Luminescence

SeraphimLullaby

Full Summary:

Meeting in the heat of battle, two swordsmen develop a deadly attraction to one another. It's only natural to fight with each other when in love, right? It's not about what side they're on now. It's personal. (AU) ItaxSaku

A/N:

Third chapter readers! I know that Itachi and Sakura haven't really spoken to one another but Itachi doesn't strike me as the type of person to talk much ( seeing as he doesn't a lot anyways!) I think he does the talking with his sword…heehee. Thank you reviewers! I'm glad at least some of you enjoy my writing :P. Sorry it took so long to get this out… .hack/G.U. Vol. 1 and Star Ocean 3: 'Til The End of Time has captivated my attention and I just can't put the controller down long enough to actually go and write.

Thank you! (In order of reviewing…)

i-am-cool2121- Your review made me smile…and giggle. I'm glad that the shocked look fit perfectly. I was thinking it was a tad cliché, which in every sense, it is…but who cares. It fits!

BlackElement7- You've got that right. If they talked during battle I'm sure it would actually ruin the mood. Y'know what I mean?

Moonfish- :D Thank you. Are my fighting scenes really that beautiful/good? Sometimes I find it hard to actually describe how they move and what not without getting frustrated. But I do it for you guys!!

hellbutterfly421- Glad you like it! So here's another chapter!

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything other the plot and any OCs that might be placed in this story.

Chapter Three

Sigh Of Town

"Tell me Kakashi. Why are we really running around out here? I know for sure that is something more than just the Akatsuki causing trouble."

"I don't know what you're talking about Keisuke."

"Don't give me that bullshit Kakashi. I know you are keeping something from us."

"Hm…? And what could thaaaat be Keisukeeeee?"

The brunette growled. Why did the silver haired man have to be such a pain when drunk? It was a miracle that his words weren't so slurred, given how drunk he was. Keisuke was sure he would've ripped his hair out in frustration.

"I will find out Kakashi. You can't keep hiding important things from us!"

"Oooh…I have to keep my face hidden! It's important that I do! Even from you guuuuys!"

At that moment, he passed out. Keisuke growled, a dead-weight Kakashi was not making his night any better. Dragging the older man back to the inn, he mulled over whether he would kill him or not for putting him through this.

Seeing the figure of someone up ahead, the brunette squinted his eyes and to his surprise, saw Sakura leaning against a wooden pole. She seemed crestfallen, almost out of it, which was not like her. It also wasn't a smart move on her account.

"Sakura-san?"

"…?"

Keisuke watched her as she whipped her head in his direction, her emotions betraying her as she looked to him.

There…he could spot the distinct impression of dejection and frustration on her face. Aside from that, he wondered what she was doing out this late.

It was then that he noticed the slash in her shoulder.

Along with the rivulets of blood flowing freely from it.

"Sakura-san! Are you alright?!"

Setting Kakashi down on the ground, he immediately went to her side and inspected the injury.

It appeared to be semi-deep, but not life threatening.

"…I'm fine."

"What happened?!"

"…Nothing of importance. I'm heading back to the inn now."

With that, much to Keisuke's dismay, she turned around to leave.

Reaching out and wrapping his hand around her around her wrist, he was surprised when she tore herself away from him.

"Don't touch me." The pinkette ground out.

"But Sakura-san I'm only trying to-"

"Listen, Keisuke-san. You may be on our team but know this. I do not trust you one single bit."

Letting her walk away this time, he frowned.

"Geez…what crawled up her ass and died?"

Turning to Kakashi, finding that he was very much awake and swaying back and forth like an idiot, Keisuke clapped a hand to his forehead.

This was indeed one of the worst nights he ever had.

Sakura nearly stumbled into her shared room with Naruto and headed straight for the bathroom. Locking the door behind her and leaning against it, she stared at the palms her hands for a good amount of time.

She felt so…angry.

And confused.

What gave that man any right to touch her?

What gave that man any right to embrace her the way he did?

What gave that man any right to steal her first kiss?!

Clenching her hands into fists, she took a deep breath.

Don't hit anything Sakura…you'll wake up Naruto…

She felt as if she was acting rather childish about the whole situation but she was still a young girl, though her mentality was far beyond her years.

After calming down, she silently slipped out of her ruined attire and proceeded to bathe herself.

When the hot water began to encase her body, she winced when it reached her shoulder as she leaned back slightly against the tub. She needed this sort of pain though, to keep her focused on the fact that she could be stuck with something far worse than a mere cut.

For some reason (once again), she felt more…out of it than usual. Perhaps it was all the stress forced onto her in the past few days. No…it was more than that. She also took Konoha's state in mind. Her beloved village was falling apart before her very eyes. There was no point in denying it.

Still though, she would have to do whatever she could to preserve it and make sure it stayed Konoha. Even if it meant pushing herself to her limit or to the brink of exhaustion…she would do anything for her hometown. Sometimes, she wondered why she felt so strongly about her village but never really questioned her feelings. She did what she felt was right and being so devoted felt...right. To her at least.

The distractions in her life weren't helping her out though at all. They were making her thoughts stray to other trivial things instead of how to fend off any attack that should come in the future.

Closing her eyes, she immediately pictured his face. The way his raven colored bangs caressed his face…how perfect every feature was…how dark his eyes were… how surprisingly soft his lips felt against hers in the chaste kiss they shared…

No…the one he forced upon you.

Opening her eyes, she didn't have to look in a mirror to know she was blushing madly.

You barely know the guy and here you are blushing…this isn't exactly the right time to be thinking of guys Sakura! Get it together!

Aw come on Sakusaku. You need to loosen up a bit. All this stress will give ya gray hairs y'know.

You again.

You didn't let me run rampant! What happened to thinking about it?

I still am.

…No you aren't.

Shut up please.

It's really important that I do though! I could do great things while in control Sakusaku! You better think about it! Hmph. Fine. I'll leave you alone for now.

For a moment, Sakura really did wonder whether she fought the same person twice in a day. In the back of her mind, she pulled out the images of the mysterious performer and the dark-haired male she engaged in battle with.

Letting her body relax completely, the youth sighed and rubbed her shoulder lightly, washing the wound to cleanse it.

It seemed highly unlikely but then…she thought of how he moved.

How fluid and graceful each motion was, whether it was intentional or not.

Sakura couldn't help but wonder if he had many female companions. She wouldn't be too surprised though.

He was such a handsome guy.

Suddenly she frowned.

Ever since Sasuke left, she had practically been asexual, uninterested in the male population due to the fact that she was so heart broken from rejection. Now with all these thoughts plaguing her mind, she began to worry even more.

She couldn't allow such feelings and thoughts linger if she were to succeed in helping out Konoha. It already required all of her attention and energy as it was. With this newfound discovery, it was not making things any easier for her. If anything, it was making life even more difficult for the time being.

Still though, she couldn't help but think that she had seen the dark-haired male's face somewhere before…

Not being able to place a finger on it, she finished bathing herself and toweled her slender frame off. After dressing her wound with the supplies from the first aid kit she found under the sink, she began to gather her scattered clothing from the floor.

For now, as much as she hated the idea, she would have to slip back into the sullied attire.

Just as she pulled her torn shirt back on, Sakura squirmed.

There was nothing she disliked more than reusing dirty clothing from traveling.

Especially at that particular moment, when she was already squeaky clean and ready to fall asleep in a nice warm bed.

Nice warm bed...

Deciding that the idea didn't sound to bad, she exited the bathroom and turned off the lights, heading straight for her bed. It had been awhile since she slept in an actual bed instead of the makeshift ones she had to during her mission. Rolling her eyes as Naruto let out a terribly loud snore, the youth wondered if sleep would even take her.

It was a miracle that the inn owner hadn't come running with a weapon to tame whatever beast he thought may have been running rampant in his humble abode.

The Great Uchiha Sasuke would probably smack him then go back to sleep…

Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha…

The name set something off in Sakura's mind but she didn't get the chance to contemplate it seeing as she was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Sakura felt tense as she walked through the streets of her hometown. Something just wasn't…right. It seemed Kakashi, Naruto, and Keisuke could sense it as well, judging by their uneasy disposition.

The town was so…still. As if the life had been drained from it.

Suddenly, the pink-haired girl saw Ino, her childhood friend and rival, running towards them, worry and sorrow clouding her eyes as she clasped Sakura's hands in her own.

"Sakura-chan! Your back!"

Said girl instantly narrowed her eyes. Ino only called her by name whenever it was something serious.

"Our enemy…!"

She froze.

What about their enemy…?

"Sakura…Sound declared war on Konoha!"

So that explained the lack of life.

"Yamanaka-san…when?" Keisuke piped up, quickly recovering from the shock.

Almost too quickly… Sakura mentally noted while watching him.

"Yesterday…everyone is so terrified! This isn't good! Not at all! Especially since the Sand Village's mayor is here! Think of what his people would think if he were to be caught up in this mess?" Ino replied rapidly, almost forgetting to breathe.

"Didn't he come here to talk with the Old Man?!" Naruto suddenly chipped in.

"I'd be careful what you say Naruto. Said Old Man could be standing behind you."

"Yeah yea-….Ah!! When did you show up?!" The blonde exclaimed as he swiveled around to face the owner of the voice.

Sarutobi offered the four a warm but tired smile.

It seemed that even during these times, he still managed to remain their kind and caring leader. The way he was able to present himself calmly was always one of the many things Sakura admired about him.

"Ah…just now my dear boy." Said another voice. The moment the Sand representative took his side by Sarutobi, Sakura felt chills run down her spine. Something about him was just…creepy. One look at his entirely covered body, save for his eyes, told Sakura so.

She didn't like it at all but what could she say? He was only there because the two villages had some catching up to do along with some hardcore relationship mending.

Things only got stranger as she locked eyes with him. Those eyes seemed to be…watching her intently. As if taking notes and calculating something. Shaking those thoughts away the second Sarutobi and Kakashi walked off to discuss something, she noticed the male eyeing her paused before following them himself.

"Creepy…" Sakura heard Naruto mumble. It seemed that the he was paying attention for once. Then again, Naruto wasn't always an idiot, as others made him out to be.

"Keisuke, Sakura-chan, Naruto," Kakashi began. "You are free to go for now." With that, he continued on his merry way with Sarutobi.

Taking a look at the Sand representative one last time, Sakura narrowed her eyes and went off with Ino to enjoy what time she was given to relax.

"Man that guy was creepy! And what was up with him eyeing you. That is one grade A pedophile! I can tell ya!"

Sakura bit back her laughter at what Ino had said. She highly doubted it but it was a possibility. Throwing herself onto her best friend's soft bed along with her swords, she snuggled into the covers before propping her head up with her hands.

"I wonder though…there was something about him that seemed…off."

"You can say that again!" Ino snorted.

"Calm down Ino-pig. At least he wasn't staring at you."

"Yeah but he was looking at my best friend and sister's wide forehead!! Unacceptable!" she replied, pumping a fist into the air. Though Ino wasn't much of a good fighter, she could still pack a punch, given she was angry enough to do so.

"Hm…." Sakura merely sighed. Some things about Ino never did change. She was happy that she was still able to joke around freely with her. All of the seriousness earlier was getting to her.

Though something big was going to happen, she decided to spend the night at Ino's. She really did miss her best friend and she didn't want to pass up the chance to spend time with her. Who knows when one of their lives would be taken away?

Especially when they were about to go into battle with Sound.

"Geeze. Do you have to bring those things into bed with you? Think of how dirty they are!"

"Haha. Habits die hard. I always clean them though…so I don't think you have to worry about it."

"But still…! That's kinda gross."

"Fine fine…" Sakura propped her blades up by the foot of the bed, giving her the chance to reach out and grab them with ease if she needed it.

Feeling Ino nudge her side, the pink-haired girl scooted over and gave the blonde enough room to lay next to her.

Face to face, they began to share stories of what went on during the time they were separated.

It was times like these that Sakura really felt at ease. Despite what was going on, her best friend had a calming effect on her.

They spent hours talking with each other and soon enough, they both fell asleep with a peaceful expression splayed about their weary features.

BANG!

Waking up with a start, Sakura instinctively reached out for her blades only to find that one of them was missing.

What the hell…? She thought as she tried to clear her sleep fogged mind. Sitting up immediately, there were three things she noticed.

One: The bed she shared was missing its other occupant.

Two: The door to the room was thrown open and Sakura was a hundred percent sure that Ino always kept it shut.

Three: The view outside the window was unnaturally orange and continuously flickering as well.

Pushing herself out of bed, now wide awake, Sakura peered out of the window just in time to see her pajama-clad best friend get struck down to the ground.

Ino!!

Sakura thought as she ran out the door after grabbing Gin and stumbled down the steps to the first floor. She didn't know what she would do if something happened to the blonde. Taking a glance at her surroundings, she grimaced. A majority of the buildings were either on fire or being broken into. Screaming could be heard here and there but Sakura had no time to pay any heed to other's pleas and shouts.

"Ino!!" she cried out as she knelt next to the blonde's fallen form. Staring in horror at the girl in her arms, she spotted her sword a few feet away along with the enemy's…and an arm.

At first, Sakura had thought the blonde lost an arm but it was the enemy who had, and for that the pinkette was grateful. Quickly assessing the girl for any injuries, she found that she had a few minor cuts but nothing serious.

Thank goodness…

As the person with the missing limb ran towards her in an attempt to draw blood, Sakura set Ino down and rose up swiftly, unsheathing Gin with ease and precision. Not even a few moments later, the foe who dashed so foolishly towards her had fallen, missing more than just an arm.

"Sakura-chan!" jerking her head up at the sound of Naruto's voice, she automatically noticed the distress in his tone and for that she turned around and found and arrow headed straight for her. She could only watch, frozen to her spot as Naruto shoved her out of the arrow's path.

"Naruto!" landing on her side roughly, the pinkette could hardly care less about the pain that shot through her shoulder as she felt it tear open upon impact with the cold and hard floor. Sensing another presence behind her, she pushed herself up slightly and paused, slowly turning her head around only to find a set of bright green eyes staring down at her.

"M-Mother…?"

Chapter Three- End

I'll leave it at that…for now! I admit I was a bit more focused on getting this out before I leave for Russia so sorry if it seems…rushed. It'll probably be fixed in the future. I still have to revise Chapter Two so yeah. In the future! Oh and the romance will be coming in about… 2…3 more chapters? I can't rush these things you know so I'm sorry if seems like it's taking forever. I'm trying my best…

Review please!

-SL