Ino sat in class biting her manicured nails out of nervousness, her foot tapping against the cool tile in a rhythmic pattern. She needed out of this classroom; her worry for Sakura prevented her from focusing on whatever Mr. Hatake droned on about. Two weeks passed since their idiotic trip to the Forbidden Valley in search of a dragon. When she and Naruto noticed Sakura hadn't caught up, they back-tracked and found no trace of their friend. There were footprints embedded in the muddied forest floor, but they led to a solid rock wall. No other clues existed to pinpoint her location. It was like the Forbidden Valley's forest swallowed her. Ino wrapped her arms around her body after an unpleasant shiver crawled up her spine. The footprints vanished as if something swooped out of the sky and hauled her away.
Ino switched to a different nail after gnawing the current to oblivion. She tried to focus on the professor's lecture again, but his voice faded out when her thoughts wandered off. Her blue eyes glanced at her wrist and she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that class ended in four minutes. Ino rushed to pack her bag and gazed down at her watch every fifteen seconds.
Come on bell, she begged in her mind, eyes following every tick of the clock on the wall, then switching to a fixation with her watch. Ring...
A loud ring sounded and the blonde almost tripped from how fast she jumped from her chair. Ino made a beeline for the hallway. She had to know if the police discovered any evidence concerning Sakura's whereabouts. She pleaded with whatever deity observing them for Sakura's life.
"Ino Yamanaka?"
Two men stood behind her. "Yes?" she acknowledged.
One male held up a badge, shoulder-length ebony hair shifting when he did so. "Fugaku Uchiha, Investigator. We need you to come with us. We have a few questions about your friend's disappearance."
Uchiha?
Blonde eyebrows raised in confusion. Were they arresting her? Did they think she killed Sakura and lied about her disappearance? She already sat through hours of questioning with the police the moment she and Naruto reported her missing. Five thousand scenarios raced through Ino's head and her heart pounded harder with fear. What if she went to prison on false charges?
Fugaku noticed the scared expression on the woman's face and gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry so much. We just want to hear your side of the story."
She gazed at them wearily before nodding. "O-Okay."
Ino followed the two men towards their police car and asked where they were going. Once Officer Fugaku told her, she texted her parents to let them know her location. As they set out, Ino gazed out of the window, watching the green landscape blur together from the speed they traveled. Her thoughts focused on her best friend more than a charge accusation of a crime she didn't commit. Above all things, wished for Sakura's safety.
Once they arrived, Ino stepped out; Fugaku motioned towards the building. Inside, people were bustling in every direction, many too busy to make eye contact with her. Agent Fugaku walked towards another older gentleman. His unruly graying hair stuck upwards, making him appear a little menacing. When he gazed over at Ino, she couldn't tell if his eyes were open. Well, eye, he covered his left one with a bandage that wrapped around his head. She wondered what happened to him.
"This way Ms. Yamanaka," Agent Fugaku said while continuing down the bland hallway.
They arrived at a door and once she was inside, the young college student studied her surroundings: gray walls, a mahogany desk with three chairs by it, and a camera on a stand sitting in one corner. Ino understood that this wasn't a questioning; it would be an interrogation.
"Have a seat."
Ino obeyed their request and sat down on the wooden chair, shivering when her body adjusted to the chill air in the room.
"Just wait right here, Ms. Yamanaka. It will be just a moment."
Ino nodded and waited in silence for this person to come talk to her. Every second ticked by like minutes. She wished she were at home. She wanted her father were here as childish as it sounded. Fear racked Ino's body. As she gazed at her hands clenched in her lap, a crystal tear slipped down her cheek.
The door creaked open and when Ino looked up, a look of shock crossed her features. "Sasuke? What are you doing here?"
He regarded her in silence before sitting across the table from her. The dark-haired male slouched in his chair and gave her a lazy look. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"I'm fine thanks," Ino relaxed a little with someone familiar. She wondered why Sasuke was here, but she figured out quickly. "Is that man your father?"
Sasuke leaned forward and placed his hands on the table, his dark eyes more serious than usual. "We have more important things to discuss. What happened on your trip to Forbidden Valley two weeks ago?"
Ino didn't know if he was qualified to interrogate her. Doubtful since they were both in college, but maybe he would understand better.
Sakura fell into her fighting stance Itachi taught her and awaited his critique. "How was that?"
"Better. You understand the basics of hand-to-hand combat and how to control your chakra."
The young woman let her hands fall to her sides. "I'm still don't get why I have to learn how to fight. How do I free you, anyway?"
Itachi motioned for her to follow him and she did, the black and red surroundings she had grown accustomed to flowing in its usual pattern. The two of them walked over to a river red as blood. Itachi sat down on a large black rock and Sakura stared at him for a few moments. It still shocked her to see how attractive Itachi was in his human form. As Stockholm Syndrome as it seemed, Sakura looked forward to the time they spent in the Sharingan world so she could witness him as a human. It sounded idiotic. Why would she be interested in a man forcing her to stay here with him?
Sakura shook her head to ward off those unwanted thoughts. Unfortunately, she didn't get to decide who she developed a romantic interest in; that was her heart's decision. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach any time she and Itachi entered the world of his Kekkei Genkai. Her anticipation at seeing his human form again grew when Itachi pulled her into the imaginary world. His handsomeness rivaled models of her time. However, after seeing him in his human figure and studying his features, Sakura couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Itachi seemed familiar.
Itachi got locked away years before her birth, making it impossible for them to know each other, but something about his eyes made her wonder. The inky darkness of them when he deactivated his Sharingan caused a twinge of familiarity in her chest. Itachi stood by the swirling river while Sakura took her place on a large rock jutting over it. Her ability to sense chakra advanced to an impressive level. She now recognized chakra moving through her surroundings. Itachi explained that everything in the Sharingan world held a level of chakra. It enhanced her ability for sensing and controlling it.
Sakura placed her elbows on her knees and studied Itachi while waiting for an explanation the method to his release. A small, innocent smile worked its way over her features as she saw the wind tussled Itachi's dark hair around his face.
"Jutsu is what you'll use to break this curse," Itachi began. "It is blending hand signs and chakra together. Your control is better but bringing forth your chakra for jutsu requires much more concentration and precise control. I will teach you how to do hand signs and use your chakra simultaneously. Then I will teach you the specific jutsu you need to reverse the one placed on me."
Sakura pulled her legs up to her chin. "I've already been here for two weeks. Is it going to take long to learn how to create jutsu then learn the specific one?"
Itachi turned around and moved to sit next to her on the dark boulder. "It is not as simple as you may think. You have good control, but it has to be perfect. I want you to channel the chakra into the soles of your feet and walk across the river."
Bright green orbs widened with surprise. "You want me to walk on water? Do you think I'm Criss Angel or something?"
The blank expression on Itachi's face reminded her he wouldn't have a clue about the magician; in fact, most people her age might not know either. Sakura chuckled before standing to her feet and walking to the river's edge. Sakura took a deep breath to clear her mind. She could do this. The new chakra user had no choice because if she wanted to go home, she needed free Itachi from his curse.
Placing one foot out, Sakura concentrated the flow of her chakra and saw the bright green glow appear around it. She stepped onto the water, surprised by the rigid feel underneath her weight. Sakura did the same thing with her other leg and smirked at when she stood solidly on the water's surface. The pinkette's smile wavered when the chakra flickering underneath her, the crisp water covering her bare feet. Within seconds she was underwater.
The shocked girl came up sputtering, taken back at how deep the water was. She looked over to see Itachi staring at her. A sparkle in his dark eyes caught her attention.
Sakura frowned. "Do you think that was funny?"
After brushing her wet locks out of her face, Sakura climbed out of the warm current. She walked over to Itachi who followed her approach.
"With your confidence, your expression when you failed was amusing."
"Well aren't you a charmer," Sakura muttered, sarcasm lacing her words.
Itachi's eyes regarded the drenched woman in front of him. Her ability as a jutsu user was promising. She excelled in beginner chakra usage, a feat not easily attainable. The point of teaching her fighting techniques was to improve her dexterity with her chakra and allow Sakura to channel it at will. Itachi's eyes shifted to her hand as Sakura flipped her wet hair over her shoulder. Itachi felt annoyance and irritation at first whenever he watched her, but now he felt nothing any time his gaze lingered on her longer than it should. The dragon had grown accustomed to her. Not quite fond of her but having company after so many years left a strange ache in his chest.
Sakura took her place in front of him on the rock, leaned forward, and placed her hands on her knees. Their faces were only inches apart. "Having fun staring into space?"
Itachi didn't respond, but his eyes locked with Sakura's jade ones. After a few seconds, a blush appeared underneath her cheeks. Sakura's right hand moved from her knee and stopped a few inches from the side of his neck.
"Itachi..." she whispered. "I think I may be... I'm not sure if...,"
What was this woman saying to him? Itachi waited for her to continue, mild interest in her next words filled him.
You're a monster Itachi!
Itachi blinked when those words echoed in his ears and once he returned focus to Sakura, his eyes widened when he saw her hair turned as dark as his own. He gazed around at his surroundings, realizing he was in a house. The mass murderer recognized the dirt floor immediately. Sakura laid on the ground, blood dripping from a wound in her side.
You have betrayed our heritage and risked the lives of thousands for more power. All the Uchiha have and because of your treason, you will pay with your lives.
That was his voice, but his mouth wasn't moving. Itachi figured out what caused this vision: because he focused his full attention on Sakura, he lessened his control of the Sharingan world. It now locked him in the mist of his own jutsu. When Itachi looked closer, he realized that this was not Sakura, but... her.
Keiko, you are not someone I would suspect to harbor a lust for war.
His wife... this genjutsu displayed memories of his clan's destruction. This moment caused the most agony and nightmares: the second he ended her life.
Itachi... Itachi...
That wasn't Keiko's voice, it was Sakura's. He flared his chakra to its max ability and when he blinked, he returned to the correct Sharingan world with Sakura giving him a concerned look. Her hands rested on each side of his face. Itachi heard her soft breathing due to her closeness.
"Itachi are you okay?" she questioned. "You just kind of spaced out. What happened?"
The male stood up, pulling from her warm grasp. "I am fine. Do not touch me unless I give you permission."
Sakura frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Asshole," she muttered.
"Continue using your chakra to walk across the water," he instructed while moving over to one of the large tomoe covered trees.
Sakura watched Itachi walk away. Something happened. He spaced out for a second, staring ahead with a blank expression on his features. When he came to, he tried to distance himself from her. Itachi would never admit that was why he separated them by at least fifty feet, but his actions told the story for him. Her curiosity about him tripled. What just went through his head?