A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter took about a week longer that I said it would, everybody. After the trip to San Diego, I've spent most of that time in the hospital where my mother currently is. I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter, and as a forewarning I have to add that some of the next few chapters might also be delayed because of issues with the family.
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Even before her eyes were open Sakura knew she was inside her mind. She didn't care to know how she'd been brought in here, but she had a hunch that - if she kept her eyes shut - would remain just a hunch. She didn't want to think that he would do this to her. She'd like to think that Itachi was on her side. That he wouldn't kill her for a demon that she hadn't even known the presence of. That he and the Akatsuki would at least let her live.
She liked to hold onto her hopeless fantasies. That's what kept her sane, at least. She didn't care that things never went the way she hoped they would. Even though it always hurt in the end, it gave her motivation. It gave her hope. When one hope was obliterated, she'd replace it with another one. That's how she'd gotten this far. That's how she'd even gotten to her feet when she first awoke without her memories. She thought of the few memories she could cling to and still call her past - considering their unpleasantness, it was a wonder she'd lived this long. Whenever she did die (which could be sooner than she hoped) she could at least say she survived an encounter with Orochimaru and Itachi of the Akatsuki. She could even say she survived her encounter with the organization's leader…well, her first encounter, anyways.
"Stand up, Sakura." Just like that, her hopes were dashed, tossed into the junkyard with all her other fanciful dreams. She felt her heart jump, then sink. So this was it. This is how she would die. She would die so Leader can get his precious eight-tailed snake. Even with her ridiculous inner optimism she could find no other hope to cling to. This was the end of it, here and now.
"What, Itachi-san?" She spat, feeling a sudden burst of spite. "Time to extract the gold and dispose of the stone it's buried in?" She was answered with silence, and scoffed. Of course she won't get a response out of this Uchiha. She forced back a wave of despair as her memory pulled out of her the brief moments of the Itachi she'd seen underneath that stoic poker-faced glare that was his constant expression. In those moments she could tell for certain that Itachi hid more than just feeling behind those Sharingan eyes. He'd first revealed it when he mentioned his brother, something she doubted he'd ever done before. And she saw it when they were together on the rooftop under the moonlight.
Underneath the underneath. A voice that sounded familiar but that she didn't recognize reverberated inside of her. Only there will you find the answer.
Just as she'd hoped it wouldn't be, Sakura opened her eyes to the inverted world of Itachi's genjutsu. However, there was nothing. Nothing anywhere around them. It was just Itachi and her. The only thing besides them and the pitch-black surroundings was the blood-red moon hovering behind Itachi above his shoulder. Something struck her as odd about Itachi's appearance, other than the fact that his black body blended into the background; and that the deadly white gleam of the Sharingan seemed to pierce straight into her soul with its intensity. His clothes and his skin were all black, so that only faint outlines of him were visible. He looked even deadlier now than he did on their first encounter, complete with a white-handled katana in the grip of his right hand as though it were an extension of his own arm.
True killing perfection.
"Bring forth the eight-tailed serpent." He said in a stoic monotone that sent a ripple of anticipation down Sakura's spine. Underneath the underneath. She thought again. She shook her head. "I don't know how to do that. You know that." His brows furrowed ever so slightly - Sakura couldn't help but focus intently on his face, his eyes.
"Where have you hidden it, Sakura?" His voice was softer, yet sharper.
"I don't know!" So was hers.
An instant later a force of impact made her fall back slightly, then forward, hunch over. Blood began to pool in her mouth. She coughed, and it spattered white over Itachi's robe. When he drew the katana out of her stomach, she lurched forward but forced herself not to fall against him. She hadn't even seen him move…
Despite being under the influence of genjutsu, the pain was all too real. She gasped for air and tried to stand upright. Itachi stood calmly before her with his sword still in his hand. Her blood dripped from the steel edge to the black ground with a small splattering sound.
"I can make you live through this for days, Sakura, and you won't die from the pain." His expression was unreadable but the straight line that normally formed his mouth was curved upward in the corners, forming a smirk that ignited true fear inside her.
He's retreated into himself, she realized, wiping off the blood that dribbled down her chin. This can't be Itachi doing this.
'Wh…Why don't you just take the demon out of me, Itachi?" She asked, choking briefly on her own blood. "Why are you doing this?"
Itachi's eyes, for the briefest moment, narrowed. The demented grin widened. "To see what you're capable of."
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It took every ounce of restraint from Deidara to remain stationary on his pedestal over Sakura, Itachi and Leader. He could only imagine what Itachi was doing to her mind. He understood the technique well enough - Kisame explained the shell of the human that Itachi's Kyuubi had been extracted from. He'd seen it with his own eyes previously.
After the procedure the Jinchuuriki was nothing but a weeping mess on the ground, and after the extraction he looks as though his very soul has been taken from him. She'd lay on the ground, eyes open, staring into nothing. Staring into the empty void of her mind, surrounded by her own nightmares. Deidara shuddered at the thought of Sakura, such a lively woman, turning into that. Turning into a lifeless doll.
It was too much, however, to hope that she would survive.
Among the Akatsuki, death is to be expected. They are not strangers of it - even now, Deidara wasn't bothered by Sasori's death. Rather, it bothered the Akatsuki that someone could kill him. Perhaps Sakura bothered them in a different way. She had a different impact on them than the other Jinchuuriki they'd caught before. Deidara knew this to be true; he'd seen the changes in Kisame and Sasori, especially Sasori, before he was killed.
Sasori had looked up at him in his last moments, a torn half-human, half-doll mass on the ground; his expression, however, showed none of the subtle anguish and despair that Deidara was accustomed to. As Deidara had leaned down to pry the Akatsuki ring from his left thumb, Sasori grabbed his wrist firmly but not painfully.
"Deidara…Please tell Sakura-san…Please tell her that I was able to s-see the sunset a second t-time," When Deidara looked into his eyes he saw only a peaceful expression. He could do nothing more than nod. It was the calmest he'd ever seen the puppet master in his entire existence among the Akatsuki. There was a gentle smile on Sasori's lips as he died, and Deidara could almost swear in that moment that an angelic impression of Sakura hovered over his lifeless form when he passed on.
Sakura's enigmatic presence had even affected Itachi, whom for the longest time Deidara suspected was defected in the emotive department. And yeah, he was well aware that a rule to being a shinobi was to have no feeling, but…Itachi took it a little far, in his opinion. True, Itachi had his own dark story leading to his defection from his Village, but so did Kisame, and himself and everyone else who joined the Akatsuki. Still…Seeing the subtle but definite changes in Itachi's attitude did not pass by Deidara's keen observation. Sakura made them all feel more comfortable, more at ease with themselves. And it was because she cared.
Hers was a welcome presence to them all, whether they believed and admitted so - like himself - or not, like Itachi and Kisame. And that made her dangerous.
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He was moving too fast for her to keep up. The minute she detected a kick and moved to block it she was bombarded with a swing-around back kick with the other leg followed by a sword thrust. She only caught two of every three hits, and the ones missed were aimed with his sword arm. Her chakra reserves were strong, but draining fast. There was no way she could keep up like this for more than fifteen minutes. She didn't think she could even continue for another five.
Agony bloomed from her stomach, burning every nerve on her person with waves of white-hot, blistering pain. Blood flowed freely from a gaping hole in her uniform, staining the color-inverted material an aquatic blue. The color distortion not only was disturbing but made it nearly impossible to see Itachi as he darted in and out of sight, often to surprise her from behind or the side with another series of slashes and swings. He had both his own immense chakra and the reserves of the Biju to rely on, where Sakura now was relying purely on her own Sharingan's unperfected abilities. She felt as thought she were fighting for her life, even though it was all only a setup in her mind, which was now a cage to which only Itachi had the key.
She flicked her wrist and drew forth several senbon needles from under her vambrace and threw them in his direction, desperate for a distraction to re-collect herself before his next barrage of attacks. As his sword flew up to bat them away she focused more than the usual amount of chakra needed to her eyes. Her sight heightened just in time to see him moving toward her, lifting his katana in an uppercut that would hit her chin and cut the bottom half of her face open. She backflipped and kicked the sword out of his hand in the process before landing back on her feet, only to fold forward on her hands and knees. She bit back a cry of pain and saw more discolored blood dripping steadily from her torso.
Wincing, she lifted one hand to her breast and pulled out the kunai embedded there. He used my own distraction against me, so that I didn't see his kunai among all the senbon…Damnit. I can't go on like this… She could feel the cold embrace of Death hovering outside of her prison, wanting to welcome her but unable to reach her. Itachi wouldn't give her that pleasure.
Her vision swam with unending waves of pain as Itachi slowly walked toward her. She refused to lift her gaze to him now - not on her knees. The top of her vision became obstructed by the hem of his cloak, then by the collar as he bent down so his face was only a few inches above hers. She still didn't look up until he lifted her chin with the flat side of a kunai. His smoldering white-hot gaze was scornful, so much so that she couldn't look into them for more than a few seconds before tearing her eyes from his to stare dully at his mouth, blushing in humiliation. She didn't understand why the sudden feeling of shame overcame her all of a sudden. It almost felt…like she'd disappointed him, somehow.
What do I care? She argued against herself. He never wanted anything from me. All the Akatsuki need is the demon inside of me.
Then let's give it to them with both barrels!
I can't…I don't know how.
Find it! Kill this bastard, and Leader too!
"If you wish to kill me…hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way."
She felt a brief surge of energy come to her body but before she could draw on it, Itachi had moved; he was back to his feet and he kicked her violently into the air. She summoned as much chakra as possible and centered it in her feet, righting herself and using the momentum the turn her flailing fall into a jump. She landed unsteadily on her feet several meters away from Itachi. Wincing from a particularly painful wave of agony, she waited for an attack that didn't come. Her Sharingan saw him running toward her - No weapons were drawn, but the change in his eyes scared her more than a shower of kunai. His eyes were bloodshot, and when a sudden grin came to his face she could see the points of fangs.
Survive…In an unsightly way.
The last thing Sakura could recall before everything around her turned black was the sudden feeling of warmth enveloping her neck, then a brief taste of acid-burned flesh in her mouth.
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Everybody collectively tensed, including Deidara, when the kunoichi's chakra started to pulsate. A faint pink aura surrounded Sakura's prone form, but as the Akatsuki watched it was slowly growing and being overcome with blended red and purple chakra that made the small hairs on Deidara's neck stand on end. He could feel the heat of anger blistering his skin from the chakra emanating from her body. He resisted the urge to chew his lip - whatever Itachi was doing to her mentally, it was awakening a desire in her to fight back…physically.
However, the urge to chew his lip turned into a full-blown urge to shout out, even though Sakura was unconscious, as Itachi's legs crumpled underneath him so that he was slightly bent over Sakura's body. Red chakra permeated the air around him and Deidara shuddered visibly as three long stripes etched themselves into Itachi's cheek. Leader turned his face upward, having taken off the hat when he placed Sakura on the ground, and nodded. It was his signal.
The other Akatsuki, led by Kisame at the fore of the group, leapt off of the statues of the two upraised hands in the center of the cavern and surrounded Itachi and Sakura. This had happened once before, and they were prepared for it this time. Deidara's gaze turned briefly to the two statues. They were in the shape of two hands; a finger was designated to each Akatsuki in reference to their place among the organization. And to each member's position on the statue was the position of the ring on his hand. The progression of drawing out this demon was too dangerous for his liking - he looked down as another surge of chakra washed over him. This is gonna get ugly…yeah.
Kisame looked at him briefly, Samehada in his grip. They knew Itachi more than the others, and surely the sight of Itachi in a weakened state was as disturbing to him as it was to Deidara. If worse came to worst, the Akatsuki would have to end Itachi's life, and Sakura's. Leader would be on the sidelines, of course, drawing the Biju out in an effort to spare the demons for future use. That's how it was supposed to go. Still…it unnerved him.
These, after all, were the two strongest of the Biju…And they didn't know if Sakura even had any control over hers.
And…well, it didn't exactly help that Deidara was now missing both of his arms, therefore losing his ability to fight with either his clay or his jutsus.
Well… He thought grimly as Sakura's eyes opened, revealing not the Sharingan but violent purple slitted irises, I get to practice being quick on my feet…yeah.
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Haruno Sakura felt like she could sleep like this for eternity. In fact, she wondered if she was dead; she had the strange sensation of sleeping in an empty place but still aware of things around her. Not that it really helped - she was surrounded by blackness on all sides. The only thing that told her she wasn't really alone (though still possibly dead) was the sound of someone…or something whispering in her ear, though it was so soft she couldn't quite make out the words. As though whatever was speaking was doing so from a long distance.
The voice seemed…devious. And sneaky.
Sakura tried to remember how she'd gotten here in the first place. She could recall fighting, definitely. With Itachi. The idea that maybe she'd finally died by his hands made her shudder.
I can't have…No…No! She fought back a wave of anguish. It's too unfair! She cried to herself. How did I deserve this?
Hush now, little one. Don't be so loud.
What…What do you want?
You're safe here, Pretty. Sakura shivered at the condescending tone. It just wasn't right.
Where am I? She asked timidly. Am…Am I dead? Her voice quivered when she said it. She'd give anything up at that moment to still be alive if she was. This couldn't be Heaven…And it sure as hell couldn't be…well, hell.
Not at all, Pretty. We are more alive now than we've ever been.
…We? Alive? A sudden dreading sensation dropped a brick into her stomach. …O-Orochi?
No! She screamed. Give me back my body! Whatever you're doing, stop!
The Uchiha brat tried to kill you, the inner voice reasoned calmly, even over her screams for help and shrieked threats of regaining control. There was no more chakra in you, so I saved us, Pretty.
The girl growled. Don't call me that! Get out!
No.
Such a blunt, simple response stopped her tirade completely, making her fall utterly silent. What was going on? Was she talking to herself? Was she muttering blindly to herself in the corner of a prison cell designated for shinobi who'd lost their minds? If there was a plea for insanity for overloading, she certainly should qualify for it.
She preferred the idea of being dead.
She felt a great shuddering around her. Alas, the eight-tailed snake said softly, What a taste of power I received…That will serve me in the future. But for now, I must depart your human world. Recover, and we shall destroy the Uchiha brat, and his clan.
Wait! What? Just like that, you're leaving?
Alone I cannot stand up to the entire Akatsuki. You need to host my body for our power to truly overwhelm them.
And just what makes you think I'll help you? I'm not killing the Akatsuki for anything!
If you do not kill them, they will kill you, and take me from you.
You say that like it's a bad thing for me.
You cannot even stand up to one of the Akatsuki. How can you stand up to all of them without my assistance?
No. I'm not letting you out again. Ever! Go back to where you belong!
I can give you back your memory, Pretty. The voice crooned, even as it faded into the shapeless shadows. Wouldn't you like to know what happened to you? …To Sasuke-kun?
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Just like that, Sakura was left in darkness again. The voice of Orochi was gone, and now she was alone, really truly alone. She'd been fighting with Itachi, she knew. She should have died. Perhaps she did. It would be a blessing at this moment. But there was no Pearly Gates to walk through. No heavenly embrace to release her of all her pains. In fact, she felt more pain now, except now the pain was emotional.
Sasuke-kun…
"Sakura…You're annoying."
"Sakura…Thank you."
"Sakura…Take my eyes."
Sakura…
She cried. She didn't know how long. It might have been a minute. It might have been an hour. She didn't care. The only thing she heard was Sasuke's voice calling her name and the sound of her sobs. Please…Somebody, just end this…
Sakura…
Sakura…
"Sakura…"
With a twist of perspective, Sakura felt herself proverbially thrown back into her own body. With it came an all new level of pain that was all too physical. She groaned softly, feeling more tears coming to her stinging eyes. "Nh…Gods…Wha…"
"Don't talk," A deep, smooth voice admonished softly. "You're badly injured…yeah. Put up quite a fight, Sakura-chan…yeah." The soft chuckle helped ease her nerves; at the familiar sound of Sakura-chan, she'd thought for a moment that she'd woken to Leader. The fact that it was Deidara was probably the biggest relief she'd ever felt in her nineteen years, memory or no.
I can give you back your memory, Pretty.
Wincing painfully, she managed to open one eye to look at the blond shinobi. "Deidara…" She whispered. His characteristic grin came to his face as he looked down at her. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan… The medics are gonna fix you up…yeah." Sakura nodded imperceptibly - now that she was conscious, the desire to sleep overcame her chakra-drained, beaten body. How it became so through a genjutsu, she couldn't interpret, nor did she care at that moment. She closed her eye again, trembling with the outrageous pain the simple action brought her. She must have gotten poison in her eyes or something for it to hurt that badly.
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The next time Sakura's eyes opened, it took her several seconds to realize who and where she was. I remember the genjutsu…Then, I woke up at some time after it…Injured. Pain. How did I get injured? It was only an illusion…Wasn't it? She rolled to her side, with much difficulty, and gently swung her legs over so her feet were on bare wood floor. She noted briefly that she'd been changed into baggy drawstring pants and a loose sleeveless shirt, both of which she recognized to be made for medical patients. Her ANBU attire was nowhere in sight.
She made to stand up but pain exploded in her stomach and legs, causing her to fall back onto the futon with a gasp. Bewildered, she lifted up her shirt to see what sort of injury would cause her such pain. Her entire torso was tightly wrapped in bandages - looked like she wouldn't know for a while. She took several deep breaths, letting the adrenaline from the pain leave her body, then carefully brought herself to a stand, teeth gritted.
Once she was upright on her feet, the pain in her stomach abated slightly, but her knees burned with strain. She ignored it to the best of her abilities and focused instead on scanning her surroundings for any familiar chakra signatures. All she wanted was to back to the other headquarters and sleep. The closest one brought a smile to her face, and she slowly made her way to the door, intent on following it.
In the doorway, she leaned on the frame, panting slightly. The chakra it took to locate Deidara's familiar signature had made her, if possible, even more exhausted. She made a note to herself that she'd need at least to days to recover all her lost chakra. Where it had all gone, she could only guess. She'd ask Deidara when she found him.
Slowly, she made her way down the hall in the direction of the muted chakra source, using the wall for support when she rounded the corner. She took a slow, deep breath, and scanned her surroundings again. The minute amount of chakra left was drained, but it was enough. Weary but determined, she laboriously placed on foot in front of the other, closing the distance between Deidara and herself. After an impossibly long walk she found the open shoji door that indicated the location of her target. Now breathing heavily, she looked behind her and nearly cried out in despair. Her little stroll was probably no more than two hundred feet, yet it seemed to have taken twenty minutes. She gripped the doorframe tightly as she looked in on Deidara.
The blond sat slightly hunched over where he was, his back turned to the door and Sakura. He'd seated himself before an upright piano that would probably reach her waist if she stood next to it. The sight of the closed piano surprised Sakura; if there was one thing she wouldn't have expected to be present in the lair of the Akatsuki leader, it was a room meant singularly for playing music. She took a moment to catch her breath, then hoisted herself gently off the frame and took the few torturous steps from the door to the bench where Deidara sat.
He didn't say anything, but he knew she was there. Wordlessly, he scooted to one side of the bench as Sakura neared and she sat with a sigh of relief. "You shouldn't be walking around…yeah." He said, expression severe, but she waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine, Deidara…My chakra's just drained and my stomach hurts a little, that's all. I don't like that room anyways." Deidara chuckled softly. "You didn't like your room back at the other HQ…yeah."
She shrugged and grinned slightly. "Yeah…" She echoed. She inhaled deeply and looked down at the shutter that covered the piano keys. "You play the piano?" She queried. A smile was on his face, but he shook his head. With the hair covering the rest of his face, Sakura couldn't see his expression from her point of view. "Can't," He said simply.
Sakura furrowed her brows at the stressed tone of his voice. He tilted his head slightly to see her confused expression, and added, "My arms are gone now…yeah." He saw her eyes widen as she remembered the last time he'd stated this. She looked back down to the piano, looking guilty.
"I see…" She muttered lamely. Her finger absently traced circle on the polished black wood, before stretching out both hands and lifting the cover, exposing the pale ivory keys in the dim light of the room. The finger that had been tracing circles now ran gently across each white key in front of her.
"Do you, Sakura?" His voice was soft and even. She shook her head.
"If I ever did, I can't remember it," she replied. She sighed softly. "I don't even know what it sounds like." Deidara shifted so he was facing her. He had a mischievous grin on his face. "I'll teach you while you're here, then…yeah. I can't play anymore, so you can do it for me."
Sakura blinked. "What? I've--I've never even touched one of these before." She protested, but Deidara shook his head with animated energy. His hair swayed back and forth across his face with an animated energy that almost made her laugh. "You can still learn…yeah. I'll teach you a little. It should be easy for you to memorize it with the Sharingan…yeah." Sakura couldn't turn down that energetic expression that lid up Deidara's face, so she shrugged nonchalantly. "Well I guess it wouldn't kill me to learn a little bit…"
Deidara all but leapt to his feet. "Alright!…Yeah." Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at his childish behavior at that moment, but the laughter made her stomach twinge, reminding her of her injuries. "It'll have to wait until I'm healed a bit, though," She said, wincing. The blond's expression sobered quickly. "Right…yeah." He muttered, and moved to her side. "Here, you can use my shoulder…yeah."
Deidara led Sakura back down the hall and to her assigned room. At the doorway she used the wall as support while she guided herself to her bed, where she sat down heavily. She smiled to Deidara, letting him know that she'd be alright, and he nodded with a small smile of his own before leaving her in the silence and darkness of her bedroom. As he passed by a window in the main hall, Deidara saw the sun just beginning to rise.
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Vambrace: Arm guard. I don't know what the correct name is for the arm guards that the ANBU wear, so if you do, PLEASE let me know!
Wow - this chapter was very difficult for me. It doesn't really strike the same chord as the previous chapters but for now, I'm satisfied with it. I loathe writing battle scenes so...for now Sakura can't remember what happened to her to get her all banged up. Ahahaha, I win.
But yeah - Next chapter: Bonding is bad: that statement is music to Sakura's ears compared to what happened between the genjutsu and her waking up in the infirmary. (Rating MIGHT go up...)