Ya'll are lucky, here is another installment.

I don't own the characters, but the plot is all mine. I like to inspire people to write fantasy fiction, however steeling my plot is not inspiration, if you don't have enough skill or drive to make your own story, why bother?

Enjoy

He awoke to a faint tapping and a feeling of disconcertion that brought him to alertness in an instant, brushing aside the pleasant lure of magic that called him to sleep just a little longer. Propping himself up on an elbow he observed the head of pink hair bent in concentration.

She sat on the floor, the dagger that he normally kept under his pillow wielded in one hand, carefully chipping away at the enchanted gold chain binding her to the bed. She was being marginally successful too, the weapon was imbued with his blood magic which would do some damage to just about anything, except for him off course, it could not harm its maker.

"Working on the bed might go faster" he suggested after a moment of watching her chip away at the metal. She startled, tensing in her crouch and bringing the dagger up in a defensive position, though it would do her no good against him.

He observed her for a long moment, taking in the traces of fear that flashed through her eyes, careful not to get sucked into the magic that automatically sought to pull him into them to succumb to her lure. She was apprehensive of his presence, scared of what he might be and of what he wanted from her. But there was the quiet dignity of one who would defend herself, one who had done it before and knew more than a few tricks.

"Do you have a name" He asked finally. She just stared at him, jaw set, expression unchanging. She was very cute, adorable really, a strange thing to associate with a creature that was supposed to be all smooth seduction, and sleek curves.

He levered himself up so he was sitting. "Perhaps I should just give you one then." His tone was light, trying to encourage her to speak. He studied her again, this time thoughtful. She raised her chin in defiance a tilt of the chin that allowed him to see the curse that Shisui had mention, or at least its calling card. A seal on the underside of her jaw smaller than the end of his thumb.

It made sense, her most powerful weapon would be her voice, if one wished to subdue her then taking away that weapon would certainly be the best way. She was very much like a declawed kitten without that song, still willy and hard to catch but harmless, at least to the likes of him.

"I see" he mused mostly to himself. With quiet grace, he rose from the silk sheets, she gasped and skittered backwards, till she hit the end of her chain and slipped onto her behind. She kept the dagger up in front of her, the only defence she had left. He strode forward unperturbed by her reaction, with a flick of his wrist the dagger flew from her grip to his hand, he tossed it behind him onto the bed.

Crouching before her he grabbed her chin to observe the seal better, fending off one arm and grabbing her more dominant hand to quell her physical reaction.

She hissed at him, furious at his man handling.

"Peace kitten, I mean you no harm" She wrenched her chin free and tried to bite him. He actually chuckled "and she bites too". He released her but stayed crouched, observing. She wriggled away from him, moving at the end of her chain to find the corner where the bed met the wall. She cowered there, breathing hard and glaring at him.

It was then he realised perhaps part of the reason she was so disconcerted was that he was naked. He could imagine it was hard to believe that a man had innocent intentions when thus unclothed.

So, he went to find some pants, and perhaps some breakfast for the both of him, he wanted her cooperation. So perhaps some sort of bribery was in order.

It was also a good time to start plotting how he was going to start research on her species without letting Shisui and Sasuke know. He could really only foresee that being a difficulty for as long as their curiosity held out, they would soon loose interest in their teasing and Itachi would be free to peruse all avenues without fear of encouraging them.

He returned with a tray filled with an array of foods. His diet was preferential toward protein, but he had no idea what it was she would like so he brought a variety of fruit also. Retrieving food from the kitchens himself was not an odd occurrence for him however with so many guest around and about the castle this morning it became a tricky task. He was loath to be noticed and then stopped, especially when he had not bothered to throw on more than a loose-fitting pair of lounge pants.

He gently placed the tray on the ground not too far from her and sat down cross legged behind it. She had retrieved the dagger, doing more damage to the chain, though she was still some ways off from managing her freedom.

He pushed the tray closer to her so it was an equal distance from the both of them before snagging a piece of sausage for himself. He made a gesture that encouraged her to eat, but she just sat there for a long while, observing the situation while he too took the opportunity to study her. He was careful not to let his scrutiny become too intense, or he would spook the skittish creature more than he already had managed.

Finally, her hand darted forward to grab her own morsel from the tray, eyes watching him all the while. They ate in silence and the food was nearly gone when she leaned back in a manor that seemed to communicate she had had her fill.

Moving slowly once again, he rose and took the tray to where the servants would find it later.

"If you tell me your name I will take that off for you" he bargained when he had sat back down again facing her. She looked him over with distrust, before sliding her ankle out in his direction.

Carefully grasping her dainty foot, he turned it to examine the enchantments carved on the gold manacle. Inserting his magic just so, the little clasp in the side popped open and it fell to the floor. Immediately she tried to withdraw but he held fast.

"your name" he insisted. She paused again, before her mouth carefully enunciated the syllables so that he would be able to interpret what she said.

"Sakura?" she nodded once to confirm that was correct. "It does make sense with that hair" he mused even as he allowed her to yank her foot back.

He was somewhat reluctant to leave her, he really itched to take a closer look at that seal. But there were guests he had to see to and the noon meal would be served soon, it would be best if he made an appearance. A good spar with Hyuuga Neji would not be amiss either, he would in fact enjoy that.

Company was as he expected it. Crossing blades with said Hyuuga was invigorating as usual. The eyes that observed were tolerated, he supposed that watching their spar was deemed to be a good method of entertainment by some of their guests. Either that or their vast gardens, libraries, plays, orchestra, games of riding and of the slower more of the board variety was dull in comparison to watching their clash of blades, as well as the occasional tia-jutsu match.

Itachi got a bit of sadistic pleasure out of beating Shisui black and blue, perhaps it would beat out his cousin's tendency to make Itachi the target of his mischief, though he rather doubted it. Shisui still managed to flash him a cheeky smirk up from where Itachi had knocked him to the ground, he knew why Itachi was so out of sorts with him and knew that this was the best and probably the only reaction he would get.

Sasuke was strangely absent, he never missed the opportunity to go rough and tumble against a good opponent. But then again Senju Karin and her cousin Ami lounged nearby on cushions, eyeing the showmanship with no lack of appreciation for the sweaty skin bared before them. The eyes were…. uncomfortable. he hated being the centre of attention and once again he was boggled by the fact that his mother saw fit to make him the focus of this, it was ridiculous.

So, when he felt he had paid his due diligence he went for a quick flight. Keeping his form magic locked in a more human appearance for long periods made his sealing tattoos itch and he became overly restless. It helped calm his irritation to feel the wind against the red and black scales of his wings, to clear his thoughts and reign in his discomfiture at the proceedings. He was thankful that the charade of last night was over and that the guests would begin to disperse now.

Landing on his balcony he noticed that glass doors were already open, a strange occurrence. Immediately he was intrigued, ducking his head in past the curtains confirmed his suspicion. Somehow the little Siren had managed to pop the enchantments holding the door closed. His assessment of her abilities would have to be rethought.

His nose found her quickly, slinking along the edges of the roof from the shadow of one carved gargoyle to another. She spotted him stalking her rather too quickly for his tastes, its too bad, he would have preferred to observe her for a few more moments. She had obviously been through his drawers and helped herself to one of his shirts, tying the too long sleeves back from her hands and the to long edge of the bottom in a knot at one hip.

She immediately hissed her displeasure at him and he found she once again had his dagger clenched in one hand.

"If you were going to fight me, it would be best to find yourself a different weapon" he observed. As before he flicked a finger and the dagger flew to him, she just bared her teeth, conveying in actions what she could not in words.

He snatched her off of her gargoyle perch in a flurry of scaled wings, coasting the short distance back to his balcony as she wriggled and squirmed. He made as if to drop her, chuckling when suddenly she was clinging to him to keep from being dropped to a rather grisly fate. It was a long way to the ground.

Back in his suit he set her feet on the ground and she wrenched herself from his grasp, chest heaving face flushed red with anger. He had the impression that if she had her voice she would be chittering at him like an agitated squirrel. He smirked at her angry countenance amused by the comparison. It only served to make her more furious, she whirled around but he caught her wrist before she could stomp away.

"Oh, no you don't. If you are going to sneak about like a mouse I need some way to keep track of you" gripping both her dainty wrists in one long fingered hand he tugged her over the dresser. He opened a drawer or two looking for something in a calm manor that denied her resistance. Eventually he withdrew a pair of thin silver bracelets.

Fastening them on her wrists took a bit of finagling as she struggled against him. She was very limited in using magic against him here, he had sunk many suppression spells into the walls over the years. Not to mention Uchiha magic that had been wove into the palace for centuries that would restrict any not of the Uchiha bloodline in using here. As it was the claws of her demon form manifested and tiny almost-fangs formed in her mouth but she could cast no spells. It was the reason he had been so puzzled as to how she had managed to break the warding on his balcony doors, there couldn't possibly be a weakness he had over looked.

He released her abruptly and she stumbled back, barely avoiding landing on her rear.

"Now you may roam as you please, though I do warn you against making a spectacle of yourself before the guests. And don't try to leave, you will find it futile." He instructed. His warning may not be heeded, it was highly likely he would have to go hunting for her on more than one occasion, but the bracelets would see that it would be quick and painless affair.

He had no wish for a prisoner, really his only real interest in the pretty little thing was in the seal. Examining her would be easier if she was a willing participant, trust could be garnered through freedom.

As first born, and heir to the title of clan head, his work load was heavy. Politics, organization and decision making, that one day he would be taking the full weight of. The valleys surrounding their mountainous abode was cultivated by sprits of various nature and form along with a good mix of humans. They paid a tribute to remain under the protection of the Uchiha clan, and were in turn policed by them. A mutually beneficial arrangement, though some of the peons would disagree. They were also tasked with the keeping many of the minor demon clans in line when they thought to infringe on treaties in which the Uchiha were contracted as a disciplinary force.

Usually it amounted to a lot of paper work and meetings, but occasionally it required his presence in the field. He preferred such duties but he knew his responsibilities and did not shirk them.

In the following weeks, he found himself encumbered with said responsibilities, with not but little moments to seek her out and share little snippets of wisdom. Where to find a good book in the library, a nice section of the garden perhaps she would find interesting, small ponds in which she could enjoy her natural element, water.

He once gave her a flower carved from a ruby. She had cocked her head in question, but he had offered her no explanation, leaving her without a word to her reading in a sunny nook in the gardens.

She was not underfoot, nor did she try to escape, as he had suspected she would, even though such a feat would be difficult without wings or a steed, the castle was not in an advantageous position for escaping, high in the mountains with only one bare track leading to and from it.

She certainly had a spirit of mischief, the fun-loving nature of her species showing through. He caught her skulking in a fountain late one afternoon, he had come looking for her, rounding the corner to find her hiding in the long shadows cast by the stone maiden at the centre of the fountain. He stepped back to observe her for a moment, to understand why she hid so.

It became apparent that she was stalking Shisui in some capacity. Him and lady Anko of one of the lower tribes were meandering their way closer, it was apparent that his cousin was trying to get in good with the temperamental lady.

The pair of them came to rest at the fountains edge, absorbed so in the teasing playful banter between them, that they didn't notice the little pink haired figure crouching in the water. She waited until Shisui had turned his back, a fatal move on his part if she indeed had the capacity and will to end him, as it was he sensed no ill will.

The surge of magic was fast and gone again in a flash, before they could react to the wave of water that rose to crest over them, soaking the pair of them to the skin. Both gave angry shouts of indignation, but she was already bolting straight for the corner around which he hid.

She nearly lost the grin on her face when she all but collided with him. Quickly though she changed tactics, slipping in behind Itachi even as her two pursuers rounded the corner in hot pursuit. He abruptly found himself in the middle, and in the obvious position of peace maker.

Shisui checked his headlong rush to avoid colliding with Itachi.

"You little imp" He seethed when he had recovered a modicum of decency.

Sakura peeked out from behind Itachi one hand going to lightly grip his black shirt, though Itachi couldn't see her expression he was sure she was grinning. Her gesture of trust confounded him, he could not begin to analyze the way such an innocent motion conveyed a level of ease that he found a tad unnatural. He was in slight admiration of her lighthearted naivety.

Her level of fearlessness merely incensed Shisui further. She didn't seem to see the danger in taunting such a dangerous demon, it had been a long time since he had seen his cousin so incredibly riled, and to be honest it amused a part of him that wanted shisui to pay for all the times he himself had been on the receiving end of such tom foolery.

"I do believe that this is what they call Karma Shisui." Itachi intervened finally.

Shisui's bluster was nothing short of laughable and had Itachi been anyone else he might have indulged in the urge to do just that, as it was he just smirked at his expense. He glanced down to see Sakura stick out her tongue at the spluttering demon trying to scrape his dignity back together.

I will, at no time guarantee that this story will continue to be updated. But if it continues to escalate in reviews and readers I will be more motivated to continue on.

Constructive criticism is gold people, is this chapter worth the payment? :)