The Awakening

by stones

Day Five

On the fifth day, she was restless.

She could feel it dance through her whole body. A sort of unknown adrenaline released itself into her thick blood. The feeling of anxiety, hopelessness, and sheer confusion coursed through every fiber of her being. She wasn't entirely sure what brought upon these emotions, but she could not ignore them. They were incredibly strong. Strong and determined. She quickly slipped on her clothes. Her restless legs took her across the room and back in a frantic hurry. What was the rush? She did not know.

She had a theory that there were different roads in life, the one taken determined by the choices made from day to day. A couple years ago she was sure she was traveling the right one. It might have been paved with rocks and proved to be a bit bumpy, but in the end she was sure she was where she needed to be. That is, until he left. Then she found herself at a dead end.

She hadn't seen Naruto since that morning, and she was greatly tempted to go visit him. Even a separation as short as this one made her miss his company. It was hard not to. His personality was amazing to say the least. And for such a spirit to live in one who had faced so many things was truly a miracle. Instead of heading towards her patient, she turned onto a new street. It had seemed so long since she entered this building, but understood that this thought was rubbish. It had only been a couple days, but to her they were an eternity. Every hour was elongated. Every minute dragged on. Every second played teasingly on and on, letting her savor every moment that it offered.

When in front of the door, she gave it two knocks and almost instantly a voice beckoned for her to enter. She sauntered in, sending a greeting towards the Hokage. "I'm here for my report."

"Great," Tsunade said, leaning back in her chair to glance up and down the girl. There was a certain cheery aura about the girl, which was strange given the current circumstances, but perhaps this cheeriness was mistaken for jumpiness, in which case she could not blame her.

Sakura took her seat and repeated everything that she had spent time scribbling on her clipboard, although it wasn't in front of her. Tsunade nodded as she looked away from the girl, pondering on every word that was coming from the young medic's mouth. "Besides health, what else can you tell me?"

Sakura tensed. She was a medic, not an interrogator. She had expected that Tsunade would have understood this. It was not in her job to play such a part, but it was her duty to spill everything she knew to the Hokage. And for once in her life, she didn't. "Meaning?"

"Does he say anything?" Tsunade asked, shifting in her seat to lay her hands down on her desk. Sakura noticed this as something Tsunade did when she was talking business. "Anything at all?"

"I mean," Sakura said but quickly drifted off. There was a battle raging in her head, conflict clearly taking place. She knew she would have to tell the Hokage that he did talk, but she wasn't quite willing to tell her what he talked about. "Yes, he talks. Mostly just a few sarcastic remarks."

"Like what?"

"Useless things," Sakura lied, which she realized she was getting quite good at. The conversation took a pause after that and Tsunade clicked her tongue. "What time is his questioning?"

"It hasn't taken place today," Tsunade said, looking away from the young, pink-haired medic to think further. Sakura didn't want to intrude on her thoughts, but couldn't help the temptation to ask further.

"Why not?"

"He's not saying anything," Tsunade said, clearly annoyed. She looked back at Sakura and instantly Sakura looked away, not knowing how to react now that her gaze was centered on her. "Not one word." She could tell that the Hokage was on edge and that those words had somehow made it through clenched teeth. "Nothing."

"Nothing at all?" Sakura asked and this earned an irritated grunt from Tsunade. "Put Ibiki on the job-"

"He is on the job," Tsunade said, shaking her head. This resulted in a form of amazement in Sakura's eyes. Anyone to make it against Ibiki was clearly someone who held a great amount of self-control and preservation. Not one word. Ibiki was known as a sadist who was able to bring down the greatest of criminals without even resorting to physical torture.

"Couldn't he get into his mind and-"

"There's a barrier," Tsunade said, cutting Sakura off. The room grew quiet. Sakura had long run out of ideas and all had been tried already. She didn't want to ask what type of barrier or how it could have even been placed. The Hokage's face was wrinkled in displeasure and her nails drummed against the desk, setting an uneasy beat across the room.

"He needs food," Sakura whispered quietly, scared to cut through the silence. Tsunade looked at her out of the corner of her eye and Sakura couldn't quite tell if she was giving her a look of bewilderment or annoyance. "Before you say anything, I'm just trying to do my job. I can't stop starvation without food. He'll die before we can do anything else."

"There is no point anymore I'm afraid," Tsunade countered. "If he won't talk, there's no reason to keep him around."

"You and I both know he can't die now," Sakura said, running close to daring. "This is concerning Naruto's safety. If he doesn't talk, we'll just have to keep trying."

Sakura interpreted Tsunade's sigh as an agreement. Deep down, Sakura knew that the Hokage in front of her cared for the blond and would also do anything in her power to keep him safe.

"We have to keep trying."

Tsunade nodded, almost as a plea for Sakura to stop talking. Once again she sighed and turned in her chair. "Consider it done."

Sakura smiled and bowed her head out of gratefulness, although she was sure Tsunade couldn't see it. "Don't expect a five star meal though. I'll send someone to feed him and if he doesn't accept being fed, I can't do anything about that."

Now this was dangerous. Sakura knew that if Uchiha Itachi wouldn't speak one word to anyone, he wouldn't allow him or her to feed him. The thought was almost funny-- someone feeding the great Uchiha Itachi like some common baby.

"Let me do it."

"What?" Tsunade asked, having expected this conversation to be over.

"It's my job," Sakura defended, although they both knew that Tsunade wasn't trying to insinuate anything—yet. "He needs to be fed. And we both know he's stubborn. I'm his medic and naturally, he is used to me…touching him." The words came out so awkward and incredibly strained. Although the intent was clearly innocent, the thought of touching Uchiha Itachi still sent chills running through her spine. "He'd probably be more accepting if I did it."

Tsunade sighed and Sakura smiled coaxingly for the fact that she was way too exhausted to argue. "Whatever floats your boat."

Sakura nodded and exited the room in a hurry. After all, she couldn't waste time because slowly but surely, her boat was sinking.

Sakura was drowning.

Her breaths came fast, but as each one was taken, water flowed through her mouth, ran down her throat, and lodged itself in her stomach and lungs. Frantically, her hands reached up to clutch her throat, begging for a fresh breath of air. Her eyes stung, the feeling of something unnatural throbbing in the back of her head. She was sure it had to be water, although she saw nothing but red. It wasn't as thick as blood and it flowed around her.

Her suffocation was coming greater and she flailed her arms and legs. Suddenly, she felt a weight pushing down on her shoulder. She kicked out and connected with something. Noises escaped her mouth but they sounded like nothing but moans and groans that were crushed by the pressure of the water.

Black dots lined her vision. Slowly her eyes grew heavier. Her breathing had ceased for now the water had entered her lungs. Surely she was about to die. She did not see her life flash before her eyes. She did not see her family or her friends. What she did see were red eyes. What she did see was him.

With a jolt, she lifted her head. There were a couple of frantic movements as she searched around herself. Her eyes rested upon her apartment where she now remembered stopping by to take a rest before going over to her patient. The feeling had felt so real and even now her throat burned with fear. Tears stung behind her eyes. She felt it so near. Death had been swirling all around, but now she was only surrounded by the noise of her TV and the sight of a bag of chips sitting on her table. It was evident that she had dozed off into a light nap though the attempt to gain some shut-eye was a failure.

She recalled the dream—no, nightmare—that she had just had. The feeling had been so real, so strong. Everything was crashing down upon her. Not just the memories of the dream, but the memories of the past couple days. Everything was so heavy, so forceful. Then there was the confusion clouding her mind. Just which brother had she seen?

Nearly an hour later, she walked along the narrow hallway, basket hanging on her arm. The poor excuse of a kitchen that was placed along the cells had prepared a rather pathetic meal consisting of a dry sandwich and apple, but either way, Sakura was proud of the fact that she had gotten him food. It was strange to think that she was feeding a villain—one who had not only slain innocent people, but also directly impacted her life.

This time the guards couldn't take it away. Whatever the Hokage had done, they certainly all got the note. They only nodded in acknowledgement, searched her, searched her belongings, and then let her in the room once all of the locks were undone. She entered the room and couldn't help but think of the first Awakening that had just taken place yesterday. She regretted it deeply. It put a strain on the two of them. She knew that. The words were too true and so real that they cut down the foundation, which she had built her imaginary world upon. And even though she had taken such a great fall, she figured she had found a new road. Granted, it was less traveled on; nevertheless, she was moving forward once more.

"Good news," she said, once they had stared at each other for a few moments. He noticed the basket and his stomach growled in response. Dare she say she found this cute? She shook her head as she walked closer, placing her things on the table—her medical kit and clipboard next to his cloak.

She opened the basket and fished out the poor excuse for a sandwich. With a lift of the top piece of bread, she showed him the contents almost as if she was waiting for his approval, understanding that he would never give it. The sandwich was altogether quite plain. A simple piece of turkey with mayonnaise globed on messily.

"Yum?" she said, although it came more as a question than statement. Either way, she was only trying to make it better. She lifted it to his mouth and he stared long and hard. The thought that he was dependent on her to feed him no doubt outraged him to no end. His fingers tensed at the idea. He was stubborn all right, but not stubborn enough to say no to his growling stomach.

Bite after bite, she nodded her head. The meal progressed slowly, which was something she had not expected. Under such hunger, any person would have launched themselves at whatever food lay before them. They would have given into the carnal instincts which connected humans to animals. But Uchiha Itachi took his time. Took his time as if he had all the time in the world to waste. She figured he couldn't be trying to savor the meal. That looked nearly impossible. The bread was stale. She could feel it crumple easily in her light hold. Maybe she should have grabbed something from her apartment, although the thought came too late.

"It was all I could do," she said after he had finished eating. She dusted the breadcrumbs off of her hands and sighed. The apple core dropped onto the metal table with a heavy thud even though it was picked clean. She wanted to say more. Wanted to tell him that she would try harder, that she could offer more. Wanted to, but just couldn't, not after taking into account who he was.

He nodded, which Sakura accepted as a thank you, whether he meant it as one or not. For all this work, she only needed the smallest amount of gratefulness in return. She needed some kind of acknowledgement because what she was doing went going against every ideal she had ever set before. Whenever she had thought of Sasuke's older brother before, she associated him with anger, hate, and sadness. Although those feelings hadn't been replaced, she never would have imagined that she would reach out and go the extra mile just to help him feel more comfortable in his position. She would have done anything for Sasuke and she figured that was why she was doing this. It was a morbid connection, one she could not seem to shake. The fact that it was his older brother ran through her head, but she couldn't deny the underlying thought that everything she did was for the younger.

"You're being quite the troublemaker," she said, turning to retrieve her clipboard from her bag. "Not one word, huh?"

He didn't say anything, causing a surge of disappointment to pang through her. She pretended to look over her clipboard and notes, although her mind was nowhere on the words scribbled on the papers.

"So now you're feeling shy," she mumbled, not sure if she wanted him to hear that or not. She dropped the clipboard on the table to turn and look at him. "Might as well spill everything you know." Her voice started to rise. "You're going to die anyway. Why does it matter?"

He stared at the sudden outburst and took notice of her tense figure. Although she stared straight at him, he decided not to make contact with her eyes. The fact that his brother only fueled her emotional flames kept him from doing such. He didn't necessarily feel like dealing with a moody woman and anything that could avoid this would be done.

"Might as well die with a little bit of dignity," she continued as he turned to face her fully. It seemed as though her tangent was not coming to an end anytime soon. With this thought, he decided to act upon it, not caring if the girl got out of control again.

"Dignity?" he said, his voice coming out much quieter than hers. "Dignity is what I'm aiming for, Sakura. Telling them all I know, I see no dignity in a foolish action such as that."

"You'll be saving Naruto's life!" she snapped back, ignoring the fact that he probably didn't care. And she supposed he didn't when he didn't say anything back. Her breathing was heavy from the anger that suddenly filled her.

"You stupid Akatsuki fucks!" she yelled, hands clenching together tightly, almost as if she were squeezing him. Inner Sakura had finally wedged through and he noted the drastic change in her mood. "You're selfish, all of you! What are you getting at? He's my friend, he's a human being, not just some demon for you to use and throw out like yesterday's garbage." He continued to look at her, annoyance plastered on his distinct face. She still continued. "You all are monsters and I hope you burn in the deepest pits of hell!"

"Why do I sense that all this hate is directed at me? I'm not the only Akatsuki member. We all work towards this goal."

"No, but you're the only one here," she replied dryly, a large lump forming in her suddenly parched throat.

"That's not very fair, is it?"

She hated his mockery, how his little statements teased her again and again. They made her feel stupid and if that was his goal, he had succeeded. "Life's not fair."

"Hn. Very well."

"Very well? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Life is not fair," he repeated, slowly emphasizing each syllable. He played with the word, letting it fall gracefully from his thin lips. Though he did not answer her question, his response led her further.

"But I suppose you know all about that," she continued, hands returning to her hips as they usually did when she was in. "You know what's not fair? Screwing up someone's life. Taking everything from them. Letting them think they have everything they could ever want and suddenly snatching it away."

"Oh I see," he spoke calmly. "This is about Sasuke."

She wanted to correct him. For once, it wasn't. It was about her, but she allowed him to continue thinking this.

"I'm wondering when you will finally realize he is not what you have made him to be," Itachi continued and had Sakura not been so wrapped in the argument, she would have been surprised at how much he was saying. "You condemn me so much and yet, why not him? As I have said before, we are very much alike."

"No," she insisted, knowing this word meant nothing.

"Ever since youth," he continued, a look of annoyance crossing his features. "Every since childhood, the brat held so much envy—envy that made him strive to become me."

"That was before," she interrupted with a hiss.

"And he was so blinded by this jealousy that he could not see the truth that was poking him in the forehead," he spoke, the words making their way smoothly from his lips to her ears and they tickled her the same as if his lips were pressed up against them.

"He didn't kill his family," she said, defending the younger Uchiha once more with the same argument that had been shut down before.

"And what is he trying to do now? Kill his brother—his family. He may not know it, but he is walking the same path I have already treaded."

"That's a lie," she hissed. "He wouldn't be trying to kill you if you hadn't taken everything from him! It's revenge."

"Revenge," Itachi scoffed, looking straight at the girl although she had made sure to direct her attention away from his powerful gaze. "Revenge is a sorry excuse that most use to cover the truth. He isn't looking for revenge; no one ever does. What he seeks is power."

"He will never be like you," she said, voice shaking with anger and despair.

"It's too late," he replied, speaking those words slowly and calmly. "He already is."

Suddenly, she became tense once more and he noted this change again. This was when she usually spoke on urge, the words spilling from her mouth without thought. "I hope he kills you! And when he does, I hope I'm there to see it because you know what? You think you know everything and you think you're some big hot shot, but you're not. I hope when he kills you, you finally realize what it's like to have everything ripped away from you!"

His eyes flashed dangerously and Sakura quickly looked away from them. No way would she allow herself to be sucked into his fucked up little world where heavens knows what he could do to her. "I am usually a patient man, Sakura," he said, words coming out soft like velvet but incredibly dangerous like dynamite. "There are places you have never been and words you have never heard. You cannot possible understand all that works around you. And there are some lines I will not allow you to cross."

"Oh really?" she whispered, although her overconfident words were betrayed by her strained voice. "And how are you going to stop me?"

She was happy when he did not answer, because she really didn't want to know. It was then that the Second Awakening was over.

Someone should have told her this road led to a cliff. She would have looked twice before jumping.

He paced back and forth, something he had been doing since they arrived near the village. Even now, he continued to gaze down on it, biting his lip in a certain anxiousness and annoyance. His attention was so focused on Konoha that he hadn't noticed a second presence had come to join him. And her voice was so familiar, he instantly knew who it belonged to. Even though he hadn't heard her arrive, he wasn't the least bit startled, or perhaps he just hid it very well.

"What's the plan?"

What was the plan? This he did not even know. His eyes barely left the village and all thoughts were centered on it, not his brother. A spy had just informed him yesterday that he was being healed and kept alive for questioning. To be questioned by Morino Ibiki-- healing done by Haruno Sakura. He wasn't very sure if this name brought back any certain feelings. If they did, they were very subtle. In no way was he that idiot boy whose team had held him back anymore. Times had changed and so had he. He wondered if this was true for the girl.

"We'll have to act soon, before they kill him themselves."

He listened to the words that she spoke, but didn't turn to acknowledge the common sense in her simple statement. Time was running out and this was surely true. He spit to the ground, never taking his eyes off the village. The girl was finally leaving, grass rustling as she took her steps.

Yes, time was running out, and time didn't wait for anybody.

A few hours later, she was back in the cell. They had both had time to clear their cluttered thoughts and wipe away their tongues that held so many words of distaste. Her fingers played with the edges of the metal table and her eyes lingered on his cloak. The cloak that symbolized all that she ever hated. The mood in the air of this cell bounced back and forth from a pleasant aura to a tense one. Their little tussles always came quickly and suddenly, but even faster came the light talk that begged for a truce.

"Ibiki's a hard man to get past," she whispered quietly, no doubt trying to clear the tense air that filled the room. "He's really good at mind games."

"And so am I."

This she did not doubt. This she already knew.

"You have given a report," he said and she wasn't sure if that was meant to be a question or a statement.

She nodded her head and stepped towards him although a tiny bit of apprehension was slowing her steps. Once again she crouched in front of him to lift his clothing. His stitches were still intact which pleased her greatly. All in all, things were progressing greatly. She supposed he hadn't been questioned today. He seemed healthier overall.

"I didn't tell them much," she said, satisfying his curiosity. She continued to survey her stitches, running her fingers along the tender flesh. He took a sharp intake of air and she brought her hand back to her almost as if it were burned. "But I guess that's because there wasn't much to tell."

"Sure there was," he replied as he leaned back.

She didn't know quite what he meant. As far as she knew, nothing he had said had given her any sort of alarm. Well sure his words fazed her, but they were not important enough to tell the Hokage. Sure she understood that she should have told Tsunade everything, but perhaps she was selfish and wanted to keep them to herself.

"Maybe you'll regret it when I'm gone."

"Gone? As in escape?" She wanted to roll her eyes.

He certainly didn't give up. The thought that he was telling her that he was going to escape didn't really settle for she thought it to be impossible. Why would he tell her such a thing if he knew she could run off to the Hokage to mention it? Should she? But maybe that was what he wanted? But she wasn't quite sure if that even made sense.

"Then why are you still here?" she asked teasingly.

He shrugged as best he could.

"Why would you stay if you could just go?" she asked, dangling on the edge of mockery. Once again, she could not understand the strange, unique man in front of her. All her other attempts ran off track and crumpled into the pathetic endeavor that they were, for in the end, she knew she would never come to fully understand Uchiha Itachi.

"I didn't say it made sense."

She smiled because she realized he really hadn't. None of this made any sort of sense now that she looked at it. "I don't understand why you do most of the things you do," she sighed.

"Sometimes, neither do I."

"So," she started, trying to pull together all her facts so as to decipher the puzzle that he was laying before her. "You can escape, but you just don't want to? Why?"

"How else would I be able to see your pretty face?"

His reply filled her with a feeling she couldn't quite describe, but she supposed it was on the borderline of exhaustion, amusement, and annoyance. She figured he was just as irritated with her asking the same questions over and over. His little jokes were beginning to be too much for her to handle. And in the end, she forgot about her confusion. She figured he knew what he was doing and the reasons would always be unknown to her.

She felt as if someone had thrown her a rope and she was climbing up the steep edge to continue on.

That night she walked along the gates of Konoha. Her hand was held out so that the wind could run freely between her fingertips. A small hum played at the bottom of her throat as she gazed at the darkness around her. Was it true? Was Sasuke really around? She stopped walking and rotated on the balls of her feet. And if he was, could he see her right now?

She cleared her throat and continued to walk. There was no way he would be this close to Konoha. It was too great of a risk of him getting caught. And for a split second, she contemplated stepping out further into the forests that surrounded the village. She wasn't really sure if she wanted him to be around. Before she would have given anything for another glimpse of him, but recently, well, recently had been very thought provoking to say the least. And this man, the villainous monster that she was assigned to heal, had her second-guessing everything she had ever come to know.

"If you're out there," she spoke aloud into the dark. There was a pause, perhaps because she didn't really know what she was trying to say. Sure she had practiced this speech over and over incase the day had come when she would be reunited with Sasuke. Yes, she had once practiced and could replay the scene in her head without any faults.

She would tell him she had been waiting and never once had doubted his actions. She would tell him that she fully supported him leaving, which was a lie that she would never come clean about. He would take her with him or perhaps come back for good. She hadn't really left either one out. They were both probable and she had spent many nights thinking of how each would unravel into the great future she was sure was laid before her. Their two paths would suddenly merge, and they'd be on their way down the road that would suddenly clear its path for their departure. And she would gladly leave her route to follow him traveling down his. But she didn't speak any of the words she had prepared. She didn't enact any of the actions she saw herself doing. She didn't follow the plan she had carefully laid. Itachi had her second-guessing. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say and had hoped something would come to mind while she stood in the middle of the murky forest.

Instead, she channeled into her heart and let her true feelings guide her. And they had proved to remain the same. "Please take me with you." For a second she though she saw him, but then guessed it was just a shadow. A shadow of a tall, lonesome tree. At the beginning he was her downfall, and in the end, he always would be.

Later that night Sakura sat on her bed, staring out the window. She watched every shadow that loomed in the street, hoping that one of them could be him. Her blanket was wrapped in her hands and she twisted it painfully in her grasp. Uchiha Itachi was nearly healed. She would probably do her last examination of him tomorrow and then it would be over, or so she liked to tell herself. The thought was sort of unsettling. She didn't really understand what she felt about never seeing the Uchiha ever again. They had grown so used to each other. It was odd to say the least and it felt incredibly wrong. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel a tad bit lonely, but she supposed if she dealt with it before, she could do it again.

Would they summon her to meet him again? Perhaps after they tortured him enough that he needed to be healed once more they would send for her. Perhaps he wouldn't even last that long. He wasn't saying anything and there was a mental barrier that cut anyone out of his thoughts. Yes, it seemed useless to keep him around, and no doubt he would be dead by the end of the week. She watched each shadow pass her window and she continued to wait. For which brother, she did not know.

She sighed when she had finally read all the signs. The many illusions of weary travel had led her to feel a false security of belonging, as if she was finally moving on. But now as she looked further, she realized she was traveling down a road. A long road to nowhere.

He stood there. For how long he did not know.

But he was rooted in one spot. Meditation was what one called it, although he seemed to tense more and not less as time ticked on. Yes, he was meditating, and this would be the last quiet moment for the next few days. He kicked the dirt, the first movement he had made in quite some time. The dust floated from the brown road and floated around his feet before settling peacefully once more.

"Sasuke."

He clenched his fists until he could feel the muscles in his lower arms tense considerably. There was no acknowledgement of the second presence that had just entered the area, although she was sure he had sensed her a mile away. She shifted in her spot, hugging herself from the wind.

"It's almost time."

He continued to look ahead, his eyes allowing him to see a little bit further into the dark than most. His dipped his head only slightly, enough for the woman to take this as a nod. The blood ran through his veins frantically, and he wanted to desperately to act on this impulse. He wanted to continue down the road, wanted to barge into that pathetic village and take all that he ever wanted. The thoughts coursed through him and his nerves were running high.

"You're tense."

Of course he was. Why she needed to point that out was beyond him. "Where are the others?" were the first words he had spoke in the couple hours that had just been spent in silence.

"Asleep. It was my turn to take watch."

"Then why aren't you?"

"I don't think I need to answer that," she responded, voice dying down considerably.

"You will do well to always answer my questions and spare me your attitude," he warned, finally cocking his head a bit to the side. She said nothing and he supposed he would have been annoyed if it weren't for his pathetic need that she was able to satisfy for the time being. "Go. I'll be there soon."

And with that, she left. He turned back and kicked the dirt around his feet once more. Before he left, he took a long, hard glance at the road that seemed to lead to nowhere. The road that led to Konoha.

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