Chapter Nine
I heard a light knocking on my door.
"Sakura?" Tsunade whispered, and her head appeared in the doorway, trying to find my face in the darkness. The mattress shifted as she sat down on the edge of my bed. She began stroking my hair. "Oh, baby, you have a fever," she fussed and started rubbing my curved back. Another tear ran silently down my face. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you some tea or something?" I didn't answer her, but shook my head. Tsunade sighed and the mattress bounced up and down as she got up to leave. "Don't worry about school tomorrow, I'll call the attendance office. You just rest, okay?" The door shut and I curled into a tighter ball, clutching my queasy stomach.
The next time I opened my eyes it was dark outside. I closed my eyes so that sleep would wash over me again. When I slept I was numb and because I was sick, my sleeps were mostly dreamless. I lay there for what seemed an eternity but could not fall back asleep. My body was sick of it. I sat up dizzily and got out of bed. My legs were weak from days of not being used. I stumbled into my bathroom and opened my medicine cabinet. I grabbed the oxycodine I received after I had my wisdom teeth removed. It knocked me out, the one thing I wanted right now. I swallowed it, the usual bitter pill tasteless in my mouth.
I looked at myself in the mirror. A blank stare looked back at me. My hair was greasy and matted to my head, my nightgown wrinkled from many nights of tossing and turning. I turned my bath water on; I was too weak to stand and take a shower. I stripped my clothes off and lay down in the bathtub. It was so warm…I closed my eyes. The oxycodine was working, dragging me into darkness.
I was lying in my bed again, but I couldn't breathe. I looked around and noticed Itachi on top of me. He had pinned my arms down next to my head. His smell engulfed my senses, making it hard to focus. He was kissing up and down my neck and my body kept shuddering. I wanted to tell him to stop…but it felt too amazing. I opened my mouth but his lips found mine and the words died on my tongue. His lips pulled at my bottom lip and I gasped as he nibbled on them. He took advantage of this and his tongue slipped into my mouth, rolling around. A blush spread from my cheeks all the way down to my toes. A weird, hot sensation was radiating from deep in my stomach. I wanted more …I wanted him all over me. He kept kissing and kissing and I couldn't breathe. My lung screamed for air…Itachi had to stop or I was going to suffocate! I was suffocating…but I didn't care…
My eyes snapped open and I realized someone really had their lips on mine. I started heaving and I turned my head, water sputtering from my mouth. I coughed and breathed in, my body shuttering as air filled my lungs again. I flopped on my back, breathing rapidly as my body tried to calm itself. My hands were shaking by my sides. I felt really cold and I realized I was wet…and naked. And there was someone next to me. My eyes met maliciously smiling lips before they were staring into Madara's cold eyes. I gasped and sat up, my legs latching together in a death lock, my hands covering my chest.
"What-what are you doing here?" I growled at him. He stood up and grabbed the robe hanging from the back of my closet door and through it at me. I quickly wrapped it around me, tying it as tight as possible.
"Saving your life, you ungrateful child," Madara snarled. "You were drowning."
"You…you saved me?" A blush stained my cheeks red. How pathetic. As I lay dying, my thoughts were completely centered on Itachi. My stomach burned again as my hallucination resurfaced. How dirty my thoughts were…
"You…you saw me naked!" I diverted, pointing accusatorily at Madara who scoffed.
"I think you're missing the point completely," Madara scoffed. "Besides, I'm not interested in little girls."
"You seemed pretty interested the last time we met…" I muttered, pushing past him and Madara chuckled. I walked over to my chest of drawers and slipped underwear on under my robe. I grabbed a brush and sat on the edge of my bed, combing the tangles out of my hair. Madara walked to the window and leapt up onto the sill, turning around to give me a smirk.
"I heard you discovered the Uchiha family secret," Madara prompted and I knew he was teasing me. "Is that why you insist in not leaving your dreary room?" I closed my eyes to avoid looking at him and continued to brush my hair. Madara made to jump out.
"Madara," I called and he looked back at me. "Can you…can you tell me…more? About the Uchiha family?" A strange glint lit up Madara's eyes. He stepped down onto my floor again but sat on the sill. He crossed his legs, cupping his face in his palm.
"So, you won't answer any of my questions but I'm supposed to answer all of yours. Interesting." I rolled my eyes and sat my brush down on my bedside table. I lay down on my bed and rolled away to avoid looking at him. He laughed a dark yet resigning laugh. "Fine. This may give me an opportunity to scare you away from Itachi. What do you want to know?"
I rolled around to look at him again. "Are you really…" I hesitated.
"Vampires?" Madara grinned, flashing foreboding canines. "That's unfortunately true. Being vampires, we have such a bad rep nowadays… but it's had its uses in, let's say, 'inspiring' cooperation in other business competitors." Madara's eyes seemed to drift off into speculation, remembering some business venture I was glad I couldn't see too. He snapped back to attention, grinning at me. "But you humans have come up with such silly rumors about us. I'll go ahead and dispel them for you right now. Number one, garlic isn't going to make us shrivel up with fear." My mind drifted to Itachi cooking with it. "Number two, neither are crosses. You'd be surprised to know that many of us are quite religious. I've never had quite the zeal for it but I supposed I'm one of those pessimists who is thoroughly certain no God would curse his people with such an affliction as ours."
"Affliction?" the words escaped my mouth before I had time to even think about saying it.
"Yes, it can get rather tedious sometimes. Our hunger can be satiated but if we are the slightest bit hungry and surrounded by humans it can be very, very difficult to resist taking a taste. That is why Fugaku-ojisama demands Itachi, Sasuke and I to eat before we're with you. It's also difficult when you humans just make it so terribly easy. People are so naturally attracted to us and are very trustworthy, not realizing what they've caught themselves up in. That's what is intriguing about you…how easily you can disperse those feelings for Itachi and Sasuke."
I blushed…was he calling me brutish? My stomach dropped a little. Was the only reason I was attracted to Itachi because of the natural magnetism of his…condition? What was wrong with me? Even now, when I knew he was a vampire, that he was extremely dangerous I knew I was still attracted to him.
"I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I met you. You submitted so easily to my touch. From the way Sasuke described you, I was expecting someone more troublesome," he smirked and his grin got wider when I made it a point to dramatically cover my body with my sheets.
"I did not…submit. You had me pinned to my bed!" I retorted, crossing my arms.
"Is that why you were shuddering and…moaning?" He asked, the right side of his mouth curling into a sneer.
"I was most certainly not moaning!" I almost screamed and gasped as Madara disappeared and reappeared above me, on all fours, his face inches away from mine.
"Really? Was that the first time you've been touched like that?" He whispered. My stomach jumped. He mouth was getting closer and closer…my mind drifted to my dream of Itachi. The fire, his gentle lips touching my skin. I felt light headed as I stared at Madara's mouth coming closer to mine. Pleasure rocked through my body as I imagined Itachi touching me again…I wanted to feel like that again…I wanted…Itachi!
"NO!" I screamed and punched Madara in his jaw. I scrambled out from under him and crawled backwards away from him until my back was against my door. Madara sat cross-legged on my bed, massaging his chin.
"Interesting." Madara mumbled. "You rejected my Faze." I sat breathing heavily on the floor, my heart beating erratically as I tried to calm my racing mind. "Well, if I'd really wanted to kiss you I could have. Another beneficial trait is strength. Not super human, but we don't have to work for our power." I wanted to tell him to get out after he had advanced on me again, but I still had more questions.
"What about…food? I've seen Sasuke eat regular food before and drink soda. Don't vampires usually have a…stricter diet?" I gulped at the lump in my throat.
"Well, regular food will sustain us but only to a certain extent. I suppose you could say it's just another necessity. Humans can eat food all day but they also need water. Vampires can eat food and water but they also must drink blood. And the hunger for blood is different than hunger for food…much more powerful and thought consuming. I've seen vampires kill their loved ones in a fit of hunger." I winced a little.
"Can vampires die? And, if a human is bitten will they turn into…one of you?" I asked, my voice beginning to sound tinged with desperation.
"Yes and no. Vampires can die almost as easily as humans can. We heal faster and can actually grow back limbs, but if you cut off our heads it's over for us. We can also bleed to death if we are weak and can't heal fast enough. Vampires also die from old age. All that living-forever nonsense is ridiculous. We have blood that runs through our veins. As for…turning people into vampires, it's impossible. We don't have some magic venom that turns others into us. No one knows when the first vampire was born but the vampire gene is passed down through families, even if the mother or father is a human. Take, for example, Itachi and Sasuke's mother. She was…human." Madara's nose wrinkled at the thought, as if he were talking about something rather displeasing. I cleared my throat.
"Um…does it…hurt?" I asked hesitantly, subconsciously clasping my neck. "When you're bit?" After the words left my mouth, I regretted saying them. Madara's face twisted into a malicious smile and he leaned towards me.
"Oh, no. In fact, many people find it to be the highlight of their evening. You see, people have described it as 'orgasmic' before. Being bitten to some people is better than sex. We don't have venom that changes people's DNA to become vampiric, but we do release endorphins into the system that helps reduce the resistance from our victims. Would you like to experience it yourself?" Madara asked, a sly expression plastered on his face. I glared at him and he shrugged.
"I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of commitment from you, anyway." Madara said in a way that made it seem like he was brushing her off.
"What do you mean?" I asked, intrigued.
"Once a vampire bites someone, it's almost as if they…how should I say this? It's almost like they brand you as there's. Once you're bitten, no other vampire will touch you. Well, they could, but your blood would taste like dirt in their mouth. It's a territorial mark, you could say. Perhaps even an evolutional trait."
"Okay, so now I understand the whole vampire thing. But, why would Hyuuga tell me that the Uchihas are cold blooded killers? You don't actually go around murdering people ruthlessly, do you?" I asked, not wanting to know the answer but still curious. A flash from the memory of the young man standing over my parents made its way uncomfortably into my mind but I pushed it back. Itachi would never do anything like that.
"Hmm. Don't mention I told you this, but yes and no. The Uchiha have a special ops unit named the Akatsuki that are the Yakuza of sorts for the Uchiha clan. The behind the scenes operators and the doers of the dirty deeds, if you will. We won't go and randomly kill people but the Akatsuki are very helpful for getting things done. I'm a member, as are many of the contacts in that cell phone Itachi gave you. All of us are at your disposal, according to Fugaku-ojisama. Don't get me wrong when I say that, though…many of us aren't so gung ho about helping you as Itachi and Sasuke seem to be."
"Are Itachi and Sasuke part of the Akatsuki?" My voice quivered and I berated myself for it.
"Sasuke isn't. He hasn't…earned it yet. Itachi, on the other hand, the child prodigy, hasn't just been a part of it since he was 12. He's been the leader the past nine years."
I got up earlier than usual and walked down the stairs into the kitchen where Aizu was cooking eggs, and Tsunade was at the table with a newspaper in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. It smelled suspiciously like coffee spiked with Bailey's.
"Morning." I said and sat down across from Tsunade, throwing my book bag under the table.
"Well, look who's up and out of bed." Tsunade smiled, but she didn't seem surprised. "Are you feeling up to school today?"
"Yepp. Aizu, can you make a couple more eggs? I'm starved." My stomach growled as if on cue.
"I'm not surprised, you've been holed up in your room the past four days without any food at all," Aizu reprimanded me as she handed me a plate almost overflowing with eggs and toast. "You know, that Uchiha boy has been coming here every morning asking about you." Tsunade looked up at me from over her newspaper. My fork clattered onto my plate as I clumsily dropped it.
"Oh, really?" I asked, attempting to sound as uninterested as possible. "Which one?" I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up and I wasn't surprised with Aizu's answer.
"The younger one, Sousuke? Sasuke? The one in your class." I picked my fork back up and moved my eggs around the plate. I should have known it wouldn't be Itachi.
After hours of torturing myself with my own thoughts, I had come to the conclusion that I didn't care. I know I didn't know Itachi as well as I'd like, but I also knew he would never hurt me, he'd said so himself. I was also disappointed in myself because even though he was dangerous, even though I probably only liked him was because of his Faze or whatever Madara had tried to describe to me…I still was attracted to him. I still wanted to get to know him. And I feverishly hoped last night, in the corner of my mind where I dared not say it out loud…I probably wouldn't have minded if he 'branded' me, either.
I glanced up at the clock and jumped up out of my seat, grabbing my bag. "Tsunade, can you take me to school today?" I asked. The words had barely left my mouth when the doorbell rang. My heart leaped up into my throat. Aizu grinned slyly at me and practically skipped to the door.
"Yes?" I heard her voice echo in the doorway. I heard muffled voices and then Aizu called for me. "Sakura, Master Sasuke is here to see you!" Tsunade looked at me from above the newspaper again and nodded silently to go. I ran over and pecked her forehead. She waved me on, taking another sip of her alcohol-coffee.
I slung my backpack over my shoulders and took a deep breath as I rounded the corner to enter the entryway. Sasuke was leaning against the door frame but straightened up immediately when he saw me. He opened his mouth to say something but I strolled past him and started walking to the end of the porch, turning around to wave goodbye to Aizu.
"I brought the Corvette today," Sasuke said and opened the car door for me. I made eye contact with him; he looked really eager to please. I sighed and slid into the passenger seat, grabbing the car door and slamming it shut before he could close it for me. He walked over to his car door and hopped in, starting the car and pulling out of the circle parkway and onto the driveway. We got on the street and I noticed it was taking a long time to get to the stop sign. Was it possible? Was Sasuke going the speed limit? He was really trying to get on my good side.
"You, know, Sasuke…" I began, fervently glaring out the window, though I could feel his eyes looking at me. "I don't mind." The last part I almost whispered. I looked at him. "I know…I know I was scared when I first heard it from Hyuuga but, I figure you've had a lot of chances to harm me and you haven't. I'm sorry." Sasuke cleared his throat and refused to make eye contact with me. Was he…blushing? I couldn't contemplate it longer because, as soon as he knew he was okay with me, he sped off, leaving me to clutch onto the door and hope to God I was still alive when I got to school.
It was madness when Sasuke and I walked into first period. Naruto, Temari and Kiba immediately circled around me, asking questions about what had happened and if I was all right and who was it that picked me up. I nervously assured them that I was fine and I was just sick the past couple of days. Sasuke, clearly annoyed, yelled at them claiming he had already told all of them this and he didn't understand why they just hadn't believed him. I felt another pair of eyes on me and my gaze connected with that of Hyuuga Neji's. I drew my eyes away to reassure my friends, then made my way over to my sit. I avoided looking in Hyuuga's direction the rest of the class period, but as we left I was sure I saw Sasuke tip Hyuuga's desk so his belongings cascaded to the floor.
"Sakura, can I talk to you?" I looked up from my apple and saw Gaara looking at me, a calm stare blanketing his face. I nodded and Temari smirked, nudging Ten Ten who also gave a knowing glance to me. What were they so smug about? Neither Sasuke nor Naruto looked very happy that I was following Gaara.
"Should I come with you, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, standing up.
"Mind calling your guard dog off, Sakura-san?" Gaara asked eyes flashing with annoyance; so uncharacteristic of him. Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo stood up too, narrowing their gaze at Gaara. Sasuke made a growling noise under his breath and I shook my head, waving my hand at him to sit back down. It was just Gaara…
I followed him outside to the courtyard and couldn't help but notice Neji sitting by himself on a bench under a tree, eating out of a bento box. He didn't glance up to look at me, but I'm sure he knew I was there. He wouldn't try anything with all these other people around us, would he?
"Sakura, I was wondering if…you'd like to accompany me to a car show this Friday? It's in a much nicer neighborhood than the last one we went to and it's very professional, not like the one you went to with Sasuke." I smiled at him.
"Sure, Gaara! I'd love to…" I trailed off as I thought about Sasuke. He would never allow me to go by myself and I didn't want him to get in trouble again. "Oh, um, Sasuke would probably have to come with us. Is that a problem?"
"Yes, honestly," Gaara's irritated expression came back and it was rather frightening. "I'm—" he seemed to become frustrated. "I'm asking you to go alone, with me." I ran a hand through my hair. I wasn't sure if it was going to work out like that. I finally gave a defeated sigh and shrugged.
"Okay, I'll figure something out to shake off Sasuke." I said and smiled at him. He smirked a little and my heart leaped a bit. It really brought back memories of middle school when I still liked him.
"So, what's the plan for getting rid of Sasuke, again?" Temari asked as she rummaged around in my closet to find me something to wear. "And I can't believe you're going on a date with my brother…gross."
"Temari! It's not a date. We're going to a car show to look at cars. I'm probably like another guy to him." I said, pinning my hair up out of my face so I could brush some quick make up on.
"I don't think he sees it that way, babe. And with your looks I don't think any man could view you as just 'one of the guys,'" she pulled out a blue dress, holding it out to me. "This one?"
"We're going to a car show…I'm sure shorts and a blouse will suffice. And come on, Temari. What about Naruto? We've known each other forever he's like my brother and I'm like a sister to him." I pointed out matter-of-factly, finished off my make up with a swipe of lip gloss.
"Oh, sweetheart if you think Naruto views you as a sister you've got to be more dense than I thought." I scoffed and grabbed the dress out of her hands, throwing it on my bed and grabbing a pair of shorts from my chest of drawers. "Fine, if you're not going to wear the dress at least wear this shirt. It's cute." She said, throwing me a loose shirt that was low-cut. I decided to wear it but keep my undershirt on. I heard a honk downstairs and looked at my cell.
"Oh, he's here. Okay, remember, Sasuke doesn't know I'm going out and if he calls, here's the phone he'll call on." I gave her the cell phone Itachi gave me. "Answer and pretend to be me. Tell him I'm staying in or something but under no circumstances should you tell him where we'll be, okay?" Temari nodded and took the cell phone. She flipped on my TV and grabbed the bowl of popcorn she had previously popped.
"You can't hang out, don't tell him where you're going, sit here and eat you out of house and home for covering for you. Got it." She said and waved to me as I rolled my eyes, grabbed my bag and went down the stairs two at a time to meet Gaara.
"I'm glad you could come out with me tonight." Gaara broke the minutes long silence I had been suffering under. I'd always known Gaara wasn't really a talker until it came to cars, but hell, we'd been in the car for what felt like ages and all he'd said to me was 'hello' when I got in the car. I know this was just a friends thing but he could at least talk to me a little…
"Yeah, it'll be nice to get out with someone other than Sasuke or…" my breath caught in my throat. I had almost said Itachi. My heart thumped painfully in my chest whenever I thought about him. "Naruto." I finished lamely.
"Why is Sasuke always following you around? Are you dating him?" I scoffed without meaning to.
"No! Why does everyone think that? Sasuke and I are not dating, we're barely friends. He's so irritating and thinks he can just control my life because he's my—" I almost slipped again! "Friend…" I continued, again, lamely. "Which is why it's so great to give him the slip like this and hang out with you!" I said, grinning at Gaara. He didn't smile back. I slumped in the seat. Gaara was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white. I hadn't noticed because I was trying to avoid the empty awkwardness, but Gaara looked very nervous.
"Hey, Gaara. Are you okay?" I asked, touching his arm. He shied away from my touch and I removed my hand.
"Sorry," he said, shifting gears after stopping. I realized that we had exited the highway and were turning right into a very woodsy area. Gaara had said that this was a professional car show, so I was expecting more lights or…cars or something.
"Where are we?" I asked, looking around. We were driving slowly down a dirt road. Gaara remained silent. My stomach felt like someone was squeezing it with a cold iron hand. Icy foreboding made it's way from my chest to my fingertips. Maybe this dirt road was just a longer way to get to the car show.
"Are we…uh, taking a detour or something?" I asked, laughing nervously.
"They told me they'd hurt Temari if I didn't do what they said." Gaara said quietly. I looked at him, my eyes widening.
"Who?" My voice came out as a squeak. "Who told you that, Gaara?" I had edged as close to the car door as possible, my hand resting on the handle. A light appeared ahead and I glanced in front of the car. There were two sets of car lights pointing towards one another so it lit up a clearing. Four figures stood in front of the cars, but I couldn't tell who they were until Gaara pulled up. His car lights fell on the figure in front.
"Gaara," I whispered, my throat closing as it choked on rising panic. "Why?" I looked at Gaara with wide eyes and he looked at me, but then closed his eyes and looked away. I was pushed directly in front of Neji. The man forced me to my knees. I heard Gaara's car peel out and drive away.
"I warned you, Sakura-san." Neji said as he leaned down to get closer to me. His hand gripped my chin forcefully. "You didn't want to listen. Tsunade still refuses to merge." He looked at me expectantly but I pursed my lips in a defiant line, refusing to say anything. He growled and let out an exasperated snarl and, without warning, he drew his hand back and hit me. The surprise and sting made me yelp and Neji stood up, walking away with a sigh.
"I hadn't meant to hit you, Sakura-san, I'm sorry." He said, rubbing his hand. "Sakura-san I really don't want to hurt you but you're not giving me much to work with. I don't think you understand my position here. My uncle is expecting me to get this merger and I am not going to disappoint him. So, what is your answer."
"No." I responded and the man gripping my shoulders grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I bit my lip and held back the scream that was trying to wriggle it's way past my lips. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Neji waved his hand at me and began to walk to his car, lighting a cigarette and bringing it to his mouth as the third man came up and hit me in the cheek. Spots appeared before my eyes and I shook my head to clear them. The man behind me inched my arm up higher and sharp pain spread throughout my arm; I tried to escape it but all that happened was my face was pushed into the dirt. A yelp escaped my throat as a foot kicked my side and then again as I was suddenly pulled up off the ground by my hair.
Neji came and bent down again. He took a long drag from his cigarette and sighed it out, a ring of smoke framing my face. I coughed as I breathed some of it in. Every breath was torture, my sides sore from the kicking.
"Sakura-san, I only gave you a taste of the pain I can make you feel. Are you sure you don't have anything you want to say to me?"
"He will come for me." I whispered, keeping my eyes tightly closed. I was trying to convince myself more than Neji.
"Who? The Uchiha? That bloodsucker? I thought you would have lost your trust in him by now. Do you even know who your true friends are, Sakura-san? Gaara has left you to us, Temari has ensured that you will not be found, ironically, at your request. What are you to the Uchiha boys?" His voice filled with disdain as he muttered Uchiha. "You are a child who can't do anything except sit and wait around for people to come save you, hiding behind the Uchihas and that drunk, good for nothing Tsunade. You don't deserve the name Haruno and you are incompetent. This is the second time you've fallen into my hands in a week. You're too naïve, Sakura, especially to inherit a company like your inept parents. Now, why don't you be a good little girl and hand it over to the Hyuugas?"
Anger colored my vision. How dare he? I knew I was incompetent, I knew the Uchiha clan saw me as nothing but a burden. But how dare he insult my parents and the woman who raised me. I looked up at him through my eyelashes and smirked.
"Fuck you." I said, darkly and with all the strength I had left, pushed up off my knees and head butted Neji right between the eyes. My vision swam for quite a few moments but I noted, satisfactorily, that Neji was holding his head and groaning. My face hit the ground again and I prepared for the hits and kicks but none came.
"You!" Neji growled. I opened my eyes and looked around. The three Hyuuga body guards were all sprawled awkwardly around the field. Were they….dead? I sensed someone to my right. I looked over and my body physically relaxed. He was here.
Itachi was leaning over me, looking dangerously murderous in Neji's direction. Itachi didn't have to say anything; the hate radiating from his body frightened me and I wasn't even on the receiving end. Itachi stood up.
"You know that by harming this girl you have not solely provoked Haruno Co., but the whole Uchiha clan. I hope you have prepared yourself for the consequences."
Neji backed away and stormed off to his car. Before his car door had shut, he was speeding off into the woods. Itachi looked at me, but I was too ashamed to look at him. I let my head fall into my palms.
"Are you hurt?" Itachi asked in a soft voice, but I heard a sternness left over from his speech to Neji. I shook my head, but whenever he grabbed my side to pull me up, I hissed and collapsed on the ground again, holding my side. Itachi dropped his hands like I had electrocuted him. "I apologize." I sat up on my knees, clutching my stomach. It hurt as my torso began to shudder with sobs. Itachi leaned on one knee, awkwardly, which made me feel ten times more ridiculous.
"I—was—so—scared," I managed between hiccupping weeps. "The whole time—I wished you were here—the whole time…" Another round of sobs came over me and I decided my dignity was already gone; I wrapped my arms around his middle and buried my face in his shirt. "I'm sorry about what I said. Please, please come back to night duty."
Itachi grabbed my shoulders and stripped me off him. I sat back down on my haunches. Itachi's hands reached for my face. He hesitated, his hand hovering for a minute before his hands caressed my face. I closed my eyes and his thumbs ran themselves under my eyes, wiping away my tears. I opened my eyes again and he was so close. He dropped his hands and his onyx orbs bore into mine. I couldn't hold myself back and closed the distance between us, my lips capturing his.
Itachi's whole body stiffened and leaned away from me but I followed him. Please don't run away from me. Please don't affirm my fears that I'm the only one that feels this way. Please, kiss me back. He finally, very slowly, leaned back into the kiss. His hand found a way to the nape of my neck, pulling me in closer.
Was I dreaming? Maybe Neji's men had beaten me into unconsciousness and this was all a figment of my imagination. It felt so real though. Itachi pulled away and stared at me for a very long time. Headlights burst through into the clearing and Itachi almost leapt away from me.
"Holy shit," Sasuke came running to my side, followed by Jugo and Suigetsu. "We need to take her to an ER or something." Sasuke took my arm to help me up. I looked at Itachi who stared forward, refusing to make eye contact with me. My eyes welled up with tears and I grabbed onto Sasuke's shirt for leverage as he helped me up. Suigetsu took my other side as we made our way to Sasuke's Corvette. I never looked back to see if Itachi was still sitting there. I knew he'd be gone.