A/N: Save me. I've become obsessed with fan-made sountracks. They're just so addicting...

Anyway, I'm putting this next chapter up now, in hopes that it'll be acessable by tonight, or tomorrow, at the latest. FFnet's a little slow sometimes.

Enjoy, and as usual, thank you for taking the time to read.


Chapter 2

Looking Into Eyes of Red

She breathed deeply despite her aching ribs, and concentrated on forcing what little chakra she could spare into her palm. It glowed with a pale blue light before she tucked it against her side, feeling it pulse into her body and mend the broken bones. She finished, the pain flaring harshly for a moment before it was gone completely. She kept her eyes tightly closed against the nausea that throbbed in her temples and belly, knowing that if she even opened them a crack she would vomit. And she couldn't afford to loose any food she received – the energy she needed to keep healing herself was quite taxing, and she was still incredibly drained from the fight with the swordsman.

Time had blurred for her. She wasn't sure what day or time it was, nor how long she had been in her dank, dark cell. The only thing she was sure of it that every day, without fail, her captors came in and did their work. She'd experienced torture before, and she was surprised that they hadn't done as much damage as they could have. She hadn't even been forced into any sexual situations yet, and it puzzled her as to why they were being so lenient.

She didn't have much time to ponder. Footsteps sounded outside the door, and she heard the tumblers in the lock turn as the portal was opened. Her dirty face furrowed, mouth frowning. Her tormentors had already made their visit for the day. She winced as the harsh sound of the door's hinges creaking.

Light hit her eyes, and she hissed as it burned them, her pupils shrinking quickly. She made out the pattern of red clouds on black, and was reminded vividly why she was here, of why she had spent the last two years as a fugitive and a murderer. The door closed with a thump, and the soft glow of lights remained, although less harsh now.

"Sit up, woman," commanded a cool voice from somewhere above her. She struggled into a sitting position, forcing back the pounding in her head. She tried to bring her head up, and failed, so she wasn't at all surprised when a strong hand jerked her chin up.

Her breath stopped cold. Her entire body went suddenly numb.

Staring down at her was a pair of blood red eyes, black commas swirling around the irises.

Sharingan.

It could have been only seconds, or it could have been hours before she finally remembered to breathe again. The hand at her chin left, but her head remained upright, staring wide-eyed at the visage of the man before her. There was definitely no doubting that the first step of her long mission was finally complete. She was situated in their main building of operations.

Itachi stared down at the captive impassively, arms crossed beneath his Akatsuki cloak. The girl was filthy, bloody and starved looking, yet she showed nothing that would give proof that she was wounded. A medic. His mind held no trace of doubt in the thought.

She was also apparently exhausted, judging from the way her eyes slipped closed and snapped back open every few minutes. Her eyes had just fluttered shut once more when his voice reached her ears.

"Missing-nin number 475 in the standard issue Bingo Book. Wanted for a list of crimes throughout the countries, spanning exactly four and half pages. Known most notably for the slaughter of five ANBU teams in one fight. No known accomplices for any crime, no aliases. Former shinobi of Konoha village. Jounin, though rank can no longer be judged."

Her eyes snapped open. He had to keep the smirk from his face. "Your reputation precedes you, Haruno Sakura."

Silence reigned for long moments. Her sharp green eyes peered at him from their frame of tousled pale pink hair. Keeping hold of her eyes, he dropped into a crouch in front of her, his face close to her own. She was breathing heavily.

"So then, why did you let them catch you?" Something flashed in her eyes. She was quiet for a long time, and he didn't expect an answer.

"I've been playing with fire for a long time. Sooner or later I was going to get burned."

Now it was his turn to be silent. There was something there, in her eyes. Some hidden truth she wasn't going to reveal. He had been sent down into her dirty little cell to find that out.

In the past few months, a lone shinobi had been interfering with the Akatsuki's operations, be it food raids, taking out unwanted associates, or making contracts with possible benefactors. It had become quite vexing after a while. Finally, they had been tipped off as to the identity of the pesky interloper, and had given chase that very night. The capture was surprisingly easy. It was a cause for concern. And so, he found himself, much to his distaste, down in the dungeons.

His face still remained close to hers, making it all the more easy to capture her up in his Sharingan. He wove a world of fantasy for her, sending her into unconsciousness, pushing her thinking mind away so that he would be free to probe without interruption.

He had barely begun sifting past her memories; most of them bright, flowery glimmers of her youth, when something hit him like a blow to the stomach. Mentally, he stumbled, an uncommon occurrence, and tried to figure out what had happened. Another blow hit him, and another, and by the time he realized what was going on, he was thrown violently back into his own body.

The pink-haired girl was shuddering visibly, thin shoulders twitching. He narrowly avoided her as she ducked to the side and vomited. He landed ungracefully on his bottom, arms propping him up while he watched her wipe her mouth furiously. She remained facing to the side, her hair falling down as a curtain to hide her face. She was panting deeply.

Itachi was stupefied, though his face was ever a mask of carefully constructed cold detachment. The girl had managed to throw off the Sharingan? How was that even possible? Men infinitely stronger than she, even her own teacher, one of the world's strongest ninja, hadn't escaped the spell of the Uchiha clan's eyes when Itachi felt so inclined to use them.

He needed to report to the higher-ups. Immediately.


With a swirl of his cloak, he was gone, lantern and all, leaving her once again in the dark.

"Iwa-san, a man is here to see you."

Iwa Sanosuke's head rose from the files he had been reading over. "Let him in." His eyes watched silently as the dark-haired man slipped into the room. "Uchiha, report," he snapped with authority.

Itachi, having removed his cloak before entering, folded his arms behind his back. "I have been down to see the missing-nin captive, as ordered. It should be noted that she is a skilled medic; each morning when the men visit, the wounds from previous sessions are gone."

"And your investigation? What results did you receive?"

Itachi inwardly grimaced. "None, sir." His superior's face did not register shock, but Itachi knew better.

"What happened?"

The Sharingan user gathered what he knew into some semblance of coherence. "I entered her mind, but before I could uncover anything, she broke the genjutsu, pitching me back into my own body."

Iwa's fingers tapped at the desk in a steady rhythm. "This is certainly news. Let me ask your opinion on this matter. What should we do with her? A shinobi strong enough to break the power of the Sharingan, as well as one who is a powerful healer, would be a great asset to any organization."

Itachi had figured that this question would eventually be asked. "Sir, it is of my belief that were we to let her go, a rivaling syndicate would most certainly enlist her in their services. Yet, it would be a waste to dispose of talent such as hers."

Iwa saw Itachi's answer plain and simply through the unnecessary dialogue. "Very well. I put her under your jurisdiction and responsibility. See to it that she receives the necessities. Handle her how you see fit."

"Yes, sir."

Itachi left the room quietly. His distaste was not evident, though it grew and grew as he went.


"Up, woman."

Sakura moaned lightly. He was back, and she didn't think she could handle the Sharingan again in the same day. She didn't move.

His hand clamped about her upper arm like a vice, and she yelped as he dragged her to her feet and out the door. The corridor wasn't long, and she gulped when they neared the stairs leading up. There was no way she could climb those in her condition. She grit her teeth, hitting her shins on the cold stone, pumping her legs in an attempt to set her feet on solid ground.

Itachi was merciless, pulling her quickly up the stairs, ignoring her obvious plight, hefting her over his shoulder when she blacked out. He was secretly annoyed that he should be burdened with an apprentice. Iwa hadn't said it out loud, but the girl was now to be under his tutelage, trained in his own fashion until she could operate under Akatsuki orders on her own. Kisame wasn't going to be pleased with that, either.

Speak of the devil, he thought wryly, noticing his huge partner's form moving up the hallway. He was pulling off his straw hat and shaking water from his shoulders. He noticed Itachi and stopped, turning to walk beside him when they met.

"Raining?" Itachi allowed himself to relax. It wasn't difficult for him to remain aloof and impassive, but he found that he and Kisame worked better when he made himself agreeable.

Kisame nodded, then noticed the limp girl for the first time. "Hey, isn't that the girl I brought in a week ago? I'm surprised she's still moving, with the amount of chakra I pulled out of her." He grinned suddenly. "Going to dispose of her?"

Itachi frowned. "Hardly. I'm supposed to train her."

"What made the boss change his mind?"

"She broke through the Sharingan." Kisame hmph'd at that, but wisely chose to remain silent. He accompanied Itachi to the trainee's wing of the building, watching as his partner tossed the girl onto the bed in an unoccupied room.

"You should take her to the medical staff, once she wakes up. Iwa'll want to know if she's got any seals or the like." Itachi made a vague noise of agreement, then closed the door behind him. Taking care of the girl could wait. He had patrol duties to attend to at the moment.


Sorry that these chapters are short and lack dialogue. (They seem shrimpy to me) I'm trying to get them a litte longer, but my attention has been caught by another project.

Love you all. Lemme know what you think.