DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES.
Itachi was like a big brother that she never had, 'Itachi-san would never do that. He... He can try to convince Sasuke in different ways than this... This dirty little trick.'
And Sasuke, 'Does Sasuke knows? If he did. Why didn't he told me? If he didn't, if he discovered that he got played, would he be mad? To me? To Itachi? Will he think that I took him for granted. After all, all if this can just be Sasuke's drive for competition and to winning. And I just might be Sasuke's trophy for their stupid competition.'
Sasori, 'What if this is Sasori's dirty tricks? What if everything that he said is a lie? What if he's just doing this to get me to hate Sasuke? So he can get me? Just so he can win. What if...'
Sakura grimaced at her thoughts and forcefully smiled, 'What if everything is true...'
She shook her head as the tears started to fall again. She couldn't take it, she didn't know what to believe in, she couldn't identify what is real. She just could think straight and so, she smiled at him even if her tears are still falling.
"I can't believe this."
She whispered and she gathered her things with force as she was about to leave Sasori held her wrist and looked at her.
"Sakura."
"You're Mine, Only Mine"
Chapter 16: "The Beginning"
Sasuke bolted up from his bed when he heard a door slammed. 'Itachi?'
It is pretty unusual for him to hear Itachi slam the door shut, even when his brother is drunk or tired from his long day, he never slam the door like that. Well, if that's Itachi.
Stretching his arms a bit, he ran a hand through his hair and went downstairs.
It couldn't be anyone but his brother, he made sure that he locked the doors before he retreated to his bedroom and no one had the key to it besides him, Itachi and his parents. Thinking out the obvious, he saw Itachi right ahead when he reached the bottom of the stairs. He seemed stressed and in panic as he wears his jacket.
He stopped when he noticed Sasuke's stare, "Sasuke!"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow to him, meaning to ask what's going on.
"Hurry up! Put your jacket. It's an emergency!"
Suddenly, Sasuke went into panic mode, 'Emergency?! What the hell happened?!'
Unconsciously, he glanced up to the clock, '8:30 P.M'
'Great. I overslept.'
He retreated to his room to fetch his jacket, phone and his wallet. And went downstairs to see Itachi impatiently fiddling with his keys.
Without a word, Itachi left the house, Sasuke assumed that he was going to his car.
'I guess explanations are spared for a while.' He mused.
Hoping in Itachi's car, his older brother immediately drive them to the highway, their path that usually leads to the... airport?
All of a sudden, a verge of nervousness enveloped Sasuke, his stomach clenched on the possible things that happened.
He cleared his throat and glanced at his elder brother, "Where are we exactly going?"
Itachi didn't make eye contact with Sasuke. Instead, he kept driving with his eyes on the road.
Sasuke asked furthermore, he knows his brother too well and he knows better than to force him to talk. Itachi made his way through the airport's parking lot, seeming a lot confident and less distressed than before.
"Mom and Dad had an emergency return," Itachi stated filling Sasuke the details that he wanted to know ever since they left their house. But it didn't do any good, it only confuses him further.
"What do you mean? Emergency?" Sasuke gulped, whatever it is, he feels like he doesn't want to know what exactly was going on.
Itachi sighed for the umpteen time and looked at Sasuke, eyes filled with worry. "It's about Sakura's parents."
"Mebuki and Kizashi?! What happened, Itachi?" Sasuke seemed distressed now. Last time Sakura talked about how she couldn't contact her parents and seeing that this emergency is about them didn't sit well to him. Does Sakura even know of this? Was she informed?
Itachi put his eyes at the front, eyeing the people beyond them. "I didn't know much of the details but Mom called me while I was on one of our meetings, she said that she couldn't contact you and so she called me next telling that there has been an emergency and that they are flying back as we speak, it was about Mebuki she said, she needed medical attention and protection, and for Kizashi... she didn't want to talk about it."
Sasuke breathed out shakily, he didn't know what to say, he wanted to panic but he needed to calm down Sakura wasn't informed yet. They need to do this carefully and mindfully "Well? Did you call the hospital?"
His brother nodded and grabbed his eyes, "Yes, they're already there. Let's go. They may be arriving any minute now."
Sasuke obeyed quietly, tensed but calming himself out, he needed to be calm and composed, he's sure that whatever happens, Sakura will need him.
As they walk inside, Itachi glanced at him at the corner of his eye, "Whatever happens, you have to compose yourself. The last thing I want is you being foolish of a brother you are."
He didn't respond to that. He knows that there is something that his brother knows, he might know what exactly happened to Sakura's parents but he guessed that he has to wait, maybe he needs to hear it from his parents. Maybe he just needs to be a little patient.
"Does... Sakura know?"
Itachi abruptly stopped walking and turned to Sasuke. He looked like he had seen a ghost.
"No. Mom said not to tell her. She would be the one to deliver the news. I don't have all the information that you or she needs."
Sasuke sighed and nodded sternly. If he's brother and mother told so, then he wouldn't want to spill the beans to Sakura too soon. 'Besides, where is she?'
Itachi started walking again and so Sasuke followed. He briefly checked his phone for any text but he didn't receive any.
'She said Sasori invited her for some snacks. But that's some hours ago...'
He hurriedly typed a text message to her, 'Are you home, Sakura? We need to talk.'
But afterwards, he decided against it and called her instead.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Soonly, the line was picked up.
"Hey, Saku—"
"Hi. You are calling Sakura Haruno, I'm busy right now but! You can leave me a voicemail or send me a text message! I'll call back or reply as soon as I get into it!"
He heard a beep and he decided to go with it, "Hey. Sakura. Are you home? I... I need to see you. So please, call me back as soon as you get this."
When he looked up, he almost bumped into Itachi's back. "What th—"
"We're here." His brother briefly said. And surely, their mother, Mikoto came running at them, enveloping them with a hug.
"Oh my! My boys! I'm so glad to see you well! I'll never forgive myself if something bad happened to the both of you."
Before any of the two of them spoke, the paramedics went to work. They saw a woman, presumably, Sakura's mother, Mebuki, on a stretcher was brought into an ambulance and quickly drove to where the ambulance is.
Sasuke looked terrified, "What... What happened?"
Mikoto looked hesitant, she looked to Itachi, and opened her mouth to speak but instead, a man's voice was all that they heard, "Give your mother a break. Let's settle this at home."
Their father, Fugaku, interrupted their mother. Whatever it is, it seems that both of them are involved.
"What about Mebuki? She sh—"
"She'll be fine. I've contacted the hospital, Tsunade is there. She'll make sure that Mebuki is safe. I've already contacted Shisui and Obito. They'll tell us if anything happens." Fugaku sounded secured and strict.
On the other hand, Sasuke isn't liking where things are going at. There is no positivity in this news. It has to be bad or even the worst-case scenario.
And it occurred to him that he can't even contact Sakura. Realizing all so suddenly, he quickly grabbed his phone and tried contacting her.
Noticing his panicked atmosphere, Itachi eyed him curiously while their parents gathered their things from their private jet.
"What is it, Sasuke?"
Sasuke gave him a glance before returning to his phone to send Sakura a text message. "Sakura..."
"What about her?"
"She isn't responding to my texts and calls..."
Itachi narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean? I'm sure she's just in their house, tell her to stay inside."
"No."
By this time Itachi is baffled, he didn't quite grasp what was his younger brother trying to say.
Sasuke stopped his actions and slumped his shoulders when he failed to contact her.
"She wasn't with me this afternoon. I went home right away and fell asleep. I didn't even get a text or a call from her that she was going home or something." Rage came bursting from Sasuke's eyes, it's as if he realized something very crucial to this matter.
Itachi noticed this, "Where exactly did she go?"
"For a snack. In some cafe." Sasuke's voice had definitely gone deeper. 'Somethings's going on.'
"Who's with her?"
Sasuke mumbled something and that caught Itachi off guard. There's no way that he is involved with this. He promised him that he'll never stoop so low. Whatever Sasuke is thinking, he begs to differ, he simply can't do that! We know that he won't stoop that low.
"...pardon?" Itachi asked him again, trying to make a sense at all of this.
"Sasori."
But it didn't.
"She's with Sasori."
It didn't make a sense at all. But Sasori can't do anything to her. They talked about this and if he does, he'll make sure to tackle this with his own hands.
Itachi sighed and closed his eyes calming himself and not joining Sasuke into jumping in conclusions, "Alright, calm down."
"How can I calm down? Saku—
"What's happening?" Fugaku suddenly interrupted two luggage on his hands. Mikoto is already walking towards them with her handbag.
Itachi looked sharply at Sasuke, trying to get this in control. The last thing that he wants is another Uchiha freaking out.
"Sakura's not responding to Sasuke's messages or calls."
Mikoto widened her eyes in a fraction, "What do you mean? Did you two get into a fight?"
Sasuke didn't speak but he shakes his head. "Let's... Let's go home. I'll check her house. Maybe... Maybe she's there."
"Let's go. We need to talk about a lot of things." Fugaku nodded and walks past the brothers, Mikoto follower husband and walked to the parking lot.
Sasuke stood a little longer on his place, contemplating whether to call her again. A hand on his shoulder break his musing, "I know you're feeling that something is wrong but Sasuke, don't jump into conclusions."
He stared at his older brother a little longer, worry and anxiety-filled his eyes. "I know."
With their short dialogue, Sasuke walked to follow their parents. While Itachi stayed behind.
He pocketed his phone and sent a message before walking to follow them.
"Where are you, Sasori? Call me back. ASAP."
It is dark.
Eerie.
Silent.
That's all that she can say about this place.
She takes a look of her surroundings for the umpteenth time. Of course, it is the same thing over and over again. No matter where she looks.
She's held inside a dark room with a single narrow metal window above her, where the moonlight peaks through and strikes the metal door with a peak whole.
She groaned and tried to scream for help but the gag on her mouth disallowed her from doing so. It only makes her throat dry and sore from her failed efforts.
She tried to move and reach for something on the cold cement ground but she was constricted by the metal chains that bind her feet and hands.
Suddenly, a loud clang of metal shocked her. As the metal door opened.
"Well, well, well. You're awake."
Sakura's eyes went wide and teared up as she saw the appearance of her abductor.
Slowly, the man walked to her watching her tiny movements as she backed up farther away from him until she met the cold wall.
He stared at her and smirks when she refused to meet his gaze and turned her head to the side. It agitated him and grabbed her cheeks to forcefully make her look at him.
"You're so beautiful. Tell me, do you want to have some fun."
Her eyes widened in terror and closed it shut and she shook her head furiously. In a while, tears fell from her enclosed eyes groaning in despair.
"Too late for that."
The man stood up and reaches something from his back.
"Say hi to your new toy, dear Sa-ku-ra."
Her eyes went wide open to look at him and prayed, prayed that someone would save her.
'Sasuke-kun...'