READ THIS FIRST.
Foreword:
So, I had this whole rant about how people suck because they don't review and eventually I declared I was going to QUIT WRITING.
Which, by the way, thanks to the people who review my stories, lasted for a total of fifteen minutes.
You can thank Paige 0_o for bringing my attention to my reviews.
So, review, don't review. I'm fine with it.
Heiwa
Moldycookies
Drabble de Dos: Promise of a Lifetime
Itachi woke up to the sound of small, feminine hands banging on his front door. He opened it to reveal the distressed face of Sasuke's female teammate, Sakura. Tears were streaming down her face, her clothes were dirty and she looked like someone trampled her ten times over. The Uchiha could only assume that something had gone terribly, horribly wrong.
"Sakura-san, what happened?" he asked in his soft baritone.
The pink-haired chuunin blinked a few times before breaking down and putting her arms around him. "Sasuke's gone!" she wailed, "He left! He's gone!" Itachi stiffened, and pulled the girl closer. The Uchiha knew that Sakura had feelings for his little brother, and he also knew that Team Seven had no missions for the month of October. He had a feeling this might happen since the snake-like man had attempted to kidnap Sasuke a few months ago. "He left Konoha!" she continued, "He's leaving for Orochimaru! He's going to him for power to – to –to – Itachi, he's-"
"How long ago did he leave?"
Sakura looked away, ashamed. "It was nearly eleven when - when he knocked me out."
Knocked her out? Damnit. Itachi's grip on Sakura's shoulders tightened. "That's nearly five hours away. He'll be far too gone by then."
"But we have to get him now! We can't just let him-"
"Sakura," Itachi's shaky voice cut her off. "As much as I would like to go off with you to find Sasuke, I know that it is wiser to go to the Hokage and warn him of this revelation." The ANBU sighed to himself. The Hokage would not be pleased, especially since it was an Uchiha who willingly left.
"Can I come with you?"
Itachi frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid that this is between me and otouto. But rest assured; I will bring him back, Sakura." And her eyes were filled with so much hope, so much surprise and so much awe that Itachi didn't have the heart to tell her anything else otherwise. "I promise."
The pink-haired girl bit her lip, "Thank you, Itachi-san."
One year later, and Itachi wasn't any closer to getting his brother back. It seemed that every lead he got was either false or dead. It frustrated him greatly, especially when he actually thought that he was getting close to retrieving his brother, only to be brought to yet another dead end. Unfortunately, his frustrations did not end there.
As each day passed, he found himself retracting from his family and friends. With each failed retrieval mission, Itachi found himself becoming more and more reckless. He would push his teammates to go further than what was necessary, to go further than what was allowed. Even Shisui, who was almost as equally miffed about Sasuke's leaving, had qualms about Itachi's behavior.
Finally, he was confronted about it. Itachi remembers the moment quite vividly. Sakura had marched right up to him, and demanded that he tell her what the hell was wrong with him. "I mean, you're acting as if this has never happened before! You're acting like you're the only one suffering."
Itachi remained impassive, but he did not meet her gaze, which meant that she was getting through to him.
"Is that all you're going to do? Stare at me? I'm only fourteen, Itachi-san."
And so was his brother. "It's been a year." He stated plainly. It was a fact, and she knew that, too. Sakura missed Sasuke dearly, almost as much as she missed Naruto and Obito-sensei; but the knowledge that she knew they were going to be home made her miss Sasuke more.
But with all her wisdom as a fourteen year old training under one of the legendary Sannin, Sakura didn't know what to say to that.
A/N: thanks for reading! Reviews are love. :)