Chapter 10: The End of Ignorance

Haruno Sakura

I walked beside Sasuke quietly, looking down at the dull forest floor as we travelled. My brow was furrowed in thought and I was dimly aware of the Sharingan Master some few metres ahead of us. I looked up every now and again to look at him, for what reason even I didn't know, and Sasuke didn't notice my glances. He too seemed distracted and the both of us were silent, wrapped up in our own thoughts.

Had I bothered to take notice, I would have seen that everyone seemed to stick to their own respective couples. Shikamaru was closer to Ino than was necessary, Naruto had his hands on Hinata's shoulders as they walked and Itachi was trying to edge away from Kakashi as he drew closer. I guessed Kakashi was doing it on purpose to annoy Itachi.

The night had fallen and we were about two nights away from Shirokami. I couldn't feel my legs anymore, we had been walking so long, but I ignored the feeling. My mind whirred mechanically with thoughts of the impending execution and my jade eyes flickered upwards to Itachi again.

Itachi's head was turned slightly to the side and I could just see the corner of his eye. For a moment, our eyes met but he quickly averted his eyes to the path ahead of him again. My brow creased in confusion as I realized that Itachi had been staring back at me. But…why?

The puzzling moment was soon forgotten as Shikamaru announced finally, "We'll rest here for the night."

Kakashi readily volunteered to take the first shift. The first shift allowed you a longer period of undisturbed sleep; everything about him was so very lazy. I was stuck with the last shift and suppressed a groan. I was always stuck with the last shift. Hinata offered to switch with me but I waved her off, murmuring an excuse neither of us could really understand.

Sasuke gathered a few fallen branches and laid them in the middle of the 'campsite', forming a few hand seals and breathing into the pile of sticks. A blue spark flew from his mouth eagerly and he quickly moved back as the branches burst into a merry, crackling fire. Naruto yawned as he laid a circle of rocks around the fire so that it wouldn't spread and the rest of us were busy unrolling our bedrolls to care. We had seen Sasuke light a fire many times before. It wasn't amazing anymore after you had seen it twenty times over and over again.

I felt a small pang of sadness as I watched Ino pull Shikamaru into the same bedroll as her, wrapping her arms around him. He didn't even pull away as she rested her cheek against his lean chest; the both of them closed their eyes looking so…so content.

Would I ever find someone like that? Would I ever find someone I could love wholly and know without a doubt that that love would be returned?

My life was running out and away from me though, I only had about ten years left to live. Being a ninja was a lonely job and a desperate one too when it came to life, you had to live each day like it was your last, because it could damn very well be. Most ninja tried to find their 'true love' as soon as possible and I didn't blame them, it was better to die loved than unloved. My eyes began to glaze over; from the heat of the fire or my depressing line of thought I wasn't too sure. I hugged my knees close to my chest. Stealing a glance at Itachi across the fire, his words struck me like a slap across the face all over again.

"I hate you."

I quietly crawled into my bedroll, turning my body away from the warmth of the fire so that my back was turned to everyone else. I thought of all the conversations that had come to pass between Itachi and I, the love and hate relationship we shared and every single second I had spent with him became a minute, an hour and then a year in my mind. It felt as if I had been with him longer than I had been with Naruto.

Would I die alone?

Tears of bitter anger and self hatred rolled down my cheeks silently. I would become just another one of the multitudes of medic-nin who died early, giving up my longevity for a bunch of people I didn't even know. I had sacrificed so much already, I would never see Konohamaru grow to become ANBU, I would never see Naruto become Hokage and I would never know if my healing actually had helped the next generation. I would never live to see if Naruto ever married Hinata, if Shikamaru ever got off his lazy ass and proposed to Ino and I bit down hard on my lip, hating the injustice of it all.

I had given up so much…wasn't it time I got something back?

I smiled bitterly.

It was no use hoping for a miracle.

Hoshikagi Kisame

I felt as though I had gone back in time, walking into Shirokami. The place still looked exactly the same, screwed up and dirty. I walked briskly through various alleyways and took hidden turns even residents didn't know about. I had memorized the layout of this place, having come here many times before, and as the buildings gradually grew cleaner and richer looking I became more and more wary. I stuck to the shadows and pulled the collar of my cloak tightly about my face, trying hard so as not to attract too much attention.

I was now in the richer, much more beautiful side of Shirokami but then froze up. A foreign feeling, that of utmost fear, raced through me and I took a few steps back towards the poorer sector, my usually cold eyes shone with uncertainty.

Was I really ready to face Hikari again?

"I would look for you."

What would she do if she saw me? Scream? Have me arrested?

Each of my thoughts was a sudden stab of uncertainty to my once unfailing determination and I tore my eyes away from the rich, bright buildings. Doubt settled in and I turned away from the richer area, turning back towards the dirtier part of town. I decided eventually to come back tomorrow…I was far too tired to handle anything that demanding tonight and anyways, she was probably asleep.

Or, at least, that was the excuse I told myself.

My feet dragged across the floor as I walked, kicking up a lonely dust cloud behind me, and I wasn't sure whether it was from my tiredness or reluctance. I walked into the first inn I could find, slapping a random amount of money onto the table without asking for the price of a room and went on ahead to settle in anywhere. The person at the counter made no move to stop me; he was half asleep and turned pale at the sight of Samehada.

"Will you be leaving soon?" Hikari asked me quietly from where she lay beside me, her forehead pressed against my covered chest. Her blind eyes were closed and I sighed silently, pretending to ignore her question so that I didn't have to answer it.

"You are, aren't you?" She pressed me further.

"I am a mercenary," I told her firmly and she smiled bitterly.

"I suppose that's where we have the connection then, huh? I'm the one selling my body and you're selling your sword," She mused aloud.

It took a long time for me to gather up the strength to speak again. And even when I did so, it felt as though there were a lump in my throat and my voice came out a little quieter than it usually was.

"You don't have to sell your body. There are other ways of making money," I told her and she shook her head slightly, no.

"I am forever bound to this place unless someone buys me off or I die. And, without sight, where else can I go and what else can I do? Until I regain my sight, I won't ever be able to get a proper job," She explained, clearly upset about her position.

A long silence fell. As I worked things out in my head, I realized that the only way for her to be able to live without having to sell something precious to most women every single night was to help her regain her eyesight.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," I told her quietly.

She smiled and hid her face in my covered chest, clutching at my black shirt with a tightly clenched fist. We both could tell that her smile was faked. I wasn't surprised when she began to tremble quietly. She brought in another hand to clutch at my shirt. It was as if she were scared that if she let go, she would never see me again.

And, I supposed she wouldn't.

Haruno Sakura

In, out…in, out…

The only sound that registered in my mind was my own breathing. I couldn't tell if anyone else was awake. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't think. My mind was frenzied and I couldn't soothe it.

I lifted my head up slowly and looked around the campsite. No one was awake, everyone was fast asleep. I guessed it must have been Naruto's turn to keep watch but he was sleeping in again. I groaned mentally and realized that I would have to do his shift as well as my own.

My clothes felt disgusting and the compelling desire to change had captured me. I wondered if I could find water and perhaps wash myself but somehow doubted it. My jade eyes flickered to Itachi's form and I came to the conclusion that he was really sleeping. I grabbed a change of clothes from my bag and decided to exploit this moment of privacy.

I walked towards the cover of the trees and dropped my clean clothes on the floor. The hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up as an icy cold wind caressed me gently before moving on again. I yawned widely before pulling off my shirt and looked down at my bindings. I honestly didn't feel like unravelling them like a patient person so I ripped them in half with my hands.

I shivered as something warm breezed past me again. What was wrong with the wind? It kept blowing and one moment it was cold and the next it was warm-

I stiffened as the warmth didn't leave my body.

I looked down at my hips and found a pair of hands there. I covered my exposed chest on instinct and opened my mouth to scream.

A hand covered my open mouth hastily and I felt a very masculine body pressed up against my back. It was really getting to me, that I was half naked. I should have brought sports bras like Ino instead of unreliable bandages.

"If you screamed, you would have alerted the Sound nin that you were in this area and would be dead in less than two minutes," A smooth, silky baritone voice informed me indifferently.

His hand fell away from my mouth and he stepped back from me. I didn't dare look back at him, I knew who it was and was almost terrified to look at him. His words still rang in my head and I realized that now, without the restrainer on me and everyone asleep, he could kill me.

I waited for him to break my neck in half or punch through my stomach. I was certain of my impending death and it was just a matter of time.

His body was pressed up against mine again. I could feel the calm, unhurried beat of his heart on my back and flushed. He was so relaxed while my own heart was threatening to rip a hole in my chest and do eighteen laps around the forest.

He picked up the roll of bandages and something in my chest lurched. Was he planning to strangle me with the bandages? Oh, God no, I didn't want to be strangled-

There was a soft sigh of amusement in my ear and I could feel Itachi's hot breath on my skin. I was honestly getting really freaked out by this point. Was he going to hurt me again?

"One such as I would not kill a defenceless person," He whispered, his lips moving against the smooth skin of my neck as he talked. He dropped the bandages to the ground beside him, thinking better of what he had intended to do.

His statement reminded me of how proud, arrogant, uncaring and how frustrating he really was. All my fear of him dissolved into an instant retort and it was almost as if we were back at the Hidden Base for a few moments.

"I somehow doubt that," I snapped at him angrily.

Heedless of my icy tone, his hands snaked up my sides to my wrists. I did my best to ignore him and what he was doing. I tensed my whole body as he made an effort to pull my hands away from my bare chest. When it finally became clear to him that there was no way I was going to lower my hands for him, he relented and his hands began to trace patterns on my flat stomach.

I fought to keep my breathing steady; I knew he was watching me for a reaction. I looked straight ahead of me at the thick foliage, focusing on a particularly knobbly branch. I set my face into a blank expression of indifference, something I had picked up on from Itachi.

"Sakura," He murmured my name, brushing his lips over my neck and shoulder as he did so.

My heart jumped and my blood pounded loudly when he said my name. It was a feeling I was terrified to identify because of the doomed consequences. It was something I had to push away, I had to fight against. I couldn't let him take over me like this.

I tried to walk away from him but his hands locked around my stomach and pulled me towards him again. He wasn't letting me go until he got what he wanted and I grew still. Silence enveloped the both of us like a thick blanket, drenching the area with trepidation. I tried not to think about how good it felt to be held by him or how nice it felt when his hot breath misted over my skin.

The atmosphere was…different somehow. It wasn't the same as it had been just before he had approached me. It was the kind of atmosphere that demanded silence and left everyone in it thinking deeply. I needed to get away from him. I couldn't deal with this, not now. He was going to be executed in a matter of days and I just wanted to forget about him. I needed to drive him away.

A question sprang to my lips, "Do you always use force to get the things you want?"

The fragile moment of what could have been was smashed like all the hopes and dreams of the Uchiha clan.

His hold on me loosened and I stepped free of it, not daring to look back at him. I bent down to pick up my bandages and began to wrap my chest with it, methodically. He was still there behind me; he must have known I was waiting for him to leave. I finished up with my bandages and secured them tightly, tighter than usual. My hands were trembling and I was praying that he wouldn't be able to see, that he would just leave me alone. I didn't want him there.

When he didn't so much as turn away to begin walking away, I began to spit at him hotly, "Itachi just-"

I didn't get very far though.

My jade green eyes welled up with tears that threatened to spill. I closed my eyes, trying to force back my tears and I felt Itachi's hand on the small of my back. He was supporting me as my knees buckled. I could almost hear him scoffing at how weak I was.

He was kissing me.

And then, as soon as it had begun, it was over. His dark cloak cracked like a whip as he turned away and walked back towards the campsite wordlessly. I turned my back on him, my eyes boiling with a bitter and anguished liquid. As the tears slipped down, I realized the kiss for what it really was.

It was his unspoken apology.

Hoshikagi Kisame

The raindrops beat against my back as I trudged along. Samehada was so heavy now, it felt like it was trying to pull me down on purpose. Something inside me was telling me to drop it but Samehada and I had spent so long together, it was a part of me now.

I looked up and the buildings around me blurred in and out of focus. In each window, all the curtains were drawn and every door was locked and bolted. I could hear people laughing, screaming at me and I closed my eyes, ignoring them the best I could.

I felt so tired, I just wanted to rest. I tripped and caught myself. I looked up at the road ahead of me, too tired to feel frustrated. The road went on forever. I didn't even know why I was following it but anything was better than staying here.

I closed my eyes again. They closed for a little longer this time.

Everything about me was so tired. My movements, my thoughts, my breathing…

The rain was growing harder and harder. I raised my head to the dark sky and closed my eyes, allowing the rain to beat against my face. Someone was laughing behind me and I pulled out Samehada. It dragged me to the ground and I stumbled to the left with its unexpected weight.

I looked around, looking for the source of that damn laughter but there was no one there. Was my mind playing tricks on me?

The laughing returned again and I looked up, blinking as the rain fell into my eyes. It slid down my face in rivulets and something on top of one of the buildings was glowing. I couldn't see who it was and suddenly, everything seemed to freeze.

Even though the rain had frozen, the water was still dripping down my face. I made no move to wipe it away because that would take energy and a will I didn't have.

I still couldn't see the thing emitting the glow clearly. My eyes were thick and my vision was fuzzy. I took a step towards it.

"Are you looking for someone?" It asked me.

It sounded like I was hearing my own voice in my head, asking me that question. I took a step back from it, looking around me frantically. Everything had disappeared and I was left in a world of darkness. The glow was growing fainter, fainter.

"Or are you looking for something?"

Pain.

Indescribable pain ripped through my body, it felt as though I was being pulled apart piece by piece. I coughed and fell to my knees, clinging onto the handle of Samehada. The sword made no sound as it smacked the floor in protest and everything seemed to be closing in on me. My eyes were still dripping with rainwater that was eternal in its falling.

"Well it looks like you're always going to be looking."

I coughed again, the blood flew from my mouth splattered across my hands and the floor. I began to crawl, somewhere, anywhere, just to find a way out. Samehada clinked against something, a wall.

A blinding fear began to take over me. It chilled me to the bone and my entire body was becoming cold. I was going to die. I wasn't going to make it out of here. My breath was coming in shorter spurts and it all hurt so much.

I began to bang against the wall in a frenzy. I was wordlessly screaming, yelling for someone to let me out, I needed to get out of here.

It was almost as if there was an explosion, but without the sound. A bright white light lit up the whole room and I was caught in the middle of it. I closed my eyes and felt the rainwater slip out again like tears. When the light had come to pass, I was staring at what once was the wall.

I was staring into my own face. I began to step away from the wall in horror.

The rainwater wasn't rainwater.

It was blood.

"Because you know, you're never going to find what you're searching for."

A crash of thunder outside brought me to my senses. The window of the room I had been staying in was wide open and the rain from outside made a loud 'pinging' noise each time it hit the thin windowsill.

I walked briskly towards the window and for the first time ever in my life, shut it abruptly. It closed with a bang that caused me to jump.

The thought, "Stupid rain" crossed my mind and the moment I thought that, an image of a blonde haired man jumped into my head. I scowled viciously and punched the window in anger. It broke with a loud crack and I cursed at my stupidity.

I leaned against the wall and slid down it, staring at the empty space in the room. I closed my eyes and felt the rain tap at my face questioningly.

"I'll find her tomorrow."

Uchiha Itachi

Kisame hadn't gone to Akatsuki.

I knew this simply because he hadn't come back for me.

He was the one who knew every single unspoken rule of the Akatsuki. He probably knew best that we were a group of individuals. He knew that compassion and relationships would get you nowhere on the battlefield. He knew that he and I were merely acquaintances, nothing more and nothing less.

He was an idiot though. I had left him behind on missions countless times before, leaving him to run after me and appear at Akatsuki a day later regardless of his condition. I had made no effort to find a healer for his wounds unless he was vitally necessary to the mission and even so, I did that unwillingly.

But Kisame had this stupid sense of loyalty about him. He was like a dog, I had kicked him twenty times over but he still wouldn't lose that unnerving loyalty. I had tried to drive it out of him countless times but to no avail. He would always come back for me if I disappeared halfway through a mission and would express great concern over my condition.

When I asked him why he always seemed to care, he had answered hastily, "If you end up dying, Akatsuki's going to be on my ass because you're Leader's favourite."

If he wasn't at Akatsuki, there was only one other place he could be. He was at Shirokami, looking for that blind prostitute again.

Three years ago, he had gone missing for a whole month and nobody had any idea where he was. Nobody really missed him except for me; I hadn't been able to conduct any further Kyuubi research without him. When he had come back, I didn't even ask him where he had gone. It was really none of my concern.

But then, one night he had gotten drunk and plastered and it had all spilled out of him. He had fallen in love with a girl, a blind prostitute, whose name he had kept to himself. I had sat there listening to him simply because I had nothing better to do at the time. He had told me that her blindness was a sickness that could be cured by a doctor, but she didn't have the money to afford it.

So he had spent most of his money on buying this girl her medicine. He had finished the rest of his money off buying drinks at the bar that night. He was really an idiot.

He had left before she could see again. He didn't give me a reason why but I had known the moment he said it.

He didn't want her to find out she had fallen in love with a monster.

Next Chapter Preview: Kisame

"At least I'm not a sensitive idiot who cares about everyone."

'Yeah. I know.'

"You should know by now that I'm hypocritical."

"I have until the end of today?"

"Ayame-san would be disappointed if she could see you now."

"Hikari! No, don't-"

"Thank you."

A/N: Hey guys, how's it going? I got some replies from you guys about really good stories and I swear, I LOVED THEM. And because you told me about these stories, you get super cool recognition.

Darkdemoness41791

Abby K

Hm, AznPuffyHair? You know that Naruto and Orochimaru story you were talking about? Do you mind telling me the title?

Anyways, I'm trying to speed up the updating process because of the upcoming summer holidays and the fact that exam week and my show are in the following weeks so I might not be able to update for a while.

And for those faithful people out there…Selandora has decided to change the ending.

Selandora (the undeniably sexy one you all must fear)