Fallen

Chapter 26: Good Boy, Bad Dog.

Sakura's POV

"Please…?" I asked.

I knew who I was asking. I knew this person was a murderer, who'd ruined the life of one of my closest friends. And I knew what I was asking. I knew it could and probably would change my whole life.

But I had to know.

It was quiet. Nobody spoke. Naruto was quiet with obvious confusion. I was quiet because I was waiting for an answer that might never come. And Itachi was quiet for some reason or another.

"Hn," Itachi said. "I don't see why I should."

Inner me: Hell yeah! Good boy!

He's not a dog….

Inner me: Who cares?

"But I don't see why you shouldn't, either," I said stubbornly. I couldn't let this chance get away.

Itachi turned his head a fraction of an inch and set startling red eyes on me. I looked back at them the best I could while hanging over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hn," he said, turning his head back to its original position. "So be it."

"Thank you," I told him.

Inner me: BAD DOG! BAD DOG!!!!!!!!!!

We never stopped moving, so I guessed that he was going to tell me while we traveled.

"I don't know very much about it, however," he said. "And everything that I do know about it is second-hand information. I can't promise complete accuracy."

"That's alright," I said. "Just tell me."

"Hn," Itachi said.

"Saori-chan, what are you two talking about?!" asked Naruto.

I looked at him. "I'm sorry, Naruto," I said. "But could you please stay quiet while Itachi explains things to me?"

"But-"

"Naruto!" I cut in. "Please."

"…Fine," he gave in.

"Thank you," I said. "Please continue," I told Itachi.

Inner me: No! Don't continue! Bad dog! That idiot! Where's the squirt gun?

"You remember my comrade who you fought against?" he asked.

"Chianti Usagi?" I asked.

"No," he said. "I am talking about the other one, the younger one."

"Yeah, I remember him…," I said. I didn't think I'd be forgetting him in a hurry, even though I do have amnesia. The little boy who'd looked up at me and said 'two'. I still have no idea what the heck he meant by that.

Inner me: Hmph! You don't need to have an idea about it!

"He comes from a clan with a special bloodline," Itachi said. "He is the last remaining member of it. Although it was never very big in the first place, so it wasn't well-known. His bloodline lets him read minds."
"He could read minds?!" Naruto blurted out.

"Didn't I just say that?" Itachi asked him in his monotone.

Of course…, I thought. Of course…that explains it. He must have heard two voices in my head and noticed…. And it's only natural for him to have told his allies about it. But then…what next?

"Please go on," I said.

"Kyoshi noticed that your mind was unusual," Itachi went on. "He recognized what it meant and informed us, Kisame and myself, about it."

'What it meant'? What did it mean…? No, what does it mean?

My heart began to pound in my chest, beating like my life depended on it (which it kinda did). I was about to find out! I was about to know what was going on!

Inner me: Sakura! You don't want to know! You'll regret it! I…I don't want to see you in that kind of pain…!

…Thank you, I thought to her. But I want to know. I've been telling you this the whole time; I do want to know! I want to know. And so…I'm sorry.

Inner me: ….

"He told us…that we would be interested in you. That you were special, more rare than the Jinchuuriki are. And then, he told us why. That is because-" Itachi stopped talking as he jumped into the air, avoiding a kunai with an exploding tag attatched to it.

"Hn," Itachi said. "If it isn't my foolish little brother? It was about time that you did something other than fallow us."

Sasuke-kun's here…?

Sasuke's POV

I'd been fallowing the dark figure for hours, nonstop. I watched as the figure took off his cloak, revealing his identity.

That bastard….

I watched as Sakura talked to my older brother while she was slung over his shouler, thinking that she was trying to convince him to let them go or something like that. I got closer, to try and listen to what they were saying.

"-don't see why I should," my brother said to her. It went along with my theory so far.

"But I don't see why you shouldn't, either," I heard Sakura retort.

She had guts; I'll give her that.

"Hn," that damned Itachi said. "So be it."

Huh? I wondered in confusion. He agreed to let her go just like that? No…it must be something else….

"Thank you," Sakura said sincerely. Why was she being so polite to someone who was probably going to kill her?

"I don't know much about it, however," Itachi said. It looked like he was going to explain something. I listened carefully while I kept on moving. "And everything that I do know is second hand information. I can't promise complete accuracy."

"That's alright," Sakura said. "Just tell me."

"Hn," Itachi said.

"Saori-chan, what are you talking about?!" Naruto asked her, obviously frustrated.

Sakura turned to look at Naruto as best as she could in her current position. "I'm sorry, Naruto," she apologized. "But could you please stay quiet while Itachi explains things to me?"

"But-"

"Naruto!" Sakura said a little more sharply. "Please."

Naruto gave in. "Fine…."
"Thank you," she said. "Please continue," she said to my brother.

"You remember my comrade who you fought against?" Itachi asked her.

"Chianti Usagi?" she asked.

"No," Itachi said. "I'm talking about the other one, the younger one."

"Yeah, I remember him…," Sakura said.

"He comes from a clan with a special bloodline," Itachi went on. "He is the last remaining member of it. Although it was never very big in the first place, so it wasn't well known. His bloodline lets him read minds."

A bloodline that can let someone read minds?! I've never heard of it…, I thought.

"He could read minds?!" demanded Naruto.

"Didn't I just say that?" Itachi asked him.

"Please go on," Sakura told him.

"Kyoshi noticed that your mind was unusual," Itachi continued. "He recognized what it meant and informed us, Kisame and myself, about it."

Sakura's mind isn't normal? What does that mean?

"He told us that we would be interested in you," Itachi said. "That you were special, more rare than the Jinchuuriki are. And then he told us why. That is because-"

I threw a kunai with an exploding tag attatched at Itachi. Something deep inside of me was telling me that I didn't want to know the rest of what he was going to say, that I shouldn't know.

But somewhere even deeper down, I was sure…I was dying to hear the rest. But I'd have to ignore that urge. I didn't have the luxury to understand the mysteries of Sakura Haruno while both hers and my best friend's life was endangered.

"Hn," Itachi's voice said from the dust. "If it isn't my foolish little brother? It's about time that you did something other than fallow us."

He knew. He'd known I was fallowing them the whole time. Why hadn't he done anything though? For fun? Damn it!

The dust began to clear and I saw Itachi standing calmly on a high branch with Sakura and Naruto still on his shoulders.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled grinning.

"Hn," I replied.

I looked at Sakura. And I was surprised to find that she was glaring at me.

Sakura's POV

The dust began to clear, and Sasuke-kun was visible to all of us. Naruto shouted out his name in joy. But I found that I was angry. Why did he have to come right then? Why couldn't he have waited for Itachi to finish? I'd been so close to finding out what Inner me was, but now…I'd have to wait again. I'd have to wonder about it without any answers, again.

I knew I should've been more grateful that Sasuke-kun had fallowed us, that he'd planned on rescuing us. I knew that I should be smiling and calling his name just like Naruto. But I couldn't. I just couldn't do it. I glared at him.

Inner me: Oh, come on, Sakura! Don't be so harsh! He's a good boy!

You sound so happy…, I thought.

Inner me: And you don't.

I wanted to know…I wanted to know what you are, and why these funny things are happening.

Inner me: …Sakura, I already told you. I don't want you to know. And you don't want to know, either. When you find out, you'll be regretting ever thinking about it, wishing that you could go back in time and shut up whoever told you about it.

Is it really that bad?

Inner me: Yes. It is. It's probably even worse, actually.

Doesn't that mean you're bad, too?

Inner me: …yeah. I guess it does.

I was surprised by her tone. It was so serious and so sad…just what had happened?

I guess I'm bad too, though, I told her. Even after you've said all of those things, I still want to know.

Inner me: Sakura….

I was removed from my thoughts by Sasuke-kun shooting another attack at his brother.

Inner me: IS HE TRYING TO KILL US?!
I don't think so…, I said.

"Saori-chan!" Naruto said. I looked at him. "Sasuke is going to get us out of this! It's going to be alright now!"

"…Yeah!" I said, putting on a fake smile. "Yeah, it is!"

Naruto's smile faded. "Saori-chan…."
He can see right through me….

"Saori-chan, you really wanted to know, didn't you? Whatever Itachi was going to say," he said.

I nodded.

"Saori-chan, you can find out from somebody else!" Naruto said confidently. "I'll help you out when we get back in Konoha, okay?"

Naruto….

"Yeah," I said, smiling genuinely. "Thanks, Naruto."

"Let's help Sasuke out!" Naruto said.

He made two shadow clones and squirmed out of Itachi's grasp again, beginning to make a Rasengan. I squirmed free, too, but Itachi just chuckled when I did that.

"Do you really think that you can find out in Konoha?" he asked me quietly, so only I could hear.

I didn't answer. Did I?

Inner me: Sakura! Move!

"They can't tell you," Itachi said. "They don't know…but I do," he said. I looked into his eyes. But that turned out to be a mistake. I began to sink deep into them, and then everyone disappeared.

"Naruto?" I called. Nobody answered. "Sasuke-kun! Are you there? Naruto! Answer me!"

It was quiet. I looked around, and realized I wasn't in the forest anymore. I was in my backyard again. It was nighttime. The moon was poking out from dark clouds, and the stars weren't visible at all. Fireflies were sparkling around the place, and a stream could be heard gently babbling. It was peaceful.

What…?

Inner me: This is bad….

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 26.

Inner Sakura: Sakura…. Damn it, it looks like Itachi got Sakura….

Yeah, it does. What'll happen in the next chapter?

Inner Sakura: Like hell do I know.

Do you still think that Sakura betrayed you?

Inner Sakura: Yes. But I suppose she can be forgiven, since it was out of stupid curiosity. And she's not a cat.

Sakura sure wants to know what you are.

Inner Sakura: Yeah, she does. That idiot…. Even though I keep on warning her, does she listen? NO!

Please review guys! For those of you who have, thank you so much! XD See you in the next chapter!