Summary: You're not supposed to fall in love with your captor, especially if he is a high-ranking member of the yakuza. Things just never seem to follow that law, however. Completely AU. Mainly Sasuke/Sakura. Rated for violence and language.
Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura, more will be revealed as the story progresses
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.
Conspiracy of the Heart and Soul
Chapter Six – Slowly Knowing the Other
"You want to what?!" shouted Shikamaru, his hands slamming on his work table. His assistant, Kotoe, despite the fact that she was older than him, flinched as she heard the slam. Sasuke was in front of him, hardly even a look of worry, a look of remorse, on his face as he nodded slowly. "This is crazy, even you know that," he said, agony clear in his voice. Sasuke shrugged as he continued leaning against the wall. As far as the Uchiha knew, he wasn't crazy, at least not yet. If the bastard continued living, he would lose his sanity soon, very soon. "Who else is in on this…?" asked Shikamaru, his voice small, afraid to even ask such a thing. He already had an idea but he wanted confirmation.
"I don't know yet, you're the first one I've asked," said Sasuke slowly, his onyx eyes flashing slightly. Shikamaru mourned as he slammed his fists on the table again. Kotoe flinched again as Sasuke remained unfazed, despite the numerous amounts of gadgets that flew momentarily, slamming violently against the metal tabletop. "But I am going to as Neji and Tenten at least, maybe Ayumi as well," he added as an afterthought. A tiny spark of hope glimmered in Shikamaru's eyes. At least Sasuke didn't lose everything yet. He had enough sense to ask Neji and Tenten. Ayumi was a different story, however. She was equally devoted to Itachi and Sasuke, not wanting to side with one only to lose the trust of the other.
"If I may ask, what finally drove you to the brink of insanity, dear Sasuke?" asked Shikamaru as he picked up a stray screwdriver and began to dismantle his latest weapon. It was a pistol, or at least it looked to be one. Sasuke didn't answer but he did walk over to the nearest chair to watch what the hacking prodigy was about to do. "It's a laser pistol, powered by a small amount of Uranium." Sasuke had a suspicious look on his face. Wasn't Uranium radioactive? Wasn't it, dangerous? "Oh, if you're thinking about the dangers of the instability of the element, don't worry. By small amount, I mean very small. About… five milligrams is enough to power this baby." Sasuke breathed in a sigh of relief. Sure, he used dangerous weapons but at least those weapons were dangerous to his prey and not to him! "Well, I'm waiting for the reason," prodded Shikamaru as his dark eyes scanned the interior of the laser pistol, which he had yet to name.
"Well, my bastard of a brother finally did it," said Sasuke, all of his words coated rather generously with venom. Shikamaru raised his eyebrow as he motioned for Sasuke to continue, his able hands picking at every nook and cranny within the pistol's interior. "He screwed Sakura, without her consent," he hissed as he unconsciously balled his hands into fists. Shikamaru froze as he dropped the screwdriver he was currently holding. "It seems to have happened the night of the part, rather, really early morning the next day, when basically everyone was knocked out due to the drinks. I stormed towards my room because he pissed me off… again." Regaining his senses, Shikamaru picked up the screwdriver and began fiddling with the interior of the pistol. "Well, will you join me? I still need more people to join my side but having you there would be a lot of help, you know?"
"Oh sure, why not? Even if I have a respect, which was reduced greatly right after I just found that tiny tidbit of information, for the man, I do have certain morals. Killing, I'm okay with that, but screwing a woman without her consent is just wrong, downright wrong," said Shikamaru calmly, too calmly in fact, "Just make sure you get Neji and Tenten to join in on this, at least them, because they'll like this new baby." Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he looked at it. It really did look like an ordinary pistol, except it had some sort of Uranium ammo within it. "The five milligrams of Uranium is enough to fill in about, say, five hundred or six hundred shots from a regular pistol, including the extra ammo. Light baggage, don't you think? And I doubt anyone would even use two cartridges of the uranium within it. It hasn't been field tested yet, though."
"Just how dangerous is that thing?!" asked Sasuke, very shifty now about using Shikamaru's new invention. Sure, he wasn't afraid to try new things but since he learned more about the nature of the pistol, he was wary of using it. He'd much prefer to use a regular pistol to something that had a radioactive element powering the system. Shikamaru let out a laugh as he heard Sasuke's reaction. Even Kotoe reacted like that when she found out what he needed the Uranium for. Sure, she trusted Shikamaru's painfully obvious genius but still, using a radioactive element that decomposed easily wasn't her choice of power source for the laser pistol. " Nara?" asked Sasuke, his onyx eyes showing his determination to know, "Tell me how fucking dangerous that nuclear powered laser pistol of yours is or I will kill you!"
"Calm down, it isn't that dangerous. You're just paranoid because it's something you're unsure of, Sasuke. Anyway, I built this little machine that has a tiny LCD screen that shows how many shots you've already used using the current cartridge of Uranium," explained Shikamaru as he continued fiddling around. "It has three colors for the digital numbers. It's green if it hasn't been used yet or it's still okay to be trigger happy with it." Sasuke made a mental note to never be trigger happy, with that gun anyway. "It's yellow if it's reaching its late point, nearing critical but not yet. Once the numbers on the LCD screen turn red, it's time for you to change the cartridge. Even if it's a small amount, Uranium can still be very dangerous." Sasuke paled slightly as the thought of his hands becoming mutated due to the radiation appeared in his mind. "But don't worry, like all the special weapons I've created for Sharingan, not that I've created many, it has a safety device! Once you shoot once the minute the numbers turn red, you can't use the gun anymore until you change the cartridge!" Sasuke braced himself for Shikamaru's insane laughter but it never came.
" Nara, you've officially cracked," said Sasuke with an exasperated tone in his voice. Shikamaru shrugged as he continued fiddling, his dark eyes focused on the interior of the laser pistol. "But, anyway, that's something that's going to be handy for the upcoming battle. I don't know when it'll come but I want it over and done with towards the end of Kyoto University's registration days. I want her to be able to leave this wretched and blasted hell and continue her life," said Sasuke, a dark tone in his voice, "Could you find a way to mass produce it then, without my bastard of a brother knowing?" Shikamaru's dark eyes lit up momentarily, before his head bobbed up and down in agreement. "Good, I'll go and ask Hyuuga, then Tenten, about this." With that, he wheeled around and began making his way towards the door. "Oh, Nara, Nuitori, this is classified, highly classified, information. You are not to let anyone know about this, even my brother. I'll think of a code or something so you can identify who's with us or who's against us in this operation." With that, the younger Uchiha left their presence.
"Tche, and he says I've cracked," muttered Shikamaru as he put down the laser pistol and began to remove parts and examining everything. He had tried it out, shooting with it in the practice area, when he was alone. After a few shots, the gun refused to work and the numbers on the LCD screen were clearly green, which was why he had an LCD screen on in the first place. It was clear, concise, with the colors it showed, unlike the damn plain flat screens where the colors warbled and mixed with each other. It was annoying, painfully annoying. "Kotoe, go get me a plain cartridge for the Uranium power source and a regular pistol, I want to see if there's anything I can do to make the laser pistol more similar." Kotoe chirped her reply before going to get the things her boss needed. Shikamaru was her boss, not Itachi, though she had to follow his demands as well because Itachi was Shikamaru's boss. Besides that, she wouldn't really follow Itachi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Sakura's Room
"I… I don't know," whispered Sakura uncomfortably as she watched Sasuke, uncertain of what might happen. "I'm still… still afraid," she added, a dark look crossing her face. Burying her head in between her legs, she closed her eyes, trying to forget the vivid memories. A couple of days had already passed since the incident but she still couldn't help but remember everything. It was too, too traumatizing to forget easily. Something made an impression on her bed, causing her to look up. Her jade orbs met onyx ones, onyx orbs laced with slight concern. "Sasuke-kun?" she asked tentatively as she tucked a stray tress of her pink hair behind her hair, "What is it?"
"Hn… I'll kill him, you know?" His voice was cold, both naturally and unnaturally. His voice was naturally cold because it always was, never leaving that sort of tone. His voice was unnaturally cold because the thought of killing what was left of his family didn't plague his conscience at all. Sakura shivered as she closed the gaps between their faces, a faint reddish tinge on her face which wasn't present on Sasuke's. "What, what is it?" he asked as he watched her, "Don't you want him dead because of what he did to you?" Despite the situation, the situation of her being the captive and him being the captor, he had grown attached to the girl. He wouldn't deny, to himself anyway, that he found her beautiful but he wasn't sure of how he felt towards her. All he knew that he had to kill him for his sake and for hers.
"Even if he did that, I don't want someone to die because of me," said Sakura slowly, sitting up straight though inching towards him. Putting her smaller hand atop his, she looked up at him, emotion shrouding the jade that were her eyes. "Especially someone who's close to me, close to my…" She stopped there as she picked up his hand and laid it above her chest, above her heart. Sasuke colored slightly as he looked at his hand then towards her face. "Even though I was screaming at you, mentally, for kidnapping me and for being such an asshole at times, you were the only one who was ever really nice to me. I think, Ayumi-san isn't because it's her nature but I can't take that against her." Her voice was unnaturally soft that he was afraid to move his hand. The great Uchiha Sasuke was afraid of hurting such a weak human, a woman whom he wasn't even supposed to be civil to.
"Okay then," said Sasuke as he drew his hand closer to his own body, "But I will still kill him, for my sake and for yours. For my sake because he's the reason why I'm like this now, cold, unfeeling, a downright asshole to simply put it." Sakura flinched at his words but remained in front of him, listening to his every word. Sasuke gulped involuntarily as he watched her angelic face concentrated on his own, the face of one of the son's of the devil. "For your sake, because of what he did to you. It's unforgivable. Even if I stain my blood, I will never treat a woman as such an object." A faint look of adoration appeared in her jade green eyes as she inched towards him. "Sa-Sakura…?" asked Sasuke uneasily as her face neared his.
"You're so sweet," she murmured before closing her eyes and pressing her lips tentatively against his. Sasuke's eyes widened as he was caught in surprise, falling down on her soft bed. Sakura pulled away, her face extremely red. As she was about to sit up straight and apologize, Sasuke pulled her back down, this time, capturing her lips instead of her capturing his. Sakura's eyes widened as he flipped her over, trailing her jaw line with his kisses. She was drowning in euphoria but she didn't want this, not yet, not again. "Sasuke-kun," she whispered, as he stopped momentarily when he heard his name, "Not… not yet." Frowning slightly he sat down on her bed and helped her up.
"Sorry… I… I got carried away," he apologized, averting his gaze, the onyx orbs he called eyes focusing on the mattress. There was an awkward silence in the room as they avoided each other's gaze. She was embarrassed because she initiated contact. He was embarrassed because of what had just happened, even if she had just gone through something traumatic, very traumatic, and his brother was involved. Glancing at her direction, Sasuke felt his face heat up. Quickly averting his gaze once more, he looked at the floor, his onyx eyes concentrated on the white, marble tiles that it comprised of. "Uhh…" began Sasuke, trying to start a conversation to rid them of the awkward feeling. Sakura looked at him, a curious look on her face. "Oh, never mind," he said in defeat as he clasped his hands together.
"Please, you don't have to kill him," said Sakura softly as she touched his hand, a faint reddish tinge plastered on her on her face as she continued staring at the wall. Sasuke looked at her, a look of confusion written on his face. "I really don't want anyone to die because of me. I don't think that it's right for it to happen, no matter how… evil that person could be," said Sakura slowly as her jade green eyes were shrouded with the memories, tears threatening to fall. Sasuke looked at her, a slightly worried look written on his face. "Even if, I hate him with every fiber in my body, I still don't want him to die because of me." Now, she was sobbing as she clutched Sasuke's hands for support. "So, please don't stain your hands even more because of me," she struggled to say as she looked at him, her jade orbs glassy with all the tears that were collecting there.
"But… I will," said Sasuke as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly, trying to comfort her but not knowing exactly how he would. "It'll be the only thing that will rest my weary soul from its main goal of watching him die by my own hands," he said slowly as he rested his chin atop her head, inhaling the scent of cherries that wafted to his nose. Sakura said nothing as the barrier she had built broke easily, crying, sobbing, because of the rape. She was whispering garbled things as she continued crying, her tears appearing as if they would never subside, at least, for another long, long while.
Outside, pale golden orbs were watching the scene that had unfolded between Sasuke and Sakura. Her heart wrenched with pity for the girl, no one deserved to be raped after all. Ayumi sighed as she turned around and faced the chrome walls outside. He had been in there longer than his usual thirty minutes but at the moment, she couldn't blame him. She had lost nearly all respect that was within her for Itachi but she had the feeling of being totally indebted to the Uchiha Clan for her survival. It had been fifteen years and she was two when they found her. She would have died if they hadn't taken her in. However, that feeling of being indebted still didn't erase the anger she felt towards Itachi for treating Sakura like, like a thing because no woman should, even if she was a captive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hours Later, Neji's Room
"Neji, Sasuke-sama is coming!" said a female voice, anxiety evident in her tone. The opalescent eyed male's eyebrow rose as he sat up straight. Leaving the comforts of his bed, he made his way to the side of the female, unconsciously wrapping one arm around his waist. "Neji!" said the female, abashed at his unconscious action. Neji snapped out of his reverie as he looked at her, a wry smile on his face. "What?! Sasuke-sama and Itachi-sama said never to show your feelings, you know," she said pointedly as she crossed her arms, freeing herself from his grasp, "And now that he's coming, you better not disappoint him!" A cryptic laugh escaped his lips as he crossed his arms, leaning against a wall, his unique eyes shielded by his eyelids.
"Oh come on, I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't mind, Tenten," said Neji as the younger Uchiha's footsteps grew louder as he neared his room. His eyes snapped wide open as he heard another set of footsteps following closely behind Sasuke's. The other set seemed to be heavier, lazier in nature. One name appeared in his mind as he thought about who might own the second set of footsteps. ' Nara Shikamaru.' Launching himself from his position against the wall, he walked over to his bed and plopped down atop the mattress, motioning for Tenten to do the same. A brief look of confusion appeared on her face before she succumbed to his silent demand. Oh for love she would do a myriad of things for Neji, the arrogant and conceited bastard who had stolen her heart from her. They clashed the minute they met but the gods who resided over the power of love had a warped sense of humor. They made the two of them fall in love with each other.
"Hyuuga?" asked Sasuke as he automatically knocked against the door panel. He was used to that, his mother telling him to do so every time he entered a room that was not his. "Are you inside?" He heard a rumble, a reply, from within, symbolizing that he was. Looking over towards his companion, he gripped the door handle. "I'm coming in," he said dully as he opened the door. The door panel revealed Neji sitting down comfortably on his bed, Tenten with him. "Oh, good, I don't have to look for Tenten then," said Sasuke as his onyx eyes focused on the two lovers. "Anyway, I brought Nara with me and we have quite a few things to discuss, since I'm about to do something without the approval of my brother and I need the help of you to." Shikamaru appeared behind Sasuke and gave a lazy wave. "Yeah, as if my brother will ever approve to my plan," said Sasuke bitterly as he closed the door.
"Oh, before Sasuke goes into the more specific details of this, err… unofficial mission, let me show you my latest invention!" said Shikamaru rather proudly, despite his extremely lazy nature. Neji raised an eyebrow as Shikamaru drew out his new invention. It looked to him like an ordinary pistol. Sasuke threw a suspicious look at the thing in Shikamaru's hands. What was so damn special about an ordinary pistol? "Remember that laser pistol project I was working on?" Neji nodded slowly, a suspicious look showing up on his face. "Now, don't look at me like that! You'll be glad to know that I've finished the project and it's better than I expected it to be! I haven't taken it out on an actual field test but I have used it in the practice area and nothing seems to be wrong with it."
"Yeah, if you count the fact that it's powered by a highly unstable and radioactive power source nothing wrong!" hissed Sasuke, paranoia seizing him once more. Okay, he really wasn't about to be all, ballistic about this but he couldn't help but be worried about something he didn't trust. There were actual nuclear power plants that were safe but they had something in them to keep them stable and they were being guarded by people every waking minute. This one, this one was a weapon that wasn't even deemed a hundred percent safe and it wasn't even field tested yet! Neji looked at Sasuke with a slightly bewildered look on his face. Was this the Uchiha Sasuke in front of him? Surely he wouldn't be paranoid by something… something so simple?
"Uhh… with all Sasuke's paranoia aside, it's actually pretty safe. I've put dozens of safety devices in that thing, and yes, Sasuke, it's all for your sake that you're not driven insane before this mission of yours is actually completed." Sasuke rolled his eyes, a growl humming at the base of his throat. Shikamaru coughed uneasily as he threw the laser pistol a Neji who deftly caught it in his hands. "The LCD screen there shows how many shots you can take with one cartridge. As our dear leader has already mentioned, there's a radioactive element, Uranium, powering that thing, about five milligrams for about five hundred to six hundred shots of fragmented laser that's very dangerous. If the numbers are green, it's still safe to be trigger happy with that thing. If it's yellow, you better be careful, it's reaching its limit. If it's red, it's already reached its limit, allowing for one more shot after the numbers have turned red." Neji nodded slowly as he examined the weapon, a half-satisfied smile on his face. "All I need to do know is figure out a way to mass produce the thing without his brother knowing about the weapon, at all."
"So, what is this mission of yours wherein we get to use this, this laser pistol of Nara's?" asked Neji as he set down the gun carefully atop the wooden trunk near the foot of his bed. Tenten was afraid, afraid of betraying Itachi but if Sasuke was already driven to the point of doing something unofficial, it was important for him. Thinking clearly, she had a much better relationship with the younger Uchiha than the older one, even with all the lack of social interaction between them. Shikamaru turned to face Sasuke, signaling he be the one to explain what was going on. "Well?" Coughing slightly, Sasuke looked at Neji, his eyes showing he was dead serious.
"Remember the party a couple of nights ago, where basically everyone got drunk, even all three of you?" They all nodded, coughing slightly, remembering the intense hangover they had the next day. "Well, my asshole of a brother pissed me off, again, that I stormed to my room. When everyone was knocked out, he… he raped the captive, you know, the pink haired one, Sakura. No one deserves to be treated like an object, except maybe him of course because he's an exception to all rules of humanity." Neji and Tenten stared at Sasuke as a whirlwind of thoughts overtook them. "So, will you guys join me in this mission to kill my brother and effectively destroy Sharingan? I assure you, by the time this is all over, with what's left of the money of our company, I will make sure you guys have enough financial support and a stable job here that doesn't stain the Uchiha name ever again."
"He… he what?! Of course we will!" spoke up Tenten, rage filling every fiber in her body, "No bastard should live after raping a woman! He deserves to burn in hell and die, even if he is the leader of this yakuza." A slight smile formed in Sasuke's face. He had formidable allies with him. He still had to recruit more people but at least the strong ones, or those he considered strong anyway, were at his side. "When does the mission, as in the actual showdown, commence?"
"It'll be sometime before the registration of Kyoto University. I want her to be able to go free without the worries of someone hunting her down and killing her. She doesn't deserve that kind of death, any kind of death actually."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tsuzuku…
I made Sasuke-kun OOC here, very, compared to the rest of my chapters. But hey, you understand right? I mean, who wouldn't get paranoid if you had something radioactive in your hands and it wasn't deemed safe yet, right?! –shifty look-
The chapter title has something to do with the part in Sakura's room, not so much the part in Shikamaru's lab or in Neji's room. Even though the chapter's title could be something different, I think it fits, don't you?
Anyway! Tenten finally makes an actual appearance! I find it hassling to build up her and Neji's relationship so I already kick started it. And yes, women, usually more so than men, will want to kill anyone who rapes a fellow woman. It's a horrible experience, not that I've gone through it >.> Don't you dare think that! But I have heard about it from the news and who would want to lose something they're saving for someone they love, right?
Naruto and Hinata might not make an appearance in this fanfic. Hell, I don't think they even will. However, they might make an appearance in this fanfic's sequel, Reaching Out to You! I don't think I find it right to have Naruto and Hinata in this sort of fanfic but maybe in Reaching Out to You, which has much lighter themes, they'll be suited to make an appearance.
My chapters are getting longer and longer now. Hopefully, they'll stay around this length, since I'll find it troublesome to make it as long as the chapters of Balance, which you should try and read, by the way!
Seasons Greetings to all of you and I hope you're satisfied with my early, and rushed, chapter! Oh, and I just realized that the rushed chapters of mine usually turn out the best. Chapters 3, 5, and this are proof of this fact.
As usual, here's the chapter preview!
Next Chapter: Chapter Seven – Insecurities of a Few
Chapter Preview: "You know, I don't see what's so special about you! I don't see why Sasuke-kun even cares to notice you!" screeched Ino as she shook Sakura violently. "You know, you know what I think? I think that you deserved to be raped! A bitch like you, trying to steal what is mine, deserves whatever hellish punishments the gods decided to bestow upon you!" Sakura's tears were flowing freely now, as the blonde woman slapped her, the painful sound reverberating through the small room. Suddenly, the door opened wide and Ino turned around, a fierce fire burning in her eyes. "What?!" she screeched again as she pointed an accusing finger towards the person behind the door. It was Sasuke. "Sa-Sasuke-kun!" she cried out as she launched herself towards the raven haired male. She managed to catch him within her grasp but he didn't react like he usually did. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. "Sa-Sasuke-kun?" asked Ino as she looked at him. For the first time in her life, she was afraid, genuinely afraid of Sasuke. A fire of anger was burning inside him and it was being directed towards her, not the captive but her.
