Yaketsuki
By Pirate Shinju
YES! IT'S MINE! NARUTO'S ALL MINE! (shrinks under Kishimoto's glare) Uh…. Maybe not…
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Chapter 3. - Mangekyo
It was dark… very dark. So dark, in fact, that she feared she may have become blind. There was no sound either, so the possibility of being deaf was also added to her list of concerns. To make matters worse, something was also preventing her from being able to move.
The darkness was suffocating.
She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't think.
She could feel her sanity starting to slip…
Calm down… she ordered herself. It's just an illusion to scare you. This isn't real.
Suddenly, she saw a huge red moon appear in the sky, and with it, the familiar yet unusually deserted streets of Konoha. Still unable to move her arms and legs, she tore her eyes away from the comfort and familiarity of her home and shut them tightly.
This isn't real…
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a blood curdling scream that echoed in her mind and chilled her to the bone. She could not keep herself from hearing, even as she heard the unmistakable sound of a body being thrown on the ground in front of her. Knowing that she was not going to like what she saw, she forced her eyes open, but regretted it immediately as a familiar blonde head came into view.
It was Ino, lying facedown in a pool of her own blood. She was dead.
It's not real…
"Ino…" she said in despair, eyes filling with unshed tears. Tearing her eyes away from her close friend, she gazed at her surroundings in shock.
Many were dead, and some were on the ground, barely alive. With the dead included Ino, Lee, with several kunai protruding from his back, and her beloved sensei, Kakashi, who had been decapitated. She saw two figures not yet dead that were lying nearby, Naruto and Neji. Naruto struggled to pull himself to his feet as the Hyuuga prodigy coughed up blood.
It was then that she noticed a shadowed figure that hovered above them in the darkness, and the Akatsuki cloak gave away his identity immediately.
"Tell me, Sakura." Itachi said as Naruto charged at him in anger, a fist raised. "What is it that you fear most?"
It's not real…
Smirking, the Uchiha turned towards the charging blonde and shoved a kunai into his stomach. Naruto froze in his tracks and stared ahead with wide eyes filled with horror.
"NARUTO!" she screamed. "NO!"
"I know what you fear." Itachi continued as the teenage boy collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Clenching his teeth in rage, Neji weakly reached out for a discarded kunai, but stopped short when Itachi took a fistful of the Hyuuga's hair and roughly pulled him to his feet by it. Yanking back his head by his hair in a similar fashion to what he previously did to Sakura, he held the sharp blade of a kunai to Neji's throat.
"Don't!" she pleaded.
Itachi dragged the blade across the boy's throat in one deft movement. A choking sound omitted from Neji's agape mouth as he blood freely flowed from his wound down the front of his shirt. He collapsed to the ground not far from Naruto and Ino.
It's not real…
Tears flowing down her cheeks at the sight of her dead comrades and friends, she averted her eyes and struggled with all her might to move, but it was no use.
"You fear being alone." Itachi's chillingly soft voice said. "You're friends and family mean everything to you, and that is your weakness. Your love makes you foolish… and weak."
"Stop!" she pleaded. "Please, don't hurt them!"
It's not real…
She kept her eyes shut tight, but could not block the screams as he killed them, one by one. Kiba, Hinata, Tsunade, Shikamaru, Shino, Choji… They were all murdered before her brutally and she couldn't do a damn thing. Even now, after all the training she had been put through, she was still just the same girl who couldn't protect anyone. She knew this was all an illusion, but her mind was making it seem so real. She could feel and smell the warm blood as it soaked through her clothes and hair. She was completely at Itachi's mercy…
You're weak and annoying… a very familiar voice spoke in her head. It could only belong to one person.
"Sasuke…?" she said aloud, reopening her eyes. They widened in horror when she realized that her beloved Sasuke was engaged in a battle with Itachi.
She screamed for him to stop as Sasuke charged at Itachi in a moment of rage, screaming something illegible as he pulled out a kunai. Once he had made it within yards of his target, however, he was blown back as he was hit with several kunai. He lay on his back and spat out blood as it dribbled down his chin.
Itachi slowly approached the bleeding form of his brother and kneeled next to him before wrapping his slender fingers around his neck. Bringing himself to his feet, he held Sasuke above his head by his neck.
Sasuke, in his weak state, could only grip Itachi's forearm weakly and struggle for breath.
"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs. Suddenly able to move again, she shakily crawled forward, but it was too late. Sasuke's arm went limp and Itachi threw the lifeless form of his brother to the ground. Tears soaking her face, she crawled over to Sasuke's corpse and cradled the head of her first love to her chest.
"It's not real… It's not…" this time, she said it aloud, but Sasuke's body didn't fade. His wide, glassy eyes stared ahead blankly. The eyes of a dead man.
To her utter shock and horror, a new figure appeared.
With pink hair and green eyes.
It was herself.
"No…" she whispered as her heart rate quickened. " It's not me…"
"You are weak. You always will be weak." With that said, the older Uchiha lunged forward and pierced the look-alike in the chest, blood gushing from the wound.
She gasped as she felt a stabbing pain in her own chest. Looking down at her blood-covered hands and bleeding chest, she realized that her vision was starting to blur. She rose her eyes to the man standing before her, and the last thing she saw before blacking out was his blazing sharingan eyes and a smirk decorating his face.
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When Sakura finally woke up, the first thing she did was lean over the side of the futon to vomit, but unfortunately, her stomach was too empty to do even that.
Clenching her shaking hands into fists, she winced as pains from hunger and soreness passed over her in waves. The things she saw while in the Mangekyo… they were too horrible to even fathom. She could still see the tortured faces of each and every one of her friends and family as they were brutally killed by Itachi…
A sob escaped her lips as she tried to block out the memories, but it was no good. She cursed that Uchiha bastard with all the hate she could muster for making her witness such things. It was cruel and sick. He was cruel and sick.
Laying back down on the futon, Sakura winced as a wave of hunger passed over her again. At least they took the time to put her on the futon this time. If she woke up on the concrete floor one more time, she was going to scream.
She jumped as a knock resounded from the door of the cell. Before she could answer, the door opened and in came that blonde guy from before, holding a tray of food.. She glared at him, despite how weak she felt.
"You're awake… yeah." he said, entering the small cell casually.
"Yes. What's it to you?" she snapped.
"Oh. You're a feisty one, aren't you?… yeah."
"Fuck you."
"Young ladies should use such foul language… yeah." he replied with a chuckle.
"Yeah, well give me my kunai I'll show you how much of a young lady I am."
"Well, I guess that means you don't want this food I brought you.. Yeah." he said, sighing dramatically.
Sakura opened her mouth to retaliate, but abruptly went silent as her stomach began to growl. The blonde man laughed and approached her on the futon before setting the tray in front of her.
"Just eat it and stop bitching… yeah."
Despite the fact that it went against all her morals to accept food from the enemy, her body was too weak with hunger to do anything besides reach out and lift the spoon of soup out of the bowl. She froze before drinking it however, and gazed at it suspiciously.
"There's nothing wrong with it… yeah." the blonde man said. He reached out and took the spoon from her before lifting it to his own lips and draining it of its contents. "See? It's safe… yeah." He placed the spoon back in the bowl.
Taking his word for it, Sakura quickly devoured all that was on the tray, but ended up choking as a result. The man before her laughed and lightly pounded on her back to dislodge whatever was choking her.
"You shouldn't eat so fast… yeah. It's bad for your health." he said with amusement. "I'm Deidara, by the way. What's your name?… yeah."
"Haruno Sakura." she replied. She gazed at him in slight astonishment. He was so… different from the others. Of all the Akatsuki she had the misfortune of meeting, he was by far the most cheerful. He was almost always grinning, and his eyes didn't reflect a murderous intent, nor did his attitude. On the contrary, his only visible eye seemed to reflect a bit of mischief, and sadness. She inwardly wondered what could have happened to him to make him what he is today, and what his reasons were for joining the Akatsuki. Whatever the reason, she found herself liking him a bit.
Are you crazy? Inner Sakura exclaimed angrily. He's an Akatsuki! You are supposed to find a way out of here, not make friends with cold-blooded killers!
"Where is Itachi?" she asked, gazing at Deidara intensely. "And how long have I been unconscious?"
"Itachi and Kisame are away on a mission… yeah, so I was asked, or told, to watched over you until they got back, seeing as how I'm not going anywhere for a while… yeah." he replied. "As for your other question, you were out for two days… yeah. Itachi should be back later tonight… yeah."
"Where is Hinata?" Sakura questioned.
"In another cell… yeah."
"I want to see her."
"I don't think-- Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt… yeah." he grinned at her. "But first, I was told to get you cleaned up when you awoke. Follow me… yeah."
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Deidara led Sakura down one of the halls of the Akatsuki headquarters until he stopped before one of the doors. Still grinning, he turned to face her.
"This is the washroom… yeah." he said. "The clothes Itachi instructed for you to wear are on one of the sinks… yeah. Don't take too long, and I wouldn't suggest you try anything… yeah. There's no way that you will be able to get out of the building without getting caught, especially if you can't use your chakra… yeah."
Clenching her fists in anger, she pushed open the door and gazed at the large washroom curiously. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was nice, despite its simplicity. The white tiles were strikingly clean and there was a rather large tub in the corner of the room that looked large enough to fit at least six people. Not that I'm implying that Akatsuki members bathe together, of course… That would just be plain scary.
Grabbing one of the many fluffy dark blue towels from the closet, she made her way over to the bathtub before removing her dirt-covered and torn clothes. As the tub was filling with water, she sat on the edge and wondered how she could have gotten into this mess.
It was supposed to be a quick search and rescue. Akatsuki should not have been involved, but it turned out that they had everything to do with it.
Sakura lowered herself into the water and immediately relaxed as it relieved her sore muscles and soothed the throbbing pain of the countless bruises. It didn't take long before she started to doze off, her head resting lightly on the edge of the tub.
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A little pink-haired girl by the name of Haruno Sakura trudged her way through the snow, leaving behind a trail of tiny footprints. A large gust of wind came and nearly swept the petite girl off her feet, but she was able to keep her footing. She brushed past many cheerful people who were currently enjoying the festives of Konoha's New Year's eve festival. She herself had indulged herself to a few little games and contests, and had managed to win a small box of sparklers, which she now held in her hand. Real fireworks lit up the sky above her in bright colors. Her mother was probably looking for her by now, but she wanted to take a quick walk through the snow before she had to leave.
She had always liked snow, so she watched in admiration as the light flecks of white fluttered and swirled around her, sticking to her bubblegum pink hair and clinging to her clothes.
Blinking her eyes against the bitter cold air, her brow creased with curiosity when she noticed a lone figure sitting on a nearby bench. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was an older boy, probably about 11 or 12. His ebony black hair was tied back in a low ponytail and his clothes were torn in several places. She even noticed some blood.
His gaze was fixed on the ground and some of his hair obscured her view of his face. Afraid that he might be hurt, she hesitantly approached
"Um… excuse me, mister." she said shyly. "Are you okay?"
No answer.
"Mister?"
Still no answer.
Not used to being ignored, Sakura reached out to give his shoulder a prod. Before she made contact however, he spoke, making her jump in surprise.
"Please leave." he said politely, but with a bit of an edge, keeping his gaze on the ground. Sakura ignored his request and sat next to him on the bench. They both sat in silence for a while, Sakura watching the fireworks in awe and the boy staring fixedly at the ground. Finally, the little pink-haired girl decided to break the silence.
"There's blood all over you." she observed. "Are you hurt?"
"It's not mine." he replied.
"oh…" she fiddled with the box of sparklers for a moment before speaking again. "My name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura. What is your name?"
Ever so slowly, the boy beside her rose his head and locked eyes with her. She took in his delicate features in awe as he stared down at her, and couldn't help but be reminded of Sasuke-kun. His eyes were shaped somewhat feminine, and she marveled at the pretty onyx color. But she was surprised at the intensity she saw in them. He was still technically a child, but when she looked into his eyes, he seemed beyond his years, as if she were here talking to an adult instead of a boy. His eyes were a pool of intense emotions and seemed so distant that, when he looked at you, it seemed as if he were gazing into a different dimension. Lost, was the best way to describe his eyes. He seemed lost.
"Itachi." he said.
"Nice to meet you, Itachi-kun!" she said, smiling up at him brightly.
Itachi remained silent and continued to curiously gaze at the smiling girl. He took in everything from her peculiar pink hair, coat, and scarf, to her overlarge sparking green eyes full of life and happiness.
She said her name was Sakura. How fitting.
He also noticed that she was lovingly clutching a small, thin box in her pink mitten-clad hands. Everything about her screamed cute and tiny, and she seemed so fragile, as if a single touch would cause her to shatter. Tearing his eyes away from the small girl, he returned to his staring contest with his good pal… the ground.
"So, whose blood is all over you, if it isn't yours?" Sakura asked, looking up at him with curiosity burning in her eyes. He took a moment to answer and thought over his reply carefully. He didn't want to be the one to open her eyes up to the cruelness of the world and possibly ruin the precious innocence she possessed, for it was very rare to come across such purity these days. He reasoned with himself in the end, that she would find out eventually, so sooner was better than later.
"They were fools who interfered on a mission, so I killed them." he answered truthfully.
To his surprise, she didn't even blink upon hearing this.
"But why did they have to die?" she asked.
"The world isn't nice, that's why." he replied. "In the life of a ninja, there is no mercy, no compassion, nothing. Kill or be killed. Trust and be betrayed. That is the way of a ninja."
Once again, she just stared at him without a reaction. He supposed it was probably because her childish mind could not comprehend what he had said, but he didn't think that was it. Something told him that she understood completely…
"It's getting late." Itachi stated, rising to his feet. This girl unnerved him, for he wasn't used to being around people like her. The people that surrounded him were cold, distant, and powerful; not bright and cheerful like the pathetic girl beside him. That's what being an Uchiha was about.
"Oh…" she looked down sadly. "I see. Bye, Itachi-kun.".
Someone would actually miss his company? This was a first. Before he could turn away to return to his home at the Uchiha complex, there was a loud boom from one of the more flashy fireworks, and he watched as the little girl looked up at the sky with a gasp, her mouth forming a small 'o'. Even he, an Uchiha child, couldn't help but admit that she was sort of cute in a way. His eyes rose to the sky as well, and he took in the bright lights and colors.
"Do you like fireworks… Sakura-chan?" Itachi questioned, looking down at her from the corner of his eye.
"Um… yes." she replied.
Giving her a small smile, he extended his hand out to her, and she stared at it in confusion.
"Come with me." he said. "I know a place where you can see them better." Smiling back at him widely and with excitement, she joined hands with him and followed.
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"I don't know about this, Itachi-kun." Sakura said nervously. "What if I fall?"
"You won't." he replied, removing his blood-soaked shirt and kneeling on the damp snow-covered grass. "Get on. I'll climb slowly."
Swallowing her fear, she stepped forward and climbed onto his back before wrapping her arms around his neck, closing her eyes tightly as she did so.
"Loosen your grip, you won't fall." Once she had complied, he gathered chakra into his feet and swiftly climbed the tree. Placing her in a sitting position on a thick branch, he took a seat next to her and gave her shoulder a nudge.
"You can open your eyes now." he said. Ever so slowly, Sakura opened her eyes and peered at what was before her. She gasped.
"We're so high!" she exclaimed with excitement and awe. "Look, Itachi-kun! I can see my house from here! Oh! You were right, Itachi-kun! You can see the fireworks really good!" He looked down at her in amusement.
"You talk too much." he said.
"Everyone says that…" she replied.
"Even your friends?"
"I don't have any friends…" she said sadly, looking down at her mitten-clad hands where the box was still clasped. "Everyone makes fun of me because my forehead is big…" Looking up, she continued. "What about you, Itachi-kun? Do you have any friends?"
"No." he answered, his gaze returning to the sky. "Nobody has ever tried to befriend me. I have always distanced myself from everyone else, even my family. That is what happens when you are powerful. People fear and admire you from a distance."
"Don't you get lonely?" she questioned. He gave her a small smile in reply, but said nothing. When he didn't answer, she took it as a yes. He had to get lonely sometimes. She had no friends, but she at least had her family. When she needed human contact and love, she could always go to them, but he had no one… She couldn't even imagine what life would be like without anyone to talk to you like you were a normal person instead of a killer. She decided to change the subject.
"That's a pretty necklace, Itachi-kun." she said, pointing at the black choker he wore around his neck with white beads here and there. "Where did you get it?"
"My mom gave it to me a while back." he replied with a shrug. "You can have it if you want."
"Oh, no. I couldn't--"
"Sakura!" a voice resounded in the distance. "Sakura! Where are you!"
Itachi looked at the little pink-haired girl beside him and was amused to see a look of horror and surprise on her face.
"My mom!" she cried. "I forgot that she was looking for me!"
By the time they got to the ground again, the shouts were becoming more and more desperate. Sakura made to run to the voice but stopped short and embraced Itachi, much to the young Uchiha's surprise. He tensed, not used to human contact like this, but he couldn't exactly say that he hated it.
"Goodbye, Itachi-kun." She said sadly, no wanting to leave so soon. She pulled away from him and took out one of her precious sparklers from the box she had been carrying.
"Here, you can take this home for later!" Giving her another small smile, he took the sparkler from her and tucked it into one of his weapons pouches.
"You're a sweet girl, Sakura-chan." he said, tucking a stray strand of pick hair behind her ear. "Take care."
"Bye!" she said with a bright smile, turning and running towards her mother's voice, unknowing to the fact that a certain Uchiha was watching wistfully as she left.
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Sakura awoke with a start when she heard a loud rapping that came from the bathroom door.
"Haruno-san? Is everything alright?…yeah." Deidara called. "You've been in there for over half an hour.. Yeah."
"Um… Yes! Just a minute!" Sakura replied, stumbling out of the tub and snatching up her towel. She couldn't believe that she had let herself fall asleep.
On the other hand, she was more surprised about what she had dreamt about. She had never forgotten about that New Year's experience, for she thought about it ever year around that time. She had just never put two and two together when it came to who the boy was, and now that she thought about it, it was foolish of her not to realize that the younger Itachi was the Uchiha prodigy. But that wasn't what concerned her. That's not what was currently plaguing her mind.
What could have happened within the time frame of two or three years to make such a seemingly kind person lose it enough to murder his own family, the ones who brought him into this world and raised him? What happened to Uchiha Itachi, the kind, polite, slightly shy version of him? He seemed a bit lost when she first met him, but he didn't seem like the type who would murder his whole family. Did something or someone get to him, or was he always a sadistical bastard? Perhaps that boy she had met all those years ago was only a lie, and he had only pretended to be who she thought he was. That would make sense, but something was telling her that there was more to it than that.
It was just something that would only come out with time, if it ever did.
Remembering what Deidara said about the clothes, Sakura gazed around the room until her eyes fell upon a small pile of clothing laying on one of the countertops next to a sink. She unfolded them and discovered that the clothes consisted of a black t-shirt and black pants, probably Itachi's, for they smelled of incense. What also gave away the ownership was the fact that they were over-large and baggy. In fact, she had to tie the side of her waist band in a knot to keep them from slipping off. She also rolled up the bottoms.
She suddenly felt very small… but she looked rather comical.
She quickly combed through her wet hair with her fingers before opening the door to the bathroom. A grinning Deidara met her on the other side.
"That looks good on you… yeah." he said.
"Yeah, very funny." she replied with a roll of her eyes. The blonde laughed, before motioning her to follow.
"Follow me, Haruno-san." he said.
"Please, call me Sakura." the pink-haired kunoichi requested. As she followed him through the hideout to who knows where. "I hate being called Haruno-san. It makes me feel really old."
"Very well then… Sakura." Deidara grinned at her before halting in front of a similar door to the one in her cell. "Hinata-chan is in here." Sakura had barely registered the 'chan' he added on the end of the girl's name before the door was opened. Stepping into the room with Deidara following close behind, her face brightened up upon seeing Hinata sitting on a futon in the corner of the room while eating a piece of bread.
"Sakura-san!" the girl exclaimed, rising from the futon and embracing her in a hug.
"Hinata-chan, I'm so glad that you are alright!" Sakura replied, hugging her back tightly.
"Were you kidnapped too, Sakura-san? What do you think they need us for?"
"I don't know…" Sakura lied, for she felt too ashamed to tell Hinata about her agreement with Itachi.
Her eyes scanned the room and she noticed that Hinata's cell was quite similar to hers, be it a bit nicer. She blinked upon noticing that there was another figure in the room aside from Deidara and Hinata standing beside the futon who she had not noticed before. He wore an Akatsuki cloak and had striking red hair and a frighteningly blank face. Her eyes widened in realization as she pointed at the one she remembered as Sasori.
"YOU!"
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Author's note: Sorry for the long delay, but I am currently in the process of moving across the country to the frozen hell-hole known as North Dakota. My parents must be INSANE. So in other words, I haven't been able to get to the computer as much as I would like. To make it up to you, I made this chapter several pages longer. The next chapter may be a bit delayed as well, but I will get on the computer at ever opportunity, so don't give up on me!
Itachi: I didn't get enough action in this chapter.
Shinju: Sure you did. What about the dream?
Itachi: The dream doesn't count.
Shinju: Why not?
Itachi: It just doesn't.
Shinju: Stop whining. You sound like your brother…
Itachi: (pulls out a kunai) Do you WANT to die?
Shinju: (pulls out a pokeball-like object) Bishounen ball GO! (tosses it at Itachi's feet)
Itachi: (gazes it with an eyebrow raised when nothing happens) (looks up at Shinju) What the hell was that supposed to b-- AHH! (is sucked into ball) (in tiny, faraway chipmunk-like voice) Let me out of here, you witch! How did you do that?
Shinju: (picks up ball) Review, please. (tosses ball into crowd of hysterical Itachi fangirls)