Sakura ran faster than she knew possible. The pitch-black area engulfed her, yet she ran on in a blind panic. Despite no floor underneath, her feet landed on a surface hard like concrete. Her heart was racing, pulse thundering in her ears, sweat trickling down her brow, and fear jolting through her body. The same presence that terrified her in the tunnel before she found the waterfall and Itachi haunted her. The aura chasing her seemed powerful... unstoppable almost. It loomed behind her, making the hairs on her neck stand up as it inched closer.
"Why do you try to escape me Sakura?"
That eerie voice echoed around her, smooth but simultaneously cold and menacing. Terror gripped her like a noose around her neck. Sakura pressed on, not daring to look behind her. Her breaths came in forced gasps every time her foot landed on the blackened surface. Her legs turned to lead, moving like she tried sprinting through water, her strides slowing down to a crawl. Sakura tried to force her legs to move faster, but their pace weakened until she was no longer moving.
"Sakura..."
A pale hand rested on her shoulder and shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Sakura jolted awake, the reminiscence of the cold hand causing goosebumps to rise on her flesh. She sat up, willing her heart to stop its abnormal pace and studied her surroundings. The confused woman remained in the same dank cave she had the misfortune of discovering a few hours ago. Sakura viewed Itachi's crimson orbs staring at her. The dragon gave her discouraging evidence of what she hoped was only a dream. Despite the creature and her making eye contact, the large dragon continued his fixed gaze.
"What?" she questioned, standing up on wobbly legs that fell asleep from the position she napped in.
"You were having a nightmare," Itachi stated. "You screamed a few moments ago."
Her cheeks tinted a darker red than the soft flush they were from the warmth of the cave. "That's true," she admitted while moving over to the cool breeze the waterfall created. "It scared the hell out of me."
Itachi did not respond; there was no need to. Something bothered her, and lack of mental soundness hindered progress with chakra control. His only concern included her ability to use chakra, not what scared her.
"Are you ready to begin your training?" he asked, moving to stand, muscular tail sliding along the cave floor.
His question reminded Sakura of her purpose here. The quicker she completed her task, the faster Itachi achieved freedom and her too. The determination to finish this training early fueled her. She held onto that hope as she stood and ruffled her stringy hair.
"Okay, what is the first step?"
"Come."
Sakura took a step forward, her heart thudding in her ears. She swallowed, not comfortable being close to him, but reminding herself Itachi wouldn't kill her... she hoped. Standing beside a fifteen-foot dragon did something to one's nerves. She stopped in front of him and he lowered his head, red eyes spinning counterclockwise. A powerful force yanked Sakura into a black and red vortex. The gravitational force on her body pulled so strong, Sakura thought the pressure compressed her organs, halting her lung expansion. After what had to be only a few seconds, Sakura jolted to a halt, the sensation abrupt like hitting a brick wall at 50 MPH. She sucked in a deep breath as her lungs re-inflated, sending a sharp pang through her chest. Sakura placed her hands on her knees. Sweat beaded down her forehead as she tried to inhale deeper.
"When you're stronger, coming to this world will not affect you."
"Is... that s-so?" Sakura responded, sarcasm lacing her voice as she struggled to get a grip on reality. Bile burned at the back of her throat and her hand covered her mouth, unsure if her stomach planned on emptying itself. Sakura's body soon relaxed and her breathing returned to normal. She stood slow and watery green orbs turned upward to the sky. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Where are we?"
A deep crimson that matched the red of Itachi's eyes bled across the skylines. Angry, black clouds billowed past at a speed that was unnatural, especially without wind to push them along.
"This is the power of my Sharingan," Itachi spoke, his voice surrounding her. "Here, you are at my mercy. My desires are a reality within this realm. It is a power that only the Uchiha Clan possess. A power that began their demise."
Sharingan? What the hell is that?
Sakura's face scrunched in confusion. What was Itachi talking about? She sighed. Despite the outlandish story he told her, after what she witnessed, anything was possible. The young woman figured that out the moment she stumbled into a cave harboring a mythical creature.
Sakura turned to find her captor. "Okay, so how do I..."
Her mouth closed from the sight before her. Who was this unfamiliar man? Such creamy skin and smooth ebony hair were the first features to catch her attention. Sakura's eyes trailed over his form, clear lines of his muscles peeked through the mesh shirt he wore underneath his opened cloak.
The male's slender fingers slid stray locks of hair behind his ear. He momentarily closed his eyes as he did so. When he opened them, Sakura recognized those unique irises right away.
"Itachi?" she asked curiously. "Is that you?"
"Yes. This is my original form."
Sakura failed to formulate a sentence. Itachi Uchiha's human form took her by surprise. The longer she gazed at him, the more describing him as handsome sounded obsolete. Her heart fluttered in her chest and her stomach tried to tie itself in knots. Sakura had never seen a more attractive man in her life and her cheeks heated up against her will. How would she focus with him in this form? Sakura understood she was acting like a love-struck teenager. She had a task to fulfill and its difficulty increased if she ogled Itachi like a horny brat. Yet green eyes couldn't shift from him.
Well, this just changed everything, Sakura thought as she blinked a few times to pull herself out of la-la land.
"So... what do we do now?" Sakura questioned, trying hard to keep composure in her voice.
"Your chakra is already unlocked, but now it needs to flow," he answered. "I will use my own to help it circulate through its paths."
"So, you're going to jump start it?"
"Yes."
Sakura paused, a question she had earlier popping into her mind. "Can you explain what chakra is?"
Itachi placed a free hand inside his cloak and supported it there like a sling, his deep red gaze remaining focused on her. "It is energy used in battle. The stronger your chakra, the more powerful abilities you possess. It's an ancient practice of the shinobi."
"Shinobi?"
Was he talking about ninjas? Sakura only knew what a shinobi was because of her world history class back in high school. She knew they were stealthy and magnificent fighters, but she still couldn't quite grasp the concept. An energy used for battle? Did it act like superpowers of some sort?
"Chakra is a weapon?" she questioned.
Itachi nodded. "My Sharingan created this world using my chakra. My eyes are the sole ability of my clan. Kekkei Genkai is a chakra fueled power used by only one group of people. The Sharingan is the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai."
The young woman wondered if chakra was like magic. Her interest piqued on the possibility of her mastering it. The day's events were unreal and hard to process.
I need an apple cinnamon muffin, Sakura thought, her mind exhausted as she took one more sweeping glance over the surrounding area.
"Come," Itachi's tranquil voice called, and he turned away seconds later.
Sakura followed him like an invisible strand connected them together. They moved through the desolate looking area until a group of trees appeared the distance. Sakura squinted and noticed the leaves were ebony like the clouds; the trees' branches and trunk were the same color red as the sky. The foliage held beauty in its own eerie way. Markings that matched the little commas in Itachi's eyes lined each one in a unique pattern. When the pair reached about ten feet away from the trees, the black markings slithered into a shape Sakura couldn't describe. It reminded her of the symbol on biohazard waste bins. Itachi stopped walking and turned to face Sakura. He sat down and motioned for her to follow. She obeyed using caution, not sure what to expect.
"I will use my chakra to help yours flow and then we will work on controlling it," the former dragon said, locking eyes with her. He held out his palms. "Place your hands on top of mine."
The pink-haired woman reached out to rest them on her captor's, her hands covering them with a touch as light as a feather. His skin radiated a comforting warmth, Sakura ventured to say almost relaxing. She also realized how soft his palms were. Not a hint of calluses lined them, and Sakura couldn't stop her fingers from softly running against his skin without awareness of her actions.
Itachi watched as the strange girl fixated on his hands. Pein insulted him by sending such a woman to him. His tormentor warned Itachi before he transformed him of a woman who carried the key to his freedom within her, Pein's choosing of course. Itachi discerned Sakura's arrival because of the circumstances Pein laid out. Itachi knew her name and a little concerning her personality traits. Pein believed Sakura had the potential to develop powerful jutsu and be an asset to him after the Sharingan unlocked it. The god told him the Sharingan's chakra would enhance Sakura's own and her strength would rival the strongest taijutsu, hand-to-hand combat, users in history. Itachi hadn't discovered why Pein required another powerful being under his wing, but it was not his business to decipher his motives. He desired freedom from his dragon form and the cave; nothing else held importance.
Still, Itachi couldn't identify the foreign twice in his chest and it raised his guard. The murderer recognized this woman may be the cause, but what purpose did it serve? The soft flutter placed him in an unusual calm disposition, an unwanted reaction to a foolish woman. Many women coveted his attention before his imprisonment, but he never had this sort of reaction except to one. He studied her emerald green eyes without a word, cherry blossom colored hair catching his attention next. Even in the world of the Sharingan, her hair shimmered in the unnatural light, giving it a silky appearance.
Itachi shoved any thoughts of the female in front of him away and focused on the task at hand. He did not have time for hesitation. His return to his original form surpassed all distractions.
"Place your hands flat on my palms," Itachi instructed. The serious expression on her features pleased him. Sakura's honest interest allowed him to focus.
Sakura inched her fingers across his smooth palms until they were at the start of his wrists. "What happens now?"
"My chakra will force your chakra network to flow," Itachi explained, his eyes locking with Sakura. "It will take a few moments. However, it will hurt."
The pink-haired woman bit her lip at those words. She had a high tolerance for pain, but that didn't mean she wanted to test her limits. "Is there a way to prevent it?"
"No. It depends on your chakra type if it will hurt or not."
The woman remained quiet and looked down. When she lifted her head, Sakura said with determination in her voice, "Okay, go ahead."
Itachi closed his eyes and when they re-opened, there was a strange pinwheel shape in place of a normal pupil and she realized it matched the commas on the trees earlier. Sakura zeroed in on the shapes, hypnotized until a shock of pain coursed through her body.
She let out a small cry as fire inched through every muscle fiber in her body. Her nerves jolted like live wires and a flame hot enough to melt concrete poured through her. Sakura grit her teeth, refusing to remove her hands from Itachi's, set on surviving the agony engulfing her. After a few moments, the searing heat lessened to bearable then soothing. Sakura let out a slow breath and cracked open her eyes. As she assumed, Itachi watched her without a sound escaping his lips.
"Is it over?" Sakura's voice sounded hoarse to her ears.
Itachi nodded and Sakura smiled with satisfaction at those words. Sakura pulled her hands back from her captor and marveled at the cool, flowing sensation in her body like a stream moving inside her. Sakura figured it must be the chakra energy Itachi mentioned.
"What now?"
The male stood, and Sakura followed suit. "Now you must learn to control your chakra. Once you understand how to manifest its power, I will teach you how to fight."
Sakura cocked her head to the side and raised a pink brow in confusion, the young woman asked, "Why do I need to learn to fight when I'm just supposed to help free you?"
Itachi walked away without checking on if Sakura followed. "You will learn in due time."
Sakura wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and trailed after this stranger once again. She watched his long hair billow like silk with every step. This man was keeping her as a hostage until he ensured the freedom she promised. She frowned at her own contradiction: Sakura offered her help first, putting herself in this predicament. Then again, the alternative sounded... abrupt. The threat of death looming over her meant she remained a captive. The only reason Sakura wanted to help him included saving her own ass.
Itachi turned around on a dime and took a step toward her, almost causing a collision between them. Sakura huffed in annoyance. "What are you doing?"
He didn't respond. Without realizing it, the young woman searched those now obsidian eyes as dark as his hair. Her keeper's gaze analyzed her without breaking their trance. Curious orbs studied his features intricately. His skin, free of blemishes and facial hair, his lips thin and a little dry. His eyebrows were dark and complimented his long lashes. Itachi's neck was slender, his Adam's apple visible just a little and the lines that outlined his throat curving until they met his collarbone.
"You're very attractive," she murmured, more out of observation than infatuation... she thought.
Itachi kept his composure, but his mind churned. That same fluttering impression he got earlier flickered within him. All doubt of this woman causing it fell away. Itachi's expression hardened. He would not allow it again. Pein planned this; as a God of Pain, his powers allowed him to detect what caused someone pain. Sakura must be in that vision. Itachi had no interest in his reasoning. He learned his lesson about opening his heart centuries ago. This mortal hadn't been in his presence a day, yet he had such a response to her? Pein must be manipulating him, an understanding that infuriated him.
Sakura let out a little gasp when Itachi leaned forward, his eyes reverted to blood red and the little commas whirling. That same jerking feeling took over her body and when it stopped, even though she was still dizzy, the sensation didn't hit her as hard as the first time. The heat of the cave washed over her and sweat poured down her brow. When the dizziness didn't subside, Sakura realized she was about to pass out.
I need to drink water, she thought as her strength failed her. Her vision faded to black for a moment and when it focused, the dehydrated woman realized she lost her ability to stand yet she hadn't fallen.
"You need to keep your fluids up or you will be of no use. Working with your chakra will tire and exert your body to its limits. To stay healthy and able to use your chakra, you need to triple your normal intake of water."
Sakura leaned her head back and saw Itachi. He reverted to his dragon form and his tail stopped her from crashing into the hard, stone floor. Sakura took a deep breath, got to her feet, and swayed as she tried to maintain her balance. The dragon's tail stayed wrapped around her waist and refused to release her.
"You are not stable enough to walk without assistance," Itachi explained. "You may fall unconscious again."
Sakura gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks for your help."
"Do not mistake it for compassion."
Something about his words stung but Sakura ignored it. She had this unusual feeling for Itachi from the moment she saw his human form. She couldn't describe it, but she gathered they would understand each other enough to have a regular acquaintance before the end of their time. It would benefit them if they planned to spend a month within each other's vicinity.