Vespertine
Chapter Two: The Bargain
The devil beside you
To watch you die when you can't find a remedy
So nice to meet you,
Hope I never see your face again
Sakura was stunned. In her mind she had been so certain she would find Sasuke here, but instead she'd been completely blindsided by something else. Something a hundred times worse.
Tense, heavy seconds ticked by as she stared. Uchiha Itachi looked every bit the ghost he was supposed to be, but that didn't keep her from remembering everything he was, and everything he was not. As the shock gradually faded, her numbness was replaced by fear…and anger.
Here was the monster responsible for so many wrongs, so many terrible things. An enemy by affiliation…whom she also hated for personal reasons close to her heart. He was a member of Akatsuki: the criminal organization that wanted to suck the soul out of her best friend. Here lay the agent assigned to Naruto's capture. Here lay Sasuke's ruthless tormentor, the person whose actions drove her teammate to turn his back on everything good in his life. Uchiha Itachi: traitor, terrorist, and mass-murderer.
The frail, bedridden man across from her seemed nothing at all like Konoha's most-wanted missing-nin, now faded and almost unrecognizable as the infamous villain her team encountered a year ago in Wind country. That hadn't even been his full presence—only a high-level clone—yet she remembered clearly how it felt to be close to such a powerful, lethal enemy. The intense, malevolent energy was gone now, quashed and replaced by the unmistakable aura of a dying man.
He was hardly a threat to her in this state, though that knowledge didn't completely erase her ingrained fear of him.
That fear was amplified by rising alarm over the potential implication of his living status. Was Itachi the victor of the battle that destroyed the ancient fortress? Did that mean Sasuke was dead? The strange Akatsuki in the orange mask and the even stranger one who looked like a flytrap had said that Sasuke killed his brother; the plant man spoke as an eyewitness. Obviously, he'd been wrong about Itachi's death …was he also wrong about Sasuke?
Suddenly she felt an overwhelming urge to shake this bastard clan-killer until his bones rattled and demand answers to all of her questions. But she already knew he wouldn't tell her anything unless it was to spin one of the mindgames for which he was so well known.
"Who are you."
It wasn't the flat, disinterested inflection or the hoarse rasp of his long-unused voice that threw her, but the question itself.
Didn't he recognize her? They had only technically met once, but Uchiha Itachi was an exceptional shinobi, and however insignificant he may have thought her at the time, he wouldn't overlook an opponent or forget their face.
It took her a second to realize she was still wearing her hat and that her bright, coral-pink hair was hidden. At the same time she also noticed that his stare was just slightly unfocused, as if he couldn't quite see her clearly. She was standing in partial shadow, but she had a feeling that wasn't the issue. Kakashi had called him out on his deteriorating vision when they last fought, eliciting the only discernible emotional reaction she had seen from him in that encounter, as if a terrible secret had been exposed. Apparently failing eyesight wasn't the only medical secret Itachi had been hiding.
He was waiting for her answer, so she quickly thought of one that played upon his failure to recognize her. "I'm a doctor—a specialist. Junko-san has asked me to see what I can do for you," she lied evenly, using her gentlest tone. She had to keep him off his guard for as long as possible.
Itachi continued to glare at her, displaying no outward sign of belief or otherwise. Finally he looked away and turned partially to the wall, subtly dismissing her. "There is nothing you can do."
Sakura didn't like to be told she couldn't do something, no matter who said it, and frowned at the back of his head. "You may be surprised."
Her steps were cautious, placid and unthreatening. She couldn't let her nerves show, had to keep her chakra tightly locked down and undetectable. This was Uchiha Itachi, and however weak and unarmed, it would be incredibly foolish to assume he was defenseless. If he discovered her deception, things could get very ugly, very fast.
In the few feet of distance between the door and the bed, her mind raced to formulate a plan. What was she going to do? What would she be expected to do? Should she make an excuse to get out of here and send a message to Konoha? Should she try to subdue and capture him, take him back with her? In his current state it wouldn't be too hard. Should she try to subtly get information out of him? Should she just kill him right here and now? None of those answers felt like the right one. Truthfully she had no idea, and so as potentially dangerous as it might be, she decided she would just run with it.
Only when she reached his side did Itachi turn, though she knew he had been aware of her every movement. It was the first time she had ever seen his eyes without the Sharingan, but they still pierced her with a deep intensity. Sakura experienced another rush of nerves. What now? She'd said she was there to treat him…that was a good place to start.
Reluctant as she was to stand near him or touch him, she was truly curious about what sort of condition could bring the great Uchiha Itachi to the brink of death.
"I know you've been refusing treatment because you think it's pointless," she began slowly, calmly. Normally she preferred the same no-nonsense approach her mentor practiced, but this situation required more delicacy than the average chuunin with a broken bone from too-rough sparring. "But I'm more skilled than those nurses and I may be able to help you. Will you allow me to examine you?"
Itachi ignored her, stared straight ahead as if she wasn't there. Only the slight clench of his jaw proved that he'd heard—and was averse to—her proposal.
Apparently the gentle approach wasn't going to work with him.
Sakura sighed impatiently and crossed her arms over her chest. "What's the harm?" she demanded coolly. "Unless you want to die…"
His eyes snapped to hers unpleasantly. She willed herself to hold his gaze with what she hoped was equal intensity. Finally, his jaw unclenched and he exhaled a slow sigh through his nose.
"Fine."
Sakura gave the barest smile at her small, shallow victory before a professional veneer slipped over her features and she placed the stethoscope in her ears. When her hands came into contact with him, he tensed. It was no surprise that he was uncomfortable being touched. "This will feel a little cold," she warned quietly, and slid the metal disc under the loose edge of his shirt, moving it to rest over his back. "Deep breath, please." He did, and the sound of his respiration was muted by fluid. Sounded like pneumonia, though it wasn't mucus, but blood filling his lungs.
Sakura wished she could use medical jutsu to probe more extensively, but not if it meant she would end up with a broken neck. She could feel his eyes watching every millimeter of her movements like a bird of prey, waiting. She removed the disc from under his shirt, shifted around him and said, "Lift the front of your shirt."
What had once been an impressive physique had deteriorated with illness, leaving only traces of its former perfection. Her eyes passed quickly over his pale torso, noting nothing of medical interest other than his emaciated state: the slight protrusion of ribs, the sharpness of a breastbone once defined by muscle. She pressed the stethoscope over his heart and had him repeat the breathing sets. His strong, steady heartbeat was a sharp contrast to the frail rattling of his lungs. He'd been at the peak of fitness when illness struck, and that vigor had helped him survive this long. But that reserve of strength had nearly run out.
Sakura slipped the stethoscope from her ears and let it rest around her neck. With gentle firmness she began pressing different places on his abdomen, feeling for any swelling or hard spots. Things were so much easier with chakra! Without it, she would be forced to ask him a series of medical questions that would certainly be uncomfortable for them both, such as his ability to keep food down, whether there was blood in his urine or stool…. After that she would need to take a blood test—
In the blink of an eye, Sakura was flipped onto her back and pinned to the bed, immobilized by shock and Itachi's painful grip on her wrists as he knelt over her. It took only a second to recover, but she didn't know what set him off and so forced herself to remain still and play the part of bewildered and frightened civilian.
"Kunoichi!" he hissed dangerously. His eyes spun red with the Sharingan.
Shit! Sakura had no idea how, but she'd been made. Abandoning her charade, she channeled chakra to her hands and twisted her wrists out against his thumbs, forcibly breaking his hold. She drove her knee into his hip, frantically wriggled from beneath him and crouched back at the foot of the bed.
They faced off intently at opposite sides of the small bed, coiled and tense like vipers waiting to strike at the slightest threatening movement. They were only a few feet apart; if they both reached out they would touch. Sakura was armed beneath her coat and Itachi wasn't, and she could discern just how weak he really was from how easily she'd gotten away from him, though he was still remarkably fast. She could take him if she had to. But what she wanted most was not a dead Uchiha, but answers.
Itachi's breathing was labored; the short struggle had taxed him. She avoided his eyes—rule number one when facing an Uchiha—and watched his lips instead, parting as his breaths came shorter and harder. He tried to hold it in, but he was overcome by a violent coughing fit and doubled over, shaking and sputtering, clutching his chest with one hand, the other holding the sheets in a white-knuckled grip. A thick gurgle of dark, sticky blood erupted from his lips and stained the white fabric.
That was her chance, to escape, or to kill. Though as she watched him suffer such humbling misery, Sakura couldn't help but feel sorry for him. If he hadn't attacked her moments ago, she would have been tempted to reach for him. Itachi noticed, saw it in her face when he glanced up to see why she hadn't made a move. He glared at her, watery eyes filled with venom, resentful of her pity, and wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.
Her expression shifted to one of calm exasperation. "Relax. I'm not here to kill you." Yet. Slowly, she reached up, pulled her hat off, and ran her fingers through the flattened pink strands.
Itachi blinked in visible surprise, eyes narrowing a fraction as he studied the details of her face. A long moment passed, silent and tense, until he placed her in his memory. "Sakura…" he murmured. "Haruno Sakura. Why are you here."
Like she was about to tell him. "Why are you here?" His response was a flat, even stare. Sakura sighed. "I was just passing through. I'm a medic. This is a clinic. I had no idea you were even alive, Itachi. I'd been told the opposite, actually." She paused, gave him a sardonic smile. "Just a lucky coincidence."
Heavy silence pressed down upon them as they regarded each other. Now what, she wondered. Where did they go from here? He didn't kill her when he had the chance, nor did she kill him when she could have. He didn't seem to want to kill her now, either. So what was she going to do about him? It was admittedly difficult to see him like this, deathly pale, smeared with his own blood. The medic in her wanted to do something for him, but his identity stayed her hand.
"Why did you pretend to aid me, if not to get under my guard?" he asked, still eyeing her as a cornered animal might. The voice she remembered as rich and smooth was now raspy and weak, hoarse from the rawness of his throat and the fact that he hadn't spoken in weeks.
"I didn't pretend," she said. "I wanted to know what's wrong with you. Junko told me all about you—what little she knows. I came in here because I thought…" She trailed off, not sure she wanted to give that much away.
Silence stretched again. Sakura relaxed onto her knees and stared at her hands, torn about what to do. Perhaps Konoha didn't need to know, if he was dying anyway. Maybe she should just leave quietly and let him live out the last of his days in peace. He didn't deserve it, but… Eventually she looked up, dared to meet his lethal crimson stare. "I'm…I'm sorry it ends like this for you."
Itachi blinked slowly, perplexed. "Why."
Sakura took a deep breath. "Because it's not fitting."
The barest hint of an ironic smile crossed his expression. "This wasn't the outcome I expected either."
This time the quiet was more awkward than tense. It was hard to believe she was sitting here like this with one of the most dangerous men in the five nations. The moment was surreal, out of place in time and the events of the world. She felt that perhaps it should stay that way.
Finally, Sakura stood. She twisted her fuzzy hat in her hands and stared at a tiny fleck of drying blood on the linoleum. "I'm not going to report this, so uh…you can stay here until…" She took another steadying breath, troubled by things she couldn't identify. "Goodbye," she exhaled in a rush.
She turned for the door, but Itachi caught her wrist. It hurt a little, and she belatedly realized he must have bruised her in the struggle. Still so strong. Surprised, she turned back quickly. His eyes had gone dark again, but still bored into her in a way that left her feeling very exposed.
"You're looking for my brother." It wasn't a question.
Sakura didn't reply, but her guard rose warily and she tried to pull her arm from his grasp. His grip tightened. There was blood on his hand; it smudged onto her skin.
"You came in here because you thought I was him," he pressed.
Reluctantly, she nodded. "Yes. His whereabouts are unknown since your battle."
"Unknown to you. To Konoha."
"What…?"
"Finish your examination. Diagnose me. That's all I ask." His stare became even more penetrating. "If you do that I will tell you where he is."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What have you done with him?" she hissed.
No answer, just that heavy, exposing gaze. After a moment he released her wrist and sat back. "The decision is yours."
There was really no decision to make. If all he wanted was a diagnosis in exchange for such crucial information…
"Alright then." She set her hat on the bedside table and unbuttoned her coat. His eyes immediately darted to the brace of kunai strapped to her hip. Her lips tightened. "You're not going to tackle me again are you?" After a moment of waiting, she knew she wasn't going to get an answer. Sakura sighed and sat at the edge of the bed. He moved to allow her room, stretching out as he'd been when she'd entered.
Itachi remained silent and passive as she continued her examination, this time with chakra. Placing one hand on his chest and the other on his back, she sent gently glowing pulses of her own energy into his body. He didn't watch her every move this time, but the tension in his lean frame told her his guard hadn't lowered any. Neither had hers.
It went more quickly with medical jutsu. There would be no need for blood tests, x-rays, or extensive questioning; she learned all she needed to know through direct contact with his internal systems. Within a few minutes her chakra output ceased, the pale green glow fading from her hands as she sat back.
Itachi noticed her frown, but his own expression remained impassive. Unlike what most patients would have done, he didn't press her for answers, just waited calmly—too calmly—for confirmation of life or death.
Honestly, Sakura didn't have an answer yet. It was as Junko said: internal hemorrhaging in the lungs, and to a lesser degree, in the stomach and intestine. Only the cause was something she'd never seen before: a multitude of tiny vascular lesions that leaked blood into his organs. The lesions spread and grew over time, eventually deteriorating tissue and leading to organ failure. Sakura was a combat field medic and poisons specialist. Diseases weren't her area of expertise, especially not rare and complicated ones like this. But there was something about it that seemed familiar in the back of her mind. She was almost certain she'd read about something like it once.
"I'll be right back," she muttered absently, standing. Itachi said nothing, his eyes following her as she left the room. She went quickly to her pack, which she'd left on the bench in the lobby, and dug around in it until she found the scroll she was looking for.
Junko must have heard her. Peeking her head out from the staff room, she called, "Everything all right?"
"Everything's fine," Sakura assured lightly, flashing a distracted smile as she hurried back to Itachi's room.
As she crossed the room she grabbed the chair from near the window and pulled it up alongside the bed. The sun had set by now, and she had to switch on the bedside table lamp to see clearly. The soft fluorescence illuminated the area around the bed but didn't extend much further, leaving the rest of the room in near darkness.
Sakura unrolled the scroll in her lap, made a few handseals, and with a soft poof and curl of vapor, a massive medical tome around eight inches thick sat on her knees.
Naruto liked to make fun of her for carrying around "the kitchen sink," as he liked to call it, and about the fact that she liked to read it in her spare time. Apparently Itachi thought it similarly unusual. He glanced from the enormous book to her face and very slightly raised an eyebrow.
"What? This thing is very useful. A fact I'm about to prove right now," she said defensively.
The comprehensive encyclopedia was so heavy she had to hold the thing with both hands to keep it from falling off her lap as she scanned the index and paged her way to the section on rare diseases. Sakura spent the next several minutes reading, the room silent except for the rustle of paper as she turned pages and the occasional raspy breath from Itachi, who watched her intently the entire time. Her expression perked when she found what she was looking for, and she absently chewed her lower lip as she scanned the article, a small knit appearing between her brows whenever she read something troubling.
When she finished, she closed the book carefully and gave him a wan smile. "I found it." She told him its name, a scientifically complicated mouthful, and what exactly was happening inside his body. "It's extremely rare," she said, shaking her head slightly. "There's no evidence of it being hereditary, nor is it contagious. It's currently unknown how it develops, and there is no medicinal cure." Her expression hardened, and she raised an expectant brow. "Now tell me where Sasuke is."
Itachi regarded her silently for a long moment. Finally, "My brother is with Uchiha Madara."
Sakura started, eyes going wide, and had to grip the book harder to keep it from slipping. Tsunade had mentioned the possibility of the Uchiha clan founder still being alive, dark rumors whispered on the wind. "Uchiha Madara…so he is alive then," she murmured to herself. She met Itachi's dark gaze. "And Sasuke, he's…a captive?"
Irony flickered across his features. "Not in the way you mean. He is an accomplice."
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
Itachi exhaled slowly, what in others might have been a sigh. "He has been filled with lies and half-truths, manipulated by Madara's spin. I believe that Madara intends to turn my brother against Konoha and use him to destroy it."
"That's not possible," Sakura argued. "Sasuke is only a missing-nin because of you. He wouldn't turn against Konoha and his friends—"
"It is possible, given what Madara has fed him," he interrupted. His pale lips curved in a faint, mocking smirk. "And you haven't been his friend for years."
Sakura grew angry. "I am his friend, whether he wants to acknowledge it or not! Naruto too—"
"But he isn't yours."
Her mouth opened to retort, but then snapped shut, and she fixed him with a spiteful glare. She wanted to yell at him: 'You know nothing about him! You ruined him!' But deep inside she knew he spoke the truth. Her words were hollow, mechanical defenses that were no longer completely heartfelt. But she wasn't about to admit that to someone who had no right to discuss this with her.
With a flash of handseals the book was inside the scroll again, and Sakura stood abruptly and reached for her coat. "Thank you for the information," she said stiffly.
"Thank you for your diagnosis," he returned, just the slightest bit bemused.
"Goodbye." She turned for the door.
"Sakura."
Sakura stopped but didn't turn, waited for him to continue. When he did, his words were quiet, almost reluctant.
"You said there was no medicinal cure…"
"Right." Damn him for being a genius.
"But you can heal with more than medicine. Is it…possible?"
In the oppressive silence, the weight of his fragile hope was tangible. It felt like a hole had just opened beneath her.
It could have been seconds or an hour before she was able to reply, "Yes. There is a chance." She waited, listened hard for a sigh of relief, anything. But there was nothing. "I don't know if I can cure the cause, but I could heal the existing damage and buy you some time. But…"
"But why should you," he finished.
She turned finally, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes. Why should I."
"I can help you save him."
Sakura scoffed. "I think the last thing Sasuke wants is your help."
His lips curved in that same ironic half-smirk. "Many things have changed since my brother and I last saw each other."
Her eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"In time." He studied her carefully, giving nothing away of his own feelings. "Madara is a master of manipulation. He will twist every thought in my brother's head until he believes black is white and down is up. He knows exactly what to say to drive him beyond reason."
"Kind of like you did?" Sakura challenged.
"Yes," he admitted evenly. "Only much worse. Sasuke is beyond your help. I can get through to him, but I can only do that if we meet face to face again."
"Why do you even care?" she asked incredulously. "You've spent the last ten years driving your own little brother insane, and now you want to help him? And why do you give a damn what Madara plans to do to Konoha? You're a traitor who killed his entire clan!"
The room went very quiet in the wake of her outburst. Itachi seemed to withdraw into himself, becoming impassive and blank again. It was a long moment before he replied, "Things aren't always as they appear."
Sakura stared at him in muted fury and perplexity, silent only because she had a dozen questions and didn't know which to ask first. Before she could ask any of them, Itachi spoke again, though the words seemed difficult for him to say.
"You need my help, Sakura…and I need yours."
"You're asking me to betray my village!" she hissed.
He looked at her as if that made no sense. "It's not outside of Konoha's practices to collaborate with lesser criminals in order to bring down a bigger threat."
"You're hardly a lesser criminal, Itachi. And it's only legal if it's sanctioned by the Hokage."
"Then tell her," he said simply.
"Even if she agreed to it, in the end…you won't get immunity."
"I have no such expectation."
"You'll be executed." How could he be so calm about it?
"A swift death is preferable to this." He gestured, indicating his current state.
"What reason do I have to trust anything you say?" she demanded, searching for a way out. This was the last thing she'd expected to happen when she decided to enter this room. "You probably plan to kill me and run back to your freakshow friends once you're healed."
Itachi frowned at her. He was frustrated, at his wit's end, she realized. Well that made two of them. Eventually the knit between his brows faded away, leaving his features flawless, though tired, once more. "If you agree to this," he said slowly, "not only will I help you save my brother, I'll tell you everything I know. About Madara, about Akatsuki…and about myself. It is more than a fair trade."
Sakura sighed tiredly, bringing a hand to her brow. She shook her head, at a loss for words, at a loss as to what she should do.
"Sakura…"
There was an imploring edge to his soft tone that forced her to meet his gaze. His dark eyes seemed to penetrate right to the core of her.
"Please."
Sakura just stared at him for a long moment. "I…I have to think about it," she said finally, hating how unsteady her voice sounded. She quickly left the room. Knowing if she went back to the lobby Junko would question her, she silently slipped into the empty room next door. She didn't turn on a light, just sat at the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands.
She was more than a little shaken by Itachi's apparent desperation, by the fact that he was pleading with her. It was unfathomable. Even if she saved him for now he would likely be executed anyway, so what could be so important to him that he was willing to beg her for help when he had nothing to gain? It couldn't be for Sasuke…not when for the past decade Itachi's only purpose seemed to be driving Sasuke into an early grave.
In the other room, she heard Itachi begin to cough, a sickly and painful wracking. He must have held it in until she left the room. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and massaged her temples, imagining the blood staining his fingers as he tried to muffle the sound.
None of this made any sense!
Furthermore, she despised this man! She didn't want to help him. He didn't deserve help. So then, why was she even thinking about it? Why did part of her feel sorry for him? Worse yet, part of her wanted to believe him. So much of what she'd seen in the past few hours contradicted the image of Uchiha Itachi she'd always held in her mind.
Now his life was in her hands as surely as if she held a blade to his throat. He'd been resigned to death, even refused medical treatment. But now, because of her, because she could do things that no ordinary doctor in the world could, he had hope. It was a heavy burden to bear.
But this wasn't about her. Sakura was being asked to play a part in a much bigger game, one she didn't entirely understand. Itachi had promised to explain the game and give her answers—revelations for which the Hokage would pay her weight in gold. How could she turn down an opportunity like this?
She couldn't, really. Her honor as a medic and her duty as a shinobi overruled her personal feelings on the matter.
With a heavy, resigned sigh, Sakura stood and returned to Itachi's room. She shut the door silently and made her way to his bedside. Crossing her arms over her chest, in a measured voice she said, "Okay. I'll do it."
Itachi showed no sign of relief or happiness, only solemnly replied, "Thank you."
Sakura wasn't interested in his gratitude. "I can't make any guarantees," she continued stonily, "but I'll try my best. You'll at least live long enough to fulfill your end of the bargain."
He nodded once. "That's all I ask."
"This will take some time," she explained, moving to sit in the chair, keeping her arms crossed. "Weeks. Maybe even months. I'm not a machine, and if I overstrain myself too often I could end up as bedridden as you. This is a risky venture for both of us, and the chance of success would be greater in a hospital so I'll contact the Hokage and arrange for your transport to Konoha—"
"No," he cut in, a steely edge in his tone. "Akatsuki has eyes in Konoha. We cannot risk them finding out I'm alive. There is also the risk that I may not survive the journey."
He was likely right about that part; Konoha was far away, and the weather worsened daily. It was also alarming to hear that there was an Akatsuki spy in her village, though it wasn't her biggest concern at the moment. "Well we can't stay here," she argued. "This clinic doesn't have many resources, and besides, after the way you've treated the nurses I doubt they'd let you stay for another month or two. What am I supposed to do, then?"
"Figure it out," he said calmly, as if it were as simple as deciding on a restaurant for dinner.
Sakura threw her hands up with an aggravated growl and stood. She paced the room a few times, occasionally shooting him a baleful glare. She knew what he was asking of her, and she knew the risks involved. Naruto would tell her there was no way in hell she should ever be alone with this guy, even if it meant taking out Akatsuki and saving Sasuke. Tsunade would tell her to be careful, but to buck up and do her duty. Her own inner voice was telling her she was insane for even considering it.
Sakura felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff. The wind pushed against her back, urging her over, but she knew what awaited her if she took another step. This could turn out to be the most foolish thing she'd ever done. But the necessity was clear, the choice already made. She took a deep breath, and without looking down, she jumped.
"Fine. I'll see what I can do."
With a final infuriated glare in his direction, she turned on her heel and left the room to find Junko.
Next chapter: The Healer and Her Patient
