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 Seven – Insecurities of a Few

Sakura eyed the white of the wall dully, her jade eyes blank and heavy. The only time they weren't was when Sasuke was with her; at least he spoke to her and made her feel good about what had happened to her. Sometimes, she just wanted to die, she just wanted to end her already ruined life, but she couldn't bring herself to ending something that she was learning how to save. She wanted to become a good doctor, a doctor that brought smiles to the faces of children and relief to the parents who worried over their flesh and blood. She wanted to become a pediatrician one day, to help all the little kids around her and make them feel better.

"You know, you should try to eat something," said Ayumi, for the first time in her life, breaking the silence that surrounded the room. Usually, she was one to keep it but right now, it just felt downright awkward. Sakura didn't reply as she clenched her fist tightly, gathering some of the white material that covered her bed. Ayumi sighed as she stood up, slightly annoyed at the fact that she wasn't paying attention. Still, she was traumatized but nonetheless, she needed to eat something. "I'll go get you some bread, butter, and juice," murmured Ayumi as she pocketed her hands in her trench coat, "You really should eat something. It's bad for your health not to."

The pink haired female didn't react as she kept her jade orbs plastered on the white wall in front of her. It seemed like Heaven in this room, nearly everything being white, but this was a fake; it was just a fake Heaven, trying to comfort her. It was trying to make her forget that she was in the very depths of Hell, her soul burning with all the torture she had undergone in a few hours. She was so absorbed in drowning in her self-pity that she didn't hear that someone came in. Her attention was caught as a voice called her name, something that sounded warm but had danger beneath it. Nonetheless, she sat up straight and looked at the person in front of her. It was Ino.

"Ino-san, why did you come here?" asked Sakura, her voice soft and demure, as she looked at the cerulean eyed female. Ino said nothing as she walked over to the female, a raging fire burning steadily in her eyes. "Did you want to talk to me about something?" asked Sakura as she looked up at her. Ino raised her hand, a growl humming at the base of her throat. "Ino-san…?" asked Sakura again, a look of confusion written on her face. Ino's growl resounded in the room as she raised her outstretched and slapped Sakura, an earsplitting crack reverberating in the room. "Ino-san… What… what was that for?" asked Sakura as she rubbed her reddening cheek. Ino's rage grew as she eyed Sakura. She just couldn't stand it anymore!

"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.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing to her, Ino?" asked Sasuke, his voice as cold as the arctic air. The blonde shivered as she backed away from Sasuke, the fear still evident in her eyes and her actions. The tears on Sakura's face were still spilling generously, as Sasuke advanced towards the blonde. "You think it's good to be raped, huh?! What if my bastard of a brother did that to you, would you be doing the same thing?!" he hissed as he tried to restrain himself from doing anything beyond this. Ino's barrier was breaking as Sasuke's barrage of anger continued. Suddenly, she just couldn't take it anymore.

"But she doesn't deserve you, I do! I've loved you ever since I met you and she doesn't feel anything special towards you!" she countered as tears of anguish began falling slowly. Bitter laughter escaped Sasuke's lips as he watched her break down. "But I do! I don't see how she could get your attention so easily by existing! I have to work so hard for your attention, your recognition!" Sasuke still didn't say anything but he did calm down slightly, laughter no longer escaping his lips. "Sasuke-kun!" she whispered as she reached out towards him, trying to get some sort of reassurance that this was all a dream, that Sasuke really did love her and not Sakura.

"Don't call me that!" spat out Sasuke as his onyx eyes reflected the anger within him, "You don't deserve to even call me by my first name! If my brother weren't alive, you would only call me by my family name and even you are too low for that." A look of surprise crossed Ino's face as she looked carefully at Sasuke. This was just a dream; it was just a bad dream, a nightmare that she would have to wake up from soon enough. "Get out of here, Ino," hissed Sasuke as he pointed to the corridor, "Ayumi will have orders to bring Sakura wherever she goes, if she has to, to protect her from you. The minute Ayumi sees any of your abuse towards her, make no mistake, she will have the freedom of killing you." Ino's sobs took over her body as she fled, not caring where she was going, slamming the door shut in the process.

While all that was happening, Sakura had a stunned look written on her face. She was unable to move, unable to breathe properly, as she gasped for air. Her vision was obscured by the tears that stung her bloodshot eyes. Stretching out her hand, she rasped out Sasuke's voice. The younger Uchiha didn't hear, his onyx eyes glued to the door panel. Sakura's mind shouted at her, shouted at her vocal cords to work, so Sasuke could hear. Moments later, Sasuke turned around, a soft sort of expression on his face. To Sakura, those moments felt like forever. Each step he took seemed like an excruciatingly long time. Soon enough, he was sitting in front of her, his arms wrapped awkwardly around her smaller frame, her face buried in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, unused to having to apologize to someone. Sakura shook her head, biting her lower lip, to stop the tears from flowing. She didn't care anymore about the world around, she really did just want to die, but it seemed that it wasn't her time, not yet. Sighing, he remained like that, not really saying anything, the silence enough for him to say all that he needed to. Seconds passed and still, nothing happened and nothing was said. The door opened slightly, the creaking obvious in the silence, but Sasuke made no motion to pull away, even if it was his brother behind the door. Turning his face, he looked to see who was behind it. It was Ayumi with a tray filled with food, enough for breakfast.

"She hasn't eaten yet, Sasuke-sama," said Ayumi, her voice small, as Sasuke finally pulled away. At least, her tears had subsided but her body was still shivering, shaking from what Ino had just said to her. Quietly, she walked towards the partially hysterical girl, the things atop the silver tray clattering softly. "Neither has she talked to anyone besides you," she added as she stood up straight, her chocolate brown hair obscuring the gaze of her pale amber eyes, ones which rarely showed any emotion. Sasuke nodded slowly, not really wanting to talk about what had just happened between Sakura and Ino.

"If, if I ask you to join me in a mission to kill my brother, would you? I'm not saying this is real but if I ever staged such a mission, would you join me, Ayumi, even if it means losing the trust of Itachi for the price of your loyalty to me," asked Sasuke as his onyx eyes remained focused on Sakura as she picked at the food Ayumi had brought her, not really hungry to begin with. "Come on, eat your food," coaxed Sasuke as he picked up the butter knife and pressed it gently in her palm, "You look weak. Aren't you hungry at all?" Sakura shook her head firmly, her eyes downcast. Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh as he picked up a slice of bread and began to generously spread butter on it.

Ayumi looked at Sakura, then back at Sasuke, contemplating on her answer towards his question. True, she was loyal to the both of them, making the decision something hard for her. She was indebted to everyone in the Uchiha Clan, not just one of them. She wanted to be in the good side of not just one but all of them. Slight worry reflected in her pale amber eyes as Sasuke coaxed Sakura to eat the bread but the mouth of the pink haired girl remained clamped together. Ever since she had been assigned to guarding Sakura, it seemed that Sasuke had changed, though not entirely. However, the changes that occurred within him were good ones, real good ones. Opening her mouth, she spoke. "Yes, Sasuke-sama." Sasuke turned to face her, a slightly confused look on his face. Her tone sounded like she was asking a question. Coughing slightly, she repeated and rephrased her answer. "Yes, Sasuke-sama, I will join you, even at the cost of Itachi-sama's trust in me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Itachi's Room

A dark look crossed his eyes as he twirled a dagger around lazily. He could smell the stench of blood that the dagger had spilt, a myriad of aromas wafting from the silvery blade. It had been his most trusted weapon, besides the occasional gun that he had with him, of course. He could still hear their screams, them pleading for mercy and forgiveness but he never did grant them. A betrayal was a betrayal to him, there was no more 'every man for himself' when it came to his orders. They had to be fulfilled to his exact specifications, the occasional bending if there was really nothing they could do. If he gave them two hours to kill the man but it took his men three because the unexpected and uncontrollable factors were the reason, it was easily forgiven. However, factors that involved personal gain, those people he would kill without second thought, even his own brother.

"It's close to that night again," murmured Itachi to no one in particular, annoyance glimmering in his eyes, as he continued twirling the dagger, the silver of the blade glinting despite the darkness in the room. A smirk found its way to his face as he thought about the never ending war of darkness and light. Light would always win, they said, but it was never true. There was no winner. Light and darkness exist to fight with each other, and are there to coexist with one another. Nothing could be seen with simple blinding light alone, or murky darkness that shrouded everything. Light needed darkness to balance its powerful rays. Darkness needed light to balance its shadowy claws. "Fuck the memories," he growled as he stopped twirling his dagger, gripping the ornate hilt tightly.

Guilt always washed over his entire being every time it was close to that night, screams everywhere, gunshots, explosions, everything to do with the destruction of Sharingan by a mess from within. That was the only time he had ever fought alongside his younger brother and even though they were always at it, no matter how subtle their manner of arguing was, he felt glad to be in this with his brother. A smile resembling Satan's own appeared on his face as he pressed the sharp side of the blade against his palm, a small incision appearing on his palm. Blood trickled slowly as his onyx eyes watched a thin strip of crimson liquid flowing. The pain was sweet to him. The pain that tasted even sweeter was the pain of the people around him, now that was an aphrodisiac.

It had been around, three years when it happened. He had been recognized by the governmental system of Japan already, for three years before the incident occurred, but he didn't really give a damn. What was plaguing his mind was the way his parents ran the yakuza. Sure, they did the usual things. They did everything to gain them more power and keep their true identity a secret. Their father, of course, being the man so into tradition that he was, favored Itachi heavily over Sasuke, even though both had just as much talent as the other. Hatred grew within Sasuke for his father but it was minute, only flourishing when his father was given a chance to show his favor to the elder of the siblings. Despite that, Itachi hated him; he hated his father with every fiber in his body. Ironic, isn't it?

All the pain he had to go through, all the hardships, trials, and sufferings that he had undergone was because of his father. The current leader of Sharingan always said it was to get Itachi ready, ready to take the responsibility of running Sharingan himself. Because of that, whenever he could, Itachi rebelled, rebelled against his father to show him that he wanted to grow up his own way. Yes, he would grow up to become a supposed legitimate businessman as well as the leader of the most infamous and the most notorious of all Japan's syndicates, Sharingan, but he wanted to do it in his own way, not following the way of the Uchiha's to heart.

"Hah, serves you right, old man," murmured Itachi to the darkness that shrouded his room as he sat up straight. Throwing his dagger horizontally, he watched it land in the very center of the entire dartboard. A dark smile found its way to his face. "Betrayal hurts, doesn't it, huh old man, especially if it comes from your prized son." The souls that resided in the invisible blood that coated the silver of his dagger shouted at him, screamed at him, all for the same reason. "You never knew but it was because of me that mess even happened in the first place. It's your fault, you brought it about you," said Itachi as a cryptic laugh escaped his lips, "It's your fault that you fed the fire of greed in me grew and grew and grew until I could never be satisfied with what I have. I always have to have everything." On his mantle lay a picture of his family in a picture frame. Seconds after his silent confession had been said, the glass broke, piercing the faces of his parents. "And yeah, mom, it's your fault as well for doing nothing to stop the fucking bastard you called your husband."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sharingan Library

A slight look of fear glimmered in Sakura's jade orbs as she watched three pairs of eyes on her. Two were dark, dark like Sasuke's. The third was the creepiest of them all. She could see nothing, absolutely nothing. She was drowning in the pearl depths that he called his eyes. It's not that she was drowning in them because of her adoration for the man who owned them; she didn't even know him for crying out loud! But they were so unique, so rare, and so hard to find in anyone else but him. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that she was staring weirdly into his eyes, as if he was so used to this reaction already.

"You can at least stop staring at her!" hissed Ayumi as her right hand twitched, resting above the hilt of her long blade. It was the one thing she could never go without. She felt naked without it and she did since she had to bring it to the best sword smith of Sharingan for repairs. There were so many nicks in her prized blade because of the last mission she had, the last she would ever get from Itachi involving mass murder. The sword, despite the durability that it boasted, lasting since it was given to her fifteen years ago, even if she was a baby, newly forged, had to get repaired at least once every few years. It was the third time and she felt so naked without it, so used to her sword hanging by her sword. The blade called Thanatos, the Greek word for Death, the actual god of Death in their mythology, was her prized weapon.

"Geez, you're so troublesome Ayumi," mumbled Shikamaru as he slumped down on his seat, "It's not like we're going to kill her or anything. We're doing to opposite, however." Ayumi rolled her eyes, her pale amber orbs reflecting the annoyance she felt towards the genius. She never trusted his weapons, the technology that went into building them. She was more for the traditional weapons. Swords, especially Thanatos, her own, daggers, grenades, guns, the weapons she had grown to trust when it came to their reliability in the battle field. "Where's Sasuke anyway?" asked Shikamaru, the fact that the younger Uchiha wasn't there only sinking in his mind right now.

No one replied as they looked towards some other direction. Shikamaru shrugged as he stood up, his hands shoved down on the back pockets of his pants, as his dark eyes scoured the shelves for a book he could read while waiting for Sasuke. Moments passed as he still continued staring at the spines reading their titles without having to twist his neck. He'd grown the ability to decipher words, as long as they were big, clear, and distinct enough, even if they were lying down sideways. A thoughtful sound escaped his lips as his dark eyes continued roaming the book shelf. Suddenly, he spied pink at the side. Turning around, he watched Sakura idly take out a book with a very slight smile on his face. Craning his neck he turned to look at the title to find out what kind of book it was. It was a book for the medicinal course. Why the Uchiha Library had it to begin with baffled him but he didn't press on about it.

"Oh, right, Sasuke said something about you going to college," said Shikamaru idly as he sauntered over towards his seat. "If I may ask, what course are you taking? Though assuming from that book you just got, you're either going to be a doctor or you're taking up Nursing." Sakura blushed faintly, replying that she became a doctor. Shikamaru had a slightly amused look on his face. "Hmm, amazing. Opposites do attract," he said to no one in particular, "Sasuke's been surrounded by the dead all his life and you, you've been surrounded by the living." Ayumi, Neji, and Tenten coughed as the eyed the man behind Shikamaru. Snapping him out of his reverie, he felt a throbbing pain at the back of his head. "Argh! Screw you…! Sasuke! I didn't know you were back there!"

"Shut up, asshole," he hissed as he pocketed his hands, "You never know when anyone is behind you." Shikamaru grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. Neji, Tenten and Ayumi breathed a sigh, more of relief that they didn't have to watch Shikamaru work on his inventions again, particularly the Uranium powered laser pistol, since he had his usual metal briefcase with him. In that briefcase was a miniature version of his laboratory, minus the giant equipment and his assistant, Kotoe. "He hasn't found out about anything yet, at least," said Sasuke, shrugging off earlier, as he sat down on a chair, "And he's been locked up in his room lately. I think it's because of that day but I can never tell."

"So, what's the plan now?" asked Tenten as she looked at Sasuke, a slightly quizzical look on her face. Sakura wasn't paying attention, reading up on the book while they were talking. Sasuke raised his eyebrow as he looked at Tenten, then Sakura, then back towards the dark haired female.

"Well, round up the troops. The Nuitori twins would be a lot of help, don't you think?" Neji knew that Kenta was a quick learner but he hadn't actually been in too many missions to be versatile. However, his participation in the mission Ayumi had been on was a great achievement.

"I second that motion, I can't be the only one doing support here. I need back up support, or if not, at least someone who'll be able to work with me in the back stage part of the mission," said Shikamaru as he drummed his fingers against the oak table. "And besides, Neji, you can't expect just you and Tenten to fight them off. There'd be too many of them."

"Good," said Sasuke as he drew out a piece of paper, "I've been doing some research on that incident since, despite the tragedy; it would have been successful, if only we weren't able to suppress it. Besides the core group which ran the entire set up, there had a hell of a lot of lackeys, at least fifty in each floor. Assuming that there were fifty per group that would mean there were ten teams. With five floors in the entire compound, there were at least two hundred fifty men."

"How'd you find that out? I thought all information that had been gathered on that topic was put into level five of the archives?"

"Easy, I have access to level five archives and no one can question me if I want to take out those reports, except maybe my brother but as I've said, he's locked up in his room."

"But when he isn't, doesn't he go through the usual rounds of checking up on the things in the archives? I mean, you have to check out the papers to the special security mainframe I set up there."

"I checked his schedule; he has a meeting with the new weapons dealer, Murakami I think, in a few minutes. Those meetings take at least six hours, eight at the most, since he personally inspects all the new arms coming in that shipment. I assume that'll be enough time for you go get a copy of these things into your own laptop, or some computer, right?"

"How much data are you talking about here, Sasuke?"

"Oh, about a few hundred pages of data from that incident, but with five of us here who know about that, and you all should since I was the one leading our team during the suppression mission," said Sasuke, too casually for everyone, "So we should be able to sift through this data and find out what we need most. Even if it isn't that important but there's a shred of you that believes it is, add it. Too much data never hurt anyone."

Sakura had stopped reading the book as she looked at the five people in front of her, reading papers in front of them. Each of them had a colored pencil or a highlighter in their hand, ready to pick out anything that would be needed in this mission. Her features softened slightly as her gaze landed on Sasuke. He had been there to comfort her since it happened days ago. She hadn't fully recovered yet but she was well on her way of snapping out of the depression she was in. She had seriously thought about killing herself but for some reason, she just couldn't. The onyx eyed Uchiha in front of her saw to the failure of her attempt.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tsuzuku…

Tada! Chapter seven is now in your hands. With chapter six, this fanfic has already reached the big three digits! Thank you very much for those who have reviewed! It means a lot to me! Like my first Naruto fanfic, I didn't expect too many reviews for this but, I guess, the readers will never fail to surprise me!

Well, not that the entire chapter has been about insecurity but mainly, it has been. The first part has been all about Ino's insecurities really, and part of Ayumi's. The second part, which has revealed a lot of Itachi's true colors, showed his insecurity towards his father. Showed because their parents had died already. The last part showed sort of showed their insecurity towards the success of this plan since the exact details haven't been set up yet.

I'd like to take this opportunity to dedicate this chapter to a certain reviewer. I'm assuming the reviewer is a girl because of this certain quote in the bio but anyway. Her reviews never fail to make me smile because I knew the chapter was worth it. She highlights certain portions that captured her interest, and, just, the way she writes her reviews tells me that she really reads my work! As in, the words don't just go in her mind but she really understands the nature of this fanfic and heh, she even makes me understand my own chapters even more. So, without further ado, this chapter is dedicated to TriGemini!

Lastly, Merry Christmas everybody! Hope all your Christmas wishes come true.

As usual, here's the chapter preview!

Next Chapter: Chapter Eight – The Inexistent Brotherly Love

Chapter Preview: "Asshole," hissed Itachi, his onyx eyes flashing, as he glared at his younger brother. Sasuke's feet were dangling slightly, unable to reach the chrome floor panels. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" hissed Itachi as he tightened his grip on Sasuke's collar. The younger Uchiha began choking, his skin paling visibly, as the lack of oxygen in his body, truly began affecting him. Fury burned steadily in his eyes as he loosened his hold slightly. The younger of the siblings couldn't reply, beginning to suffocate to death. "Fuck your morals, they shouldn't even exist within you," growled Itachi as he threw his brother down violently on the floor panels, "They shouldn't even exist within anyone for that matter." With that, he wheeled around, fury and anger emanating from his being.