A Will to Love

A/N: I'm baaaaaaack! Lol. Oh well… I'm really sorry for the way I rushed some things, and yes, characters may be OOC, but I'm really trying to get it into shape. ; Thankfully you guys still like it. I'm really sorry for not updating in such a long time. Due to a rush of things, this is the best I can offer you guys for now.

Well, here's the third chapter then!

Chapter 3: Heartless

Sakura waited, leaning against the gates in apprehension. The sparse hairs on her neck stood up as she sensed a presence… no, two of them. She stood up, her hand darting to her kunai pouch.

"Don't…"

She twirled around, looking frantically from side to side, her hair whipping either side of her face. A low laugh erupted from behind her. She turned around and aimed her kunai but a hand quickly flew up and stops her arm.

"You…" Sakura breathed. He smiled.

"No need to look like that," he said his voice barely above a whisper.

As he watched the pair, himself hidden in cluster of trees and bushes, he could feel his emotions raging under his calm surface. His glove reflected the soft moonlight, as he reached up and rearranged his headband. There, that's better; a better vision. He sighed, wondering when it would be time for his entrance into the scene; if he would even make an entrance at all.

He sighed. It seems like Sakura can defend herself. Although he was not sure who was the other person standing there, he can only tell that he or she was a skilled ninja, being able to hide their presence so well. They were so far away, and their figures were so tiny, he couldn't even decipher the gender. Somehow, a prickling feeling that ran down his spine told him that the mysterious stranger was a male…

Sakura glared at her companion, not speaking a word. He just simply looked at her, returning her look with a detached facial expression.

"Well?" asked Sakura curtly, breaking the heavy silence. Itachi smiled, his lips barely lifting up at the corners.

"Well, I suppose you want to know why I called you here…" Itachi said, trailing off into silence.

"Oh, no, I don't want to know why I am here," said Sakura sarcastically. Itachi just smiled again at her words.

"I want to give you a few gifts," he murmured. Sakura still had her stony look, though his words had sparked a considerable amount of curiosity in her. She turned slightly towards him, and Itachi nodded in approval at her reaction.

"Here…"

In her hair, he placed a single, barely opened rose. On her lips he placed a swift but lingering kiss. And a second later, she had fallen to the ground, unconscious. He smiled. Perfect bait, his plan was working better than he thought.

In the shadows, he watched as the figure catch Sakura as she fell towards the ground. He leaped out without thinking, and started running towards the figure that holds Sakura in his arms.

Itachi felt a speeding presence directed to him. A spark of caution erupted inside of him, and he cradled Sakura a bit closer to him, keeping her from possible danger. A kunai shot at him and he dodged it easily, his head leaned backwards so that the kunai flew over him. Then a shuriken appeared out of nowhere, and he sidestepped it. Then a hail of metallic weapons rained on him. He dodged them all easily, as if it was a child's play. Smirking, he turned to the now raging aura of the one who had tried to attack him and failing miserably.

"Ah… You are Copy Ninja Kakashi, aren't you? I remember you," said Itachi softly, the winds catching his words and throwing them at the tall figure that stood before him.

"Put Sakura down," came the calm voice, as his Sharingan eye focused on Itachi. Itachi merely smiled.

"No," he said simply, and started to turn away.

"I said, put her down!" Kakashi repeated, this time a bit more forceful. Itachi stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Haven't you learned your lesson the first time?"

Kakashi had. And he remembered how it felt. He wasn't going to ditch his student for the sake of his own safety. And he wasn't stupid enough to stare at the Uchiha in the eye.

"Just put her down," Kakashi repeated; his voice was on the edge of a snarl.

Itachi merely chuckled. "Do you think that I won't hurt you? I admit I do not hurt anyone when it is unnecessary. However, if you get in my way, you will end up with more than just a few scars."

Kakashi continued glaring at the Uchiha. Itachi may be insanely strong, but it was worth a chance.

He ran towards Itachi, his hands quickly forming seals. His reflexes were good. But the eyes of the Uchiha, the Sharingan, just stared at the speeding figure, never blinking, never making an attempt to move. Instead, he just held Sakura in front him, protecting her yet using her as a shield at the same time.

Kakashi blinked. Damn.

The next morning was warm, but never had his body felt so cold. He knew he was conscious. But he couldn't move. He doesn't want. His limbs felt like they were on fire. He opened his eyes anyways. And what met his eyes set him going.

Needles were stabbed into his pressure points, paralyzing him. His arms were specked with blood, while his Sharingan eye drooped from exhaust. He felt like his head was going to burst, and as he tenderly raised an arm and touched the point of his headache, he felt a slight bump. There was a light bruise on his cheek, he noted. Fuck…he thought.

And he passed out again, when he stared directly at the bright sun with his sore eyes.

Itachi carried Sakura tenderly, relieved that she hasn't been harmed in the battle. Kakashi is good, he admitted. The Copy Ninja had managed to give him a few injuries, though none of them major. Fortunately. He still has a journey to go through, with Sakura as extra weight. It'll be easy, though he knew that the Anbu might come after him as soon as Kakashi alerts them. Why had he chosen Sakura?

He looked down on her sleeping form, and immediately felt his heart quicken and his stomach turning. He was then filled with an unexpected feeling, one that he had never felt before. What is this feeling inside me? It… it… feels like a fire has been lit inside of me…

Sakura stirred, and Itachi looked at her again. Her face was not like the peaceful image it was when he watched her sleep the first time. It was troubled this time, and there was no small smile playing about her lips. He sat down next to her, on the blanket he had laid on the ground for comfort. Again, Sakura stirred, and this time, she did wake up.

"Where am I?" she muttered, shaking her head. She looked at Itachi, and gasp. "You!" She said in shock.

"Where am I?" she asked again.

"You are on the border of the Fire Country to the Hidden Waterfall Village. And I understand that you are a quite experienced medic nin, am I right?" Sakura nodded. Her training with the Fifth Hokage had not gone to waste. She had gotten stronger physical strength-wise too.

"Good. Then you shall assist me in missions. Such as this one, where you are a victim, you will still put your skills to use and help whenever you can. Otherwise, you are not to contact anyone without me knowing, or you will regret it. Do you understand?"

"Hai," Sakura muttered regretfully. Damn, she is in a bad situation right now. If only she hadn't sneaked out… Itachi, sensing her regret, subconsciously started reassuring her.

"It's okay, it won't be bad at all," he murmured into her ear, sending shivers down her back. He tentatively hugged her, and felt her body relax at that comforting touch.

"It's ok…"

"So you are saying that Sakura is missing?" said Tsunade. She frowned, and glanced at the Anbu captain next to her desk. She nodded once, and he left the office. "Kakashi, did you say that Itachi told you he needed Sakura for 'all technical purposes'?"

"Hai."

"Then he must be carrying out some kind of plan. Do you have any as to what?"

"No. But they were after Naruto over three years ago, and they have never caught him. After the mulish attempts on the Kazekage, Gaara, it seems so that they decided to concentrate on Naruto again." Kakashi's face was passive as he said this, and his arm was bounded with a bandage, which he shifted onto his lap as he voiced his theory.

"Are you positive?" asked the Hokage.

"This is only a theory based on facts," Kakashi replied, and wondered what would happen to Sasuke and Naruto. Of course, Naruto would have to watch his back, but now, being insanely strong, he is capable of protecting himself. The only question is his common sense and logic. Sasuke, on the other hand, would view this as a perfect chance to avenge his family and kill his brother, and rescue his teammate, not to mention it would be like throwing his victory against one of the strongest ninjas of all time in Naruto's face.

"You will need to watch over Sasuke, and I will have Jiraiya continue his watch on Naruto. I will find out about Sakura's whereabouts and condition. Do you understand?" Tsunade finished her speech, and glanced at Kakashi to see his reaction. He simply nodded, and walked out of the door. She signaled to the Anbu captain standing outside the door, who was warding off any unwanted visitors.

"I need you to assign two Anbu, one who is good with strength and jutsus, one who is speedy, with Shizune to find Sakura and Itachi. I need them right now, this instant, and tell them to find the Uchiha. Tell them my orders for them. They are not to let themselves be seen, they are to complete this mission as soon as possible, hopefully without any deaths, and they are not to fight Uchiha Itachi. Just tell them to find Sakura, bring her back if possible. There is a really good chance that they won't find the opportunity, so just come back if the opportunity does not present itself in two days, understand?"

The Anbu captain nodded, and hurried off, knowing his job would be on line if he didn't do a good enough job. Tsunade walked out of her office and down the hall to the lobby, where a secretary was taking notes and filing. "Tamu-san, tell anyone who comes by to see me that I'm busy and am not to be disturbed, ok?"

"Understood, Tsunade-sama," Tamu replied, bowing as Tsunade exited the building, off to find Jiraiya.

Sakura was comfortable in Itachi's arms, making no move to break the long hug. Itachi laid his head on her shoulder hesitatingly, Sakura doing the same to Itachi. "I'm alright," said Sakura, and they finally released each other at last. However, she cannot get rid of the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Itachi-san, why did you bring me here," she finally asked, breaking the silence. He looked at her with his red eyes, but made no move to answer yet. Sakura started to get scared again, and he answered her, surprising her with the sudden response.

"I need you for my mission," he said simply, not lying nor making any effort to specify.

"Mission…?" questioned Sakura, trying to prod him into giving her a more exact answer.

"Yes, my mission." Sensing that the talk was over, Sakura only sat there, long after his reply, just to stare at his back when he turned around and ignored her.

It's too dangerous, way too dangerous for me to develop feelings for her, Itachi thought. He cannot fall for her; she is too important for his plan. If he falls for Sakura, then his plan is in shambles, he won't be able to complete his mission, and everything will be hell. He knew that no one can threaten him with death, since he is an Uchiha possibly the strongest of them all, but it would ruin his own personal goals. No one is stupid or crazy enough to challenge him. Well, maybe everyone but his weakling, dumb ass of a brother, the one and only Uchiha Sasuke.

He glanced at Sakura, who was staring at him, and saw her quickly look away in embarrassment. He hid a smile; her antics are just too obvious. He knew at this moment, that he had been right in choosing Sakura as the bait. He looked away again, only to feel her steady but unsure gaze on him again. He stood up, surprising Sakura.

"Let's go," he said his tone icy once more, taking Sakura aback by the harshness.

"Ok," she said softly, and stood up as he strode towards her. She backed away, and Itachi bent down and folded the blanket. He grabbed her wrist and turned around, half dragging Sakura after him as they sped along the plains. After a few minutes, he let go of her and continue running.

After a while, they stopped in a dark cluster of trees that made up part of the forest that they had entered an hour ago, landing lightly onto the branch. "We will rest here tonight," Itachi said in a monotone. Sakura breathed in, slightly out of breath.

Without a word, she stared at the trees, clustered with a fresh, unknown fruit. Nearly starving, she gently plucked one and bit into it as she saw Itachi's eyes widen.

"Don't—eat those—fruit," he said in segments. Sakura just stared at him, waiting for a better explanation.

"Those are paralyzing fruits. This is where a lot of medic nins come to collect their juice in order to make paralyzing medicines along with their antidotes. Since you only ate a bit, in a short hour, you will be unable to move for a few days. If you had eaten the whole thing, you will need to acquire the antidote in three days or you will die," Itachi said without looking at her. Instead, he was staring at the sweet-looking fruit in her hands, with a bite mark on it.

Sakura just looked at him in shock. According to his prediction, Sakura was unable to move at all in an hour. Shit.

Itachi sighed, as he looked at the immobile body next to him, lying straight out and asleep. What a mess to get into. And he doesn't even know how soon she would recover, too… This is becoming a nightmare.

At least she is sleeping, he noted, though her frame was frozen like ice. A thought occurred to him. He stood up, laid his cloak over Sakura to keep her warm, and start collecting the best fruits he could find.

A few days had passed, and Sakura had recovered, though her strength had diminished considerably. Itachi had to carry her a few times, though they both didn't really mind. In fact, Itachi had grown accustomed to her presence, and protected Sakura the best he can. Over the week they had been in each other's company, they began to open up to each other. One day, when Itachi had told her that they were near the destination, Sakura just had to ask him.

"Why did you bring me along, Itachi-san?" She asked quietly, as they sat next to each other, eating the food that Sakura had bought in a town they passed earlier.

"I brought you because you were available and the most convenient."

She remembered the branch of cherry blossoms that she had supposed he had dropped outside her window. "So it was you who had given me the note and the blossoms?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to anger him.

"Yea, it was me," Itachi replied easily.

"The note you gave me… What did you really want to tell me? Or is it just a trick to lure me out?" Sakura asked, eager to continue probing.

"I wanted to tell you several things. You will learn them throughout the journey. And it was a request, not a trick to lure you out. You came out on your own decision. I will tell you right now the first of the few things I planned," he said, his eyes finally meeting hers. Though they look expressionless at first glance, Sakura thought she had saw a few hints of longing and content in them as she stared deep into his crimson eyes.

Goddamn, it is extremely hard to figure out what he is feeling…

Ok… So how did you like it? Was it good? Did I keep him in character? nervous fidgets I want to tell those who had wished me good luck on my finals that I had only failed two exams, but I still passed those classes with a high B. Go me, huh? Lol.

Oh, and by the way, I would like to congratulate those who guessed on Kakashi! You guys are pretty observant and quick to notice things, or I'm just too obvious. P

The following I like to thank (Yes, they are all reviewers. ):

AnimeSenko, Sakura2387, boredathome, Del, Dagorwen of Ithilien, Aimee, aznhoney, BlueMarina, BlackAngelBlood, Danica A,yane Selznick, waterfox96, Crissy Kitty, Someone, Allyluv, Youkai Ryuu, kAze-ryU, BBKarateGirl, GinTsuki, Hao'sAnjul, AijinMegami, Dyroness, mad-killer-bunnies-alert, miki, Afiaq, Shujouteki Kumo, animelover12344, scorpion5, LadyofDarknes, Fukari, sonydjsnmix, little-haruno-sakura

Review please! The little button down there is quite obvious… ;)