Chapter 4: Walking
Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead, the beads dripping down and tickling the sides of her face. This was day two on her never-ending-torture-adventure-with –the-torturer-from-hell-Kisame.
The past two days, all Kisame had done was to do everything in his god forsaken power to annoy her. And Sakura let him. It's not like she wanted to, she just didn't want him killing her for yelling back at him for something. He had tripped her, called her ugly more times than she could count and even had spiked her drink, which afterwards she proceeded to dance around the fire and try to strip down, which would have happened if Itachi hadn't stepped in and knocked her out.
Most recently, he had 'accidentally' let a kunai 'slip' and hit her bag, making her belongings fly everywhere, resulting in her having to carry her bag in front of her which made it more difficult to travel then it was on her back. And Itachi stood there and let it happen.
"What the hell!" she finally exclaimed, turning to face him with a look of fury on her face. "Why did you do that!"
"I'm sorry, I thought I saw a poisonous bug land on your bag, and I was trying to do you the honor of not getting bit by it, and I killed it for you. If I were you I would be thanking me instead of biting my head off." He retorted, his sharp teeth showing from the smirk he was giving her menacingly and making her turn around.
If he were Naruto, and god forbid, even Sasuke I would have punched him so bad, I would get hurt from the impact! She thought, like so many times before. Her mind had become her sanctuary. Besides talking to Kisame…arguing, was more the proper word, she did not talk at all; Itachi did not speak at all unless he was asking to pass some food when they ate or to tell Kisame-which was rarely done- to leave Sakura alone….so basically, they weren't going to have a heart to heart relationship anytime soon.
Itachi was a mystery to her, which scared her and made her curious at the same time. She didn't know why itachi was so…withdrawn like he was. Sasuke was withdrawn, of course, because his brother, the man in front of her, had killed their clan…but Itachi had no real reason that she knew of to be so blank and emotionless. But then, again she didn't really know Itachi or his past at all.
Her eyes got blurry and she realized it was raining, and that the rain was leaking into her eyes. She wiped them quickly and looked around. Itachi, she realized was no longer in front of her. She turned around to see Kisame, basking in the rain. She looked at him, and in that instant she didn't see a mean and taunting face, but one of the opposite. He must really like the rain. She thought.
"Kisame!" she yelled, pulling him out of his stupor. "Where do we go?"
"Go with Itachi to find shelter. I'll be out here for a while." He replied, then tripped her with an almost familiar smirk on his face.
Sakura got up, mumbling obscenities under her breath, and followed down the path to go find Itachi. This is the almost perfect time to escape! Inner Sakura said. Wait until you're out of eyesight from Kisame, but go slow enough to not catch up to Itachi then run! Sakura thought of the consequences, but she decided to run.
She looked behind her, where Kisame was barely visible, she walked, always looking at him until she could no longer see him. She looked in front of her. No Itachi. The coast was clear. She decided to move East, back to Konoha. I haven't completed my mission…but the important thing is that I survive to at least complete others! They can send someone else…I just can't do it!
She ran and did not stop until she felt her chakra running low. She stopped on a tree branch, masking her chakra and her body with a jutsu and she rested, digging in her bag for food. I can't believe I actually got away…She thought.
-Itachi/ Kisame's Point of View-
Kisame walked into the cave and spotted Itachi sitting by the fire….Sakura was not there.
"Where's Sakura!" Kisame panicked, viewing every spot of the cave but not finding her anywhere.
"She's running away." Itachi said, pulling out an instant ramen package and pouring the bag into the boiling water in the pot above the water.
"She's WHAT?" Kisame replied. "Why aren't we doing anything?" he asked, anger dripping from every word.
"Kisame, calm yourself. I'm letting her think she's gotten away, and when she's tired, worn down, and least expects it, we strike and retrieve her back. It's nothing to worry about."
Kisame sat down and scooped some of the ramen into his bowl. They sat there, eating in silence until Kisame spoke up, his voice a questioning whisper. "Are you going to kill her?"
Itachi was silent, and Kisame continued eating, expecting nothing more than silence on Itachi's part.
"No." Itachi answered after a few moments, and he set his bowl down, and stood up. "I think she's worn down by now. The rain would slow her down and the fact that she has traveled non-stop since we were walking helps as well. You stay here and watch out for our things. I will go find her." Itachi finished, then jumped out of the cave and disappeared into the distance.
Itachi leapt from tree branch to tree branch, his hair a soaking mop on his head, the beads of rain falling from them and onto his face, which he brushed quickly with his sleeve. Why am I keeping her? She's been nothing but a bother so far…maybe I should listen to Kisame and go on and kill her. But Itachi knew he wouldn't do it. He needed her for the kyuubi…and for his personal reason with Sasuke.
The whole reason he had not killed Sasuke, was that he knew after killing their clan, Sasuke would do anything in his power to grow stronger and kill Itachi to avenge the clan, because for the 10 years that he had spent with his brother, he knew Sasuke was an avenger and determined, which made him the perfect candidate to be Itachi's equal. He wanted Sasuke to fight him as much as Sasuke did himself. No one in the Uchiha clan was strong enough and he need someone stronger to fight so that he himself would get stronger.
If Sasuke sees that I have Sakura…it's more motivation for Sasuke. That's all she is to me. A tool to be used at my disposal…bait for the kyuubi…a threat for my brother. Itachi thought, then he silenced his mind as he once again found Sakura's chakra trail, and followed it.
-Sakura's Point of View-
Sakura's body was protesting to all the movement she was doing: carrying her broken bag, jumping from branch to branch, eating with her other open hand. Her limbs were practically screaming for her to stop and give them a break, but she couldn't…she had to get as much space between her and the two S-class criminals as possible, and she wasn't about to let them catch her.
Her thinking made her loose concentration and her body finally collapsed on it's own from exhaustion. She lost her footing on the wet branch and fell to the ground, landing in a pile of mud which broke her fall a little bit, but she had landed on her arm. She yelled out as the pain shot up and groaned as more but tinier shots of pain coursed through her arm and sometimes even escaped to the rest of her body.
She felt herself losing consciousness, and she moved her head. Good job Sakura. You didn't check your chakra levels or stop to rest except to find food. How stupid you are.
She closed her eyes and opened them a bit, her vision blurry and her mind fogged up from the pain. She saw two pairs of blood-red eyes staring at her, and dark black hair. She smiled.
"…Sasuke-kun." She murmured before falling completely unconscious.
-Itachi's Point of View-
Itachi had found her. She was in a pile of mud, her arm bent at a weird and jagged angle, her hair strewn, some in the mud and some clinging to her face. She blinked, which showed she was awake, but he could tell she was losing consciousness fast. He walked up to her, bending over her to pick her up when her closed eyes fluttered open a bit. She looked up at him and he froze. She was smiling at him. Was she happy to see him? What was with that smile?
"…Sasuke-kun." She murmured and then her head fell limp to the side and her breathing slowed down to a sleeping shudder.
She thought I was my brother. Itachi thought. That's why she was smiling.
He concluded, and he hoisted her up and flung her over his shoulder. He knew she wasn't smiling for him, but why………why did it hurt him so much?
I don't know about you guys, but I thought Itachi was totally OOC in this one…
-sigh- Sorry you guys… But I hope you like how fast I'm getting these out for you guys. I've done it everyday for the past three days, to make up for when I didn't, lol. But eventually when I don't feel like writing that much, which will happen 'cause I'm like that…, lol, I will probably update every 3 days or so. But you guys PLEASE REVIEW! I won't feel like writing if I don't know you guys are reading it! Please, please please, because reviews and comments help keep me motivated, and I want to actually stick to this story (and this account…XD) So PWEASE!
-moonlitXkunoichi
