CHAPTER 3
A/N: Sorry It took me so long to get this out!! Ive been out of town on vacation and forgot my laptop! Ah! Anyway please read and review the more reviews I get it makes me feel all fuzzy and makes me want to write faster!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO…NO SHIT….
He leaned in and bit her neck so hard she heard the skin ripping and whimpered at the pain. She felt his tongue licking at her neck as he was biting her. She was in pain but her cheeks blushed a deep crimson, it seems some part of her was enjoying his touch.
He then released her and placed his bloodied hand over the bite mark concentrating chakra into it. It felt warm to her, almost soothing. But what had he just done? ------
She felt his chakra being pushed into her body through that bite hole in her neck. It felt warm and soothing and a strange feeling was taking her over, whatever he had done was having a most strange effect on her body. She could no longer feel the pain in her neck. She felt weak in her knees and there was a pain in her chest but it wasn't an uncomfortable one, what was it? She was trembling now, whatever he was doing ….it was making her euphoric, like a drug. Then a new feeling arose within the euphoria, she wanted to touch him, and be touched by him. She wanted him and as she realized this, she knew she was in trouble. He must have know this would have this affect on her, a clever way to keep her close perhaps?
Itachi felt it too. He knew it would have a side effect but he didn't plan on it being so strong. He felt pulled to her. He wanted to hold her, touch her, and kiss her soft petal colored lips. But this wasn't the time or place for this. He gently pulled his hand away from her neck, faltering ever so slightly, even so, Sakura didn't even notice. He looked down at her beautiful green eyes and proceeded to do the last thing needed to complete the seal.
He leaned down so that his lips were almost touching hers and in a soft whisper he spoke her name. "Sakura" he spoke it so softly onto her lips she wondered if he had really said it. He was so close she could feel his breath on her lips and it made her feel dizzy. She did not know that the sound of his voice speaking her name had finished the seal. She was confused at her position, pulled close in his arms, his lips hovering just above hers, and him, speaking her name in that way. It sent a shiver up her spine.
He couldn't take it anymore. She was so close after all. He looked down at her more intently crashing his lips onto hers and wrapped his arms tightly around her pulling her to his chest. She was sweet, she smelled of the fruit of her namesake, and her lips were so soft. She hadn't known but before the other night he had never even kissed a woman. And now he was doing it again, the realization hit him hard of what he was doing and he broke the kiss quickly. How could he loose control so easily? He released his arms from around her and then turned to face away from her.
"you will heal me, you have no choice now, if you want to live that is" he said in that silky monotone voice of his.
"w..what did you do to me?!" she screamed, now fearing what he was about to say. If, she wanted to live? This is bad, really bad!
"We are now eternally bonded, more so than any other, If my heart stops beating, so will yours, I have just essentially mixed our life force, our blood, and as you can see it has some unwanted side effects as well, however I am not affected by them, only you" he spoke softly now turning his face slightly to the side so she could see one gleaming sharingan. He was lying and he knew it. Sakura didn't know though, she would think he had been toying with her. Though he wasn't, he was alarmed at just how fast he was becoming attached to her. It was because of the seal he told himself and nothing more. But he couldn't allow her to find out it affected him too or she could use it against him.
"Impossible! Its not true! There is no way to do that!" she screamed not wanting to believe what he had just said. But the tears had started to fall. She knew he was telling the truth. She was going to die, she was bonded to Itachi, and he was fooling with her emotions as well. She would have never kissed him freely but he had done this to her. He was cruel. But what else did she expect from him? She knew who he was and now she was reminded of her place.
This was Itachi Uchiha, and he needed nothing from anyone who wasn't expendable. She couldn't heal him. She knew she couldn't do it. He was too sick for her to heal. And now, for this, she would die as he took his last breath.
"What is this seal? It is must be forbidden, something like this would never be allowed!" she screamed at him. He would not answer and she knew this. She attempted to compose herself and wiped the last of the tears from her eyes.
"Ah, I am a missing nin did you not expect me know some forbidden techniques?" he asked her turning to fully face her now with that damn smirk on his face again.
'Of course he wouldn't tell her. Just as she thought, gods he was so infuriating! All Uchiha had this trait in common, they must, they are all assholes!'
Sakura stood rooted to the spot still trying to fully comprehend what had just happened. She had stopped crying now but the realization was setting in. She was bound to him now and there was nothing she could do about it.
"We have wasted enough time, lets go finish your business so we can get on to more important things" he spoke as he started walking away.
Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and decided he had to focus on something else to keep her mind off of it. The little girl. She needed Sakura to heal her, and she was sure that WAS something she could do. Now filled with new determination she turned to follow him.
The sun was high in the sky now, it was another hot day. If it weren't for the cover of the forest Sakura was sure even the most fit shinobi would have difficulty in traveling in this heat. She lifted her arm to her brow and wiped off the beads of sweat. At the speed they were bounding through the trees a cool breeze swept across her entire body, but it was not enough to break the spell of heat.
Glancing over at Itachi she noticed he didn't even seem to break a sweat. She knew the Uchiha were amazing, but they were human right? He held that same, seemingly lazy stoic look on his face. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world. He truly was beautiful. Even though he had already tricked her, kissed her, assaulted her and sealed her fate. She couldn't deny that he was beautiful. He had a grace about him she had never seen. And a fear that was the stuff of legends. He was indeed very beautiful.
'Shit! What am I thinking?!! It must be what he was telling me about, the effects of the seal. I would never think this way if not for that' she tried to convince herself but even she wasn't so sure if that was true.
Immersed in her owns thoughts again she let out a loud moan when she ran into something hard, and yet soft all of the sudden. Shit! She was falling! She had run right into Itachi's back and now she was falling! She reached out to grasp at branches at the same time concentrating chakra into her hands for a better grip. She couldn't grab anything! She closed her eyes and prepared to hit the ground hard, this was going to hurt! She braced for the impact that never came. Instead she felt the warmth of Itachi's arm catching her and for a moment she was blushing, until she opened her eyes.
She stared into angry crimson orbs. 'Shit, I've pissed him off again.'
"Watch where you are going kunoichi! Next time I will let you fall!" he dropped her unceremoniously onto her rear making her wince in pain. 'Yes, he was most definitely a jerk!'
Sakura stood to a standing position and looked ahead, a few miles away she could see it. The village sat in the distance surrounded by trees, hidden from the world by forest. They were there.
Itachi looked out at the village and pulled something from his cloak. Sakura was shocked to see what it was. His old Anbu mask! He put in on and shed his cloak. Who knew he had been wearing most of his Anbu uniform under the cloak the entire time! He performed a simple transformation jutsu to add the illusion of the Anbu vest and arm and shin guards. It was the perfect disguise. He walked over and put his folded cloak in her pack. And began walking ahead of her again toward the village.
A few minutes later and they had reached the village gates. Itachi slowed his pace to walk beside her and whispered something that only she could hear. "Try anything funny and Ill kill you without fail" he said in the most dangerous sounding whisper she had ever heard. She only nodded in response.
Sakura and Itachi stopped a few feet from where the guards stood. Sakura pulled a scroll from her pocket, a letter from Tsunade explaining who she was and handed it to the guard.
"So you are here to heal little Hikari? She is a sweet child. Down the main road, make a right, third house on the left side" the guard directed while pointing.
"Excuse me, but may I send a messenger hawk to Tsunade please, she asked to send word when I arrived. The guard nodded and directed her to a small table behind him where she assumed they would sit to take breaks.
There on the table lay a stack of parchment, ink and quills. She grabbed the closest quill and dipped it into the ink vial. She saw a shadow darken her vision and looked up. All she saw was red eyes behind Itachi's Anbu mask and took it as a warning to watch what she said. She nodded to him in understanding and he stepped back just enough to give her more light. She quickly wrote a message telling Tsunade she had arrived and not to expect her back for several days because she would need to rest after healing the young girl. She then rolled up the scroll and handed it to the guard who had a hawk ready now at his shoulder. He attached the message to the hawks leg and the hawk flew off into the midday sun.
Sakura and Itachi set off walking down the road towards the girl's home when both stopped dead in their tracks. Sakura glanced over at Itachi and he nodded to let her know that he too had felt it. The person who had been following them before had caught up to them. And that person was most definitely a shinobi from the feeling of that chakra signature, they weren't even trying to hide it.
Sakura started walking again and Itachi followed. Whoever it was, they weren't quite ready to confront them. And if they were smart they wouldn't confront them at all or they would have to deal with Itachi.
A minute later and they had arrived at the girl's home. Sakura knocked on the door and was greeted by an older woman who appeared to be slightly older than Tsunade.
"Are you the medic Konaha sent?" she asked smiling in anticipation.
"Yes, I am Sakura and this is.."
"I am Jun" Itachi blurted out to avoid possible stupidity on Sakura's part.
"Ah well please come in, I am Kaede I am Hikari's grandmother." The older woman said looking slightly sad when she mentioned the child's name.
Sakura and Itachi were shown to a room in the back where a small girl lay sleeping in her bed. Though she looked peaceful Sakura could tell the girl was very ill. She also wondered if under the mask Itachi might even show concern for the girl. 'No he would never think that' she thought to herself.
"Would you like some tea or anything to eat?" Kaede asked them.
"Nothing for me but please bring some water for the girl she will need it" Sakura instructed.
"It's no use she has been asleep like that for two days but I will bring some" Kaede said sadly while going to get the water.
Sakura concentrated chakra into her hands with ease and they began to glow green. She placed her hands on the girls chest first and slowly brought them down to her stomach then she abruptly stopped. She then turned to Itachi with an almost panicked look on her face.
This is no infection. She was poisoned and it is confined to her stomach. It was confined on purpose. Someone closed off her chakra pathways. She cannot heal herself this way. And looking straight into those crimson orbs she swallowed.
"This was done on purpose only a skilled medic could have done this, it's a trap" she whispered.
Kaede entered the room again with the glass of water and sat it on a table beside the bed.
"Sit and wait" Itachi demanded of her and Sakura could tell by his tone he had no patience for her. He would kill her in an instant if she did not do as she was told. Kaede however noticed his tone and sat down in a chair by the door with a stunned look on her face.
Sakura was working quickly, she couldn't let this girl die even if she was being used as a tool. She quickly gathered the poison and pulled it out and after about a dozen tries she had it all. She then began to unlock the girl's chakra passage ways so that she could heal the rest on her own.
"She will live but she will be weak for about a week or so. Keep her well hydrated." Sakura told Kaede looking at her suspiciously.
"Now old woman tell us who did this" Itachi demanded as he slowly pulled up his mask to show her his blazing sharingan. She looked on in fear, she did recognize the bloodline trait after all.
"W..what are you talking about?" she said in an almost pleading tone. "You are an Uchia aren't you? I thought there were none left in Konoha" She said nervously. She was given no answer just a more intense glare from Itachi.
"Jun, I don't think she knows how this happened" Sakura whispered to Itachi.
"Kaede, your granddaughter was poisoned and her chakra pathways were sealed off to prevent her from healing, the poison would not have killed her, but not being able to heal from it would. Only a skilled medic could have done this. Who has seen her?" Sakura said looking at her deadly serious and standing fully upright now preparing to be ambushed.
"I..I don't know, she has seen so many but when she fell ill she saw a man from another village. He wore glasses and had white hair. All the other medics she has seen I have known for years!" she cried fully expecting to feel Itachi's wrath at any moment.
"Kabuto!" she yelled now staring at Itachi in shock. This could only mean one thing. Kabuto was trying to get at Sakura, he must need her for something. Or rather his master, Orochimaru must need something from her.
The old woman lay crouching in the corner confused as she looked at the two of them. She was scared to death, she had no idea what was going on.
"Old woman, if I were you I would stay in this room with your granddaughter and not come out until daylight if you want to live" Itachi warned her.
Kaede nodded in response and scrambled to crouch beside her granddaughter's bed.
Itachi and Sakura ran to the front door. They had to leave and they had to leave now. They knew they were being trailed and the last thing they needed was Kabuto or Orochimaru on their trail.
Sakura searched the area for the chakra signature they had felt earlier and felt nothing. It was almost eerily calm outside. She suppressed her chakra signature and Itachi did the same as they moved slowly out of the door. Turning left they quickly headed for the back part of the village to try and leave unnoticed. However as it seems to be the trend lately, things didn't go as planned.
They both felt it but before the shock could even register on Sakura's face she felt herself being pulled backwards by two strong and familiar arms. She felt face crash hard into Itachi's chest as he held her..dare she say almost lovingly? An explsion rocked right where she had been standing and she knew that Itachi had just saved her.
Itachi was furious! How dare someone try to hurt Sakura! She was his! He had made sure of that with the seal. And not to mention if she were to die..so would he.
Sakura straightened herself as Itachi freed her from his grasp. She slowly turned around to face their opponent. She was not surprised to see Kabuto standing there. But she was slightly nervous about that damn smirk on his face. He looked too damn full of himself! She would wipe that smirk right off his face!
She had been waiting for the day she could fight Kabuto again. She began to concentrate chakra into her fists and they glowed bright in the darkness illuminating her face slightly. She had a look of pure rage on her face.
Itachi smirked under his mask knowing what was coming next. She raised her fist and slammed it into the ground creating a huge crater. Kabuto had moved just in time to avoid a fatal blow. She knew he wouldn't fall so easily but she had to start with a bang.
Kabuto stood beside the crater simply smirking at her as he formed chakra scalpels around his hands. He came at her fast but she moved just in time to avoid his attack as well. Both of them stood staring at each other smirking, hands alight with chakra.
But as fate should have it they were interrupted by someone. Someone she never even felt approaching.
"My, my Kabuto be nice to her, we will need her later" the snakelike man instructed in that feminine voice of his.
He was standing right behind her! She felt stupid, how could she not have sensed him? She didn't have time to think anymore about it because she felt a pain in her shoulder and darkness overcame her.