A/N: Day eighteen. I think this challenge is starting to really affect my mental health, which is fun.
On the night before the final stage of the Chuunin Exams, she's visited by an unexpected but unsurprising guest. Perhaps she should stop hanging out on her roof in the early morn whenever she can't sleep, but she'd be damned before psychopaths influence her to stop doing what relaxes her.
The grinding and shifting the sand isn't as intrusive of a sound as she expects, and oddly neither is his presence when he sits down beside her. Silence falls over them, for a good ten minutes before his unusually deep voice breaks it.
"Why did you forfeit?" he inquires as she stares down at the sand circling around her ankles. "Why can't I feel your chakra?"
She could refuse to reply, by asking him he found her… but she decides not to, tilting her head towards him. "I have no use for a promotion, nor do I have a use for strangers learning my skill set as they essentially watch a human blood sport." she smiles at him, ignoring the urge to poke his eyes as they stare into hers. "Did you want to fight me?"
Gaara blinks, albeit slowly. "I can't feel your chakra, but… your eyes." his fingers appear in her field of view, as if wanting to touch her eyes. She realises how smooth his hands are and how strange that is for a ninja. "Your eyes are strange. Always calm and steady… like undisturbed waves. But I know… I feel like those very same waves have the capability to cause devastation if disturbed."
Sakura hums, finding the analogy nice. "Do you know what your eyes are like, Gaara-san?" she asks, expecting him to say no. She doubts he can look himself in the mirror.
He retracts his hands to stare down at them, considering. "I've been told that they're… cold. Like my eyes are an empty glass and I'm attempting to fill it, without success. It seems that even if I fill the glass with the soulful eyes of others… I'm still empty." his head tilts, his unruly hair following his movement. "I'm a weapon, chichi-ue says. Weapons aren't meant to have feelings."
"Your village may revolt against the Yondaime Kazekage, I hear." she remarks, her gaze returning to the crescent moon. "He seems to be declining in his mental health, which in turn degrades his ability to run the village."
"Chichi-ue misses haha-ue… he's changed since her death, I'm told. I've never known him any other way, and as he is now… I wouldn't mourn his death. I don't believe that I would mourn for any deaths in my family. I've killed many families… I've seen the way their souls scream and shatter as their loved ones crumple to the floor, without life. It's fascinating to me and I'm told that's not usual."
She's dealt with so many strange people that it doesn't bother her, hearing of his questionable habits and thoughts. "Do you know my name yet, Gaara-san?"
Gaara slides his eyes over to her, before his face twitches in that odd way again. Perhaps that's him trying to smile. "Sakura." he whispers, his sand gathering above his hands and shaping into her namesake. It falls back into a formless mass as he reaches for something in one of his many pockets.
He pulls at a single cherry blossom made of glass, expertly shaped and crafted. "I find the art of sculpting glass… therapeutic. There is a sense of calm within me, whenever I sculpt." he explains, handing the cherry blossom over to her. "It's a pleasant sensation, that I often seek."
She accepts it, then examines it. "You have more depth to you than one would expect." she comments, as the reports of him are impersonal and clinical. They speak more of his skills as a shinobi than who he is as a person, which is understandable. He's considered a monster too, she remembers.
"I can't express myself that well… the way I was raised wasn't to build my individuality." Gaara replies, his stare eliciting the usual tingly sensation on the back of her hand. "I envy you for that reason. That's why I believe that your eyes alone would be enough… to make me whole. Complete."
Sakura chuckles. "I told you before, that you can't have my eyes." is her casual response, because it's not the first time someone has wanted disturbing things from her.
He hums, with a twitch in his brow as he stares at the roof tiles of her house. "I know. I want your eyes… but I don't. If I take them, then you will no longer be as you were. It's… complex and atypical, but I find this sensation… new." his face twitches again, with a certain gleam in his eyes. "I don't dislike it."
For some reason, she finds herself laughing. "You know, Gaara-san, you're not the first person I've met who doesn't know how to be human. Then it always makes me wonder… if I know how to be human myself."
It's the beginning to a line of thought that is far too deep for the time being. It's probably because it's nearly three in the morning.
As per the instructions of a last minute notice, Team Yamaneko are on duty to guard the stadium during the battles. They're decked out in their usual ANBU gear with their respective masks and wigs, but remain out of sight unlike other ANBU operatives who are visible to all attendees.
The participating genin stand in the middle of the arena, neatly lined up as the proctor Gekkou Hayate stands before them. Their charges have their backs straight, their arms by their sides and their gaze ahead with solemn determination. It's a drastic change from their uncoordinated, chaotic selves from the previous month and she feels proud. She knows her brother do as well, but mostly for themselves for not killing any of them.
It's been a rather trying month, trying to condition them into excellent ninja at the same time whilst also making sure they didn't learn of each other's new techniques. Since they're facing each other, and all. She hopes that they had all listened when she and her brothers gave them the last week off to rest.
They're all hard-working, even Karin whom Sakura had to beat down mentally before building her back up again. There's still hope for the girl.
"Thank you, everyone who has decided to attend the final stage of Konohagakure's Chuunin Exam!" the Hokage announces, from his position in the viewing area for Kage or other important figures. Each of the Sannin are in attendance as well. "As you can see, there are nine participants whom will battle each other for the chance to become chuunin! Please stay and watch them all to the end!"
The crowds cheers, as Hayate imparts some knowledge to the genin. Then, they make their way to the waiting area whilst Karin and Temari remain on the stage.
"Karin-san has a decent chance of winning this match." Sai deduces, without his usual derision in regards to the redhead. "Although she is more suited to tracking work than frontline combat, she is resourceful and may be able to use Temari's preference in long-ranged against her."
"Karin-san is intelligent and has visible potential once you rip away the… negative aspects of her personality that overshadows her good points. She'll definitely make an impression." Sakura replies, blinking when the battle commences and Karin throws a smoke bomb at her feet, her chakra signature disappearing. Temari cracks open her fan before swinging it with admirable proficiency. Once the smoke is forced away, Karin is nowhere to be seen.
She smiles, as Karin's chakra signature reappears from under the earth. Temari catches on, already in the process of pushing away from her position. But the kunai manages to impale the Suna nin's left foot, eliciting an angered and pained hiss.
Karin bursts out of the earth, wielding a kunai aimed at her opponent's chest. The attack is blocked by the giant, iron fan and the bespectacled girl rolls to the side when the very same fan is swung towards her.
They dance around one another for a few more seconds, with Temari attempting to manoeuvre around her opponent with a kunai stuck in her foot and unable to pull it out. Then the blonde snaps open her fan the entire way and swings it with fury and a battle cry.
Karin's caught up in the whirlwind and they watch as she's thrust up into the air. She's cut into by the bladed wind for ten seconds before the whirlwind fades and gravity begins to pull her body back down. The redhead executes the Kawarimi no Jutsu, going into hiding once more as a flurry of small tags flutter to the ground.
Temari pulls at the kunai in her foot, before making a point to slam it down on the ground in a dramatic show of strength. She then begins to create multiple whirlwinds around the arena, in an attempt to lure Karin out of hiding. The tags that had fluttered to the ground are picked up by the winds, then explode in a manner similar to a dust explosion. It travels throughout the entire arena, blocking their vision and making the whirlwinds disperse.
She laughs, glad that their masks are built to prevents gases and the like from being inhaled. Sai hums from her side.
"It almost displeases me to see her do so well." he murmurs, with Neji scoffing in response.
Gaara wins the tournament and whilst most of the audience are residents of Konoha's population, no one is particularly upset. She hears the excited chatter amongst the crowd, talking about their favourite fights and moves as they file out of the stadium.
All of the participants have been transferred to the hospital, each of them getting treated for their varying injuries during their battles. She tilts her head, thinking back on each of the battles and realising that each of their charges have a good chance of being promoted.
"You really put your all in teaching them, my adorable little creatures." Shisui comments from behind them, resting his chin on her head and draping his arms around Sai and Neji's shoulders. "As much as it disgusts me, I'm so very proud of you. My excellent baby lynxes, maybe we should all go on a mission together like the old times after this?"
She hums with displeasure, because half the time going on missions with him meant that he would purposefully get them noticed and leave them with all the troubles. Firsthand experience, he had cackled as they were at a rather significant risk of dying.
"We're… okay." Neji mutters, before tilting his head and looking into the distance. "The Hokage is summoning us."
Shisui laughs, leaning back and slapping Neji on the back. She winces as her brother stumbles forward with a muffled groan. "Well, too bad! We're going to go on a super hard mission will lots of enemies, then we're going to bond as we brutally murder them all!" then he runs a finger down her neck, prompting her to lurch away from him. She turns to find his mask grinning down at her.
She blinks from behind her own mask, recognising the intentional twitches in his fingers. "You two should go ahead and meet the Hokage." she tells her brothers, who hesitate for a moment before obeying and disappearing from her side.
Her captain leans down, lifting his mask and allowing her to see his usual grin that isn't any less sharp. "So Itachi-chan is annoyed and wishes to come see you, before he snaps or something. He wants you to meet him in the forest behind your house… Mm, in two days. Maybe you should wear something nice for your date?" he winks at her, clearly amused.
Sakura frowns. "I'll wear what I want." she responds, before sighing. It's not like she can just ignore the 'request', since he'll just come find her like the creep he is and probably when she least expects it. "What's he annoyed about?" she tries, though she doesn't really expect an answer.
To her surprise, the expression on Shisui's face has abruptly morphed into something feral and horrifying. "He's annoyed from being around Shion-taichou's killer and not being able to crush them yet." he reveals, his chakra erratic and almost demonic before it's gone the next second.
She leans back, feeling a sense of dread bubble in her gut. Shisui continues to smile down at her, like what he said isn't alarming at all. "Well… Alright, then." because she doesn't know what else to say. She has questions, but she doesn't want to ask them when her captain is in such a vicious mood. It's different than his usual psychotic ways, she can feel it.
"You better meet up with your brothers, Sakura-chan." he murmurs, grabbing a lock of her wig. Like her brothers' wigs, its pigmentation is the shade of berry. He lets it fall, before he pushes his mask back over his face and disappears in a blur.
Sakura sighs once more, not enjoying the reminder that Uchiha are so troublesome.
She finds him deep within the forest, leaning against a tree with his arms folded and his annoyingly intense eyes on her as she approaches. Wearing a simple black cloak, he still looks as eye-catching as he remembers him to be. Now that he's grown more into a man, at the age of seventeen, his presence has really just enhanced to a vexing degree.
Sakura stops with a fair amount of distance between them, her brow furrowed and her insides all jittery. "So, Itachi-san… What do you want?" she queries in a curt manner, because she's not really in the mood to deal with him.
He tilts his head, that soft and supposedly disarming smile forming upon his lips. "Hello, Sakura-chan." he chuckles, the smooth baritone of his voice making her highly unsettled for reasons she's yet to figure out. "It is nice to see you too."
His eyes slide down, from her neck all the way to her toes. She feels naked under his gaze and it makes her want to stab his eyes with a kunai. He meet her eyes once more and he pushes off from the tree to approach her.
She steps back. He follows and she feels like this has happened before. "Must you always be so disturbing, Itachi-san?" she mutters, intercepting his hands from cupping her cheeks.
He glances at their touching hands, then intertwines their fingers. Like he's trapped her. "I cannot change who I am, Sakura-chan." he murmurs in response, his gaze concentrated as he stares at their point of contact. She notes his black fingernails and wonders if it's nail polish. "It is… unfortunate, but I emit a sense of unease regardless of whether I want to or not. It is difficult to remain inconspicuous in public areas."
Sakura feels her frown deepen, silently agreeing to the last of his words. "Do you want to talk to Shion?" she asks, because that feels like the most reasonable explanation for him wanting to meet her.
Itachi blinks, drawing attention to those damn long eyelashes of his. He smiles, making contact with her eyes again. It'd be easy to get sucked into his gaze. "Yes. I have been… irritable of late, and it is affecting my work ethic. Years and years in his presence, unable to…" his eyes sharpen with a dangerous glint, his grip on her hand tightening. He exhales. "He took her away from me, so he will bring her back."
Her heart thumps, banging against her ribs as the tension begins to suffocate her. "Shion's sleeping…" she states, as Itachi shifts. His free hand snakes around her waist, and she sees the peculiar and indecipherable glimmer in his eyes.
He almost looked pained, and that's just more disturbing than anything else. "Wake her up." he hides his face in the crook of her neck, the cold steel of his hitai-ate pressing against her half-covered skin. "I need to be reminded that she is still here… I need to reaffirm the reason for my goals still exists."
Then Sakura has the revelation that monsters, in reality are both fearsome and pitiful. "I'm sorry, Shion." she whispers, since she knows that all Shion wants to do is sleep without being disturbed.
"It's not your fault, sugar plum." Shion's scratchy voice answers, having been drawn out of her slumber. "This is only temporary anyway, yeah. I'll have to start living again at some point, you know?"
Something tugs at her mind, and she follows it without complaint. She feels Itachi holding her up before she's embraced by the sea of black for a second time.
Chapter Word Count: 2,805
Total Word Count: 59,137
Targeted Word Count: 0
A/N: I struggled real hard with this chapter. It's like you're seeing the steady degradation of my existence translate into my writing. I have a headache, so I'll reply to reviews later. I know I should probably rest, but I'm just stubbornly determined to see this through to the end without missing a single day.
Reviews are love. Reviews are life. It's never ogre.