Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Without hesitation, Sakura whipped the closest object to her—which happened to be a small jewelry box—at the intruder. It struck the opposing wall with a crack, the stranger having evaded and made their way out of the shadows with both hands in the air.
Her heart leapt to her throat, lips trembling.
"It's good to see you're healthy, Sakura."
"…Itachi?"
He cautiously approached her, still keeping his hands up in surrender. His red irises glowed unnervingly, while pitch black pupils seemed colder than ever before. Sakura surveyed the rest of his appearance, noting the frayed black garments he wore and the sunken angles of his face. The joints of his slender fingers were more prominent, seemingly brutalized.
"Where…," Sakura shook her head, running forward and barreling into him without thinking any further. He grunted softly, but did not immediately push her away. Two hesitant arms curled around her shoulders as if unsure how to respond to the display of affection. "I'm so glad you're alive," she whispered, tears trickling down to wet his shirt. Where her arms wound around his waist, Sakura could feel the jutting of his ribs and the sallowness of his abdomen. Wherever he had been, it was nowhere good.
"Ah." Itachi carefully pulled away, wariness evident in his gaze. He searched her expression for a moment before peering out the open window. "We do not have much time left. We must move quickly."
Sakura nodded firmly and wiped away her tears quickly. Walking over to her closet, she tugged a black satchel from the floor. "I'm ready." She turned around to see Itachi watching her curiously. "What is it?" she shrugged the bag on.
He shook his head softly. "You have grown." He smiled sadly. "I apologize for the reason why."
Her expression turned grim. "It's not as if danger was ever far off. Everyone has been biding their time. Training. Preparing for the worst. I'm no different." Sakura's gaze hardened. "I trust you, Itachi, that's why I'm following you without question. However, the second we're secure, I need those questions answered."
Itachi nodded. That was the last of their conversation before a shadow flitted past the open window and Itachi was shoving Sakura to the ground and covering her body with his. Overhead, glinting darts embedded themselves into the wall opposite the window. Clambering to their feet, Sakura led the way to the kitchen where the only other window was located. Kicking the screen out, Itachi gripped the upper rim of the window and swung himself out.
Although she was chosen the escape route, jumping out of a second story window wasn't exactly part of standard training for Sakura. She peered down, but couldn't make out anything. Itachi did not speak, but she had to hope that he would be ready to catch her. Swallowing hard, she climbed over the edge of the window just as the sound of shuffling feet reached her kitchen. Swallowing a shout, she leapt, eyes squeezing shut as her stomach swooped.
The freefall ended in the blink of an eye. Itachi's blood red eyes peered down at her—the only things she could see in the darkness. Sakura caught her breath, smiling slightly at his successful catch. Then again, with the appearance of his current eyes, she had a strong hunch that they were far better seeing than ever before.
She muttered a soft thanks before they were sprinting around the back of the apartment building, taking the fastest route to the main road. Sakura could barely see in front of her, but the road was so familiar that she probably could traverse it blind. The thought crossed her mind too soon though, her ankle catching on a drain pipe. Squeaking, Sakura stumbled forward, only to feel Itachi's calloused hand curl around her wrist, steadying her before she ever really fell.
The questions were growing increasingly complex as she observed more and more of his behaviors. His reflexes had always been something to behold, however, the current Itachi was inhuman. Although he was clearly malnourished, the strength in his body was like a coiled, metal spring. Sakura had little doubt that he was in tip top form—which was terrifying because what did that mean for him once he was back to full physical health? Would he be walking on water and scaling buildings like they were horizontal sidewalks?
"Stop."
Sakura skidded to a halt, looking up to find that they had emerged onto a busy street. Itachi leaned back against a brightly lit window display, still tightly holding onto Sakura's wrist. His eyes were trained on the alleyway they had just passed out of, the veins in his neck throbbing tensely. After a moment, he relaxed, releasing her wrist in the same breath.
"Are they gone?" she murmured, afraid to move until she got the affirmative.
He nodded.
Sakura checked the nearest street sign before touching Itachi's shoulder to get his attention. "From here, we can take the main road to the hospital I work at. The ER is always full of people, and there we can make a plan. I'm sure you're interested in getting to Naruto and Kakashi as well?"
Itachi merely grunted his assent and then they were blending themselves into the crowd. There were enough people out on the street for cover, but not nearly enough to be unseen. Without a doubt, their pursuers were hot on their tail and would be until they arrived at their destination. Nonetheless, making a commotion in an emergency room would be far from ideal—particularly because of the hospital's close affiliation with the Uchiha Police Academy. Tsunade had made a point of partnering the new medical center with the police force, and Sakura had never been happier.
If they could just get to the ER, then everything could be settled. Pulling out her phone, she was about to dial Naruto's number only to find that he had called her at least 5 times in the last ten minutes. How likely was it that he had also gotten a visitor?
Sakura put the phone to her ear after pressing Call. From her periphery, she noted Itachi's calculating gaze roaming their surroundings, undoubtedly seeking out all of the possible alternative escape routes. She smiled internally, relieved to have Itachi on their side again. "Naruto?" she immediately called once the line connected.
"Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed. "Hey, we got news that Orochimaru and his group are in Japan right now."
"—yeah, I kind of had a feeling," she responded wryly.
He made a strangled noise that crackled with the frequency of the phone. "What? Did someone attack you? Are you alright? Where are you—?"
"—Meet me in the ER at my hospital. We'll be there soon."
Before he could ask, Sakura ended the call. Itachi stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and pushed her toward a crosswalk. "They're closing in," he murmured against her ear, picking up the pace as they half-jogged across waiting traffic.
Chancing a glance over her shoulder, Sakura caught sight of two suspicious looking individuals, but other than that, no one else set off alarm bells. Perhaps she still needed to work on her detection abilities. Naruto and Sasuke would probably be totally aware of what Itachi was trying to escape from. Turning back around, she saw the crosswalk light flicker to red without anyone having crossed along with them.
Releasing his hold on her, Itachi paused and nodded his head to the right. "This way?"
"Yeah," Sakura confirmed, taking the lead once more. "It's only a few more blocks."
He nodded, attempting to appear casual as they once again slipped into the throngs of people around them. There was no way he would let even a centimeter of tension leave his body, but Sakura understood well enough how severe the current situation was. It would only take one slip up for one of those goons to catch them. Sakura bit back the urge to demand how long he had been on the run. Although she had hundreds of questions about Sasuke, she was much more concerned with the man before her.
What had Itachi done to escape? How long had he been running? Why did he have to suffer relentlessly?
"It's just up ahead." Sakura pointed out the looming building just beyond a crosswalk at the end of the block. She didn't receive a response, but Itachi did walk faster, clasping their hands together as he did so. Surprised, Sakura looked up at him to see his expression had grown grim over the past few minutes. "Is…Is something else wrong?"
His eyes flickered down to her. "The area has thinned here. It is possible they make take the risk," Itachi explained softly, voice tense.
Just as he spoke, two figures emerged from a side alley, bodily stopping them in their tracks. Sakura first noted their blindfolds and then secondly the Tasers each one held out toward them. Before she could even drop into an offensive stance, Itachi was stepping between them while still tightly gripping her hand. "Pardon us," he excused calmly, waiting for either of the strangers to move.
They sneered and shifted forward. "We have our orders," the talller of the two grunted.
"And what are those?" Sakura demanded over Itachi's shoulder, glowering.
"To escort you to Orochimaru-sama, of course," the shorter leered, "what do you say, Princess? Don't you trust me anymore?"
Her eyes widened, stumbling forward, only to feel Itachi shove her back. Snapping out of it, Sakura glared at the shorter man, grinding her teeth to hold back frustrated tears. "Suigetsu? Suigetsu, what did they do?" her voice was small even to her own ears.
The man cocked his head, familiar shark-like smile appearing. "We can have our reunion if you come with us, Princess. I'll even bring you to Sauce-kun. You want that, don't you?"
Although the words were familiar, the tone and the character were utterly different. The Suigetsu before her was just a shade of the man she had met years ago. Guilt clawed at her gut. If she hadn't called him back to help her. If she hadn't been so obstinate about trying to help Sasuke and Itachi—an effort that was completely wasted—then would Suigetsu have been roaming the world freely right now? Instead, he was standing in front of her, blindfolded and a slave to Orochimaru. This was her fault. Dammit. This was all her fault—
"Sakura. Focus."
She blinked, not having realized how tightly she was squeezing Itachi's arm and hand. Letting up, she turned back to the two strangers before her. "Right."
"C'mon, Princess," Suigetsu extended a hand, but in a flash, Itachi was snatching his wrist, twisting and shoving forward until a sickening crack dislocated Suigetsu's arm. The man cried out, pushing away and gripping his mangled limb. "Jugo!"
His companion charged forward, Taser extended. Itachi engaged without missing a beat, moving and striking before Jugo could even get his bearings. Just from observing, Sakura could tell that his opponent wasn't a novice, however, the beating he was currently receiving was devastatingly swift and ruthless. It made Itachi look like a bully picking on a child. Her gaze shifted to Suigetsu, but the man was already gone.
Across the street, some stragglers looked on with interest, but from afar, it surely appeared to be a late night brawl and nothing more. Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura felt ice fill her veins. Several people were walking toward them and although seemingly innocent, there was no way she could miss their blindfolds. How dangerous were Itachi's eyes that everyone was hiding their own from his gaze? Sakura swallowed hard, turning around to face the newcomers as they grew closer and closer. How were they supposed to handle all of these people? Although she trusted Itachi unfailingly and his fighting ability, it would be a burden on someone in his condition—whether or not he would admit it.
Clenching her fists, she slid into a defensive stance as they approached. At the very least, she was confident enough to hold her own long enough to escape. Getting kidnapped was unacceptable. She refused to be the cause of any more misery. No.
Appearing like an afterimage between blinks, a darkly clothed figure emerged at the rear of the small group. His steps were longer but he trailed further behind them, a black muzzle buckled across the lower half of his face. An equally dark blindfold blended into the long ebony locks rustling about his features.
"Sa—"
"—SAKURA!"
With blinding fury, red and blue lights jolted her out of the moment. She swung around, seeing Naruto and Kakashi screeching to a halt at the curb in a patrol car. Whipping back to Itachi, she found Jugo beating a hasty retreat, dragging one leg clumsily. Doing another turn, she caught sight of a slip of fabric curling around the corner of an alley.
No one was left on the street.
"Itachi?" Naruto blinked, surprise outdoing his usual excited fervor.
Without a word, Itachi nudged Sakura toward the vehicle, already opening the backseat door for her. Climbing inside rigidly, she tried to calm her racing heart, unable to wish away the phantom image.
"Where to?" Kakashi called back.
"Is my office at the department still available?" Itachi questioned, not even short of breath. His gaze was focused and his demeanor alert—so unlike the three others in the car who were currently struggling to make ends meet with what was going on.
"I think your private office is still as is," Kakashi responded carefully.
"Then go there. It's the most secure place we will be able to get to right now."
Nodding once, they drove off, the blaring sirens still going off.