The blade that was held steadfast against my throat wavered slightly, perhaps most people would not notice, but I did. This figure behind me was not a shadow clone, clones do not shake nor do they breathe. His breath was hot against my neck, he was closer for comfort than I cared to admit. A thousand different ideas ran through my head, almost too many to count. From this distance fighting was not an option, as soon as he felt me tense up no doubt that blade would be lodged deep in my throat. On the other hand I would not be able to run anywhere that he could not easily find me. His deep baritone voice took me by surprise, as if I had forgotten the sound.
"What are you doing so far from the village, Sakura?" I expected to feel some sort of enthusiasm at seeing him alive and well, but all I could feel was my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I did not move as he slowly worked his way around so I came face to face with the boy that once meant the world to me. He had not changed much since the run in with Danzo, the thought sent a shiver up my spine. His face was as cold as ever, his sharingan stared a hole straight through me. I hated to admit that my fear had me utterly paralyzed.
"I do not know what business that would be of yours, Uchiha," I did nothing to hide the venom that laced my voice, and I noticed the slight sparkle of surprise that flashed through those dark eyes for just a moment. The urge to run was making my legs twitch violently, but I knew no matter how far I ran I was outmatched. I had no idea where Itachi was and even if he was around I doubted if he would expose himself to Sasuke so early in our mission. I could not help but wonder how he would let me wander so close to Sasuke.
"That's awfully harsh Sakura," he narrowed his eyes and slowly took in my form, "something in you has changed. I cannot put my finger on exactly what it is," a wave of panic overtook me, I had never been good at lying. I took a small step back, but he did not miss a beat following me close behind. He did not allow the blade to rest gently, rather with each step he dug it in a bit deeper. I did not lie to Itachi when I said I wanted to save Sasuke, he was a part of my team and even now a friend. Although I knew that he was going to fight like hell to fulfill his own agenda, and destroy all those who stood in his way. There was also still the issue of Madara, we would need a miracle to defeat him.
"Last time you saw me you tried to kill me, you have to forgive me if I am a little bitter," in the blink of an eye I grabbed the sword around my neck and squeezed hard, "but your anger is misplaced Sasuke. I know you know the truth about your brother so I don't understand why you won't come back to the people your brother wanted to protect. The only thing that was more precious than the Leaf Village to your brother was you and this is how you choose to treat the Uchiha name," I could feel the anger swelling up inside of my chest, then there was a sickening snap as my hand went numb. I stared down to find that I had crushed the body of the sword. My hand had been impaled by the shards leaving a trail of blood dripping on to the ground before us.
"Do not presume to know anything about me anymore. They ordered my brother to kill his own people," his voice was so quiet I thought for a moment that I had imagined it. When I brought my eyes back up to meet his, for the first time since I could remember Sasuke looked lost. His eyes had returned to their dark hue and his hands had fallen back down to his side. The sword hilt in his hand hit the ground with a loud thud. It was then that a warm hand placed itself on my shoulder, the wind sent his familiar scent spiraling through the air.
"What is wrong with him?" I asked the tall figure that had just appeared behind me. The blood continued to run down my hand mixing with the earth below.
"Some sharingan eyes have particular abilities, these two you found me are particularly powerful. In this case my right eye has the ability to place my enemy in the worst memory they have experienced for however long I deem fit. It is a powerful genjutsu that even I would have difficulty breaking. I apologize for not being here sooner, but I think it is time we leave before the others show up. I can only use this jutsu on one person at once, it requires great concentration on my part to keep it powerful enough to subdue a strong opponent," I nodded my head in understanding, although I could not shake the guilt that I felt. I knew without asking what memory Itachi was keeping Sasuke trapped in, and I knew it hurt Itachi to put his brother through this pain.
"Why don't we just take him back to the village?" I knew the question was perhaps naive, but I did not want to leave Sasuke alone in these empty woods.
"If we did then he would only resent the village even further and just escape, most likely causing many casualties in his path. If we do this properly Sakura we are going to have to make Sasuke want to come back to the village, and the only way to do that is show him that this path he is on will only end in his own demise. Even if he sees me than I suspect he would think I was a figment of his imagination, this is a decision he must draw for himself. It is our job to protect him and figure out a way to kill Madara, only by doing that will Sasuke be freed from his influence. It hurts me too to leave him here Sakura, but there is work we must do," he was right, he always was. Sasuke was just out of reach, yet not he seemed so much further away.
"Goodbye Sasuke," I whispered as I turned my back to the man I loved and disappeared into the night in his brother's arms. I could only imagine what Sasuke would think if he saw the two of us huddled so close together. There was some terrible irony there, but I was too tired to care much to entertain the thought. When we got far enough away from the clearing, Itachi suddenly stopped.
"Do not worry Sakura, he will not remember stumbling upon you in the woods. I suspect the only thing he will recall is waking in the woods to find his sword broken," with all of the gentleness of a lover Itachi slowly brought my hand up to his face. A sudden red tinge of embarrassment rose up on my cheeks.
"I am fine, it was my own fault I let me anger get the better of me. I can heal it," I was about to focus my chalkra on sealing the woods when Itachi shook his head.
"Allow me, I can tend minor wounds," I did not fight Itachi as his eyes shifted to my hand as a green aura enveloped the wounds. I did not fight the smile that found its way onto my face as I took the opportunity to study his handsome features. I loved watching the slight furrowing of his brow when he would get frustrated, usually accompanied by the small bite of the lower lip.
"What are we to do now?" I did not try to cover the uncertainty that slipped through my voice, he always knew how I was feeling even if I tried to hide it. His dark eyes slid up to mine, and for a moment I found myself lost in their depths.
"If we are going to face down our demons, then we need to find where they sleep. Do you trust me Sakura?" I nodded slowly as he took my hand once more and led me further into the words. God help me I trusted him, yet I could not help but think of the boy I left behind in the woods.