Pink tendrils of hair were splayed across the bed that stood alone in the scarcely lit room. Thin rays of sunbeams flooded through the cracks of the curtain covering the single window present, acting as the only source of light and exposing the minuscule particles of dust that floated in the air. A strong heartbeat could be heard in the stiff silence that filled the empty space with sound.
Konan stood in the dark corner of the room and watched the steady rise and fall of Sakura's chest. The layers of wool sheets draped around her slightly shifted while she peacefully breathed, blowing away the strands of hair that grazed her cheek.
The blue-haired Akatsuki member stood rooted to her spot in the room and watched the resting girl with a keen eye. It has been several days since she was brought to the Akatsuki headquarters, and Konan was tasked with the duty to care for her until she awakens. Each day she monitored the status of her health, and in the evening she reported it to Pein. Today was another routine check-up. Sakura was in physically pristine condition. Her clothes have been discarded and replaced with simple garments, her skin was clean of the dirt and scuff that was present the day she arrived, and her chakra reserves were rapidly replenishing themselves to their full capacity.
However, it was the state of her mind that made Konan unsure.
Days ago, Pein had assembled all members of Akatsuki together in order to inform everyone of the events that transpired and the change that will follow from them. Konan stood by Pein's side, watching as each member appeared before him. She silently took count of the present members in her head, scrutinizing the two men before her. A disinterested expression was worn by the shark-nin, Kisame, as he lazily peered around the room before settling his eyes onto the large window that stood behind her. The other male that stood beside him cleared his throat and hummed a tune while dusting off his robe. Tobi's dark hair spiked out from beneath his orange swirled mask in disarrayed strands. Konan analyzed him, taking in his tapping foot and tucked arms before staring at the flame-colored mask that covered his face. She glanced over at Pein who stood stoic, listless almost.
"He is late again, I see," the orange-haired male conferred in a flat voice.
Konan only nodded to his statement.
Barely a minute passed before a clay dove flew into through the opened window and into the room. A subtle clink was heard before the figurine morphed into slanted blue eyes and blonde hair. Deidara kneeled into a bow and looked to the floor in deference.
"Forgive me, Pein-sama," he muttered, eyes still on the cracked, wooden ground. Pein only spared him a glance before speaking, eyes roaming the room.
His steel tone sliced the silence in the room, "As you may know, the Godaime's apprentice has been seized."
Two of the three males turned their attention to the infamous leader, looking at Pein with attentive ears. Kisame continued to keep his gaze on the floor.
"However, I have been informed by Kisame that her condition forces us to reevaluate our plan," his face was bare of emotion despite stating crucial information, "I believe that we can use this to hasten our agenda while also giving us leverage over those who stand against us."
The ambiance of the room was tense. Each member stood still as a rod, diligently listening until Tobi raised his hand.
Konan turned her head to him, "Yes, Tobi."
The colored swirl he wore shielded his facial expression, but his tone was that of a child, "What exactly is this situation that we are referring to?"
Kisame did not bother to ask for permission to speak and looked up, "The kunoichi suffers from amnesia."
Tobi tilted his head to an angle, obvious that he was confused at the statement.
"However, it is believed that she recalls her medical-nin training," Pein added, "She will continue to be of use to us in healing Itachi." He paused, "but she will also join Akatsuki when I see fit."
From the corner of her eye, Konan saw Kisame smother his grimaced while the other two males looked remotely taken aback. She, herself, felt indifferent. Pein says that there is a plan, and she will diligently follow his command. It was as simple as that. It must be as simple as that.
The crisp silence made it clear that those summoned were not pleased with this announcement, but they compliantly accepted it nonetheless. Pein inspected each one, analyzing their posture and their gazes. He was no fool.
"I sense uncertainty," he stated.
A beat went by until Deidara took a step forward, slightly raising his voice, "Are we just going to forget that she's our enemy? How do we know that she'll willingly agree?" His face set itself into a scowl, "She killed Sasori for fuck's sake!"
"Which is why I believe she is worthy," Pein cooly replied. "And her compliance is something I have already taken care of." He scrutinizes Deidara. Noticing his hardened glance, Deidara forcefully loosened his fisted hands but did not try to hide the scowl on his face.
Pein continued to speak, "I have used a very simple, yet nearly undetectable, jutsu of my own creation that acts as a block on her memories. She will not be able to recover her past life unless I remove it."
"When she wakes up, she will ask for answers. This plan could blow up right in our faces," Deidara fired back.
Pein's ringed eyes flashed at Deidara's boldness, and the air grew even more still, "When I am certain that this will work, I am certain. And you will do your duty to be obedient and not think to question me like the servant you are meant to act like." With his lips set to a slight frown, Pein pointedly looked over at Kisame, "I see that I have been too lax lately."
Konan gave Deidara a sharp glance and locked eyes with him. He held her gaze for a brief moment before sighing and taking a step back. "My apologies, Pein-sama."
The orange haired male took his gaze off of the shark-nin and began to pace the room, addressing the other members, "The task is simple. We will state that she was injured, and we offered her refuge. We will gain her trust in the course of also making her believe that she is no longer wanted, needed, and even desired dead by those she once knew. We will play on her fears and naivety."
The faintest ghost of a small graced his lips, "In the end, she is merely a girl seeking for validation, and we will provide that to her in our own manner."
He stopped pacing to face the window and turned his back to the members, "Each one of you will assure this opportunity will play out to our advantage. She will be a strong asset to Akatsuki, and knowing how weak-hearted the people of Konoha are, the jinchuriki will easily seek us out."
Konan looked over at Pein with steady eyes, "She is valuable and it would be foolish of us to not seize this." Pein nodded in approval at her words and waved a hand.
"Konan, you will care for her until she wakes. Until then, each person will resume their tasks as like before," he closed his eyes, shutting off his view from the window and letting seconds of silence wash over.
"You are dismissed."
The meeting was short and curt. What they were tasked to do was clearly stated, and now it was only a waiting game. Konan found herself staring at the young girl in front of her, counting the minutes that have passed since she came to inspect her condition. The uncertainty of her mental state intrigued Konan. What effects would it cause? What situations will it lead to? Most of all, how successful will this method be?
She allowed herself to ponder before scuffing those questions out and collectively beginning to walk to the door. Her shoes firmly tapped against the aged, oak floors, and her small hands reached out to turn the knob.
Konan's hands stilled in the air when she noticed Sakura's hush breathing come to a halt. Barely a moment had passed when the ruffling of sheets was heard and quietness followed quickly after. A surge of chakra was felt through the air, and the sound of the bed creaking was heard before Konan whipped her body back, dogging the kick that was aimed at her head.
Bright green eyes clashed with amber ones. Konan watched the way Sakura's hand reached for her thigh, grasping for the weapon holster that was once there. The blue-haired woman was quick to raise her hands up, exposing her palms and straightening her back.
"I see that you have finally awoken," she said with a calm voice.
Noticing her passive stance, Sakura almost hesitated, "Who are you?" Her brows furrowed in hostility, causing deep creases to appear.
When Sakura came to, her body had already willed Sakura to defend herself before she could even blink twice. Before she could even open her eyes, the blood in her veins roared to life in apprehension and begin to move on its own accord, naturally launching into an offensive attack. She didn't have time to think of why she was doing what she was until now. But even as she stood there, confusion laced her minding and pondered why she instinctively attacked the woman in front of her. As she quickly took in the appearance of the woman, Sakura could not recognize her or where she was.
"Konan," the woman answered, lowering her hands and placing them to her side, "it seems like you are well, which is good to see."
Sakura held her defensive stance and studied the women intensively. Her blue hair caused the pigment of her skin to appear light and cream colored, and her face was that of a porcelain doll. Though there was not an expression being worn on her face, Sakura could feel a sense of fragility hiding behind the plain mask. A white origami piece was nestled into the side of her hair, contrasting with the black fabric of her cloak, and Sakura's emerald eyes scrutinized the material, barely feeling the tug at her stomach. Noticing the red clouds that adorned it, she dropped her stance.
"Those clouds," she dragged her eyes up to meet Konan's, "I've seen them before..."
She felt herself sink into the depths of her mind. Slowly, flashes of faint memories engulfed Sakura. Images of her aimlessly wandering around the dark forest appeared, rain mercilessly pouring down. She recalled being heavily injured and near death. Passing out. A blue man. And a black cloak with red clouds.
Did they rescue her? Is that how she ended up here? Such thoughts wildly clouded her mind, causing her to straighten and take a step back. The mentality of defending herself was dropped, but she looked at the women with slight caution.
Konan's mouth pursed into a tight line, and she carefully chose her words, "Yes." She took a step forward, "Kisame stumbled across you during his mission and discovered the state you were in. He felt that it would be unwise to leave you there and decided to bring you back to our base in order for you to recuperate."
Sakura took in a deep breath and willed herself to recall the events that had long transpired. Her mind reached back to seize onto any type of recollection, but each memory was vague and weak. Like a reel, pictures began to flood her mind, quickly but practically incomprehensible. Only small parts could be deciphered, and Sakura painstakingly pushed herself to see them clearly.
A blur of her leaping from tree to tree with urgency filling her chest.
The gut-wrenching scream that tore from Sakura's mouth as a woman thrusted a blade into her stomach.
Her single beg for help as a blue man appeared from the shadows of the forest.
It was all so much information but yet so little at the same time. Each memory was clouded, practically distorted, even, making it difficult for her to clearly piece them together. She knew there was more, but her mind could not provide much more than was it already has for her, and she was frustrated. It was not enough.
Again, she commanded her conscience to think harder, and as if they were hands, they desperately stretched and attempting to grasp anything they could find. Sakura felt her pulse start to quicken and the sound of her racing heart began to ring in her ears. She bit her lip and creased her forehead, continuing to conjure up some type of memory. Something that would help her understand.
It felt as if several minutes have passed, but in reality, it was barely a second until she sensed it.
The distant gleam of what she yearned to know, dangling in front of her like a glass of water she waited too long to drink from. She pushed herself forward and closed in on it like a hungry predator. Her hands stretched beyond their limits, just nearly grasping it, and strained itself to just reach a little further.
Just a little further, she told herself.
She could almost feel the edges ever so slightly graze the tips of her fingers, so close to what she yearned for, before it was forcefully pulled back. Suddenly, Sakura's eyes widened and she let out an audible hiss, clutching her head and stepping back from Konan.
A scorching pain wrapped around the walls of Sakura's head, forcing her to flee from the sanctuary of her mind and return back to reality. Raging heat traveled from her conscience and materialize itself to physically settle in the pit of her stomach. Sakura's nails dug into skin as her hands tightly clenched themselves into fists. The pain continues to spread within her, and she readied herself to endure it.
Another second went by.
As quickly as it came, the burning subsided, and Sakura felt her body relax. But little by little, the feeling of dread washed over her, leaving her with aching muscles and her chakra reserves slightly dipped into. She froze at the weighted feeling on her chest and forced herself to swallow but came to no avail. She knew exactly what this was.
Fear.
Konan analyzed the girl intensely, curiosity decorating her eyes. She quickly masked it and took another step forward with an offering hand, "Are you in pain?"
Sakura's disregarded Konan's question and placed a hand against her forehead, "What is wrong with me?" Small droplets of sweat began to form as her stomach painfully curled inward. Her heart began to lurch from her chest. She stared at Konan, eyes wide but looking for some type of explanation.
"We believe that you suffer from memory loss."
Sakura could almost feel herself shudder. To know so little about her own self and be so powerless to everyone. So lost. What could she even do?
"How is that even possible?" She approached Konan, already disregarding any possibility that the blue-headed woman was a threat. "Was it that woman that attacked me? Do you know?"
The few sentences that Sakura spoke were only the first of many questions, and Konan knew that. The woman looked at the way Sakura's hands clenched in frustration. The vulnerability that expelled from her lips smothered the space between the two, making Konan briefly pause. However, Konan continued to stand, thinking in silence. The girl was desperate for answers, yes. But she knew Sakura was also a skilled kunoichi that was far from senseless, despite her lack of memories.
Sakura took another step forward, lessening the space between the two females and growing almost restless from Konan's silence. Barely a minute had even passed.
Who could have done this to her? Her memories, all that she knew about herself, her life, all gone. Sakura balled up her fist in frustration, and she compelled herself to take a steady exhale of a breath with her gaze unwavering from Konan's. Though Sakura has come to accept that these people have saved her, the faint weight in her chest caused her to continue to hold her guard. She knew that something was still missing. Some part of the story was still unraveled.
And as if the deepest parts of Sakura's conscience could be heard, a voice called out to her.
"I can see your doubts."
The statement caused both Konan and Sakura to snap their attention to the other corner of the room. Two purple ringed eyes stared back at Sakura before emerging from the shadow with orange hair and several piercings. Noticing his presence, Konan lowered herself in a small bow and stepped back. Sakura stood unmoving, but also acknowledge her astonishment at the fact that her senses did not warn her of another presence in the room
Without looking at Konan, Pein waved a hand, "You may leave."
Obediently she left, leaving the two of them alone with a click of the door. The weight in her chest slightly grew heavier, but Sakura chose to ignore it.
"I know you have many questions, child."
she replied stiffly to him, "And you have them?"
Pein almost smiled at her tone, "I do." His arms moved to cross behind his back, causing his cloak to slightly ruffle from the movement, "Would you like to know them?"
Sakura's chest drew in a sharp breath at his offer, and she jumped quickly to respond. Her hands wrung themselves to ease the tension within. Sakura wearily eyed the man that stood before her, ignoring the uneasy feeling she felt from his piercing stare and spoke again.
"Please tell me everything you know."
His expression remained neutral, but he allowed himself to chuckle internally. Pein savored her trusting nature and hid his satisfaction at how easily he could read the pink-headed girl. Everything is going accordingly, just as he thought it would. He looked at her and wanted to scoff at her sensitive nature but kept a passive tone as he spoke.
"As Konan has stated, we offered you refuge once Kisame discovered your body when returning from his mission. If he did not stumble upon you at that time, you would have succumbed to death."
Sakura pursed her lips in confusion, "I don't understand. Why would you go to the lengths to help me?"
"Because, Sakura, it seems that we have an enemy in common."'
Her confusion only increased from his words.
Suddenly, Pein began to walk toward the door, "Come, I believe there is something that will help you understand." And without sparing another glance, he placed his hand on the doorknob and stepped out.
Sakura took the moment to allow herself to trail to the depths of her conscience. An enemy? What could have possibly happened to her to have someone set out to attack her? As she gained the answers that she hoped to find, only more questions resulted from them. Steering her mind to ease itself, she began to follow Pein.
Soft groans of the wooden floor could be heard as Pein's sandals curtly clicked against it while Sakura's bare feet followed closely behind. The inn they stayed was dim and empty, bare of any signs of human life. It was as if they were the only people to be residing here.
As she continued to trail after him, she couldn't help her eyes from wandering every corner and wall they walked by. Door after door passed, each looking as identical as the one before it, until Pein stopped before one. Sakura instantly sensed the distinct aroma of incense that seeped from the door, and she scrunched up her brows in question. The scent became even more pungent as Pein opened the door and walked in, allowing the dimly lit candles from the room to flood into the hallway.
When Sakura stepped in, she brought a hand to her face to cover the aghast expression she had. Pein stood at the other side of the bed with his ringed eyes focused on what laid in it. Sakura's eyes quickly roamed the walls, taking in the many vials of medicine that were neatly placed on the nightstand. She couldn't help but notice how the air in the room was tinted with a grim tone. Rolls of unused bandages laid piled neatly to the side of the bed alongside containers of healing ointment. Sakura took a step closer to the bed, trying to ignore the lump in her throat, and forced herself to look down at the figure who laid there.
She almost gasped at the sight of him. His hair was mid-length and was strewn across the pillow his head rested on. Dark bruises covered his pale skin, showing signs of deep trauma to the body and fractured bones. Coils of bandages were wrapped around segments of his body, some freshly place while others were tinted in dried blood. Sakura continued to stare at him as her ears barely pick up the labored breathing that followed the rise and fall of his chest. Sakura turned to Pein, who was watching her closely. He spoke before she had the chance to ask any questions.
"This is one of our members, Itachi Uchiha," Pein paused for a moment, watching Sakura's face for any recognition. Seeing that she did not react to his words, he continued. "As a child, he was a loyal shinobi to his village. A prodigy, they even considered."
Sakura watched his ringed eyes roam across Itachi's face as he spoke, and she too followed his gaze, "The Uchihas were a noble clan, known for their kekkei genkai and sheer power. That power was feared by others, and it was decided that action needed to be taken in order to eradicate any possibilities of that power being used against them."
"Them?" Sakura softly questioned.
"The officials," His voice continued with its flat tone, unbound to any emotion, "they came to the conclusion that either they kill the Uchihas or Itachi did."
Sakura's eyes widened in confusion, "What difference did that make? Would the outcome not be the same?"
Pein's ring eyes left Itachi's face and turned to meet hers.
"It's all just a game to them," he answered, "It was either allow them to be the killers and go unreprimanded or he be the one to do it and have the ability to spare his brother's life."
Sakura's heart twisted at his words, and her mind almost wished to be in disbelief as it quickly pondered why a cruel thing could possibly happen to someone. To have to spend the rest of your years living with that weight resting upon your conscience. Questioning once more, Sakura spoke, "But why would he be in this condition now?"
Pein's gaze did not leave Sakura's, "On that night, Itachi did what he could to spare his brother's life. Even if that meant completely destroying his own."
Instinctively her chest constricted, causing remorse and sadness to fill Sakura's heart in pity for the broken man that laid before her. She placed a hand on her chest to dull the ache she felt, almost perturbed at why her body reacted so strongly to Pein's retelling.
"After Itachi completed his assignment, he knew that his life was simply a death sentence, and he could not allow himself to become a burden on his beloved brother. Itachi hoped that his brother would be able to find peace by staying in the village and live to become a great shinobi. How foolish he was to think so."
Sakura's voice was merely a whisper, "What did they do to him?"
Pein looked to the side, "You see, Sakura, decimating the entire clan was not nearly enough for them." Sakura noticed the way his tone grew slightly more clipped, "Once Itachi's task was completed, he fled. The reality of losing one of their most powerful pawn crippled them, and they could not allow a man of his caliber to roam free due to their fear that he would retaliate. So the village began to groom his brother, feeding him lies after lies about his character and what he had done, just for him to yearn to one day kill Itachi."
She looked down at Itachi's fragile state and bit back the heartbreak she felt for him. With Pein's recapitulation of Itachi's life, Sakura knew what he was going to say, but she still allowed herself to ask, "His brother did this to him?"
Pein curtly nodded at her words.
Sakura's face was contorted into slight anger and turned to Pein with a fierceness in her voice, "What village would do such an awful thing?"
He regarded her with hidden amusement before speaking.
"Yours."
At his words, Sakura felt herself crumble within, the root of her core ripping apart and dragging all that it could down with it, and she said nothing. As much as she desired for any piece of information of her past, Sakura began to consider that she possibly have asked for too much. From the moment she woke, she pleaded and pushed until her desire was satisfied. But she was not satisfied.
She was devastated
If this was only the beginning, how much worse can it get?
Her expression made Pein want to chuckle in vindication. Manipulating the girl's emotions, being able to predict how she would react. Oh, it was simply too easy.
Sakura took a step back from the bed and placed her on the night desk behind her to stabilize herself from the shock. He observed her quietly, calculating her movements and waiting for her to speak once more. However, instead of speaking, she pushed herself to inch closer to Itachi. Pein watched the way she held out her hand before lightly placing it on his forehead.
Sakura's calloused fingertips met ice cold skin, noticing the way the warmness from her hands was instantly sucked from her fingertips upon contact. Sakura's mind wanted to implode at the onslaught of information just disclosed to her by Pein, not knowing how to process it. Her heart continued to be overcome by pity, unable to simply move on from this. How could a village do this to its people? How could her village do this to its people.
Sakura felt herself tense, and she stopped to ask herself, what could they have done to me?
Pein stepped to the side and placed a hand on the bedpost, "All of us here are products of our villages." He tapped his nails against the wooden beam of the post, "We all have been used, damaged, and discarded by those we trusted."
"Was I?" Sakura heard herself ask.
Pein pursed his lips together, "I am unsure of that answer. But even if you were one of their victims, would you continue to align yourself alongside those responsible?"
Sakura drew a small breath, "No… I wouldn't."
The hand that was resting on the bedpost was drawn back and placed behind Pein's back to clasp his other hand. He took another step, but this time closer to Sakura.
"Then possibly you can see the world we see," he replied, "Akatsuki only wishes to end the corruption. To remove the very people who defaced us in order to restore justice in our homelands. For the assurance that this will never happen again."
His proclamation echoed in Sakura's head, adding tension to the space that stood between them. Sakura's eyes broke away from Pein's and returned back to Itachi's bandaged body.
Ever so slowly, they studied the lacerations that adorned his skin, unable to mend itself. Bandages were intricately woven over each other to prevent the blood from continuing to bleed, but Sakura knew that the attempt was almost futile as she saw how the white cloth continued to be stained red. Black bruises showed no signs of healing, and each time Itachi's chest exhaled a breath it took longer for it to rise again.
Just by glancing at him, Sakura could tell that it would take only mere days for Itachi's body to succumb to its injuries, and she turned her head to look over at Pein, "How long has he been like this?"
"Roughly two months," he answered, "Konan has done to the best of her abilities, but it seems that we have come to a halt."
Sakura's brows knitted together at his response, prompting him to further speak.
"Our resources are limited, and they have been substantially reduced since this incident occurred," His purple eyes swept over the various medicine bottles that littered the room, and for the first time Sakura noticed that each one was empty. "We've exhausted our capabilities and stalled our agenda in order to allow Itachi to recover."
Pein's gaze returned to Itachi's face. "But it is obvious that we no longer have jurisdiction over his outcome." Purple eyes raised to lock with emerald ones, and Sakura's mind buzzed in anxiousness. "Itachi was a loyal member to Akatsuki, but the time to move forward is nearing," and with that Pein stepped away from the bed and began to approach the door.
"Come, Sakura," The clouds on his cloak bristled from his hand moving to gesture, "we should allow him to rest."
Sakura forced herself to look away from Itachi and at Pein's back as he moved closer to the wooden door. The tips of her fingers pressed against the palm of her hands, harshly rubbing against each other as Sakura's conscience began to become restless. There laid someone who was dying, surrounded by people who do not have the ability to help. She watched as Itachi's chest raised once again, struggling to take in another breath, and Sakura felt something swell inside her.
There laid someone dying, surrounded by someone who has the ability to help.
Still standing at the door, Pein observed her composure and called out to her again.
"Sakura."
At the sound of her name, she turned her body away from the bed and to the direction of the door, but her feet continued to stay where they were at. Her eyes calmly moved to Pein, and she opened her mouth to speak, allowing the steadiness in her voice to be heard.
"Let me heal him."
And at her words, Pein allowed a fraction of a smile to appear on his lips.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Oh wow. I know it'a been quite some time, years actually. Life did a curve ball on me and honestly my time to write this story really took a hit. But, this story has been haunting me (omg) and I can't help but try to finish it for y'all. The chapter is shorter than I would have liked it, but it's only the start so don't worry!
Anyways, thanks for dropping by for the read, and I'll be working to get the next chapter out MUCH sooner than this one
