Title: Moments in Time: A Close Up

Author: AppleL0V3R

Beta-reader: Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

Chapter: Twenty-One – #25 Passion: Pieces

Rating: T

Type: One-shot – Complete

Summary: Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 21. 25 – Passion: Pieces. Just when he'd thought he'd broken her down, he watched her pick herself up again.

Word Count: 1,635

Disclaimer: If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

Note: As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also I'm back to liking my chapters. But that's not what's important, what is however, is that you guys are awesome. I love you my lovely reviewers and appreciate you very much (because you like my stuff and think it's awesome even when I don't) And since you guys also got this story over one hundred reviews. I'm so ecstatic and bounce it's not even funny. So I will try to do my best with every chapter I post – not that I've half-assed the previous ones (though I still think chapters 19 and 20 could be better). But there are a few reviewers (my regulars who are awesome enough to review every chapter I've posted thus far, or have continuously – though not necessarily back to back – reviewed since they first did so) that I really want to thank because I just don't feel like a review reply is enough to show my gratitude and love. And those lovely reviewers are angel897, Twisted Musalih, Fuai, Anime Freak456, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, theonesakura, The-Hatter44, Wickedlovely. You guys are absolutely awesome, so thank you very much for your feedback; it's probably half the reason why I'm updating so frequently.

And my anonymous reviewers? Thank you also, since I can't PM you back I'm saying it here.

Sorry for gabbing, I just had to say this.

Request by: Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

25. Passion (Itachi)

He watched with nothing short of amazement as life flickered back into her eyes. As she slowly picked up the pieces of herself and put them back together, squaring her shoulders and hardening her eyes. She hadn't gotten all the pieces, but if her display now was any constellation she would get them too soon enough.

Now he knew why Konoha had treasured and guarded this one kunoichi so heavily. She was strong and no matter how many times she was broken down she always got right back up again.

Perhaps a change in plans was in order. Breaking her as he had the others wouldn't work, so he'd build her up. If he gained her loyalty, perhaps he'd stand to gain so much more.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

One tear fell, followed by a whole slew of others. Her head hung itself as her body began shaking with the force of her tears and emotions. He merely watched though, staying off to the side stonily. He knew this would break her, it would kill her completely to see the bodies of her fallen loved ones. And so he'd shown it to her. Because nothing else seemed to work, nothing else hurt her enough for her to want it to stop. Her life wasn't so important and she was so certain that even without her, her loved ones would find a way to live on. There was no reason that she saw for her to give in to him.

No reason, expect this.

So he kept watching with crimson eyes as, like her tears she began to fall as well, first her shaky legs began giving way and soon she fell to her knees when they could no longer do anything other than buckle beneath her weight. She didn't bother to catch herself as her knees thudded against the hard, cold earth of the blood soaked ground. Her arms were limp appendages at her side as she her spine started to curve and finally she crumbled in on herself. Folding into the smallest form that her small body could manage, as if trying to take up the least amount of space possible.

As if she was trying to disappear.

And undoubtedly, that's what she wanted to do. He kept watching as next her mind crumbled as well, her strong mental walls – so thick, so strong, so big, so far reaching – became nothing more than pebbles in the wind. It wouldn't be much longer now; until she came to the conclusion he wanted her to.

Until she figured out which path she would take. Death or helping him. She didn't have anything else to hold onto know. She had no loyalty to be bound to. And so now she was his to manipulate, to control.

Just like he wanted.

All he had to do was wait until she went where he was leading her. Though he did hope she chose to help him, it would be a pity if she became suicidal after this, especially after he'd gone through the trouble to pick out someone with her talent and strength but also with a will to live just strong enough that the loss of loved ones wouldn't tear it down but it still make it bendable to his own will. After all, that's where those before him had gone wrong; they'd picked him for his strength and genius tendencies but the miscalculated his will. He would not do the same, he would find the perfect pawn and he was certain that pawn was her.

And as an added bonus, the Kyuubi container and his little brother would do anything to protect her.

She was most certainly the right choice, all he had to do was make her his perfect toy soldier and that was well under way.

But she didn't. She stayed crumbled and he wondered with slight irritation if he hadn't just broken her, but shattered her as well. Perhaps he had miscalculated her will, overestimating her ability to get back to her feet. And now that he thought about it, this could be why she was so protected, so guarded. Strong until she broke and then she was useless. He frowned and the unforeseen and most certainly unwanted out come of this test of his.

Now he would have to start all over again.

He didn't mind that so much, more that she'd had all the things he'd been looking for. Except enough will power, apparently.

But there was nothing he could do about that now, she was completely useless after all and there was no point in trying to change that. He'd have better luck selected and different pawn. So with defeat he took a step back and turned to walk away from the carnage before him.

And then something unanticipated happened that made him halt in his tracks and simply watch her. He couldn't seem to take his eyes away from her form, as if something had glued the crimson organs to her. So he watched with nothing short of amazement as life flickered back into her eyes. As she slowly picked up the pieces of herself and put them back together, squaring her shoulders and hardening her eyes. She hadn't gotten all the pieces, but if her display now was any constellation she would get them too soon enough.

Now he knew why Konoha had treasured and guarded this one kunoichi so heavily. She was strong and no matter how many times she was broken down she always got right back up again.

Perhaps a change in plans was in order. Breaking her as he had his other pawns wouldn't work, so he'd build her up. If he gained her loyalty, perhaps he'd stand to gain so much more.

He tilted his head, deliberating on the idea only a moment before conceding to it. He didn't mind changing his plans for this outcome; this was more than he'd even hoped for. So he turned back around to fully face her, though she was still on her knees he could see her strength growing. It was a kind of passion he'd never seen before, never even heard of except in those absurd fairy tales his mother had read to Sasuke when the younger Uchiha was a small child. Maybe not so absurd after all. And he knew that this kind of passion, especially when there was so much of it, was also a form of power because it was sheer resilience.

And he could most certainly use it.

He easily took one step after the other until he was by her side. Somewhere in the back of his mind he couldn't help but think of how he wanted her to stay there until she truly became useless to him, especially when she tilted her head back to look him straight in the eye with fire filled, dark green eyes. It was like looking into emeralds with a bright white fire being reflected off their surface. He liked the sight, he decided.

Though he also knew that having her by his side, and not a step behind him as he had originally planned, meant that she would be his equal. It meant that she would be his pawn, but an player with the same footing. It would be a challenge, but Uchiha, Itachi always had liked a good challenge.

So he would make her stronger – as strong as she was capable of being.

And he would make her his.