Fading Dreams and Blossoming Faith
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but this plot is RIGHTFULLY MINE! XD
Reminders: Italics for inner thoughts/past/narration; Inner Sakura's dialogue will be all underlined.
Read and...
Chapter 6: Entanglement
RECAP:
"…BROTHER…"
Sakura finally realized what Sasuke had told her. Everything made sense then, the thing that kept bugging her, the reason why she thought the first time she saw Itachi that he looked identical to Sasuke, his eyes, his features, and his persona. She peeked back at Sasuke, and then looked at the new substitute teacher Itachi.
Sai followed the gaze of the new substitute teacher. He looked back at Sakura, whose face color paled. Going white, her eyelids slowly closed, as her body collapsed to the side.
"SAKURA!" Sai shouted, and was about to bolt out of his seat, when...
…A pair of hands grabbed her lifeless body. Sai, Sasuke, and their other classmates, even Iruka-sensei, who was in a state of disbelief, looked at the man who ferociously strode out of the room with Sakura in his arms.
End of RECAP
"It's futile, struggling like this, Sakura-chan"
"Ya-yamato!"
"Shh..."
"Kaka-"
"Don't talk. Leave this to us..."
At the Nurse's Office
The pink haired honor student lay in one of the beds, sleeping soundlessly, as if she had no care in the world, to the man who was sitting beside her, looking intently with his onyx eyes. He smirked a little, seeing that the petite girl in front of him was now breathing steadily, her chest rising and falling in a calm manner.
"Uchiha-san," the black haired nurse called his attention.
"Yes?" he asked, without facing the nurse behind him, and kept looking at the patient he had brought in.
"She'll be alright," the nurse said, assuring the observant man in front of her. "She just needs some rest, and she'll be better in no time." She then smiled.
"Thank you, Shizune-sensei," Itachi glanced at the woman at his back.
"You may as well go back to the classroom, since it looks like you bolted from there, and it would be a bad introduction to the students," Shizune informed him, thinking back on how Itachi had barged in hurriedly into the nurse's office without considering if there were patients inside.
He'd embraced and held the pink haired student carefully as he gently put her on the bed. His actions had been smooth, not disturbing her sleep. His onyx eyes were full of worry as he then looked back in inquiry at Shizune.
Itachi simply nodded at her remarks, which she chuckled at in return. 'Really now, what happened to the cold Itachi from back then?' Shizune thought, then went back to her work.
After a few minutes of observing the pink haired student who still wandered in her dreams, he then stood up beside her, tugging some of her loose hair and brushing it back behind her ear. He then walked out of the nurse's office, and proceeded back to the classroom which he had jolted out of.
Classroom
As soon as the substitute teacher jolted out of the room, every student inside wondered, shocked at what had just happened. Sai looked indifferent, like Sasuke. Naruto was obviously lost for words, while Ino rejoiced at seeing that there would be someone to hinder Sakura in getting close to her one and only Sasuke.
'This is bad,' Sai thought, as he thought back on what had just happened.
Flashback
After Iruka had introduced the new substitute teacher, he felt sick seeing the same man who had helped the pink haired girl as she stumbled down the riverbank. Even though it was his first time meeting him, as well as the girl's, he felt that this same man would ruin everything. His train of thought about how he was disgusted at the man in front of the class were suddenly interrupted by a 'BANG' at the door.
His eyes looked at the door, and saw his pink haired classmate had barged it open. She was gasping for air, looking like someone who just ran a five kilometer marathon. He smirked, seeing that she was different today from her usual punctual self, but also glad that she was alright. Although, he did see some glints of eye bugs on her astonishing emerald eyes. He then noticed the man who was introduced just recently as the substitute teacher to their class move towards his pink haired classmate. The man offered his hand to assist her, but in return, as she looked up at the man, she reflexively back out of the room, her emerald eyes wide open. It pained him, seeing her panicked.
The class tried to look at what was happening outside, which meant he couldn't see what happened next. The only thing that he could conclude was that both of them had said something about yesterday, which made his stomach twist. He didn't like any of this.
He saw her again as she came back inside of the classroom using the back door. She was a little dismayed, and he couldn't think of anything that might help lighten her mood, especially he didn't have any idea what words to use. The only thing he could do was act indifferent, like his usual self, towards her. He regretted just saying anything about her lack of sleep, so he just turned around and resumed participating in the class as the two teachers came inside again.
Iruka kept on babbling as the new substitute teacher took in the advice on how to handle the class. But what irked him the most was that he always saw a glimpse of those onyx eyes looking at the person behind him, the pink haired classmate of his. His dark black eyes looked at the onyx eyes in front, reading what the new substitute was thinking. Observing the calm, onyx eyes, he couldn't assess what was on the man's mind, until he saw them widen a little. He then looked back to see the pink haired student's color had become pale, her eyes closing and body wobbling to the side.
He shouted out her name, making everyone look at her. Panicked was what he felt. He rushed to grab her before she fell to the floor, but another set of arms caught her. It was the man he was disgusted with. He held her tightly, which made him feel even more disgusted. The substitute teacher jolted out of the room as if her life was at risk. Everyone was shocked, especially him, but he didn't make the same obvious expression as everyone else.
End of FLASHBACK
"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked no one in particular. Some just nodded to ask the same question.
Only Iruka-sensei broke the shocked aura that surrounded the room. "It looks like Itachi-sensei is an acquaintance of Haruno-kun," he explained, answering the question of his students. "Well then, shall we continue, and leave the well-being of Haruno-kun to Itachi-sensei? Let's hope that she's okay." Iruka then started the lesson, which made everyone go back to their studies.
Some Minutes Passed
"Ne~ How did Sakura-chan get to know Itachi-sensei?" Naruto asked no one in particular.
"I just saved her yesterday as she was about to fall down the riverbank," Itachi answered at Naruto's back, which made the blond student jump from his seat.
"How did you-? W-when did you-?" Naruto stuttered, standing up and pointing at the substitute teacher, who just smirked at the panicked blond.
"I was already here when you turned your book to page eighteen," he answered, and proceeded towards Iruka-sensei.
"Freaky," Kiba blurted out. Everyone was also shocked, as they suddenly noticed that the substitute teacher was already in the classroom.
"If what he said was true, it meant he was already here for five minutes," Shikamaru computed.
"Well then, are there any questions?" Iruka-sensei interrupted the gaping students.
Before anyone could ask something that was not on the lesson, "I was already here for a few minutes. I was a bit surprised myself that everyone was concentrating on their studies, and wasn't able to feel my presence when I entered the classroom," Itachi informed everyone.
'LIAR!'everyone thought, including Iruka-sensei. No one in the class had the proper persona to focus that completely on their studies, especially those four students (Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba) who basically lived in their own worlds.
The class continued, as the new substitute teacher observed and took notes on what was to come in the next few days as he handled the class. Thankful as he was, this class was the only one he was handling, since the other classes of Iruka-sensei would be substituted by some other senior faculty, as some of the time slots interfered with his college classes.
The school bell rang, indicating that it was time for a recess. The substitute teacher then bolted out yet again to visit the pink haired student, who had slept one-third of the school day away. As he went inside, the school's nurse was out. His onyx eyes looked to see whether the person who he was visiting was already awake from her deep slumber. He saw her moving, as her eyes tried to open up. A small smile crept on his face, and he went towards the bed where the pink haired student was. Grabbing a nearby stool, he sat beside the bed.
'Hey, Saku-chan, wakey wakey!' Inner Sakura interrupted her physical self. 'It's time to wake up, woman!'
'Hnnn…'she mumbled as she slept on.
'Really, it's time to wake up. You'll miss a whole day of seeing our beloved Sasuke! Although, I am still bit envious that he talked to you while I was not there,'Inner Sakura said, as she put her hands on her hips.
'And whose fault is that?'Sakura mumbled, as she tried to go back to sleep.
'Hey! Anyone who was asked a favor from a stranger, and suddenly found out he was acquainted with you, would be really freaked out, you know,'Inner Sakura defended.
'Glad I was not the only one who felt like that,'she let out a sigh.
'Hey, get up now! It looks like someone is here,'Inner Sakura informed her, as they heard someone walk in.
Her emerald eyes opened and looked at the white ceiling, thinking about what had just happened, knowing that the last thing she remembered was that she was in her seat in her classroom.
After smelling some medicine that wrinkled her nose, she jolted up into a sitting position. She noticed a presence beside her, and looked at the person.
"I see you're awake now," Itachi said in his velvety voice.
"And what brings you here?" she asked indifferently, as her thin brows narrowed accusingly.
"Maybe, if I try to let you remember, I was the one who saved and grabbed you yet again in the classroom before your face fell down flatly on the floor." A smirk formed across his face.
Remembering back, she did remember that there was someone who grabbed her before she fell down. The person's arms were strong. She had felt secure as he had held her tightly, and felt warm as he closely leaned her head to his chest. A hint of a blush crept to her face, which made him smirk even more at the reaction of the pink haired patient.
'That's right, he's Sasuke's brother!' she exclaimed.
'You said what?'Inner Sakura asked in disbelief.
'This very same man was the man who Sasuke just declared as his brother!'Sakura was now panicked.
'Well, isn't luck on our side?'Inner Sakura said grinningly.
'Wha-?'Sakura made an effort to continue, but that was all she could think.
'Think about it. Doesn't Sai's advice fit? You could make use of him, since he was also asking for it,' Inner Sakura exclaimed, thinking about what the man had asked of her at the riverbank.
'Didn't you just say that 'You cannot accept that man's request!'?' Sakura sarcastically said.
'Past is past!'Inner Sakura snorted.
Flashback
(This happened at the end of Chapter 4: Enigmatic Answer.)
Sakura, being flustered about the situation, hadn't realized that Itachi was already so close at her until the moment she felt warmth on her left cheek. His hands were on her. That finally did it. Her blood rushed like a marathoner, and overflowed onto her face. He leaned over her right shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. His warm breath stroked her skin flawlessly.
"Become my girl for a few months. Having you at my side would really help me focus more on my studies, than being chased by unnecessary beings." He said the words seductively in her right ear, his voice as smooth as silk. It made her spine tingle as her heart raced. Not in fear, but rather something else, making butterflies appear in her stomach. Her heart was thudding as if it wanted to break free and see the world.
Time had stopped for her. The spell was broken when another man came into picture, the man who proclaimed himself as a blood relative to the person who was in front of her. The man almost made her snap, acting as if they were already familiar with one another.
Still, what just happened made her unable to move. Sakura just stared blankly, not focusing on anything. His words, his warmth, still lingered all over her, as his words replayed in her mind.
"Become MY girl."
End of FLASHBACK
"So, what's your answer?" he asked, breaking her train of thoughts.
Her eyes wandered to the man beside her. 'What should I do, Inner Sakura?'
'Grab this opportunity! Everything would be a win–win situation for both of you! His nuisance would go away, while you would be nearer to our beloved Sasuke,'Inner Sakura said joyfully.
Before Sakura could simply nod at the man in front of her, she asked "Why? Who were you referring to? The 'unnecessary beings'?
"Women," he answered coldly.
'Saku-chan~ He's giving me the chills... Doesn't he know we also belong in that category? Still, we have to consider his offer,'Inner Sakura said, shivering.
"Do you-" Sakura started to reply with a comeback, 'know that I'm the same as those 'unnecessary beings?'Sakura continued mentally.
"You're different," he answered in a warmer tone than the last one.
'Inner Sakura, should I be happy or what?'Sakura asked, pissed.
'Just say your stupid answer,'Inner Sakura answered, also pissed.
Sakura nodded her approval. This was the only chance she'd ever have to be closer to Sasuke as time went by. "Yes, I'll be glad to help you be out from reach of those 'unnecessary beings,'" she said shyly, yet sarcastically at the last two words.
"Glad to hear that," Itachi said with an unseen relief. He then placed his hand above Sakura's, and leaned in front of her as he pecked her on the cheek. "Then, that's sealed," he said, a smirk on his face.
Unknowingly, Sakura's heart started another marathon as she flushed to a deep red. He was glad to see a reaction came from the pinkette. He then stood up and went to the doors. "That's right, you'll miss more of your classes if you don't stop lying there." Then he opened the door. "I also prepared a contract for our agreement, so that you can't escape from your promise. You'll be visiting me at my home to sign it." He said those last words with an evil grin. He then stepped outside.
Both Sakura and her inner self sighed in relief, shocked that they were holding their breaths like that. "Later..." his voice resurfaced again, making the pink haired girl start, "I will be announcing our relationship to the class, to avoid trouble." Then, he left... Finally.
Sakura's eyes widened like plates at his words. Only one thought popped into her mind, a new description of the man who she was now with. 'THE DEVIL REINCARNATE!'
'Umm…' Inner Sakura interrupted Sakura in her new revelation. 'You know, it would be best to stop him! He'll be announcing to the class your relationship!'
Without any further thought, Sakura jumped out of the bed and ran to stop the man's plans. Racing for her life, she was no longer thinking rationally. Just, 'stop the DEVIL'S plans,' was the only thing she was thinking of.
'This is going to be a living hell'both Sakura and her inner self thought.
To be continued…
PREVIEW:They are now officially in a relationship. Meet her friends and his friends, especially his cousin, as they finally sign their contract!
A/N: ... Review!