Chapter 13
November
The next day, November 1st, Deidara texted Itachi with photos of Sakura from the night before.
"Her contact info, please? Just to model for the gallery." - D
"Is this bribery?" Itachi texted him back.
"Does it help?" - D
"I'll pass her your info." - I
"Thanks, man, yeah!" - D
Itachi smirked and set the phone aside. He still hadn't gone to bed yet, and his room was littered with sketches of Sakura.
"New Years," he repeated to himself. A mantra. "New Years."
"Hm?"
The envelopes tipped and fell out of Sakura's locker like a paper avalanche, and she sighed as they piled around her feet.
Her nose twitched. Ugh. There had been a funky smell in the hallway for a while, and it always seemed to get worse when she opened her locker.
And who kept shoving these stupid envelopes in there?
She collected a few and stuffed the rest back into her locker. Then she headed towards the administration building.
"Excuse me," she said as she approached one of the office administrators behind the room-long desk that separated students from staff. "I have a question about my locker."
"Sure; which building is it in?"
"Modern Languages and Literature."
The admin nodded. "In the lower level?"
Sakura smiled. "Yes, the basement. Someone keeps putting these envelopes in my locker, but I think they have the wrong one. Do you mind if I leave these here with you? Or, may I ask you to contact the person who had the locker before me? Maybe one of their friends is leaving these for them."
"Hold on a moment."
Sakura nodded as the woman opened a program up on her computer.
"May I ask your name, student number, date of birth, and the locker number?"
Sakura provided them and leaned against the counter, nudging the envelopes away.
Ugh. She wrinkled her nose and moved them away a little further. The nasty smell had even sunk into the paper of the envelopes.
"I don't see that anyone has actually used that locker in the last three or so years; or that there's anyone in the lockers on either side of yours," said the woman apologetically. She shrugged a shoulder at Sakura. "If you're concerned, you can certainly report this to campus police. Or you can just go the easy route and throw them out," she said with a wink. "That way no one's the wiser and you don't need to do anything else."
But if they were important, she didn't know if she could stomach the knowledge she'd damaged someone's work. Sakura's brow wrinkled.
"Okay, thank you," she said, collecting the envelopes again. "I really appreciate you checking."
"Anytime, dear. We're here to help," said the woman with a smile. "Candy?"
"No thank you," smiled Sakura, shaking her head. "The smell from these things kind of turns my stomach." She held up the envelopes.
The admin's mouth turned down as her nose twisted, "Hm, you weren't kidding. It's like something died in there."
"I know, right?"
Sakura returned to her locker and collected the packages together, before piling as many of them as would fit in the bottom of her locker. At least they wouldn't get in her way as much, there.
She had just turned to her mirror on the locker door when she heard Ino calling for her from the stairwell.
"Forehead? Hey, you down here? I thought we were meeting at the library, but some guy said he thought he saw you head downstairs."
A flash of adrenaline shot through Sakura. She couldn't let Ino know about the locker!
As quickly and quietly as she could, she shoved the rest of the envelopes in and snapped the door shut before grabbing her bag and jogging to meet Ino.
"Over here! I thought I saw you come down here earlier; that's so funny."
"There you are! So, did you get any sleep last night, or were you on auto-fantasy-dream-pilot? Because I swear, the look on your face last night at Akatsuki, after Itachi…"
Ino babbled on excitedly, teasing Sakura the entire way to the library. Sakura listened with half an ear, smiling and rolling her eyes. But she was distracted. She was almost sure she'd somehow lost another photo that had been up on her locker door. The floor in front of her locker was clean, though, and it hadn't been stuck on the bottom shelf, or swept into a corner in the corridor.
Hmm. She would need to use extra tape next time.
Yoroi looked in on Sasuke through his open office door. His new employee worked like a man possessed. Perhaps he was.
He kept looking at the schedule he'd drafted, up on his monitor, then at some papers on his desk. Finally, he packed up his things and made his way to the door. Yoroi nodded to him as Sasuke looked up.
"Going well?"
"Yes, sir. I'm on my way to another client meeting. They were very impressed with the last clinical results, and they agreed to the increase in cost when I explained the cost-benefit savings we'd implement to save them more in the long run," said Sasuke. He looked up at Yoroi another minute, and the supervisor nodded and stepped back out of his way.
"Good work, Uchiha."
Sasuke nodded and headed to the elevator.
Yoroi watched him go. The young man was doing well. It wouldn't be remiss to pass along another project or two, he decided. The Uchiha seemed the type to thrive under duress.
Dropping his bag on the desk in his bedroom, Sasuke dropped onto his bed with a low groan. It was ten thirty, and he was too tired to cook supper. He rubbed at his itchy, dry eyes, and slipped out of his suit jacket, kicked off his socks, and dropped back onto his comforter.
His mind kept working and running at a mile a minute, but he couldn't focus on any part on any piece long enough to catch it and focus on it.
He loosened the buttons on his cuffs and at his throat, and gave up after that.
After half an hour or so, he drifted off into a troubled sleep, waking several times through the night.
By five in the morning, he gave up on sleep and with a stifled sigh, he dragged himself up, changed into his gym clothes, and packed a fresh suit into a hanging-coat-hanger-bag. The sticky note he'd left for himself on the suit reminded him he had to collect his dry cleaning that day, since this was his last clean one. He'd forgotten or been too busy the last three days to nip by. Well, more like he'd been too late to make it to the cleaners to collect them before they closed. Hn.
Remembering he also had to get groceries that day, Sasuke didn't bother opening his fridge. It would be empty. He'd have to get something on his way to the office. It also meant he'd have to go out at lunch to get something to eat. Though he had several meetings back-to-back through the usual lunch hour, so perhaps he'd just skip and grab supper on his way home… while he got his dry cleaning…
His thoughts already running and chasing each other through his mind, Sasuke rubbed at his eyes to ease his headache. It had been constant over the last few days. Maybe weeks. Hn.
He knocked his bottle of acetaminophen into his bag, then left, locking the door behind him.
"Good job, Uchiha. By the way, we got some positive feedback on your recent negotiations with the client issues over in the Accounting department… Keep it up."
Sasuke focused on Yoroi and nodded at him, noting the new folder the man dropped in his inbox.
Another one.
He felt his shoulders strain as he reached out to collect it.
Why was he so tired?
He had to eat better. Drink more water. That was it, probably. Dehydration. Maybe he'd take a day this weekend and cook a few meals and freeze them, so he'd be able to eat better during the week. His mom had done that, when they'd been growing up. She'd even done it for Itachi, when he first left for university and moved out on his own.
Bitterness filled his mouth as he refused to pursue the thought any further, for now. He'd e-mail his mother for some recipes that night.
He looked over his new project, already estimating the time commitments he'd need to budget.
Instead of waiting for that night, he instead texted his mother from the office, lips pressed tightly together. And asked for a grocery list. He rubbed at his eyes again, and with a sigh, reached for the bottle of acetaminophen he kept in his desk drawer. There was a grocery chain that delivered, from what he remembered. He'd set up an account with them. He should have done it ages ago.
Damn headache.
"Hn?"
"Sasuke?"
"Hn?"
"Hey, you okay? You don't sound so good," said Naruto, quieting his voice.
"Headache. Been busy," said Sasuke, leaning back on his bed, eyes closed even with all the lights extinguished in his room.
"You don't get headaches, though. You're, like, bionic," admitted Naruto, laughing a little. He turned his music down so it wouldn't filter through the call. He could barely hear Sasuke as it was. "Oh, hey, it's not like Itachi's headaches, is it? He had to see doctors about his, right?"
Sasuke sighed. Christ. They better not be late-onset migraines. Itachi's registered on the Richter scale. "Don't think so. Just really busy."
"Oh. Okay. If you say so." Naruto went quiet. "Should I let you get back to work? Or are you eating supper?"
"Hn. Too tired to make supper tonight." Damn. He still hadn't had a chance to cook up those meals. He had to do it soon before his groceries went bad. Maybe he should order something to be delivered in the meantime. He winced as he started to sit up and the pressure in his skull blew up.
On his side of the call, Naruto made concerned noises in his throat. "Are you sure you're okay? Because you really sound worn—"
"It's fine! Geez, fuck off, Naruto," snapped Sasuke, as his headache spiked. He clamped a hand over his eyes, trying to block out every shred of light that dared assault his retinas.
Breathing hard, Sasuke clenched his teeth.
"... I'll let you get some rest, man. Later," said Naruto quietly, hanging up without waiting for Sasuke's reply.
Swallowing down bile, Sasuke ended the call from his side, then flipped it over and pulled out the battery, dropping it beside him on the bed.
Panting, Sasuke clenched his eyes shut and counted to ten.
Then counted to ten again.
Then counted to ten again, and pulled out a pillow to cover his head.
Frowning, Sakura's nose wrinkled. She turned her head away as she opened her locker door, and breathed through her mouth, low and even, to counter the bile reflex that had jagged to attention.
Stupid envelopes. She was quite sure the smell was coming from them, now.
With a tightly held breath she grabbed what she needed and shut the door quickly, making a mental note to bring disinfecting wipes with her to clean her locker out soon.
The professor handed out the rest of the assignments, pausing at the one in his hand. His brow furrowed as he scanned the room.
"Uchiha, Tobi?"
It took a second, then a black-haired young man stood and reached out to the professor.
"Sorry; for some reason I remembered you as having short brown hair, not long dark hair. My old memory is playing tricks on me," apologized the teacher, handing over the graded assignment.
The tall young man shook his head, offering a polite smile. "It has happened a few times in my classes."
The professor nodded. "I'll remember next time. I must have mixed you up with someone else, at the beginning of the term. Normally I'm quite good at remembering my students' names and faces. Well done on your assignment, by the way!"
"It's an honest mistake, no harm," said Madara, re-taking his—Tobi's—seat. "Thank you."
Yoroi knocked on the door to Sasuke's office, and walked in, not waiting for an invitation.
"Uchiha. Sasuke," he said, leaning forward and holding Sasuke's irritated gaze. Sasuke immediately straightened up.
"Sir."
"Just wanted to let you know, before you heard it through rumours. Kimimaro finished his work last night, and passed away in his sleep." He set a wrapped box on Sasuke's desk. "He left this for you."
Sasuke stared at it, even as bile rose in his throat. It was far too soon for such a recurrence.
"Open it," ordered Yoroi.
Tape, then plain brown paper wrapping tore away to reveal…
"A kaiju action figure?"
"Hn."
From 'Pacific Rim', going by the packaging. "It shoots lightning," said Sasuke, reading the side of the box. "In the movie."
"Heh. Didn't know you were a fan," said Yoroi. "You and Kimimaro talk about monster movies a lot?"
"Something like that," said Sasuke, wrapping the figure back up and setting it under his desk.
"You aren't going to leave it out? A memento?"
"Hn," said Sasuke, to the negative.
"Well, don't let me get in the way of your grieving," snickered Yoroi, standing once more. "Everything still on track for those assignments?"
"Ah. Ahead of schedule for most."
Yoroi gave him a pleased smile. "Good job, Uchiha."
Sasuke nodded, turning back to his work again. His hands shook.
Kimimaro was dead.
"How do we have finals coming in a few weeks? We just finished mid-terms!"
"Ino—"
"And with assignments and papers and club nights and grocery shopping, how do they expect us to be prepared?"
"Ino—"
"And the worst, absolute worst part about this? I'm going to break out right before Christmas."
"Ino—"
"Yes?"
"Finals are a month away. In two of your classes, if your mark is above 80 %, the final exam is optional. That leaves you with three classes to study for for finals. At least two of those have sections large enough to warrant multiple-choice tests, which you are freakishly good at—"
Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Ino smiled. "Why thank you—"
"Which leaves you with one exam, that really isn't a hardship because you have a strange and disturbing affinity for Criminology and could probably recite the textbook while blindfolded in a state of sheer excitement."
"Excited about the subject matter or excited about the blindfold?"
Sakura tried to frown at Ino, but failed and burst out laughing when Ino winked back at her. "Ugh. Ino, you're going to be fine. Now are you going to help me with filling in these forms?"
"Fine," sighed Ino lustily. "The Students For Society office needs a few new air fresheners."
"Focus, Ino. Type the info from the PDF into the donor database, and then produce the thank-you mailer. That's what we're helping with, today."
"I was expecting hotter surroundings, doing goody-goody work, Sakura."
Clenching her teeth and taking a calming breath, Sakura looked at Ino's pout and ground out, "I promise… we'll…" Oh gods, was it really worth it? Focus, girl, you need the help. "I'll bring you to Akatsuki with me tomorrow night. Some of my sempai invited me along to join them."
Ino's dawning smile had a feral edge that made shivers creep down Sakura's smile. "Will Itachi be there? Please say yes. Do I get to choose your outfit?"
Sakura felt her cheeks warm and clenched her teeth. She knew she'd live to regret confessing what Itachi told her during that dance to Ino. "No."
"Shooooooooes?"
"... maybe—"
"Look at my done pile!"
Sakura's eyes bugged out of her head.
"You played me," she seethed.
"Moi?" Ino twirled a lock of hair around her pinky, smiling a Cheshire grin.
"Bitch."
"Ho! Ho! Ho!"
Behind them a deep sigh and a smothered laugh emanated from one of the other poorly constructed, decrepit, scuff-marked gray cubicles.
The girls' brows shot up, and Sakura's cheeks flooded to the tips of her ears. She knew that voice. Oh no, could she please just disappear through the floor, right this second? She was sure she could figure out how to tunnel through linoleum with her nail file.
But it seemed Ino didn't recognize that sintastic voice. And in true Ino fashion, she decided the best way to appraise the situation was to see what happened when she tossed a gallon of 87 octane on it.
Never one to back down, Ino stood and marched to the back of the room. "You got a proble—… Oh, uh. Hi, Professor Uchiha."
Sakura wanted to die. She was beyond mortified.
"Hello, Ino. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Hi Ino!"
"Shut up, Naruto! What are you doing—never mind, I'm talking to, Professor Uchiha… And absolutely, sir. How've you been?"
The deep, rumbling chuckle stirred in Sakura, and she pressed her lips and eyes shut. New Years. She bit her lip and tried to take a deep breath. Already she could feel her stomach tightening at the sound of his voice.
"So, need any help with those? I'm pretty good with a keyboard," flirted Ino as she leaned against the cubicle.
—which promptly collapsed beneath her.
White with embarrassment and fury, Ino turned on a howling Naruto. "You insufferable little sh—"
A not-so-subtle cough got the blond girl's attention and she whirled on Itachi before smoothing her hands down her shirt and pasting on a false smile. "Yes?"
"I don't think Naruto had anything to do with it. These cubicles were installed circa 1982, if rumours are to be believed," said Itachi. The corners of his mouth kept twitching, though, and as Sakura glanced over the top of her cubicle she could see Ino's fists shaking at her sides.
With a sigh, Sakura finished up her last letter and grabbed her pile and Ino's, placing them on the organizer's desk for the mailing crew.
"Hi," she blushed, biting her lip as she met Itachi's gaze. "Sorry to bother you, we'll be on our way," rushed Sakura as she grabbed Ino's elbow in an iron death grip.
"Sakura, hey! I need to talk to you about…" Naruto glanced at Itachi, and his brow furrowed.
"Hi Naruto! I'll see you again later this week, okay?" She ignored his pleading eyes and ducked her head as she dragged Ino away before the girl flirted herself into a sexual harassment-based suspension. "Cease and desist or I will burn you with a straightening iron tomorrow," hissed Sakura at Ino. "Later, Naruto! I'll call you!"
"Goodbye, Sakura, Ino," said Itachi, and gods, did his voice need to sound that delicious when he was obviously laughing at them?
"Bye!"
"See you in class," he added.
"You bet!" Ino winked.
Sakura flushed deeper. "Bye," she repeated, stumbling over the syllable.
"Does he often work with S4S?" asked Ino, trying to crane her neck around to see Itachi as Sakura hauled her away. She also caught the way Naruto's shoulder slumped as he lowered his hand. Hmm. She mentally bookmarked it for follow-up.
Sakura sighed. "I was told he was taking the term off, mostly, to focus on his teaching. I guess he came in anyway."
"Lucky us~!"
Groaning, Sakura dropped Ino's arm to put on her jacket. "So, I know I'm going to regret this, but you did hold up your end of the bargain. Let's go," Sakura mentally braced herself, "check out your shoe collection."
Ino's squeal was heard clear across the quad.
Kakashi looked down at Sasuke, sitting hunched over on the stoop outside his shop.
"Oy. Did you get lost?"
He leaned down, crouching, and poked at Sasuke with the corner of his book. "Sasuke?"
Sasuke, his head between his knees, shook finely as if he were cold. He still wore his expensive work clothes, however, and normally ran fairly hot, from what Kakashi remembered.
"Kid?"
"Dead."
"Huh?" Kakashi leaned closer, and Sasuke turned to look at him.
"He's dead. I killed him."
Kakashi blinked. Then blew a his arms around Sasuke's middle, he heaved him to his feet.
"You're a horrible person, making an old man like me carry you around with my poor, aching back," grumbled Kakashi good-naturedly.
As he shuffled Sasuke into his shop, he flipped the sign on the door so it read, 'Closed', and turned off the outer lights.
For the first time in weeks, Itachi reached for the small, unmarked plastic container in his medicine cabinet. It was strictly work-stress, he told himself.
"The fuck, Itachi! You're my brother! Why the Hell are you drawing my girlfriend naked?"
It had nothing to do with his brother still refusing to answer his calls.
"Do you think no one noticed the way you look at her? Bend over backwards for her? Make her whatever she wants to eat when she visits?"
Or to do with the flashbacks from that summer. The flashbacks not from being shot, not from the violence exchanged between them and Madara, but rather the flashbacks from his fight with Sasuke, his baby brother, his own flesh and blood.
"Drive her anywhere she needs to be? Are always able to chaperon when she's here, but if she isn't, then I need to go to Naruto's for the night? Huh?"
It had nothing to do with the fact that he'd come across a picture Sasuke had coloured for him and made him promise to keep it forever, tucked into the pages of one of his old middle school sketchbooks. Back in the days when he drew cars and landscapes and kung fu poses, when Sasuke had been in kindergarten and happily brought home construction paper masterpieces that all read, 'I love you, Itachi' in various spelling incarnations of his name. Their mother had a scrapbook of them, no doubt.
"Why is it okay for her to go through your room, your personal things for items from the scavenger hunt, but no one else can find you to even ask you questions?"
He swallowed not one, but two Mangekyou, dry. His head was ready to split open.
"Even Kisame's kids know!" had screamed Sasuke, fists and teeth clenched as he pummelled Itachi in their living room.
"You're sick! I hate you!"
Itachi's vision blurred worse and he stumbled to his bed, still clutching the treasured picture Sasuke had made him more than a decade ago. Slightly crumpled now, the picture's once sharp, now frayed, edges caught on his phone's charging cable, tearing further.
"You can have anyone, anything! You're so perfect you get anything you want! But you can't have her, never! She's mine! She loves me! She doesn't need you, but I need her! She's mine!"
He couldn't seem to grasp his bedsheets, and gave up on pulling them up to keep warm. With a muffled grunt his grip on the paper slipped and it sailed down, down, down to slide beneath the bed.
"'m sorry, Sasuke," he muttered, his face pressed into the pillows, his brow furrowed painfully deep.
With that he fell asleep into troubled, confusing dreams, his mobile phone beside him on the bed. Its last message was still glowing.
From: Kakashi.
To: Itachi.
Msg: Something is wrong. Sasuke's changed, not acting right. Recently showing concerning behaviour. Signs of emotional trauma / PTSD. Need to snap him out of it, too dangerous to leave him alone. Please advise.
The tide's ebb and flow, the waves crashing softly nearby, echoed around him. Sasuke looked down at her smiling face and felt something inside him warm and swell to bursting. She was so focused on him, her eyes bright and shining, her arms reaching up to catch behind his neck and pull him down beside her on the sandy beach towel.
"Come down here," she grumbled playfully.
He felt himself smiling without thinking, and lowered himself down, sliding an arm beneath her shoulders to scoop her up and deposit her head on his shoulder.
Much better, he thought, smug. Now he could feel her strong, curved body cuddled up to his, feel her heartbeat against his chest, and smell her inherent scent, shampoo, deodorant, perfume, he didn't know or care, it just made her her, with every breath.
The sound of the surf beat against the beach, and the shore breeze brought with it the tang of salt from the sea. It ruffled the ridiculous yellow frill on the beach umbrella that sheltered them from the worst of the sun.
Fully relaxed, he breathed her in and held it inside him, held her inside him, for a moment, purely content, before he released his breath and blew out again.
This was as close to paradise as he could ever find, he decided, breathing her in once more.
He never wanted it to end.
When Sasuke's alarm went off the next morning, he shot awake in his bed, arms flailing, completely disoriented.
Where was the beach?
Where was….
He looked down at his hand to find the culprit. With a sigh his brow furrowed, before he fell back onto his elbows, then dropped down to his pillow again.
Sakura's beach pullover, now adorned with more wrinkles, was clutched tight in his fist. Last night before bed he must have pulled out one of Sakura's shirts that he'd saved from their beach trip over the summer, and obviously… been cuddling with it, he realised with no little embarrassment. Ugh. It sounded like something Naruto would do. (Though Naruto would have no doubt begged for the cast-off clothing, rather than… hn… forgetting to return it, like Sasuke had done. And packed it, along with several other items, into his 'going away' luggage.)
Still.
His fingers rubbed the soft, filmy material between his fingertips. That had been the best sleep he'd had in weeks. Maybe even since the summer.
Sasuke sighed.
He had really needed it.
Closing his eyes once more and giving in to the urge, he covered his face with Sakura's shirt and breathed deeply.
He had some fixing to do. Crap. He was a mess.
Quelling the anxiety that had niggled free inside him, he embraced the serenity he finally felt and lifted his phone to check the time. Then flung his blankets aside, leaping from his bed.
"Fuck!"
He'd slept through all his morning alarms. It was ten thirty and he had a client meeting in half an hour across town.
"Where's the fucking cab directory," he muttered, grabbing at his closet for a clean shirt.
Then he stopped dead in his tracks and looked around.
...How had he gotten home?
Sasuke was racing out of his bedroom to his front door when out of the corner of his eye he saw movement.
"The Hell!" He yelled, skidding to a halt.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," said Kakashi with a pleased eye crease. "You look much better."
"What are you doing in my house!"
Kakashi lifted his book. "Reading."
"No, I mean…" Sasuke ripped a hand through his hair. "Never mind." He grabbed the front door once more, his eyes flicking over to Kakashi. "Are you still going to be here when I get back?"
"Mah, mah, who knows?" He said, turning back to his book. "Do you need me to wash your blankie?" He asked, as Sasuke huffed and slid on his shoes. "I admit, I hadn't pegged you for the type, but…"
Struggling to figure out what Kakashi meant, Sasuke paused. "Blan… " Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Stay out of my room."
"Hai, hai," said Kakashi, waving him off. "Your cab is waiting."
With another muttered curse, Sasuke raced out the door.
Itachi set his phone down and rubbed at his face.
It took him a moment to notice the soft knocking on his door.
"Come in," he called, straightening. His brows jumped up before he schooled his expression.
"You busy?" Sakura asked, stepping through. He could tell immediately at what moment she got a clearer look at him. Her flushed, glowing face fell as concern filled her eyes. "What happened?"
She looked at the door beside her, and pulled it close, but not shut.
"Nothing," he said. "Please… leave the door open," he said, reluctantly. It protected both of them.
"You don't look okay," said Sakura quietly, drawing a chair up close to his desk. "Is your family all right?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. So much passed between them in that quiet moment before she instinctively leaned closer.
He nodded. "Everything is fine."
She arched a brow at him. "Uh huh." She smirked. "You forget, I'm fluent in Uchiha."
She reached for his arm, and flinched when he withdrew it from her reach. He looked at the door meaningfully; with a small sigh she leaned back.
"I came to drop off my assignment with you for Communications. The Professor wasn't in her office, and the secretary pointed me to you." She set it on his desk, then stood and bowed to him. "Thank you for your time, sensei. Sorry to have bothered you."
"Haruno—Sakura—a…" He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. "You… Have you heard from Sasuke recently?"
Her lips pursing, Sakura shook her head. "No. We… haven't been in touch since he left, outside of one call." She looked at the floor . "When I was hurt," she explained, voice quiet and faintly awkward.
Silence, then Itachi nodded. "Thank you."
"Anytime."
She smiled softly and left, and he looked at this phone once more.
"Is she cute?" was the caption to the photo Kakashi had e-mailed him. "He uses it as a blankie."
"Stay out of his room," he texted Kakashi back.
"He slept like a baby with it, last night. I think he's doing much better." - Kakashi
"Why are you still at his house?" - Itachi
"Ah, I have no key with which to lock up." - Kakashi
"Since when have doors or locks been an impediment? Get out." - Itachi
"So rude. I'm trying to be supportive." - Kakashi
"You're trying to use my brother to lure in high school girls. Keep Sasuke out of your statutory fantasies." - Itachi
"You're so mean, Ita-kun." - Kakashi
"Moral. Imbued with a sense of integrity." - Itachi
"Well, that one's a bit questionable," pointed out Kisame, leaning over Itachi from behind him.
To Itachi's credit, he did not jump, in spite of how much Kisame's quiet tread still surprised him. "It's rude to read over someone's shoulder."
"Uh huh. Scroll up. Is he seriously trying to—"
Itachi snapped his phone cover shut. "You're here about the tournament?"
Kisame pouted at having his fun derailed. "Yep," he plunked down in the seat Sakura had vacated, then lifted his nose in the air. And looked knowingly at Itachi, hints of resignation and disappointment in his small, sharp eyes. And a whiff of curiosity.
Itachi glared at him. "The tourney, Kisame." He was not discussing Sakura's visit. He knew Kisame could smell, and remember, her perfume in the air, even if she had only been there for a few minutes.
But Kisame just nodded and offered the paperwork to Itachi. "I've filled out most of it, but thought you'd like a look. They bumped it ahead a week this time, the week after Valentine's Day. It's the first weekend of Spring Break this year, instead of the last.
"To give their members more time to recover," he added.
Itachi looked over the first few pages. "You want so many of the new recruits to join in? You nominated more than usual." His hands stilled as he came across a particular page. "No."
"Itachi, relax. She'd do well."
"No."
Kisame rolled back in his seat and tilted his head, watching Itachi. "Why not? She's in my section. I think she could do it." He smirked slightly. "I think she'd give them a run for their money, honestly."
"She's still recovering from her previous incident. No."
"That's rich, coming from you. And she'll be recovered by then."
"No."
"I'm sponsoring her nomination, Itachi. She's good. I think it'll boost her confidence, too."
"I said—"
"I said to you, that you needed to avoid her," broke in Kisame, his voice turning more serious. "For one term. I know you're not. I heard from Deidara what happened at the club. I can smell her in the air here. You're too close to be objective, Uchiha, when it comes to her." Kisame rested his hands behind his head, adopting a more relaxed, lenient pose. "Let go of her, just enough to let her spread her wings a bit. That's why you're giving her this time, right?" He held Itachi's eye. "Or have you changed your mind about giving her the time she needs to get back on her feet?"
Itachi looked back at Kisame, just as evenly.
Changing tactics, Kisame nodded at the papers. "Did you see who was sponsoring the tournament this year, and where?"
"... Oto Corp," read Itachi. "I thought it was Suna's turn to sponsor?"
Kisame nodded. "Exactly. Someone pulled some strings and made a rather large corporate donation to 'invite' themselves."
"But why?" murmured Itachi, looking at the paperwork more carefully, now.
"Why indeed," said Kisame, lowering his arms. "Fifty bucks says that they try to raise a corporate team and they pit you against your bro." His brow furrowed. "Or Sakura against him."
Itachi said nothing; his thoughts had already sped along that route, and back.
"The RSVP registration date is in December. We have a month," said Kisame.
Itachi nodded.
"Do you plan to participate?" asked Itachi.
Kisame shrugged as a feral smile spread across his face. "There may be an acquaintance or two I'd like to have a face to face discussion with." He quirked a brow at Itachi. "Unless you'd like to call first dibs."
Thinking back to his brother's situation, and how much he relied on Kakashi for his intel, Itachi remained expressionless. "We'll see."
He looked back up at Kisame. "Anything else?"
Kisame watched Itachi a moment, thoughtful. "What's going on inside that skull of yours?"
"The usual," said Itachi after a beat.
"Too much, then," said Kisame gruffly, standing. He heaved a sigh and inclined his head at the tournament registration package. "I've filled in most of it. Take a look, let me know what you think."
Nodding, Itachi gathered the papers together. "It isn't that I don't think she can do it."
Kisame paused at the door to look back at Itachi.
"It's more what others will do to her to get to me." His voice was quiet and even.
"When you two do sit down to talk to each other, maybe that's something you should address together. It affects her, too," said Kisame. "But she's stronger than you think, Uchiha."
"Why do you think I can't walk away?" said Itachi, his eyes conflicted.
With a low exhale, Itachi scattered the rest of the birdseed under the tree and stood, stretching his legs.
He hated it when Kisame was right. Especially about him and his personal business.
In a moment of weakness—and jealousy—, yes, he had… initiated something with Sakura at Akatsuki. But it was not damaging. It was harmless. It was casual. It was…
Shame flooded him. He was lying to himself. How often had he ever lied to himself? He prided himself on how well he knew his own mind, emotions, self. He respected Sakura too much to classify their encounter as casual. The fact it looked casual on the outside meant it wasn't harmless; it was anything but. The fact he had relaxed around someone, around Sakura, did make it all the more potentially damaging and dangerous. Especially in public.
On the surface, it was a conversation, a dance.
But anyone who knew him, truly knew him, would understand immediately the intimacy he'd engaged in. The weakness he'd exposed. The target he'd painted on her back in a moment of possessive jealousy.
He couldn't believe Kisame wanted to expand that target, increase the risk to Sakura, by proposing her candidacy for the tournament. Immediately he felt guilty, understanding Kisame was doing it for Sakura's own good; rather than what Itachi had done… which had been for his own. Like a dog marking its territory, he'd moved in on Sakura when he'd noted Deidara's attention on her. Sakura and Deidara had been friendly at the MA club since that night at Akatsuki, but neither had taken their relationship beyond friendship. For which he would never let Deidara know the depths of his gratitude.
No, thought Itachi, he himself was the one who was leaving himself, and Sakura, vulnerable. He had no one to blame but himself.
Just a little more than a month, he told himself. Then, with their roles as teacher and student released, then he could bring her closer, fight harder for her, protect her with everything he had.
Yes, he'd let a moment of weakness decide his actions, for one evening; it just meant that he would have to mind himself that much closer over the next five to six weeks.
Resolution reaffirmed, Itachi took a deep breath of the warm air as he climbed the stairs to his office on campus.
Shutting the door behind him, he was hanging up his coat on its hanger when his mobile phone rang.
His calm splintered when he read the caller-ID.
Uchiha, Fugaku. Private line.
His heart rate spiked and he grabbed for his desk.
When his father hung up, seventeen minutes later, Itachi dropped his phone on his desk and closed his eyes.
He wished he were a better man.
Circumstances wouldn't let him be, though.
It was worse that a small part of him was okay with that.
You disgust me, he thought to himself, of himself.
With that, he made a call to the campus police department.
Itachi slipped into the faculty meeting and took a seat near the back. He had already been briefed by his father, but as all classes for that time block had been spontaneously cancelled across campus, he took the opportunity to see if more news had been released.
Their faculty dean stood at the front, with several police officers to the side.
Everyone's expressions were serious, agitated.
The dean swallowed, and cleared her throat. "It is with great concern that I am, along with all professors across campus, instituting immediately new safety protocols across our departments. You have all heard rumblings and rumours about there being more drop-outs than usual this term. Especially our young women students." Another swallow.
She looked around the room and met everyone's eyes.
"It has been confirmed…"
That night Ino and Sakura glanced up at the television in Ino's dorm lounge as they passed by.
"Pretty packed in there today," said Sakura, glancing at everyone piled in front of the TV.
"Yeah, and quiet," said Ino, peeking around Sakura. Her eyes widened as she pushed past her and into the lounge. "Oh my god."
"What?"
"Shh!"
Ino waved off the person who'd hissed at her. Sakura took the opportunity to look at the screen and felt her mouth go dry.
The news anchor stood outside the university gates, floodlights bathing the area in overbright light.
"... the scene of what police have claimed could be a serial kidnapper operating around the university's campus. Few details have been released, but sources say the number of young women who've disappeared from their classes and homes, with no notice or clues, leaves them concerned that foul play could be involved. To repeat, at least thirteen women have been reported missing since September from Konoha University campus. There has been no progress on identifying a suspect, though all women were abducted on or around campus bars. The police are asking the public to be forthcoming with any witness accounts or reports of suspicious activity, and are recommending that women between the ages of eighteen and twenty one, of slim build with light eyes and pink or red hair to please exercise extreme caution when venturing out at night. Preferably, they would ask that you buddy up with at least two friends or colleagues, especially when conducting routine errands where your awareness may be more relaxed. We will have more on the developing story on our eleven o'clock broadcast…"
Ino grabbed Sakura's trembling hand, dragging her out of the room.
"Don't," said Ino fiercely, hauling Sakura behind her up the stairs.
"It's—"
"No," snapped Ino, digging out her keys and jamming them into her dorm room lock.
Sakura kept shaking her head, still trembling, as her eyes filled with horror and tears. Ino hustled her into her room and slammed the door shut.
"It's—"
"No!"
"It's him. It has to be him. Oh my god," gasped Sakura, her eyes going wider, "It's because of me! He's doing it because of me!" She burst into angry, frustrated, ugly tears, her fists shaking at her sides. "Oh my god, those poor girls. We thought he was being quiet and… and… maybe he'd levelled out. We thought that's why no one found him. But he's targeting girls who look like me. I can't stand this, Ino. Why is he doing this? What does he want?"
Ino wrapped her arms around Sakura and held her, squeezing her tight. "It's not about you. It's about him. Don't ever blame yourself for this. He did this, okay? Or, whoever it was did it. We don't know."
"It was him," said Sakura through her tears, utterly certain. "I know it was." After a moment she lifted her arms and wrapped them around Ino, holding her close. "How do I stop this, Ino?"
"He can't get to you, Sakura. And now more people know to be careful. No blaming yourself. I mean it. Promise me you're not going to do something stupid."
Sakura felt Ino petting her hair, calming her. "I don't know what to do."
"Have Itachi and Sasuke's parents been in contact with you? Or the police?"
Sakura shook her head. "Not recently."
Ino chuckled as she heard Sakura's phone ring. "Three guesses who that could be."
Slumping against her best friend, Sakura sighed. With heavy heart and arms she disentangled herself from Ino and flopped down on Ino's bed, dragging her bag (and phone) closer.
"Hey Naruto," she answered as Ino took a seat beside her, rubbing her back. Sakura smiled at her in thanks. She wasn't ready to eschew human contact yet.
"No, I don't need a bodyguard… But I could use a friend or two," said Sakura as Naruto broke out in terrified ramblings about her safety. At her side, Ino wrapped her arms around Sakura and gave her a hug.
Sakura snuggled into Ino again and rubbed at her forehead as her tension built. "What's up with you?..." She froze. "What do you mean, something's wrong with Sasuke?"
Sakura and Ino looked at each other. Sakura felt Ino reach out and squeeze her hand, and she squeezed back.
"... how long ago did he cut off contact?" she asked, her stomach curling up tighter than an iron fist inside her.
AN: There's a note on my tumblr about forthcoming updates, FYI. (beyondthemoor). Sidenote: 'Acetaminophen' is Tylenol. Also, I posted the start to a KakaSaku story ("Incomplete") the other day, for any KakaSaku shippers who may be interested.
Much love to my beta pokesimmo for helping me polish this chapter! See you in mid- to late-October (hopefully), darling readers!
Reader Review Replies!
SheWroteintheWind: Aw, thank you so much! I tried really hard to make each character 'real' (as much as I plausibly could), so that means a lot. If you do make a glitter pumpkin, I demand pics! Thank you for reviewing!
elojodeshisui: Glad you caught that. ;) Thank you for reviewing!
RavenxScarlet: I try to update this story during the first two weeks of the month, when possible. We're closing in on the parts I haven't finished writing yet, so that may get stretched a bit further than usual starting in November 2015, but I'm trying! Thank you for reviewing!
ThatPageantGirl: It is an *amazing* song, isn't it? I am still in love with it. As for Madara, he was absent this chapter but I hope to have more of him next time around. ;) We're seeing some of Sakura's reaction to him now; poor girl. As for Sasuke… more to come. Thank you for reviewing!
JeanyDeiZzz: Thank you! I tried to make everyone sympathetic /relatable, in one way or another! As for Ino simultaneously sending pics to Sasuke & cheering on Itachi… I'll see if I can cover more of that in the future. In very basic terms, she loves Sakura & wants to see her happy, she respects Itachi, and she understands where Sasuke is coming from (hint). Sasuke was also her friend, too. More is coming with Karin, rest assured! :) Thank you for reviewing!
I'm in here: Thank you very much! I'm so happy Sasuke's internal battles are coming through; I have a hard time writing Itachi & Sasuke, so it means a lot that you commented on that. :) More drama to come, thank you for reading & reviewing!
NovaCole: Yes, yes they did. Well, she did; Itachi's POV I'll perhaps cover in a separate one-shot. ;) Also, yes, the ItaSaku Matchmakers Club is gaining more members among the cast, eh? (Welcome aboard, Konan, hahahah!) Though Shisui and Kisame are probably terrified of her. I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter-it seems to have been very positively received all around, hahaha! Thank you for reviewing!
ukatoemina: Hahaha, a bit out of order, but awesome! :D So glad you enjoyed these chapters! I considered putting in more details about the Autumn Carnival, but there are only so many side stories I'm able to write in before I start forgetting myself and abandoning the actual plot. XD Trust me, the Itachi-and-Kisame backstory that is part of my head canon? It's another epic all on its own. Oy! I'm glad you're picking up the friendship theme throughout the story, though. :) I worked hard to weave it in. As for who Sasuke called… it may come to you later. Give it a few chapters. ;) If not, I'll reveal around Christmas (in the fic). As for the attraction between Sakura and Itachi, nope, no regrets on my part at all for hooking them up like a hot mess on a dance floor. NONE. XD You have no idea how hard it is holding back from just throwing those two up against a wall in the dojo after MA practice. Or something. Cough. BUT! Thank you for mentioning the 'tummy'-wording thing. I may go back and change that. That's a good point. Kisame's reaction to everything is coming. Next chapter. Promise! As for Sasuke and Sakura… while Sasuke's made some mistakes, let's remember he's young. And insecure. And based on my own interpretation of canon. XD Your request for 'classroom settings' situations between Itachi and Sakura is duly noted. ;) Thank you for reviewing!
loveitasakuxx: Thank you, I'm so happy you enjoyed! And yes, Madara's a creeper, isn't he? He's one of my favourites. ;) Thank you for reviewing!
Hana-Taisho: Yay! You're very welcome. Definitely more to come (for Sakura, Sasuke, Karin, Madara). ;) Actually, an idea I had for Karin (which I'd originally set aside) I decided to likely go for. Just to see how much I can get away with in this fic. As for Madara getting away with the kidnappings, there's a big clue in this chapter as to how he's doing it. However, from what I understand from friends of mine, young adults going missing from university / college is kind of common, to an extent; mostly, though this is from them no longer keeping in touch with family, so their families get worried and call the authorities and ask them to go in and check on them. (This is based on anecdotal evidence, btw; please don't quote me!) And yes, we learn more about Madara soon. ;) As for Deidara, I *love* your idea! Is it okay if I use it? It's perfect! I know exactly where to use it, too. PLEASE?! As for replying to reviews, it is my pleasure. I really do appreciate it when readers review. :) Thank you for dropping me a note!
GalacticBatMegan: Itachi definitely had his day, didn't he? ;) Lucky boy. As for New Years… well, it's not so bad to have a few more chapters in between, eh? There's still plenty coming. Thank you for reviewing!
Uchiha Misaki: Thank you! Good point… Hmm… whatever could happen when they show up? Thank you for reviewing!
raye85: Hahahahah, your review reminds me of a song by Queen, "I Want It All" (I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now)! I take that as a high compliment. As for 'Can it be both?'... well, let's not count our chickens until they're hatched. I'm still working on it. ;) Thank you for reviewing!
Nana: Part of the 'not knowing' is the fun (for me), as I get to try different situations out. ;) Glad you enjoyed the ItaSaku dance! Thank you for reviewing!
Yami no Emi: You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoy! Thank you for reviewing!
Rizu Hatake-hime: Hahahah, yay! I'm so glad you liked it. I do enjoy possessive!Uchihas. And the song is fantastic, isn't it? Perfect mood music. And yay for our supportive female comrades in here! More on Karin coming in future chapters, too. Thank you for reviewing!
Rawr: You have no idea how much I took it as a compliment about that name-typo, hahahahah! Glad you enjoyed so much it made you delirious. ;) Thank you for reviewing!
Lori: Konan is a BAMF, isn't she? :D She and Ino should team up to rule the world. No one would ever escape them. As for the dance, I really tried-the music certainly helped set the mood, eh? Also, I'm so happy you pick up on the different kinds of intimacy that are shared between everyone. Thank you for mentioning that, and thank you so much for reviewing (twice)!
Guest: Thank you! Glad you got the point of the juxtaposition! :D As for the missing people, yes, people noticed (finally). From what I understand from friends, though, it is fairly common for young people to go missing in their first term of college / university when they gain their independence for the first time, mostly when they cut off contact with their families. It can be hard to determine who's gone 'missing' and who's simply decided to flake off. Sometimes it takes a bit to determine what's what. (Anecdotally, anyway, is how this was explained to me in the past.) Good question. : ) Thank you for reviewing!
Violetta-san: You're very welcome. ;) Thank you for reviewing!
endlessromantic: That is a significant, and heartening, compliment! Thank you so much! I try very hard to make everyone sympathetic (to some degree), so that readers are able to identify with them. Thank you for reviewing!
Moonlight Through the Water: Hahah, thank you, and you're very welcome-I'm glad I finally got to work Kakashi in, too. Thank you for reviewing!
butterfly9070: *taking a bow* You're very welcome. *wink* Thank you for reviewing!
animelover5107: I tried. ;) (Music made all the difference in Ch 12, eh?) You're very welcome, and thank you for always reviewing!
Helennnn: (That song is amazing mood music, eh?) And yes, when I saw the outfit, I had to dress Sakura up in it. It was too lovely to pass up! So glad this chapter hit the spot (and thank you SO MUCH for the "WSAAL" update)! And YES, writing Itachi is a bitch; so's writing Sasuke, if I'm being honest. I find I'm still giving them *too much* dialogue, and it is hard for me to keep them tight-lipped/conservative. Kisame is one of the easiest characters for me to write in this. XD Kisame is my spirit animal. Thank YOU for updating, and thank you for reviewing!
Guest: Hello to you, too! :) It's absolutely fine to be a silent reader; I just hope you're enjoying the story! Thank you for sneaking out of the darkness to leave me a note, I very much appreciate it. 3 I hope New Years will make you happy!
AnarchoSyndical: Cough. GODDAMN I want to but I haven't had enough uninterrupted writing time yet. COUGH. Effing kids came back from vacay and took up every waking moment I've had outside of work. :P I'm working on it. HARD AT WORK ON IT. Thank you for reviewing!
ElevatedJewel: You're very welcome; that scene was a lot of fun to write. (And very hard not to continue, on the dance floor, or possibly in the soundproof lounge room in privacy, behind closed doors, where they could have—damnit, I need to walk away from this scene or write side-fic where they just toss each other up against a wall.) XD And you're 100 percent spot-on with Sasuke. I admit, I'm less familiar with Karin but I'm *really* trying to convey and adopt some of her characterizations that I have picked up from the manga. (My grad degree is in cross-cultural, trans-generic adaption-it comes out a lot in my writing. I can't help it.) XD Thank you for the compliments and catching those details! And yes, we have more drama coming. Promise. Thank you for the lovely review, and I hope you enjoy the coming chapters!
AliceCambio: Thank you! And yes, the UST is only going to get worse for the next few chapters. Poor, poor Sakura. And Itachi. Maybe mostly Itachi. XD Thank you for reviewing!
Chachacha: More on Itachi's thinking in next chapter (and some consequences), promise! This one was a bit dense with B-line plot development. Thank you for reviewing!
Cheers!
-moor (September 8, 2015)