Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it.

XX.

- Of Knights And Swords -

Sakura didn't feel her limbs when they finally entered a sheltered place. Fortunately, the grenade in her hand didn't blow up and was taken away from her a little before they arrived. Unfortunately, they took away the coat on her, too. The wind remained outside, still wailing in the distance. That place, it was likely a cave of some sort… the haunting hiss of the wind from which she was finally saved had a specific sound. As if it slid through cracks of stone and then echoed through vast spaces.

A quiet whisper reached her ears and she turned around, trying to distinguish words. The clothing over her eyes was too dark and she couldn't see where she was standing or whether the place was lit up in any way. Taking short breaths, Sakura was hit by reiterating cold and warm waves. It began a while ago, but she forced herself to walk further, ignoring her body. Now that she stopped moving, her vision blurred and her mind dazzled, about to betray her.

Right when she hung on the edge of fainting, someone grabbed her again and led her through a rough pathway, deeper into the cave. The ground underneath was а solid, rugged stone that dug into and hurt her bare feet but Sakura focused on something else — she started counting the turns and memorizing the direction she was led to. At least that kept her mind busy from the pain. Not long after, they stopped and she heard the creaking of metallic hinges. Her silent companion pushed her forward and she heard the door bashing shut next to her. The click resounded heavily in the silence around her. But it didn't affect her fortitude, she was determined to know what was going on.

She removed the cloth from her eyes at once, but it was pitch black in the room, apart from the faint light she saw walking away. Her hands reached, touching the cold metal bars that parted her from the receding glow. So that was… a cell.

"Wait!" Sakura's tiny hand squeezed between the bars. "I want to speak with your leader."

The light carrier stopped, without turning around. A dry scoff came out of him. "You will speak with him when he decides to." It was the voice of the second man who was there when she left the base, she recognized it, but that didn't change the fact that the answer was despairing.

The man retreated and she slid down, sitting on the ground. Her mind couldn't fully comprehend her situation, everything shifting around her as if in a dream. Where was she and what did these people want from her?

Sakura looked around but everything was dipped in darkness and she couldn't discern the linings of her current prison. There was this dull pain in the tips of her fingers and toes, she was sure the cold had taken a hold of them long before she realized it. Her senses were yet to fail her, as the temperature of the air in that cell wasn't much different from outside, only the wind didn't cut through her grazes mercilessly now.

She decided to trace the size of her current residence and crawled her way along the wall on her right. It was stone, what she touched, but it crumbled at places. Something small shifted close to her with chirpy sounds and she backed away from the wall, returning to the door as fast as she could. Rats. Of course. It was the surprise that frightened her more, but a strong shudder that ran through her nonetheless. Alright. Everything was alright. For now. As long as she hadn't lost her mind, it was alright.

All in all, the cell was about five square meters. As humid as this place was, she wondered if… the hinges weren't rusty enough to shift from their sockets. Still on all fours, she turned around and passed her hand over the metallic frame and caught the bars, trying to shift the door with a few forceful pushes that turned out louder than she wanted them to be.

The door remained intact, despite her attempts.

Sakura exhaled, relaxing back. Not a chance, this thing wasn't going to move an inch, not with her benumbed body and empty stomach. Hollow echoes of footsteps neared her and she crawled, away from the door. The figure approached and stopped in front of the door, holding a candle. The light was sufficient for Sakura to see; surprisingly, it was a woman.

"If you don't stop making noise, you'll get beaten until you can't make any," the woman's voice was calmer than Sakura expected.

There was an intimidating tone to it. The woman kneeled and left the candle on Sakura's side, along with something small next to it.

"Where am I?" Sakura blurted out the first thing that her mind made up.

She went to the door, inches away from the woman's face. Her amber eyes stilled on the ones against Sakura's, the faint flame casting dark, dancing shadows on her pale face. It was a beautiful face, although it wasn't quite youthful. A small piercing adorned her lower lip, adding the needed dose of eccentricity.

"Akatsuki's Hold. We call it a lair, though," the woman answered, unbothered by Sakura's nearly wild expression. "Hold sounds too formal, considering the things we do here."

Sakura exhaled sharply. Akatsuki? She had heard a lot about them. The massacres they left behind, the fear, the silence. Akatsuki was a unified madness, their deeds spread far and wide. They were like a nightmare that haunted everyone, day and night. Some say they existed even before the war started, often blamed for all the misfortunes that had no explanation through the smaller villages. Disappearing children, random murders for no particular reason, stealing, and raping.

The military had done its best to catch them, but all the tracks led to nothing, Akatsuki moved unnoticed and changed skin like chameleons. No one knew where they hid because they switched places constantly. No one knew how Akatsuki's members looked like, too, because no one that has seen them lived to tell. Rivaling with that criminal group required a gaming, strategic mind that could take collateral damage without a second thought; a well-trained chess player without scruples or conscience to stop him from using brute force when it's needed.

Sakura swallowed down the lump in her throat. If she knew, she would've put up a fight then and there, in her tent. Now, when she was already locked up behind metal bars and beneath stone and darkness, her hope slowly evaporated. The woman looked at her — her indifferent, stony physiognomy sent shivers down Sakura's spine and she backed away a tad more.

"What do you want from me?"

The woman slightly tilted her head, scrutinizing Sakura's body, and the latter furrowed at the examination. "I don't want anything from you. Can't say that for the rest." The woman replied, standing back on her feet. Then she added nonchalantly, "You're pretty."

Sakura's breath was labored, panic starting to build inside of her. She wrapped her hands tighter around herself and realized her hands were shaking.

"You can have the candle, it's gonna burn out in an hour anyway," the woman spoke as she walked away, her slow pace suggesting she's threaded these corridors enough times to not be concerned with the complete lack of light.

Sakura needn't ask further, the situation was clear enough. She wasn't getting out of there alive.

The heaviness in her chest grew larger with every passing second she stood there, still and silent. The stinging sensation in her eyes was supposed to bring tears to her eyes, but they remained dry, she forced them to. Losing the water supply of her body was unwise, given the fact that her captors weren't interested in her health. Then again… that woman left her candle. Perhaps they were interested in keeping her alive, whatever the reason.

Sakura found it harder to move, with the cold crawling its way underneath her skin. However, the little flame of the candle made her happy beyond words. She hovered her hands over it and enjoyed the warmth as she never did before. The small thing that woman left was a piece of bread… or rather a crust of a really old one.

Distant, agonizing screams echoed through the corridor and she dropped the crust, looking up. That was a human voice, twisted by pain. The horror of anticipation gathered force inside of her. It was a grain fear this morning, but now it transformed into a landslide and it frightened her more than the physical pain. In fact, she didn't even mind the physical pain, having to hear that shrill voice for the longest time.

Her appetite didn't disappear, though, and she lowered her eyes to the flame, disgusted by herself. She picked up the crust and chewed on a small morsel, despite that the awful sounds coming from somewhere close to her cell being of a tortured person. Eating on such a dark background reminded her how quickly people could turn into animals when their basic instincts are tingled. She hadn't eaten in more than sixteen hours and the continuous walking exhausted her. The coldness was bearable, the hunger not.

Leaving that piece of bread untouched out of unspoken respect toward the human being near her seemed a good idea until the obsessive thought of hunger didn't command her to eat it. Sakura couldn't fight it, only try to control it by eating slowly and not swallowing everything at once. About fifteen minutes later she was still hearing those screams, eyes fixed on the flickering light in front of her. It was about to die soon, she knew that, and that's why she was glad for every second of it.

Was she doomed? Under no circumstances was she to give any valuable information, even if they tortured her. What was left for her then? Even if she survived the torture, she'd die from the cold or the hunger. Perhaps they intended to keep her in that cell for months until she languished to death. Was it in her power to oppose these people or she would break under the pressure sooner than she thought?

The screaming ceased abruptly and she let out a sharp breath, realizing that the human's life ended within that second. Her eyes filled with tears, but it was anger that pooled inside of her. She could fight her way out, right? She remembered the way out. Why not give it a try next time someone came? That's exactly what she was going to do.

With that thought, the flame on her candle died out and left her at the mercy of her thoughts.

The sound of the door unlocking snapped her awake. Not until she heard it unlocking she realized that drowsiness had taken her down and she had slid down and fallen asleep on the hard ground. A few seconds after opening her eyes she sneezed twice, feeling her whole body shaking.

Her new visitor brought another candle, she saw the glimmer with her peripheral sight, but she was busy heaving up, with the help of the wall behind her. Unexpectedly, the visitor surrounded her small form and left the candle on the ground, sitting next to her. Sakura involuntarily flinched away, scared of the sight her eyes fell on, once they sought to meet the newcomer.

Her very first thought was how excruciating the pain from those piercings was when they were made. Drilling holes in your nasal bone was masochistic on a whole other level. With those countless metallic pieces on his nose, lips, and ears he had an intriguing appearance. Sakura felt that it wasn't appropriate to stare, but she didn't avert her eyes and he said nothing about her examination either. Surely he received that same pair of curious eyes from everyone he faced for the first time.

Something told her he didn't mind her looking, as if… he was glad she did. He made a statement with his appearance and waited for her to decode.

His hair was in the color of smelted copper and the flicker gave it a lively taint. And as every northerner, his eyes were pale, almost transparent. They had a silvery hue in them but it was too dark to discern their real color. If he hadn't added all that metal to his face, Sakura would've thought him beautiful, in the sense of natural.

"Are you the leader of Akatsuki?" Sakura asked, quietly.

"Yes."

Sakura was taken aback by the overly pleasant deep timbre. It was one of these voices you could listen to for hours.

"What do you want from me?" she drawled, afraid that her tone could sound harsher than she intends it to be.

"Nothing in particular. You work for the Government, which makes you an enemy."

Sakura didn't dare spread her hands to the warmth of his candle. His eyes were vigilant of every breath she took and every motion she made. They were frigid and darkness lingered within them. Those people, all of them were barbarians and she couldn't afford to trigger anything unwanted. He didn't take his eyes off her, rarely blinked. Cold sweat started breaking out on the skin of her palms and forehead. Was that it? Did they drag her all the way to their hideout because of no reason?

"Who are you?" Out of all the questions, this one she chose at the end. It was neutral enough to buy her time to think. He didn't lock the door when entered, did he?

"Many call me Pain," he paused. "Use whatever suits you."

His voice was so low that she wondered if it didn't hurt him to speak too.

"Pain," Sakura nearly scoffed. "What's your goal… Pain?"

The man's gaze slowly lowered to the candle. "Am I supposed to have one?"

Sakura enveloped her legs with hands. "Your subordinates didn't appear … devoted to a cause as much as you do," Sakura murmured quickly.

His somber expression didn't change, although he grew pensive after hearing her words. "I want peace."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Was there a catch in that answer? "How do you achieve peace through violence?"

"How do you achieve peace through violence?" he parried, right after.

"I am a doctor. I despise violence," Sakura frowned.

"And your authorities? All those advanced military structures and cadres that your Government keeps investing in with your money while in the meantime lies about all of it is for better protection? For the security?" Pain made a pause, staring at her as if awaiting a reaction. "Your Government steals your money and doesn't care what the soldiers carrying the nation's crest do as long as they don't cause much trouble."

Sakura remained silent for a while, carefully estimating her opposition. There was a heavy, heavy bitterness in his voice, but he hid it very well. It was a sore subject. On the other side, he was right about everything. No one did anything about changing the status quo. Because no one wanted any additional problems. Life was pretty hard without the Government trying to ruin it anyway. Still, his tone opened up questions. Questions that corroded her and she couldn't overcome the curiosity in her, once it got into her. The words rolled out of her mouth before she could think them through.

"What makes you think that way?"

"Alright," Pain leaned on the wall, catching the hint. "I'll tell you a story."

His offer surprised her in the beginning but she said nothing, leaving the silence for him to fill it up.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy that lived with his mother and father peacefully in a small village. It always rained, in that village, but the boy didn't mind. The boy loved the rain. As long as it deafened the sounds of clashing swords and armor that echoed constantly in the back. Distant but unceasing, every day and every night," Pain slowed down to a pause but then took another breath. "However, on one of those rainy days, something excited happened. The boy's parents told him to stay in the house. When the boy asked why, they only said, 'It's too dangerous for you to play outside.'

"The boy was confused. But he had decided it's not that bad to stay at home for a while. A day passed, then a second, then a third. The boy started to feel strange because his parents were quiet and didn't explain to him why it is so dangerous outside. Weren't the knights supposed to protect them from evil? The parents explained to him that's true, but it would be easier for the knights to protect the people if they stayed hidden in their homes. The boy found the answer to be plausible and continued playing with his toys."

Sakura sneezed again and although she covered her mouth the faint current of air blew out the twinkle of the candle nevertheless. Was it a good time to run now, when it was pitch black? She was just about to stand up and run when a match was lit up in a fragile flame. It only grew a tad bigger when it touched the candle's fuse. Her plans were postponed once again, she relaxed back in her place.

Her body was shuddering beyond her control now and she was sure it was close to hypothermia. That nighty of hers could barely cover her.

"Wonder why people don't use candles anymore," Pain commented absently after the awkward pause.

"Was that the end of the story?"

A deep sigh escaped his lips after her question. "You're eager for an ending. Like everyone else," He pondered. "Why do people like having an ending? Wouldn't it be better if stories had no end?"

"Depends on the story," Sakura decided to play his game, shrugging.

"Yes, it does. How do you think that story ends?"

"I don't know. Didn't strike me much as the fairy tale kind. Should I expect a twist of the plot?"

Pain looked at her, the silence heavy with anticipation. Sakura knew her tone was way more caustic than it should be and he didn't like it. Although she was fairly concerned with her own life, she still thought him psychotic. Not so well hidden, traces of blood painted the lower wrist of his right hand. His or someone else's, it was safe to say his last occupation was a variation of surgical, yet he sat on the stone in her cell and was focused on telling her a story.

Sakura held his eyes, determined to level his insanity with her courage.

"Five days had the parents locked themselves with their son, but when the night fell on the sixth something incredible happened. Two knights came to the house. The boy was too fascinated to notice that the two of them, as noble as they were, entered the house quite abruptly. Deciding that he would've forgotten his manners too if he was as hungry, the boy paid no mind to their demeanor and headed to meet them. But his parents forbid him. Instead of greeting the guests, the parents told him to leave the house at once. Even more confused, the boy tried to ask why again. His parents ignored his attempts to understand what was happening and ordered him to leave at once. They promised to meet him when he's outside."

Pain averted his face from the light and remained silent for a while. The tension that had built in Sakura intertwined with the gut feeling that had her stomach tied in a knot. And her eyes, they blurred against her will. She was so fixed on the opposition that she didn't perceive the context of the narration. Now that she did, all she felt was regret for acting as she did.

"The boy went outside and, but soon after heard the well-known sound of steel against steel. The shrill sounds mingled with muffled voices until everything went quiet again. The curiosity got the best of the boy and he returned to the house. Perhaps they prepared a surprise for me, he thought. His parents knew how much he admired the flaring knights because he had always wanted to become one. He had always wanted to protect the world from evil, like them."

Sakura caught a slight change in his tone. It sank deeper and deeper in melancholy. He didn't speak willingly. He spoke as if it was his obligation to share.

'Wait a second,' Pain continued, but there was some difference in his tone, Sakura mused. He switched to direct speech. 'These people are not evil.' "The boy heard the words before entering the kitchen. He was so excited to meet the heroes that he almost tripped over the bodies of his parents. They lay on the ground, asleep. The boy blinked at them, wondering if it was part of the surprise."

One of the noble knights fell on his knees, as they do. 'Forgive us, boy. We thought your parents evil.' Pain took a breath, carrying on with his languid intonation, "The boy still couldn't understand." His voice became even lower and broader, 'There was no way we could've known and now it is too late.'

"The boy looked at his parents, at a loss. He couldn't believe his shining knights… Were they real heroes? Who said they were, in the first place? The pain that erupted inside of him was so massive that it marked him, engraving the sore sensation as the only thing he would ever feel for the rest of his life. He couldn't think or see anything else. Pain has become him and he pain. They were one from that day on."

Sakura forgot to breathe in the moment of silence he opened, turning to look at her with the same powerful emanation he gave out since he came. She said nothing, forestalling a continuation.

"He grabbed the sword lying next to his father and looked at it carefully. If those who killed and stole from him were called heroes, then he could be a hero, too. He only needed to gain his first victory and win his title. The heroes fell under that same sword and the boy was knighted, at last. His dream came true."

Sakura observed him for quite some time but was astounded by his lack of expression. He had either learned to master it to perfection or has turned it off as the safety mechanism his mind needed in order to survive. She was ready to bet on the first because the blood on his hands was his choice to delve into the problem… if he saw it as a problem at all. Perhaps into delving, he saw his cure, his growth. The more it hurt, the better.

She had to disagree on this one, though. Pain was not the only way to peace. But it took a great deal of inner fighting to face and overcome your own destructive nature. People weren't entirely evil, neither were they entirely good. His mistake lied in forcing his solution over others, convinced it was the only right one.

"You were the one in Shimura's factory, weren't you?" Sakura renewed the conversation, changing the subject. "I saw you."

He squinted. "Yes. He wanted a mercenary to clear out some people he thought unnecessary."

Sakura scoffed.

"I refused. Shimura fooled some of us, but he hadn't a hold on me and couldn't offer me anything I am interested in. And that angered him."

Some of us? Sakura furrowed. Could he speak of… Itachi? What exactly happened there?

"That man saw no further than his selfish desires. Money, power, respect. Trite and childish. I saw he corrupted the world with his very presence, he had to die."

Sakura's eyes went to and fro. Perhaps her squad had entered in the exact time and place. If they had been a minute late, Pain would've killed Shimura. But… "Did you know there were bombs planted all across the village, including in the factory?" Sakura decided to ask, after all. It was too much of a coincidence.

Pain's face took a momentary confusion, but he regained his composure, his gaze darkening even more. Sakura regretted asking, the disgust in him only rose up more. An irony of faith, with defusing those bombs her squad had saved his life too.

"What did you think about back then?" he asked, as calmly as before. "I saw you standing aside from everyone, in deep thought. When he blew himself to pieces."

Sakura exhaled sharply. Was that why his group bothered to abduct her? So that he could ask her what she thought about? Before she could answer, another figure busted into the cell with no light whatsoever. Sakura blenched with the sudden intrusion but remained still until the figure didn't approach and grab her, pulling her up.

"Found you. Come here, love," she finally met him, face to face; she wouldn't mistake that youthful voice anywhere. As much as she could see on that faint light, his hair was a dirty blonde and tied in a ponytail, and his eyes, she couldn't quite tell... his pupils were so widened that whatever the nuance was, it was lost in the darkness. His wild expression held a wicked glimmer that sent shivers down her spine.

"Deidara, wait for me to finish my conversation, will you?" Pain intervened, not in the least bothered by that man's sudden presence.

It was not like that with Sakura. That man's very presence caused her nausea and she didn't regret bashing him away with all the strength she could gather. Now was the time to give it a try, she thought, and ran away from the cell, starting to count the turns and corridors, ignoring the pain in her limbs and the cold current of air that brushed against her skin.

She could do it… she could run away from that awful place.

The tiny glimpse of daylight she saw in the far distance returned her hope and she hurried to meet it, not caring to stop or turn back. There was no one around.

Her heavy breathing was all she could hear and it was enough to raise questions. Why wasn't there anyone around? And what if she escaped, how long was she going to survive in her nighty and with bare feet? Which way was she going to take even if she got out? They covered her eyes. The intrusive thoughts kept attacking her, but she looked straight ahead and ran to the light, convinced it was the right way. Closer… closer, she was almost free.

Somehow, in some strange, unknown to her way, she knew that she had to pay a price, since the moment she saw him. Then, the kiss she placed on his forehead was a testament, a contract. Sakura knew in her heart that she had to pay… if she really wanted to redeem him. Truth was, she thought she'd escape the payment. Because she was scared of whether she was strong enough to take it. So scared that she started questioning herself if he was even worth it. But there was something like a sign, a brand on her heart that kept bothering her. She hated the word destiny, but it looked like her life was led by a higher power, and its thread intertwined with his. And she could do nothing about it. It was a conviction so strong that left no place for doubt. If that was going to be the price she pays to have him, then so be it.

"Where are you going?"

A hand pulled her back, wrapping a thin cord around her hands once they were pulled behind her back. The tie was made so quickly that she realized she was braced not until its creator jerked her backward. She fell on her knees but her eyes remained on the light in front of her, so close that it angered her to tears.

The man who held her neared, but she decided she wasn't done yet. If he was alone, she had a chance, even if he was one of the most skilled assassins. Sakura coiled the rope and pulled sharply, rising to kick her opponent, but he evaded her, almost dancing around. His cord tightened her arms to her body and before she could react, it was around her neck, too.

Sasori was sure to cause her whiplash with a finishing drag, but she stopped moving, showing him that she gave up. She couldn't trace his movements, having her eyes grown used to the thick darkness of that cell, that was the reason she lost the battle from the very beginning.

"Vigorous," he pulled the cord slowly, forcing her closer to him. His voice was breathy and flat, but not uninterested. Sakura looked away, tears filling her eyes at the thought of what awaited her in that dungeon. Sasori pulled her until she could feel the heat of his skin. "Artful." He turned her chin to him, but she still averted her tearful gaze when his thumb caressed her lips with the thoughtfulness and the admiration of a sculptor. "Symmetrical."

He slowly ripped a part of her nighty, but approaching steps distracted him from his quiet fascination.

"Sasori, get her back to the cell," it was the woman from before, Sakura recognized her soft timbre right away. "Pain ordered to keep her there."

"Of course," Sasori glanced at the girl tiredly, then back at Sakura. "You know I hate making people wait… he didn't say what we can do with her in the meantime, did he?"

The woman didn't reply, turning back to leave. Sakura glanced at the light she failed to reach for one last time as Sasori dragged her down the corridors from where she came. It wasn't wasted... her little riot. At least now she knew for sure where the exit was.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I really love Pain, ok?