Author's Note:
Hello wonderful readers,
I'm honestly shocked at how many people have read and are liking this fanfic, so thank you all so much! Since this is my first fic ever, I'm over the moon from how much people are enjoying it!
Here is the next installment, it was by far the hardest chapter I have written lol. I revised it, then revised it, then took a bunch out... Oh, the joys of writers block. That's partly why it took so long to get out, but I really hope everyone likes it!
Leave reviews and such if you're feeling kind!:) They encourage me to put content out quicker!
Stay awesome and stay safe, stay tuned!
-J.E.
"After you," Itachi's monotone, dusky voice echoed as he held the door and gestured to the hallway with a jut of his sharp chin. Nervously tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I began ambling down the corridor. "I will show you to your room and tend to your wound. Then you really should get some rest. And no, you don't get to have an opinion on the matter." The abrupt heat of his breath being close enough to graze the skin of my neck had me tripping and stumbling forward. A rough hand suddenly was clasped around my wrist and pulling me back upright. "Is something the matter?" He asked with the smallest bit of amusement.
My eyes shot up to meet his in surprise, the words tumbling from my lips without a thought. "I juts have a headache... That's all." Focusing on the carmine red marble tiles on the floor beneath my feet and wiggled my wrist free from his grasp with a huff before continuing down the hallway. I prayed he didn't see the irksome blush that stained my cheeks tomato red. That was an issue that needed to be addressed, and quickly.
Why are you like this?
"I strongly advise you to use caution with that sharp tongue of yours around Pain-sama." He warned with a severity in the midnight sky stern, steel-grey staring down at me reinforced his point.
"So, should I only hold my tongue around Pain-sama? Or does that go for the whole group?" I taunted with a sly smile. Maybe it was wishful thinking that some sarcasm would lighten the mood but it was worth a shot. I figured, what's the worst that could happen? When he remained silent, I internally panicked. My gaze flickered over to catch that attractive smirk breaking through his mostly placid expression and breathed a laugh.
Resting my shoulder against the entryway, I watched him begin pouring a glass of water from the tap. A devious part of myself urged me to take advantage of the moment to scan Itachi, drinking in his muscular form just as he turned back around. Studying his refined facial features regal, a small cut running along his attractively cut jawline stole my attention. It was superficial at best, but I was the team medic now, right? As Itachi strode back out of the kitchen with the glass of water in his hand, a terribly sinful part of myself buried in the deepest abyss of my soul burst into existence.
You could, you know... *cough* fix that for him...*cough* *cough*
My arm shot out to block the exit. He raised his brows in surprised before smokey obsidian orbs scrutinized my outstretched limb. Without sparing him another glance, I took my hand off the wall and moved it to hover over the abrasion on his pale cheek. Concentrating my chakra, I focused on closing and binding the broken skin, internally rationalizing the action as my desire to thank him in some manner for his kindness in letting me clean myself up and tending to my wound. He also hadn't outwardly complained when being ordered to babysit me when more often than not, captors hated being "assigned" to watch me.
He gawked at my actions, his stoic countenance becoming increasingly perplexed in reaction to what I was doing. With a soothing, genuine smile, glowing green chakra continued to radiate out from under my hand, making him appear all the more striking. The warmth of his breath fell soft and hot against my increasingly red cheeks due to our close proximity. All of it was poking at the mischievous new addition to my conscience in the worst of ways. At the worst of times. With one of the worst people on the planet. An internal whine almost became audible as a clenching in my abdomen shifted lower, right in between my legs.
Oh, for fucks sake...
I'd never been this close to a man, unless I was about to kill them. My stomach fluttered watching his bewildered expression melt like ice in the sun and his lovely charcoal irises drop to my slightly parted lips, darkening alluringly as they flitted back up to meet my recapture my gaze. The unyielding intensity made the short time it took to heal the small cut feel like a millennia.
Our staring contest was quickly interrupted by a horribly sharp, searing pain that immediately radiated through my head. I clamped my eyes shut, driving my head desperately into my hands, feeling my coarse bandages crinkle lightly under my fingertips. I let out a small cry as the pain tore through my skull in violent throbs.
Okay, if every time you use chakra you hurt, then there is definitely something very wrong with a major chakra pathway.
Before fully processing why, I realized my legs were dangling, my body being cradled in Itachi's horribly comfortable arms, bridle style. A small whimper left my lips as the stabbing pain doubled. Suddenly we were moving, but my head was hammering with such ferocity I didn't much care that I was being carried.
"I am taking you to your room. You've overexerted yourself and your chakra is depleting quite rapidly." His velvet voice whispered close to my ear. Itachi's pace was swift and we quickly were standing in front of what my foggy brain perceived to be a door. He flicked on the light as we entered, forcing me to shove my head into the crook of his neck with a groan as the bright light compounded the painful throbs.
My body suddenly made contact with something vaguely familiar, plush and squishy. It was a bed. Despite the intense discomfort from my headache, I couldn't help but to exhale a satisfied sigh while sinking deeper into the cloud of a mattress. Upon opening my eyes, I discovered the glass of water from earlier being offered to me by slim fingered, navy-painted nailed hand. A brilliant ruby with the kanji for "vermillion" sat atop a silver ring wrapped around the ring finger.
"Please drink this." Itachi muttered, gesturing for me to the glass by moving it a bit closer to my face. With groan, I pushed myself up from the heavenly sheets and took the cup without sparing him a glance. In my peripheral vision, I observed his tall form take a seat beside the bed in a small wooden chair from next to a nightstand.
Why the hell is he not leaving? And when did that fucking chair get there?
"Thanks…" I managed to choke out. Glancing down at the water in my hand, I brought the glass to my lips and attempted to suck down a sizeable gulp. In my haste to drink the water, I tipped the glass back too quickly, triggering liquid to spill over the cup and out the sides of my mouth. Letting out a small squeak, my arm shot up in a futile effort to wipe away the water that was still dribbling off my chin.
A low chuckling, filled with thick amusement directed my stunned gaze over to the smirking Uchiha. My head almost jerked back into the headboard as he reached to move my arm from my over my face. "You certainly are rather clumsy."
Taking the glass from my hand, Itachi used the sleeve of his black cloak to gently wipe the water droplets off my chin and lips. Although it was subtle, his fingers lingered while brushing along my bottom lip. My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat. I remained silent, watching his slate-gray orbs raise from my parted lips up to scan my flushed, shocked countenance.
The warmth and comfort of rough fingertips grazing my neck forced a shiver to ripple through me while he slid the long strands of blonde hair aside. My mouth went dry while the palm of his calloused hand came to rest just below my wound. Heat scorched my cheeks, but I internally relished how the headache was dulled by the comfort of the simple contact. With a deep inhale, my lids fell closed.
"Sora…" The concern in his voice made me snap to attention. My fretful gaze met glowing crimson, tainted with an anguish that was almost palpable. "The chakra pathway running down your spine has been severely damaged. You cannot use chakra. Or you risk serious bodily harm, potentially even permanent damage or worse."
Well, isn't that just fucking fantastic…
I cursed under my breath, letting out a huff and physically deflated. "You've got to be fucking kidding me…" I grumbled while pinching a pressure point between my thumb and forefinger, hoping it might bring some relief to the stabbing pain radiating in my skull.
After a few tense moments of silence, I glanced up at Itachi, the unease still pulling his brows together and his lips into a tight line. It was strange seeing someone who had murdered their entire clan show any emotion even close to sympathy. But, there it was. Dancing in the scarlet of his Sharingan. In a moment, his densely lashed lids fell closed over his vermillion eyes, morphing back into beautiful pieces of polished coal. With a weary sigh, he leaned back in the chair and folded his arms over his chest.
The compassion still flickered as he sat silently staring. "Take a picture. It'll last longer..." I hissed, fighting back a whine while another aching wave of pain pounded against my skull.
He breathed a laugh while unfolding his arms and leaning forward in his seat. "Though I may not have been in your exact situation, I do know what it's like to feel powerless while possessing an immense amount of power." Itachi imparted, holding my gaze with an unwavering intensity.
Only someone who has been a pawn of powerful people would say something like that... What happened to him?
My heart sunk. I'd been so caught up in wanting to hate him, I'd forgotten the simple fact that despite all the horrible things he'd done in the past, he was still human. One thing being kidnapped time and time again by crooked people teaches you is that all people are products of their environments. They fall victim to their circumstances, through no fault of their own. Even with their evil actions towards me, they were all still human beings, nonetheless.
But given what he'd done to sweet little Sasuke almost made me believe he was inhuman. The pained look glinting behind those obsidian irises told me that Itachi and the other members of the Akatsuki were no different. Disappointment forced my lids closed, breaking our eye contact while the realization sank in.
Lifting my lids, I peeked over at him, letting my own sympathy rewrite my features as I made a bold move. "Itachi… who used you?" I muttered barely above a whisper, furrowing my brows.
"What?" Blinking in surprise, he suddenly recoiled his head back.
"N-nothing, never mind..." I stammered. I didn't need to make the person tasked with helping me to be upset.
After another pregnant pause that felt like an eternity, he tilted his head to one side. "May I ask you a question?"
"Do I really have much of a choice?" The irony of his question lifted the corner of my mouth into a small smile.
Itachi's smirk at my remark was short-lived as his expression grew hard. "Why were you isolated outside of Konoha?"
And here we go…
A flood of painful memories rushed back all at once, making my stomach and heart clench with pain. "I just had some wack episode, and you ask something like that?" I scowled. "Why does it even matter?"
"Even pain doesn't dull that sharp tongue, hm?" He teased before slowly shaking his head side to side with a couple clicks of his tongue. "Who knows? Maybe I like asking things at inconvenient times. Maybe I'm asking for a reason. Regardless, indulge my curiosity for a moment."
I paused, bringing my gaze down to my fiddling fingers in my lap. "Alright... I'll tell you." The disbelief registering on Itachi's handsome face had me struggling to wrangle down a smirk. He clearly hadn't expected me to say yes to his request, which somehow left me feeling more comfortable revealing my internal scars to him.
Sucking in a cleansing breath, I began. "I was born and raised in Konoha. I attended the Ninja academy until I was 7, when my family was told that I was too much of a burden to be a part of the village. That we needed to move, outside the village walls. I was told that I could no longer be a student in the academy. They said that I was too 'dangerous'. So, I was cast out. My Oba, Oji and I moved to a farm on the outskirts of the village." I kept my gaze locked on my clasped hands in my lap.
Biting my lip to choke back the emotion rising in my chest, I cleared my throat then continued. "I spent years looking for any information on my parents and my clan. The best I ever got was my Oba telling me stories and memories…" My voice lost its momentum as I remembered a particularly strange story my Oba had told me. One that involved the Uchiha.
My epiphany apparently was noticeable as Itachi cocked a puzzled brow at me. Pushing up a bit straighter in the bed, I willed the words to pass my lips. "S-she had told me one story that involved my mother and some weird stone tablet that the Uchiha keep. Does that ring any bells?"
A deep look of anguish darkened his striking features as his jaw clenched. It apparently rang a lot of bells. "Where did she hear that?" There was a dangerous glimmer behind his hardened, onyx orbs. I shrugged my shoulders, continuing to stare at him blankly. While taking a deep breath, his expression softened while his lids fell closed for a moment. "Sora," he almost purred. I internally kicked myself for beginning to like the way my name sounded coming from his lips. "I may be able to help you."
No fucking way.
"I'm sorry, what?" I sneered, furrowing my brows in confusion at his statement. "Why the hell would you want to do that?" Itachi opened his mouth to speak, but the anger boiling my blood mixed with the throbbing in my head allowed the rage to warp my voice. "You're the whole reason I can't get any information. You know, since you annihilated all of the Uchiha and all that jazz." His unbothered, stoic demeanor only served as fuel to the fiery wrath as my tirade continued, "And, now you just want to 'help me'?" I used my fingers to make air quotes to exaggerate my point. "Don't make me laugh, Itachi. How stupid do you think I am?"
He smirked, watching me lean against the headboard with a huff. "You are far from stupid." Itachi insisted.
"Look, you can drop the whole 'caring' act. Or whatever it is you're doing, okay? It isn't fucking working." I grumbled, folding my arms across my chest and looking over at the wall. "What is it that you want from me? There is always something. So, let's hear it." I was more confused than I had been in years. My captors had never offered me their assistance before like this. What could he possibly want from me?
"I want nothing. I simply feel obligated to help you seeing as I am the only person alive that's able to help you." He responded.
I guffawed, "You just proved my point." Tilting his chin upwards slightly as his lids narrowed and urged me to continue with a lift of his brow.
I continued, "You know that I need your help. And I know for a fact that you're going to use that as leverage later down the line," I glowered at him and leaned forward. "I'd rather die not knowing a single thing about my clan or family, than to be indebted to someone like Uchiha Itachi of the Sharingan. The infamous fucking clan killer." I spat venomously. With a lazy blink, he tilted his head at me curiously, folding his arms across his chest. The way that sly smirk only grew wider at my harsh remark made me want to smack it clean off his refined face.
You insult him and he does that? What the fuck is that about?
A loud clattering sound and yelling coming from outside the door pulled our attention. Itachi's Sharingan flared dangerously before he disappeared in an instant.