Backfire

Written by: Mikami

Summary: After holding Sakura captive for five months, Itachi comes up with a perfect plan on how to exact further pain on Sasuke. Unfortunately, he overlooked the possibility of it backfiring.

Author's notes: Everything that is ITALICIZED is a character thought.

Warnings: Profanity. GET LOST KIDDIES, this fic is a lemon-scented Itachi x Sakura.

Part 2: Ulterior Motive

Sakura swept a strand of wet hair away from her face as she tried busying herself over the frying pan. The once-abandoned house didn't come with garnish in the cupboards, so the only thing left to give flavor to the food was what she picked up at the market the other week: salt. Not that she really cared about the tastes of her captors: they could be eating poison and she wouldn't give a rat's ass. But poisoning them, she had tried already and it didn't work.

She placed the jar of salt back in the cupboard above her and went to pay attention to the broth beside the frying pan. A frown made its way onto her face as the realization sunk in—it was very unsettling to have Itachi back on the premises.

The fish continued to sizzle on the stove as Sakura looked out of the cabin's musty windows. A second earlier, she'd seen Kisame disappear from sight, his uniform black cloak over his shoulder and Samehada dragging a wretched pathway behind.

A stream of sunlight hit her in the face as she noticed Uchiha Itachi materializing out of nowhere just a stone's throw away from the front door. His direction was aimed inside and Sakura's heart gave a hard and painful thump in her chest. The sizzling fish crackled and a speck of hot oil leapt onto her arm. She winced at the slight pain as her hand automatically clapped over it to give it a rub.

The sound of the door opening reached her ears but Sakura continued to occupy herself with rubbing the red spot on her arm while half paying attention to her cooking—anything to look busy, so maybe Itachi would go on his merry way and leave her be.

The old cabin door creaking open already sparked the apprehensiveness in her queasy stomach; footsteps that belonged to the Akatsuki member multiplied it. There were only a few short steps from the front door to the kitchen.

Oh no, Sakura thought exhaling slowly and saw a glimpse of Itachi from the corner of her eye. His cloak was open at the front to allow for some ventilation. The noise of feet stopped, signaling that he'd reached the kitchen entrance. His presence seemed to radiate a disturbing cloud of silence. If Itachi had been walking in a glorious forest full of lively animals, Sakura was sure they'd all become deathly quiet the moment he would pass by. In her mind's eye she even imagined the natural vegetation withering pathetically beside his path. Her imagination ran wild with her, creating these scenarios that Itachi himself would probably laugh at; not that she'd ever seen him laugh.

There was something odd about why the Akatsuki mukenin stood stationary at the kitchen entrance. Even stranger was the subject of his impassive stare. Itachi blinked once, knowing that Sakura was trying to look busy. Her nervousness was like pollution in the air; he could smell it a few feet away. She was rigidly watching the stove while rubbing her arm profusely as if it was dirty.

Itachi knew Haruno Sakura had always been uneasy around him. Even after the few months of their accommodation, her view of him had not changed nor did the way she acted when he was on the premises. It was actually quite amusing. She was powerless and she knew it too. There was something humorous about her acceptance of how helpless she was in the middle of nowhere with only the Akatsuki for company.

The corner of Itachi's mouth lifted slightly and he moved forward.

Sakura saw the fish was starting to burn so she quickly emptied the pan onto the serving plate. She went to give the broth a mix but realized her hands were shaking somewhat. Quickly ignoring it, Sakura dumped the second fish into the pan and all she heard was the oil crackle and spit. The sound of footsteps was gone.

Close enough, Sakura inhaled a little shakily. She dipped the wooden spoon into the broth and blew on it a little to taste it. It was a welcome tactic to bringing her mind down to earth. She didn't sense Itachi's presence any longer but decided to give her mind a rest by checking around—a mistake on her part.

Itachi was not at the door anymore but right behind her. At once her stomach shot into her throat, bringing her heart and her lungs with it in a catastrophic gasp for air. She burned the corner of her mouth with the hot spoon and the utensil landed messily on the floor.

She didn't hear anything, not even her own breathing. She swore never to look at his eyes but her own emerald irises widened at the sight of the perpetual black and red Sharingan. Automatically, Sakura had wanted to move away from him as quickly as possible but he was too close and the hot was stove was burning behind her. Any more backward and her hair would catch on fire.

" Wh-what…" she began to stammer.

Itachi's steely gaze was unreadable but the power of it bore into her face. He'd never been this close to Sakura before. Her eyes were like an open book with its pages flipping quickly in the wind. He read all the emotions, feeling them run through her eyes and weaving through her soul. Her pink lips trembled a little, the color matching the rosy blush on her ivory skin.

Please…oh God, please no, Sakura's wild mind pleaded over and over again. Itachi loomed over her; his steady breathing sent tremors under her skin and pounded inside her ears like malicious torture. Even with a blank expression, Itachi's gaze was lethal.

She saw him lift his hand slowly, bringing it up higher toward her face. Panic exploded in her stomach and it was this moment that Sakura knew she was going to die. After all those months of waiting in agony, he finally picked an odd time to kill her. Her heart was thudding out of her chest as she awaited death.

There was no sympathy or emotion on Itachi's face even with fear written all over hers. However, his index finger extended toward the corner of her mouth and to Sakura's blatant shock, Itachi wiped off a drop of broth that was hanging on her lip.

With her chest heaving in a wave of relief, she watched in alarm as Itachi put his finger into his mouth.

" Needs salt," he said grimly.

It caught her completely off guard but Sakura couldn't get her limbs to move. Not only was she numb, Itachi's close proximity made it difficult to reach into the cupboard above.

Sakura gained the strength to tear her eyes away from his face but she nodded quickly at his command. She was too much on the edge to consider shoving him away, so she made a pathetic attempt to the reach the cupboard on her own.

His lips curved upwards a little into a smirk and grasped the jar of salt himself. He didn't move an inch from her even after he set it down on the counter—if anything, Sakura started to panic again when she realized that he moved closer.

" The f-fish…might be burning," she managed out. The oil splattered behind her.

Itachi said nothing. His stomach was now pressing softly into hers.

The pressure of his weight against her body made her feel vulnerable and naked. Itachi's hand reached up again and this time caught her chin when she tried to avoid his stare.

Yes, he could definitely feel all her fear now. Every little pulse of blood beneath her skin echoed through his system. Under usual circumstances, an instance like this would be enjoyable but somehow it was different. It wasn't because she was a woman.

It was because she was Uchiha Sasuke's.

" Hmph," Itachi uttered softly and let her go.

With his touch still burning on her skin, Sakura watched numbly as he turned around and left the kitchen. Behind her, the broth bubbled fiercely and the fish was burnt.

Evening had come and gone as quickly as the sunset and the orange and red rays that once streaked the sky were changing from a dark blue to an inky black. The watery horizon of the lake beyond was disappearing and the only thing that made the shore discernable was the incoming froth from the waves.

Itachi had been standing in the same spot ever since evening had begun. A couple of hours flew by in a flash but time was of no essence to him. The crunching of stones and sand under feet caused him to close his eyes for a resting moment.

" I heard the latest orders being given were just scout and reconnaissance missions," Kisame came up from behind. " It's a sad waste of time from some true blood-shedding potential."

" What a common-minded declaration," Itachi responded.

" Heh."

Kisame huffed and shrugged off what was poised as an insult. He and Itachi had been partners in the Akatsuki organization for as long as he could remember. Kisame's understanding of the former Uchiha went far beyond those who called him pathetic to allow a partner to speak to him condescendingly. Uchiha Itachi was not the type of person to make things complicated with.

" I'm a simple man. Bloodshed, the good fight and air to breathe is enough for me to have a purpose in life."

" It's not a reconnaissance mission," Itachi ignored him. " Akatsuki has sanctioned a pursuit party for Orochimaru's subordinate, Kabuto. He's been missing since Orochimaru's end and has taken with him information about Akatsuki. He needs to be taken care of."

" Am I to do this alone ?"

" No. You'll be meeting Zetsu on the outskirts of Wind. Kabuto has been spotted there fourteen days ago."

" I see. Well, having something to do, even something as little as this, has made me happier," said Kisame. " If you hadn't returned, I wouldn't have stopped myself from tearing out that pink-haired bitch's insides."

Itachi's lips stretched sardonically, " Does she really give you that much trouble ?"

" I don't know whether to rape her or kill her."

" She's not to be touched."

A thin eyebrow on Kisame's forehead lifted suspiciously. He'd been wrestling with an unspoken question in his mind for several months now. Why was Haruno Sakura still alive and still with them ?

" I'm starting to come to the conclusion that you're keeping her around for something else other than to piss your little brother off," he spoke with caution.

" Don't be ridiculous," Itachi's replied dryly while Kisame smirked.

" There are better ways of hurting the poor boy other than killing her," the former Mist assassin put forward. " I'd do it myself but, I think it would only be a slap in his face. However, if you played the key role, it'd be more like running him through with a blunt and rusty knife while slowly gouging out every little bloody organ in his fucking stomach."

When Itachi didn't say anything, Kisame knew he'd gotten the attention of his partner. His jagged grin widened considerably and he stepped closer, his voice looming over Itachi's shoulder.

" Unless you actually like having her around. But I'll admit only once that she was useful sometimes around the cabin."

" You've never really questioned me about my decisions in the past, Kisame," Itachi finally said. " Do not start by questioning why she's still alive."

With a sigh, Kisame withdrew and stepped back. " Alright then. It's just an idea."

" Zetsu will be looking for you in a few hours. Get out of my sight."

In a split second, his partner was gone and Uchiha Itachi was left to his own devices once again on the lakeshore. Against his will, Kisame's words triggered a strange sense of curiosity in him. He knew in an instant what his partner meant about him playing the so-called "key role". The earlier events of today only strengthened Itachi's wandering thoughts, bringing him to a vision with petal hair and emerald eyes.

Sakura had been scared of him but he could read clearly into the emotions behind her eyes. He already knew her relationship with Sasuke was not how she wanted it to be. Sasuke never paid attention to her, much less touched her.

Foolish little brother once again taking something for granted.

Maybe it was time Itachi did him a favor, after all, what were older siblings for ? Itachi would show him, make Sasuke realize the true error of his mistakes. And it would hurt and maximize his hatred a hundredfold. Perhaps Kisame was right—it was a winning situation.

The idea was coming together in his thoughts and the more Itachi thought about it, the more sense it began to make. Pain was of the essence and Sakura was the means to an end.

However, he would not force her and Sasuke's negligence of her only gave Itachi another advantage. He had a feeling Sakura would not oppose so fast no matter how frightened she was or how much she detested him.

The objective became clear and Itachi was pleased. Sakura would contribute to Sasuke's destruction. With that in mind, he did up the clasps of his cloak and walked down the lakeshore.