Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners, and if any part of this fiction resembles that of another, it is purely coincidental.

Shackled

Chapter one

Stranded

It was on days like this that he couldn't help but feel a bit cheated. Even as the wind blew and the birds chirped merrily, it was all as if life itself was mocking him. Shaking his head and pulling his cloak tighter around his tired form, he moved on. And after a short glance toward the sky to determine the time, he headed forth on the dusty road to his inevitable future.

From a time long forgotten, from a life once lived, he emerged from space and time. The man most would only dare to whisper about in the darkest of ally-ways, away from the prying ears of potential men who would overhear.

The man gave a short snort at that thought, he was nothing the rumors said him to be. Not anymore, and never again. He was now just a mere shadow of the once deadly assassin that he had once been. Traded in his talents for what he had thought to be an even more powerful weapon. But the once thought of power turned on him, leaving him as a shell that hides from society. In a sad way he found it to be a little ironic, how the chaser has become the chased.

His eyes narrowed, even as his demise was inescapable, so too were all the lies that covered him like a fine veil of mist.

She was waiting for him again, waiting vigilantly in the shadows of her room for him to come to her. Like she did every night, like she had for the last year. But this time would be different, this time she would tell him the truth, she would make him understand that she didn't want to be a part of it any more.

Of course she knew it to be a futile act, that he wouldn't understand her plea. But she felt so lost when she wasn't near him, as if her life revolved around his entire being.

How had she turned into this hideous creature? Why had she turned herself into his nightly whore? It was for money, and yet it wasn't. Coupling with him entitled her to roof above her head. It was for love, and yet it wasn't. Over the year she had learned to love him, and yet it was his very nature that brought her to love him in a mistrusting way.

Darkness consumed the world around her, pinpricks of light in the shadows illuminated her way to freedom.

Home, she thought, a mere distant memory of a time she longed for most. To be surrounded by the safe atmosphere that her parents had created just for her, with soft eyes and crooked smiles, she would have been shielded there. A plague, the corruption had surrounded her life in such a way that she hadn't even noticed its passing before it had become too late.

With a wistful sigh, she took one last glance into the mirror before her. Her features were those of a child, she decided. Only this child was not a child, but a grown woman with far too many skeletons in her closet. Even the room she currently resided in seemed to mock her. The light pink walls and white bedding, a constant reminder that she deserved none of it.

A soft rapping sounded from her door, and she knew instinctively who it was. And if not instinctively, then she knew beyond any doubt whom it was.

He was the only one who ever knocked on her door like that.

"Come in." She spoke, her voice steady belying none of her inner turmoil. Her heart gave the customary leap as she heard the old wooden door squeal at its hinges. She was ready this time, she would tell him to leave. And he would leave, leave her to her own created hell. That man, he wasn't the sort that would save her, only condemn her further. So it was necessary for her own self to be rid of him.

The husky voice greeted her ears, and it was in these times when she would first hear his words that she would wish that he could be her savior. Foolishness, she knew, but she still dared to dream.

"Sakura." Her body turned to face his, and with a sad smile on her lips she prepared herself to end her life again.

"Itachi."

And it was raining again, as it always seemed to do when he least wanted it. Not for the first time he wished the clouds would finally dry out. The sun, he concluded, was a nice commodity to have.

Where was he again? With a lingering gaze at the surrounding desolate buildings he concluded that he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Now, he knew he wasn't lost. He was, after all, within the boundaries of the rain country. The answer to where exactly he was within the rain country eluded him however.

With a slight shake of the head, and a shrug from the shoulders he continued forward. There really was no point to dwell on the possibility that he was lost. It wasn't as if he had a planed destination set, quite the contrary, he just simply walked. Naturally though, normally he would eventually end up in a town that had some semblance of life still in it. Here though, he figured he would be lucky if he even found a cockroach.

Ah yes, but he was the lucky one after all.

A very unfriendly snort issued forth after that thought, he was anything but lucky. But this was a topic he didn't particularly like to remember. Memories were just memories, and the past was just the past.

One road down, then another, a turn to the right, and suddenly it appeared as though this town would never end. The night was coming upon him quickly, and the rain still had not abated. It all put him in a fairly sour mood, and had it not been for the other numerous nights in this country, he might have already given up.

But before he gave up, he was in some desperate need for some food. He found some shelter within one of the buildings that, he hoped, wouldn't fall down onto of him, and quickly set about pulling some soggy cheese and bread from his traveling pack. It wasn't much, and it certainly might do more bad than good for him to eat it, but it was all he had. With a small wince, he quickly popped the food into his mouth and swallowed it down. It tasted bitter, and he had to choke it back down when it tried to escape from the confines of his stomach.

The sky had turned dark on him, leaving him with no other option but to stay holed up in that building. Obligingly, he knew it would prove to be in his favor if he rested for the night; recover his lost energy. He knew, even before his eyelids closed for the evening, that sleep would not welcome him on that night.

Bright green eyes blinked away the tears that threatened to spill over. Though she knew that now was not the time to shed a tear, she couldn't help but be compelled to do so. Crying, however, was something that he wouldn't stand for, had forbidden her from it. And now he had forbidden her, her freedom. She belonged to him, and while it both excited and frightened her, she was tired of it all. Almost desperately, she wanted to resign to the life that fate seemed to hold for her.

"I still want to dream."

It was dark and cold by the hour, but after the rude awakening he had given her, she had needed some form of an escape. A long walk though the dead town had seemed appealing to her. This was her favorite town that they would stop by, as it reminded her of home. But not in the way one would have liked to remember one's home. It reminded her of how her town, her home was nothing but a passing dream.

Absently, she noted how it had rained earlier that night. She liked the rain, adored the metaphor the rain stood for. But the night was still now; the clouds had stopped weeping and moved on. The rain may have stopped, but that didn't mean it would be any warmer. Sakura wrapped her arms around herself to try and bring some warmth back to her limbs.

It really was quite cold.

Why hadn't she thought to bring a sweater again?

Perhaps it was because she had been in such a hurry to get away from him that the idea that she might get cold eluded her. With a slight shake of her head she cursed to herself softly at how capably dense she could be sometimes. Cold as she was, she wasn't ready to head back to the building they were using as shelter yet.

Forward she moved, no destination presented to her, simply enjoying the silence of the night.

With the ease the night brought, she found her mind once again fighting to bring back memories of yesteryears. Faces, images and words all found a place behind her eyes, replaying over and over again as if on repeat. There were times she held dear, and the ones that still frightened her. The ones she saved for her nightmares, where she would wake in screams. An almost sadistic chuckle passed her lips as once again all her memories led up to one face. A face she both cherished and hated. She loved his eyes, though cold and calculating, she found them to be his best feature.

Lips frowned to the world around, she had to stop thinking about him. Her head tilted down as her eyes lazily watched the ground move by. Tonight had been a turning point for her. She learned the truth when he casually slapped it in her face. She belonged to him, he had paid for her. He would never let her go, he would never care for her.

A choked sob broke free, an anguished cry for the help that wouldn't come. Legs that were once strong collapsed beneath her, bringing her to sit upon the ground. Her head rolled backwards as her arms fell numbly to her sides. Within her mind she knew she must look pathetic, a tarnished woman silently weeping for the dark path she now strolled.

It wasn't long after he had settled down for the night that the nightmares started screaming in his mind. His eyes flew open as his chest heaved for air. Normally calm nerves shook with the aftermath of the nightmare he had just relived in his sleep.

The fire had consumed it all, had silenced the agony of those who still lingered. With its destruction, he had hoped to finally bring some peace to his troubled mind, but that had only been the beginning of his nightmare. It was then he learned it would never end, it was then he learned contentment would never be his.

Gathering his few items back into his traveling pack, he stood and made his way back to the world outside the small building. The air, though decidedly cold, greeted him as though he was a lost guest. The rain had dispersed some time ago, leaving in its wake a sweat aroma to the air.

Once again he was not surprised by the fact he was denied sleep again. Not for the first time he found himself aimlessly wondering the streets, though it was a different town, it was the same demons that drove him to move. Never, he knew would he be saved from this fate he had created. But that was okay, he reassured himself, as he had known that this life was a possible outcome.

His steps slowed to a casual pace as the form of a human began to visualize before him. The small frame that slowly became visible hinted to him to be that of a child or young woman perhaps. Either way, he wanted to go straight, and it was in the way. His voice was cold, collected as he spoke to the one sitting so casually before him. Back to him, face away, head hung low, legs crossed, really, it was hard for him to tell if it was a child or not.

"Move."

The body before him sprang to life even before the words had slipped from his lips. And suddenly, with a kuni's tip pressed firmly to his neck, he was presented with the face of a girl he had long since tried to forget.

She had heard the footsteps behind her, had been ready to fight if it came down to it. When the sound of footsteps stopped, she had sprung from the ground, pulling her small kuni as she did. What she hadn't been prepared for though, was to be greeted by the man who had unknowingly made her into what she was. Her eyes widened in shock, then quickly squinted into a glare. With a clinched jaw, it took every ounce of will power she still had to not jam the still sharp tip of her kuni into the man's throat.

"You . . . bastard."

He watched as her dim green eyes sparked into a raging fire. Absently he noted, her beautiful green eyes were probably the brightest now than they had been for a long time.

TBC . . .

Fanfic by Inca