Once again the site won't let me reply to reviews :( I was actually supposed to post this chapter yesterday, but I pushed it till today in hopes of getting to reply. But since it doesn't seem to be budging, here is the new chapter :D And many many thanks to the awesome people who reviewed the last time ;)
Her Hair fluttered in the merciless wind. It was cold, really cold; she almost couldn't feel her face. But she knew that she was moving. It felt like she was riding a carrousel. Spinning really fast in the air; Sakura was tempted to raise her hands up and wave them, as colors and shapes filled her vision. It was a park of some sort, with lots of rides and little stands selling all sorts of goodies. They also had those little stands where you can test your strength and win something for that special someone. Maybe she should go there next. She sure was in the mood for Tempura. And so she decided that the second she was done with the ride she was on, she was going to get something to eat and watch as people make fools of themselves while trying play with that funny clown over there.
*Idiot, wake up.* Inner's voice echoed, as she materialized in front of Sakura, moving alongside of her as the carrousel spun.
Sakura blinked.
*Why do you always have to ruin my fun? And what have you become, some kind of bird. Since when do you flutter and appear out of nowhere? You know what, don't answer that, just get out.* Sakura ordered.
*Just where do you think you are?*
*A park, I suppose.*
*And why the hell would you be in a park?* Inner questioned irritably. *Weren't you just at a bathhouse and don't you remember falling asleep after sniffing that weird gas?*
Sakura eyes widened.
*Yes, I…. I was in the bathhouse and there was this gas..*
*So original, get your own lines will ya.* Inner hissed.
*The chemical was mixed in with the hot water to get this particular brand of sleeping gas. And once I inhaled the smoke….. Wait, someone pushed me.* Sakura pondered frantically.
*Yes, someone pushed you in the damn gas, but haven't you been sniffing this stuff in small amounts for years to develop tolerance?* Inner questioned.
Sakura blinked.
*That's true, it's probably why I'm waking up right now.*
*If you're waking up right now, then why the hell are your eyes still closed, and why are you still flung on someone's shoulder like a backpack of some sort?* Inner hissed. *I have a public image to maintain you idiot, now wake up and find out who's that moron who kidnapped us.*
Sakura did as told, except that she didn't really have to open her eyes to see who it was. It was someone who had a very unique and almost unparalleled ability when it comes to Chakra manipulation. Someone who could detect the presence of people from miles away and also detect their number and the skills they possess. Someone who would have been more than capable of repressing their chakra completely, so that even the most skilled Anbu wouldn't notice it when they scanned the bathhouse, and last but not least someone who had the chemical knowledge and prowess to mix in the chemicals needed to create the sophisticated sleeping gas that Sakura fell victim to.
Opening her eyes, Sakura's suspicions were verified as she was greeted by the sight of red hair fluttering around her as Karin sped on at an inhuman speed.
Frowning in concentration, Sakura knew that she had to time her move perfectly, and act before the woman beneath her figured out that she has managed to overcome the sleeping potion. Keeping her eyes semi-closed, Sakura looked around her and was relieved to find no other signs of life in the immediate surroundings. *No accomplices.* Sakura concluded. This gave her more wiggle room, except for the fact that she was in a debilitated state courtesy of the sleeping gas.
Taking a breath of cold air, Sakura promptly moved one arm and placed it at the girl's lower back, channeling as much Chakra as she could manage into it, and almost instantaneously pushing against the girl's back as she flung her upper body backwards. Within an instant Sakura was soaring in the air, only to land rather clumsily a few feet away from the redhead. Sakura reeled a bit, yet managed to steady herself and assume a battle ready position.
Karin spun around on her heel looking every bit as surprised as she felt.
"You were supposed to stay asleep for days." She remarked pushing her glasses up.
Sakura narrowed her eyes, "Why are you doing this?" She questioned, looking around her, only to realize that they were no longer in Konoha, but in the midst of the woods, standing beneath giant trees.
Karin eyed her with a haughty expression.
"I was ordered to bring you in." The woman said, her eyes now gleaming with her particular brand of malice. That brand of wacky malice that she assumed every time she talked about Sasuke.
Sakura's eyes widened.
"You work for Akatsuki?" Sakura questioned, surprised.
"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR CONCERN." The semi, if not completely, crazy woman said, as she prepared to launch herself at Sakura.
Now in normal situations, Sakura would have been able to tackle her in a heartbeat. Since Karin's abilities when it came to hand to hand combat were rather limited compared to Sakura's. However, in her current state of inebriation, Sakura was at a disadvantage.
Knowing this full well, Sakura waited until Karin raised her foot off the ground in preparation for the attack. At that particular second, when the woman was most imbalanced the medic aimed a chakra laden fist at the ground, it shattered underneath her fist; however the product was barely a crack.
Nonetheless, it did the trick as the redhead lost her balance for the briefest of instances. Taking advantage of that, Sakura launched herself forwards fully intending to flash step behind Karin and knock her out by hitting a pressure point on her back so as to use the least amount of energy.
However, Sakura's control over her chakra gave out only a mere inch away from Karin, giving the woman the opportunity to regain her balance and deliver a punch that launched Sakura right into a tree. The girl heard her rib crack, feeling the sobering pain radiate all throughout her body.
She might have been training herself to withstand all sorts of chemicals, but withstanding them was one thing, fighting under their influence was a completely different thing.
Sakura watched, as Karin's expression turned feral. The woman walked towards her almost languidly, as she basked in her easy victory.
It was at that point that Sakura dropped her hold over her Chakra, allowing it to seep out of her and radiate all over the place. Normally, this was a rather foolish thing for a shinobi to do, the first rule of being a shinobi was to maintain a firm hold on your Chakra at all times so that no one could feel your presence without straining for it. And through years of practice, constantly keeping the lid on her spiritual presence became an ingrained habit. However, at the moment Sakura needed to attract attention to herself. She knew that given who would be looking for her at the moment, this was her best bet.
Karin flinched, as Sakura's Chakra rolled around them in waves. She knew what the girl was doing, and so her slow and deliberate walk became more urgent, as she drew a Kunai and raced towards the girl.
Unable to master enough control over her muscles to parry the attack, Sakura watched helplessly as the woman closed in on her. Breathing an urgent breath, Sakura's emerald eyes widened as the knife was inches away from her…. And then stopped.
Tearing her gaze away from the imposing blade, Sakura looked upwards, and knew even before she saw that he was there.
Karin's breath came raggedy and strained, her eyes impossibly wide, as she stared up at the man who was holding her wrist in an iron grip.
She knew that she needed to avert her eyes away from his, yet his presence demanded that she looks right at him, his eyes transfixed her, and it was as if she could touch her impending doom.
However, before anything else could transpire, Itachi looked up, senses on high alert, and in a second, Sakura found herself being heaved up into the man's arms as he flashed upwards onto a tree branch.
Sakura gulped as she watched a stream of Kunai knives marking the tree against which she just lay. She averted her eyes just in time to watch Karin's eyes widen in a moment of intensified pain, before she fell to the floor.
Acting on her instincts as a medic, and summoning every ounce of her energy, Sakura flash stepped out of the safety of Itachi's arms. And before Karin had hit the floor she was in front of her, catching her and laying her across her knees, as she shifted her attention to the five knives sticking out of her back, all having hit key organs.
The second Sakura hit the ground, Itachi was right beside her, eyes an ominous crimson, scanning the area for intruders. Sakura watched the tension in his body alleviate, and concluded that whoever it was that delivered this treacherous attack is long since gone.
No one said a word, as Sakura did everything in her power to heal the girl. She removed the Kunai and used pieces of the girl's own clothing to stop the bleeding, just in case she couldn't heal the wounds as fast as she would want. Having ensured that the girl wasn't losing any more blood, Sakura started streaming her Chakra into her body to try and remedy the widening abrasions that extended well into her vital organs.
Sakura's Chakra was much less controlled and concentrated than it normally was. Yet, the girl still was one of the top medics around and even in her current state; she was gaining some serious ground here.
Itachi stood silently watching Sakura, eyes fixed on her hands, as they moved deftly and familiarly through various healing techniques. She might not be able to move or fight at the moment, but healing was another thing. It was her calling and her passion. And she had long since vowed that she'd never let anyone die in front of her without trying her best to save them, regardless of who this person might be.
Seconds passed like years, and Sakura felt the approach of a number of people.
Stealing a sideway glance at Itachi, his still relaxed posture assured her that the people approaching were on their side.
A fraction of a second later and Anbu flashed into her line of sight, they were all around. Itachi gave them orders to scan the area and report back to him. However, Sakura's whole attention was on the task at hand, the woman bent over across her knees, this woman who just attempted to kill her, only to end up putting her life in her hands. Such irony.
"Sakura," Itachi's voice finally echoed and it was as if all the suffering and hardships of the day never happened. For an instant there, as she sat on the ground covered in bruises and blood, and a severely injured woman in her arms; Sakura was happy, truly happy and thoroughly relieved.
Sakura didn't look up from her task, her Chakra as steady as she could get it to be.
"This is our Anbu medic," He said in his forever confident tone. "You have done more than enough to guarantee her survival. Now he will take on for you." Itachi intoned.
Sakura drew in a deep breath, as the man in an Anbu mask dropped to his knees beside her, his hands glowing with a level of Chakra that she deemed enough to finish the task that she started.
Sakura nodded to the masked man, and he started streaming his Chakra alongside of hers. Once she was absolutely sure that he was doing what needed to be done, and that he has completely spread his Chakra to where it needs to be; Sakura withdrew her own Chakra.
Another Anbu member slowly lifted Karin off of Sakura's knees, and before the dazed Sakura could think of a response, she was being gently hoisted up into now familiar and comforting arms.
Itachi held her up, with her side pressed to his chest. Meanwhile, another medic hastily and rather efficiently healed her broken rib.
Looking down at her, he spoke, "Are you OK, Sakura?" He questioned, a palpable hint of concern marring his normally inexpressive voice.
Sakura flashed a weak smile.
"I'm awesome." She said straining to give him a thumbs up.
He gave her an exasperated look, and she gave him a sheepish grin in return.
"I am taking you to the hospital." He intoned.
"How about…" She started.
"The teams are already looking for them. However, chances are, they are long since gone." He answered her unasked question.
"I really don't need to go to the hospital," She said. "My rib's already fixed, and I only have a few bruises. I should be OK, once the effects of the gas wear off…"
Sakura trailed off as Itachi's eyes turned an imposing shade of black.
"Hospital it is." She said humorously.
Itachi gave her another strict look, obviously disapproving of how lightly she was taking her wellbeing.
Relieved, Sakura let Itachi lead her out of the forest and back into Konoha.
.
"I could have never guessed that Karin worked with Akatsuki." Sakura said as the two rounded a corner.
"Hn." Itachi said. "We knew that they had moles." He supplied.
Sakura nodded. She was now walking on her own, since the effects of the gas had almost completely worn off.
Eyeing Itachi, Sakura felt something unsettling flutter through her stomach. Far from his normal easy grace, the Uchiha heir looked like he was still battle ready, and expecting an attack at any minute.
"What is wrong?" She questioned.
Itachi raised an eyebrow; very few people could tell when something was wrong with him. And up until now, those people were only Uchiha.
"It was too easy, Sakura." He said in a deep tenor, as if contemplating his own words.
Sakura blinked, yet she didn't have time to talk as the two found themselves standing in front of the hospital. Sakura's second home. And even without stepping inside Sakura knew from years of experience that something was wrong, there was too much motion too much intensity. Itachi seemed to feel it too, as his expression turned darker.
Walking a little faster, Sakura stepped through the door, and the moment she did a nurse came bounding up to her.
"Sakura senpai, thank God you're here, we need you. They're bringing him out right now; they're taking him to surgery." The girl spoke and Sakura's eyes widened. *He?*
A second later, Sakura glimpsed the edge of a stretcher being rolled out; however, her eyes were instantaneously drawn to Kakashi who was standing amongst the people obscuring the stretcher's occupant. Kakashi had eyes only for the person on the stretcher, and before she could think, Shisui was right in front of them, addressing Itachi.
"They've got Sasuke." Were the words that made Sakura's heart constrict, a bitter taste rising in her throat. "The whole thing with the bathhouse was a distraction to be able to abduct him. We arrived too late, the fight was already over and he was gone. Uzumaki was with him at the time, he's severely injured, we've brought him in." Shisui finished, addressing the last part to Sakura whose heart was beating so hard, she could hear it in her ears.
Like a scene from a horror movie, Sakura cut her eyes back to the stretcher only to see Naruto.
Without thinking, Sakura flung herself forwards and got to his side, not even knowing how. The nurses around him stepped back, and Kakashi gave her a sympathetic look, as he looked between his two students.
The girl looked down at her lively and forever cheerful teammate, now drenched in his own blood. She could feel pain spreading across her chest. She immediately raised her arms to start healing him, yet the second she did, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, blue eyes coming to life.
"Sakura-chan…" His voice was weak, a heart-breaking ghost of its normal exuberance.
"Rest Naruto….." She started.
"They've got Sasuke." He said echoing Shisui's declaration. Yet his voice and eyes were both pleading and apologetic. He lost his teammate, he felt guilty for it, guilty for letting both Sasuke and Sakura down, and he wanted nothing more than to get up and fight right now.
Sakura knew full well how he felt. Valiantly suppressing the bitter tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, Sakura drew in a calming breath.
"It's not your fault, Naruto." She said in full confidence. "We'll get him back." She promised, fully intending on doing whatever it may take.
His fingers tightened around her wrist, lips twisting in a semblance of a smile, before his face contorted once again, "They said something weird." He reiterated.
"What did they say?" Sakura questioned.
"They said that the only way to get him back was to give you to them in exchange." Naruto said weakly, his voice breaking in both despair and disbelief. At his words everyone seemed to tense up, completely freezing.
"That's enough." Came a commanding voice that everyone knew too well. It was the commanding, no nonsense tone of the Godaime Hokage herself. Everyone seemed to straighten up as the woman appeared. "I'll take care of fixing him up, Sakura." The woman said confidently. "You need to rest."
"But…"
"GO!" She ordered. "Shisui, escort her to get treatment then to the Hokage tower." She pushed on, hands already glowing with Chakra, as Sakura noticed that Itachi had left the second the Hokage arrived. "Everyone else be in my office in one hour." She finished, before gesturing for them to wheel Naruto away, as Shisui, Kakashi and Sakura watched.
It was Kakashi's arm on her shoulder that drew her attention to the pain in his exposed eye.
"Let's go, Kitten." Came Shiusi's soft command.
.
Sakura stood behind the door to the Hokage's office. It was nighttime already, and behind the door the second meeting of the day was taking place. And for some reason, Sakura was excluded from both meetings. The girl theorized that it was because they think she'll get extra emotional in a situation like that. Throughout the day, Sakura has been treated, force-fed and ordered to stay put within the confines of the Hokage tower until Shisui escorts her someplace else.
And right now, she was feeling well. At least physically, because on the emotional level, Sakura was a wreck. The only thing keeping her up at the moment was the fact that she knows that her teammates needed her. They depended on her, and if Naruto was conscious at the moment he would be raising hell to get in on the action.
She might not be Naruto, but she was willing to raise all sorts of hell for her boys' sake.
She was supposed to be sitting in a reception area at the other end of the tower. But Shizune had taken pity on her and allowed her to sit with her in the office, and sneakily listen in on the meeting for news that might bring her back to life.
Sakura's somber musings were interrupted, when the meeting seemed to start as everyone involved flashed into the office not even bothering to use the door under the current circumstances.
"Report." Tsunade ordered.
"The teams have done a thorough scan of the area of the fight and the surrounding areas; however none of the tracker ninja have managed to locate a trail. Not even the Inuzaka clan's trained dogs." Shiusi's voice echoed a far cry from his normal boisterous tone.
Sakura felt her heart sink once more.
"The same goes for the Jonin teams." Kakashi supplied. "No one has managed to find his trail as of yet."
"And Jiraiya." Tsunade questioned.
"He is out of town at the moment, and we have no means of contacting him. We've tried everything but he can't be reached for information regarding the Akatsuki and their hideouts." Kurunai stepped in.
"This is troublesome." Was Shikamaru's strained declaration.
"I take it that you have nothing." Tsunade questioned.
Her response was silence.
"Itachi?" She questioned.
"Still out, attempting to get in touch with his informants for any viable trails." Shisui replied.
"Time is passing us by." This time it was Anko's voice that rung. "Shouldn't we at least consider the only other solution?" She suggested.
"This is not a subject for debate." Kakashi responded, voice firm and unyielding.
"I agree." Shisui pitched. "Using her would solve nothing." He added and Sakura's eyes widened. They were talking about her. "And Itachi has already put his foot down on this." He paused. "He said that under no circumstances are we to use her. And since he's the one running this operation, I suggest….."
"But we should at least….." Anko started but was cut off, as the door to the office burst open.
Everyone turned their attention to the pink haired medic standing there with an unyielding expression.
"I Want to go." She said in finality. "If there is even the slightest chance that…."
"Out of the question." Tsunade said, fixing her apprentice with an intense stare.
"I agree, Sakura-chan." Kurenai intervened. "This is probably a ruse on their part. They won't give him back if you go."
"True." Shikamaru finally spoke up. "They most probably want to deliver an even deeper blow by having us hand you over to them."
Sakura looked unconvinced, but before she could say anything, Kakashi spoke.
"Sakura," He said in a fatherly tone. "For years, Madara has played a very subtle game with the Uchiha clan, specifically with Itachi-san. The kidnapping and murdering of Sasuke and Itachi-san's girlfriends, was nothing but an attempt to get a reaction out of them. A frantic reaction. He was trying to goad Itachi-san and divert his attention away from other Akatsuki related activities."
Shisui nodded.
And Kakashi pushed on.
"He never went after Itachi-san or Sasuke before. He didn't want to draw attention to himself before time. His, were carefully calculated small moves. But now, the fact that he went this far could only mean that he is taking it to the next level, Sakura. He wanted Sasuke all along, going after you was meant as a distraction for us, while he gets ready for his big step."
"He's ready now." Shisui followed up. "Which means that your interference won't solve anything. Actually, they might be keeping him alive only until they get you, and if we hand you over, they might kill him."
"If he's the only thing they want, then why do they still want me?" She questioned balling her fists.
"Why not?" Tsunade questioned. "If they get you, then they deliver yet another powerful blow to the Uchiha clan and its heir. His goal is to take down Itachi. And by killing both you and Sasuke, he would be insuring the maximum damage to Itachi. He's hoping for enough damage to stop him from thinking straight. This is their ultimate goal." Tsunade elaborated. "I want you to remain off duty for the time being, Sakura." The woman ordered. "Naruto's situation is now stable, I will arrange for escorts to take you to the hospital. Shisui will escort you home after he's done working." She finished in finality, and Sakura knew that the conversation was over and now she needed to go.
.
"Yes, I'm just going to pick her up, and we'll be leaving in a few minutes." Shisui's voice echoed through the closed door to the lab where Sakura has been busing herself after visiting Naruto.
The other person said something muffled and then Shisui who was apparently standing right behind the door spoke.
"No, it shouldn't take long. Just have the team stay put. We'll be right out."
And with that, the Uchiha pushed the door to the lab and if it weren't for his ocular abilities he wouldn't have been able to see a thing, for the lab was pitch black, with Sakura sitting on a lab stool at the far end of it, mixing some ingredients in a giant container. For a second, Shisui found himself wondering how that was even possible for her. And then he concluded that after years and years of experience she pretty much didn't need to see, she just knew what she was doing.
Closing the door behind him so that the room was dark again, the playboy walked towards the medic. He couldn't see her face, but courtesy of the Sharingan he had a very firm grasp on her Chakra patterns at the moment, and from that and her general demeanor he concluded, much to his relief, that she wasn't crying. He never was able to deal with crying, he has long since concluded that he wasn't equipped to handle women's tears.
"Are you OK, Kitten?" He questioned.
Sakura didn't reply, instead she added one more ingredient to the mixing bowl.
He gave her a kind look which she didn't see, before coming to stand next to her.
"Don't worry; we're doing everything in our power to find him. Itachi won't let this be, he's still out there looking for trails."
Again Sakura said nothing.
"Come on, Kitten, I'll take you home. You've had a rough day."
Yes home.
Her house, where she could spend the entire night with her eyes wide open, struggling with horrifying thoughts about Sasuke getting murdered, and Naruto being injured and Itachi still out there getting into God knows what.
Sakura couldn't even bring herself to consider Itachi's thoughts at the moment. He has dedicated his entire life to protecting his brother and keeping him away from Madara, and now he ended up right in said man's hands.
Whatever he's feeling right now, Sakura surmised that he'd be hiding it perfectly beneath a mask made of stone. But she knew better now, she knew him much better and she wanted to help.
Except that he made it a point to prevent her from going, even if it would protect his brother.
Sakura appreciated that. She honestly did.
However, Sasuke was her friend. No, Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi were family. And someone just attacked her family, and proceeded to tear them apart. Sakura could just see Naruto's irate reaction when he wakes up. If it were Naruto he'd be raging mad at the moment, running around like an angry bull trying to reach and save Sasuke.
She felt the same way. She felt like nothing could mend the wound in her heart at the moment. Nothing could get her through this night, if she were to choose to spend it in waiting.
Breathing in, Sakura opened her eyes, and muttered a silent apology to Shisui as she watched him drop to his knees beside her.
She caught him just before he hit the floor and steadied him, laying him down carefully.
Unlike Karin, Sakura has chosen to mix a slow acting chemical that worked through long exposure, so that no one would be tipped off. Sakura also mixed one that she has long since developed full tolerance against.
Standing straight, Sakura put on her lab coat, and topped it off with: a plastic hair cover to hide her most prominent feature, a pair of plastic gloves, and a mask.
She needed to go, and given that she knew the hospital like the back of her hand, not to mention that Naruto has long since shown her all the top secret tunnels that he has managed to locate when he was snooping; sneaking out from right under her guards' noses won't be at all hard, especially now that Shisui is out.
With that thought in mind, Sakura stole one last look at Itachi's wedding ring around her finger, and walked on.
.
Completely repressing her Chakra, Sakura walked carefully down the familiar empty roads.
Madara hasn't specified a time or a date for her to be delivered to them. He just said that they needed to hand her in.
Now, Madara was no idiot. So he must have known that Itachi would completely refuse to hand her in, which could only mean that Madara expected her to come of her own accord if she expected her friend to continue on living.
And since the message was for her, Sakura was sure that she knew just the place Madara wanted her to go to, after all, it was the only place where they came in full contact.
Sakura's feet were steady on the floor, her steps determined. She knew that what she was doing was dangerous, but she also knew that she couldn't possibly not do it.
They might kill him if she went, but they might kill him if she doesn't go, they might have already killed him. And she'll be damned if she sat helplessly by while Sasuke died. She owed this to him, to Naruto and to herself. And she'd rather die alongside of him, than live safely while he meets his end.
Inner was also silent for the first time in a very long time.
Normally, she'd be screaming for Sakura to back off and to think before getting them killed. But the alter ego knew better, as bizarre as that may sound. She knew how much this meant to Sakura, and she knew that she could never live with herself if she sat idly by.
And so, Sakura was at peace with her decision.
Pushing back the surge of nostalgia that surged through her as she approached the venue where the auction was held, the girl stepped inside.
It was dark and cold, but Sakura walked on. She climbed the steps to the stage, and stood where she stood that day when Itachi had won the date with her; it was also that day when she first talked face to face with Madara. It was a good day, and a horrible one all at the same time. But she regretted nothing. She was going to do this, no matter what.
Closing her eyes, Sakura felt the surge of enemy Chakra, and didn't even flinch as her control over her senses quickly faded into nothingness.
*Sasuke.*
If there is anything that I like more than writing ItaSaku, it's writing ItaSaku with plot twists :D
Now as you know the next chapter will be the last one. However, next time I won't just be posting the last chapter, I will also post another chapter, which serves as both an epilogue and a companion story to this one. And I will post it separately and at the same time as the last chapter. So please make sure to only read the companion fic after you've read the last chapter here, cuz otherwise you'd just ruin the end of the story for yourself ;)
See you all in the next chapter.
Please Review.