sakura took a moment to gape in awe at the stunning view. The light of the full moon had been cast down upon the Uchiha territory as if swathing the lands like a protective deity.
Sasuke sat against a large protruding rock while she took the time to marvel at the spectacular view from the hillside. After she lost interest in the view, she turned her attention to the silent Uchiha who hadn't uttered a word since first retrieving her.
"Is there a reason you brought me up here? Can I go back to the quarters now?" she demanded, folding her arms.
"Just shut up and enjoy the view," he said snappily, provoking a confused and indignant scowl from her.
Although the girl was unaware of it, the forest was the safest place for her at the moment. If Madara personally sought her, he would never find them since the surveillance in this area was largely lacking. He would have her wait until he deemed it enough time for Madara to have finally gone to bed. The Uchiha Lord had been incredibly busy with clan affairs throughout the day and he figured it wouldn't be long before he retired for the night to recover his energy for the next day. Tomorrow would be an even busier day and with the Uzumaki clan's visit, he would have no time to question the girl so she would continue to remain safe for that day as well.
Sasuke found it strange that he would wait until she was finished with her shift at the infirmary to interrogate her as he was undoubtedly not a patient man. Any questioning done by him was urgent matter that would not be allowed as to a single minute of waiting. If the subject matter behind the need for questioning was not dire, then wouldn't he have had the clan's trained interrogators deal with her instead?
As she folded her arms and tapped her foot articulating her blatant impatience with his silence, he fished for a believable excuse he could craft to explain the girl's absence if Madara did question him.
"Are you just going to sit there and ignore me? I'm going back," she groaned loudly and wheeled around towards the head of the trail they used to reach the summit.
Sasuke slid from his place on the rock and seized her by the arm, hindering her from walking any further. "Stay here."
She gasped sharply, startled by his forceful grip on her arm. "And is there a reason I should stay here?"
"Well, would you prefer to be interrogated or stay here?"
"Neither. What am I even being interrogated for?" She rolled her eyes and tugged listlessly at her captured arm.
He answered her bluntly, aggravating her irritation, "I can't answer that."
"Then let me go! I didn't get any sleep last night and I'm tired as hell!" she shouted and jerked her arm far more forcefully this time.
"Stop being so stubborn." His hold would not relent despite her attempts to shake him loose.
She spun her arm in a circle and snapped it back, brutishly hoping to disengage the Uchiha's hold at once. When that attempt was for naught, she curled her free hand in a fist swiftly and loaded it with chakra. Before she could knead chakra into her fist, she found herself flush with the Uchiha's chest, his lips pressed firmly against hers.
Her eyes shot wide open as he grasped the side her face and clutched a handful of her hair. He released her arm instead resting his hand on the curve of her hip. Although the initiation had been forceful, his body softened causing her to melt into him and her clenched fingers to fall slack. He tilted her head slightly, allowing his lips to gain more leverage over hers, albeit softly.
Why? she asked herself as her eyelids closed slightly. Though he had unexpectedly taken her first kiss, her intuition urged her not to fight back.
But why? Despite his harsh words and ambiguous motives, why did he kiss her so tenderly?
He continued to kiss the bewildered girl passionately as the tension slowly ebbed from her tiny body. Although he was taken aback by his own impulsiveness, he was too consumed by the myriad of feelings inundating him to address it. Connecting with her mouth felt like the rush, the freedom of sprinting down a hill with the wind blowing against his face. The surge of adrenaline merely fueling the heat of the kiss, not knowing when it would ever end.
It wasn't like him to revel in sentimental things like this and perhaps it wasn't just the carnal side of him seeking to explore a woman's body. All his life he had lived in the shadows of his brother—his father consistently making remarks of Itachi being the prodigy, the exemplar of the clan. When he thought he had stepped out of Itachi's shadow, he became Madara's apprentice. His father's pride and joy was the prospect of him one day filling Madara's shoes, of being just like Madara. He was never good enough on his own merits. His life was not his own but whatever Madara willed it to be. To him, he was no different than the empty-eyed slaves who toiled like oxen around the compound.
Although she was shackled to whims of his clan, Sakura was his freedom, even if she wasn't aware of it. She was not just a peasant, or slave, or healer but living proof that he could know the freedom of choosing his own path. By pursuing her, he would be pursuing everything that would be borne as a consequence of his feelings for her and yet it did not deter him. He would finally be stepping out of Madara's shadow once and for all.
When his lips separated from hers, she backed away, eyes widened with outright shock and confusion. Her voice was fragile. "…Why?"
She was unable to hear his barely murmured words as his dark eyes dodged hers. "I just wanted to know…"
Sakura decided, with utmost conviction, that the Uchiha were bizarre creatures. The whole lot of them. Why wouldn't anyone be direct with her? Why were they shrouded with such secrecy and incongruity?
Sasuke wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed by, but he reckoned Madara had likely gone to bed by now. He gestured for Sakura to follow him and headed towards the head of the trail. As they descended the steep hillside, Sasuke stiffened in alarm and shoved her into the obscurity of the bushes. Sakura held her tongue from cursing aloud as the sharp nettles pricked her skin and clung to the coarse fabric of her robe.
He could've at least warned her before shoving her aside so carelessly!
"What are you doing here?" It was Obito's voice.
The Uchiha Lord's current apprentice and the Uchiha Lord's former apprentice silently exchanged glares for a moment before breaking their belligerent silence.
Sasuke folded his arms, clearly peeved by Obito's accusatory tone. "I'm on patrol."
"What? This is my spot…to patrol!" Obito objected vehemently.
"I was given orders to monitor this site. Patrol someplace else!"
Madara glanced at the clock and then to his front door for the third time that minute. It was already half past midnight and Sasuke had yet to deliver Sakura to him as commanded. Maybe the boy had forgotten his order and already gone to sleep?
No, Madara told himself firmly. Sasuke is not one to forget orders and he had been acting distinctly defiant earlier that day. He found himself trembling with unbridled fury as it was well beyond the end of her shift and there was still no sign of the girl.
Perhaps, she had somehow managed to defy his order?
Either way, he was convinced her absence was the result of foul play either on Sasuke's part or her part. And, he hoped with a burning passion that it was not the former.
A/N: Next episode on Uchiha Makeout Point…
I guess I'll take the time to answer a few questions…
Purple pooh bear- Yes, there will be a main pairing. You'll just have to keep reading to find out which one.
Peanut-Alien-Ninja-Girl- I thought I already given background on Sakura's tutelage with Tsunade? Well if not, I hope this chapter clears that up a bit. Also, there is a narrow window of time in which an apparent stillborn can be resuscitated. However, in reality it is usually not very successful. At least not without complications.
MrPotatoChips- Is this still sausage? I dunno I think it might be salami.
Again thanks for reading and thanks yet again for the awesome reviews!