Disclaimer

Neither the characters nor the story are of my property, they belong to their respective authors.

This story is a dark stalker romance with extreme dubious situations.

Please proceed with caution.

Sakura

Itachi slams Lee against the wall while someone screams.

His eyes are darker than I've ever seen them, and he looks murderous. I search for the guards, who are almost here, but I'm worried they'll be too late.

"You never look at her again," Itachi tells Lee calmly. "Never. Again."

"Dude, you're –" Lee speaks up, but before he can finish, Itachi slams his fist into the guy's nose. This time, I'm the one who screams, and Lee collapses on the ground while Itachi buries his foot in his stomach.

The guards finally reach us, but when they make a grab for Itachi, he shrugs them off easily. His murderous attention is still on Lee. "If I catch you so much as looking in her direction again, I'm going to break more than your fucking nose."

Another guard appears and the three of them grab for Ita, but he punches one of them, knocking him out instantly. I stare open-mouthed as he grabs me by the waist, pulling me up.

"We're leaving, Petal."

I don't have the strength to argue and I shoot a look at Ino to let her know I'm okay. She nods, staring as Ino drags me out of the club through the back door, into an abandoned back alley.

The moment the cold air hits my senses, the music quiets down and the screaming in my mind gets louder and louder. I rip myself out of Itachi' grip, and he growls out loud like an animal whose meal has been stolen.

"You're acting like a fucking caveman!" I scream. "How did you even find me, Itachi? Did you follow me?"

Uttering the words sends me into a tailspin. I realize I don't want to hear his answer, and I let out a sob, waving him off when he tries to reach for me.

"He was going to take advantage of you," Itachi gets out through gritted teeth. "That guy is bad news."

"Well, you seem to be missing something," I hiss. "Whether or not I want to talk to him is my decision, not yours, you brute."

"Is that what you think?"

"That's what it is."

"How drunk are you?"

"That's none of your business."

We glare at one another and I run my hands through my hair. I'm trembling, and I'm fucking cold with my light coat and these unbearably uncomfortable heels showing off my legs.

"You don't get to barge into my life and disappear as you wish, Itachi. Where were you? Who was the guy in front of my apartment? Why the hell was he looking for you?"

He shrugs off his leather jacket and putting it around my shoulders. I don't fight him. I need the warmth.

"He's my employer," Itachi grits out. "I owe him."

"You owe him what?"

"My life." His voice is so firm and steady it makes me wonder just how true his statement is. It seems like he isn't lying. "I'm in debt to him – forever. His family saved my life."

"Okay. Care to elaborate on that?"

"No." His answer leaves no room for questions, making me sigh in frustration.

"You know what, Ita?" I raise my hands in defeat. "If that's the way you want it, fucking fine. Have it your way. Don't tell me anything. Just get the hell out of my life. I don't want these secrets and this bullshit bringing me down any more than it already has."

I'm so tired of waiting for him when it's obviously going nowhere, and I hate myself for being glad that he came to find me. My moods are dangerously controlled by him, and I can't have that anymore.

I turn around, but he grabs my hand, his hot skin enveloping my cold one, and I'm embarrassed because I hesitate before pulling away from him.

"You're not leaving me, Petal," Itachi says.

"It's not your decision to make." I turn over my shoulder to look at him. "This could have been something life-changing, Ita. You just had to fuck it up."

I peel his jacket off my shoulders and give it back to him while he stares me down.

"You'll be cold," he mutters.

"I don't care." I turn around and start walking away from him, the sound of my heels on the concrete ringing in my head.

I feel hot tears burning my eyes before I even make it around the block. The sharp pain of Itachi's behavior sends me running down the street, trying to swallow down the sobs threatening to rip out of my chest.

I don't notice anything or anyone until I'm a block and a half away, still preoccupied with my own thoughts and sobs. But then I feel it – the creepy feeling of being watched, of a pair of eyes on the back of my neck.

I remember the open window. I remember the spider, the missing glass. And for the first time, I allow myself to wonder whether someone's... following me.

The mere idea is so disturbing I gulp. But what other explanation could there be – apart from me losing my damn mind?

After that realization, I keep glancing over my shoulder, the hairs sticking on the back of my neck. Aside from the shadows and the glow of the streetlights, there's nothing. Swallowing the uneasy sensation, I continue making my way home.

When I'm at the front door, I fumble with my keys so much I drop them. I curse softly, bending down to pick them up. When I do, I finally see him – the dark figure standing in the corner.

He's wearing a leather jacket.

Something takes over me then. I'm not sure whether it's madness or foolishness or simply being drunk, but I storm in the direction of the man watching me, and when he breaks into a run, I do the same. He dodges a car and I follow suit, the driver honking at us angrily as they speed down the road.

"You!" I scream. "Wait!"

I expect him to continue running, to tire me and then disappear – which wouldn't be so hard considering I'm drunk. However, he stops abruptly, making me skid to a sudden halt. He turns around and the face that greets me under the streetlight makes me laugh bitterly.

"What are you doing, Itachi?"

"Making sure you're fucking safe." He sounds calm, unaffected as if this is an every day occurrence. "You should be saying thank you, Petal."

"You're following me." All pieces fall into place and I gasp. "Have you been following me all along, making me paranoid in my own skin?"

Before he can say anything, I stomp back towards my building and let myself in, forcing myself on autopilot.

No, no. I don't want to think about it. Not now.

As I'm about to slam the door closed, his footsteps come between us and he forces his way inside.

"Ita, stop it," I hiss, glancing down the hallway to make sure we're alone. "Someone's going to hear."

"Then you better get to your apartment and fast." He motions down the hallway. "Let's go, Pet."

I mutter something under my breath and start walking up the stairs, with him following close behind. I don't want to admit it, but I'm oddly comforted by Itachi's presence even with the slight realization swimming in my head.

Once I'm at my door, I motion for him to go. "I'm fine now. Bye."

"I'm checking inside," he insists, pushing past me into my apartment.

"For what?" I groan, following him in. I take off my jacket and push a button on my speakers that reads out messages from my phone.

"Hey babe," Ino's voice says on the answering machine. She doesn't sound like the Ino I know at all. She sounds worried and upset. " I'm so sorry about tonight. Seeing Itachi act like that, God... I feel like I should come clean about something."

She sighs heavily and I rub my temples, preparing for whatever is to come.

"I know I'm the one who set you up with this Itachi guy," she rattles off. "But I'm going to be really honest... I don't know him that well at all."

I look at Itachi, fuming. "When were you planning on telling me this?"

"I don't know," he shrugs his jacket off. "Ino didn't seem too worried."

"Well, she is now! I can't believe you, Ita. You totally ruined my day."

"You ruined mine too, so I guess we're even."

He plops down on the couch and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. He acts as if we're a couple already, like he lives with me or something.

I watch as Mr. Bingley jumps into Itachi' lap. He groans as the cat settles down. At least the cats are warming to him – that's got to be a good sign, right?

I'm not going to let him get away with this, I decide as I pour myself a glass of ice-cold water and drink it down in long, thirsty gulps. Itachi flicks on the TV and I come to stand in front of him, blocking his view.

"What is it, Pet?" he asks, never taking his eyes off the screen.

"I can't just ignore what you did tonight. You acted like a crazy person."

He doesn't reply, knitting his brows together and flicking through the channels before finally speaking up. "Fine. Maybe it wasn't my best moment."

I scoff and he shoots me a warning look. I guess it's as close to an apology as I'm going to get.

"I'll make it up to you," he goes on, eyes sparkling with mischief. "You have one question. Use it carefully. Ask me anything you want."

The words render me speechless, and I stare at him without a reply.

"Go on, Pet," he grunts. "I thought you had so many things to say. Cat got your tongue now?"

I hiss, crossing my arms and staring him down without fear. You wanted to play this game, Itachi. "Your employer. What's his name?"

"Tobirama. What about him?" Itachi folds his hands in his lap and looks back at me with a stone-cold expression.

"The jobs you do for h-him." I hate myself for stuttering, but I can't help it. This is completely out of my league. "Do t-they in-involve... hurting people?" Itachi's eyes darken even more, going from a dark, stormy sky to carbon black, I can swear I see a little bit of red.

"Tell me, Itachi," I demand. "I deserve to know the truth."

He still doesn't answer and I sigh in frustration.

"Itachi, you're being totally unreasonable," I cry out. "You said one question, and you'd answer it, and –"

He interrupts me by getting up in a flash, pulling me on the couch and holding my body on his lap so I can't move. I can feel his heartbeat, steady and slow, a stark difference to the hammering of my own heart.

"Are you going to tell me?" I whisper as he turns the volume up on the TV.

"You don't want to know." He gathers me in his arms as he stands up and I have no choice but to wrap my legs around him as he strides into my bedroom and throws me over the mattress.

Then, he's on top me, gripping my jaw. "The fun is over. Time for your punishment."