Gravity Chapter 11: Foreboding, a naruto fanfic

A.N.

Bless all of those who have reviewed, faved, and followed my story. I really, truly appreciate it!

If you have not kept up with the manga from here on out there may be spoilers.

Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.

Sayuri and any characters that have not and will not appear in the manga and/or anime are completely original.

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Enjoy!

Sayuri panted and held her chest in pain. Everything was spinning and coming out of focus. She slowly made her way back to the ground and kept walking, although now she herself was swaying. Using the tree's around her as support she slowly trudged forward until she reached a clearing.

Looking up she found that the clearing lead to a stair case which in turn led to a temple. She looked up at the entrance and was shocked at the plaque on the top of the arch.

"Marihasha…?" she whispered.

"Careful, Sayuri. Don't wonder off too far." A small girl looked up at a pretty woman with silver hair and bright blue eyes.

"Ok!" the girl giggled right before running off, her long brown hair swaying from side to side as she ran through the edge of the woods. Far enough to conceal herself but close enough so that she could see the woman who walked towards the trees, a gentle smile on her face.

"This…" she whispered. "It's my clan's temple…" she sighed. Her vision fogged up just before everything turned black. As she fell forward she heard someone call out her name.

Foreboding

"Master?"

"Shh…" A grave voice hushed the younger one.

"Will she be ok?" there was a pause.

She felt heavy; there was something heavy and warm on her. She saw nothing except darkness, and heard nothing more than the sounds of footsteps around her.

"Yes, I believe so…" a grave voice answered. "Now let her rest."

A slight shuffling and then a 'yes sir' before there were more footsteps and the sound of a sliding door opening and closing. Her body ached…she felt like she had been hit by a flying log. She frowned, could she even move? With much effort she tried to concentrate on her arm, managing to twitch only her fingers.

"You can move." The same deep voice form before startled her. "Just get a bearing of your body."

She tried again. Her fingers twitched before they slowly began to curl, followed by her toes and then her foot. Her lids were the hardest. They felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. She tried but only managed to furrow her brow.

"Relax; don't dwell too much on it."

A sigh escaped her lips, well at least she could move her mouth. Her lids wrinkled slightly before fluttering open. Her vision blurred for a few seconds until she blinked it away. A white ceiling stared back at her. She frowned, where was she?

"Can you sit up?" her attention was drawn to her right. A purple haired man, with bright silver eyes that looked no older than Kakashi was staring back at her.

He's a monk… She thought as she took in his attire.

She pushed herself up on her hands and winced. "Ow…" she hissed as her hands trembled under the strain.

"Just as I thought." She looked at him confused. He held a glass of water to her lips which she took greedily. "You'll be able to move, but you'll be in pain while you do." He took the now empty glass and set it aside on a small table beside the bed. "What did you do?"

"I…" Sayuri wrinkled her brow. "Um…what?"

He nodded at her and she finally looked down. Her arms were covered in bandages, her clothes had been changed to that of a loose white kimono but through the small opening she could see the harsh red lines across her torso.

"We bandaged your arms; they had several cuts on them. Your chest we left alone, we figure it was only bruised."

"Thank you…" she whispered. She pursed her lips before she turned back to the monk. "Where…" she paused and he shifted.

"You are at the Marihasha temple." Sayuri blinked in surprise and then she remembered the stair case and the archway from before. "We don't get many visitors since the clan died off, and the Lady of the clan hasn't come back since her mother died." He said with a far off look.

Lady of the…Her brow furrowed in confusion. H doesn't know who I am. She realized as she watched the monk get up and pick up a small picture frame from the vanity across the room. He returned to his former spot and looked at the picture for one more second before passing it off to Sayuri.

"This," he pointed at the woman in the picture, with long wavy silver hair a dark blue and a light blue eye, wearing a blue and green kimono, and a gentle smile. "Was, Lady Marihasha, her name was Nagisa Mizuchi." His finger glided across the glass unto the little girl the woman carried, brown wavy hair, pale skin, wearing a blue and red kimono, her eyes sapphire blue and ruby red. "And this is our new Lady Marihasha…Lady Sayuri."

He smiled at her before placing the frame on the small table next to the glass of water. "It's been a long time…" he made a low bow.

So much for not being recognized…Sayuri thought as she watched the man straighten up.

"I don't suppose you're here to come and check up on one of your clan's inheritance…have you?"

She sighed. "No." she looked down at her hands. It's not that she hadn't wanted to. It was more like she didn't really believe this place existed…or more like she hoped it didn't exist. "Who else knows?"

"That you are here?" She nodded still not meeting his eyes. "No one." She turned to him, incredulous. "The older priests, and servants are all going about their business, I found you as I was taking my morning walks. At first I wasn't sure, I thought it was Lady Nagisa, but then I saw your brown hair I knew you'd be our Lady." He smiled.

"I can't stay." His silver eyes looked down at her knowingly.

"I figured that much out when I saw your battered body." Sayuri looked up at the grinning man. "No one will know you were here." He walked over to the vanity once more and picked up a small package covered in brown paper and held together by red string. "I had my student fetch you some clothes. They should fit."

Taking the small package as he handed it to her, Sayuri looked up. "You're not going to ask me anything? You're just going to let me go?"

He gave her a solemn smile. "I was a ninja too…a very long time ago." He turned to the picture. "Your mother took me in, and gave me shelter here. It was my sanctuary. She didn't ask any questions, but trusted that I had a good reason for running from whatever it was that I was running from."

Sayuri looked at the picture of her mother and nodded. She stiffened when he placed a hand on her head, drawing her attention to him.

"You'll need to leave soon; my student won't say anything but he will ask questions if he sees you in here." He pointed at the foot off the bed. "Your pouch and cloak are over there. Once you are dressed, make sure that the hood is covering your face. Go out through the door, make a right and continue straight, do not make any detours. The stairs to the temple will be right up ahead."

"Thank you." She began to bow but he cut her short.

"No." he looked at her sternly. "Never bow to anyone, especially not to me. Your mother saved my life, and for whatever reason you don't want to be recognized so I'll help you with that, although I regret not being of much more use." He turned to the door. "I suggest you hurry, and don't talk to strangers."

"Ah." She nodded as he closed the door behind him.

Un-wrapping the package she took out red sleeveless dress that opened down the middle, and a black jumper to go underneath it. She hurried as best she could to change, wincing every once in a while when she'd move the wrong way. Sayuri walked to the edge of the bed and picked up the pouch Sai had given her before she left and strapped it on. Underneath it was a black chest protector with an envelope on top.

Cautiously she picked it up and opened it.

The chest protector and boots belonged to your mother, they should fit.

-Takeo

"Boots?" she looked down and saw the ninja boots on the side of the bed. Picking up the chest protector she snapped it into place and began to pull her shoes on. Once finished she took the letter and placed it inside the pouch before pulling the cloak over her shoulders and raising the hood over her head.

XXX

Danzo paced his office while two ROOT knelt at his feet. Sayuri had escaped, she had either taken or hidden the documents she stole from his office, and had taken down five of his ROOT.

"One girl…" he began. "One measly little girl, was what I sent them after and they couldn't take her down!"

The ninja before him stayed silent. There was nothing he could do. Kenji had already found her home abandoned, along with the almost destroyed room, and he was suspicious. He beat Danzo and told the Hokage that she was on a mission and if Danzo spoke against it, he had no way of making himself appear innocent once Kenji says that he found her room in shambles.

The elder almost growled in frustration. He was going to find her, and he was going to eliminate her.

XXX

She needed proof. She needed someone who knew the truth.

Sayuri walked slowly through the forest, black hood over her head. The brunette stopped and gripped her side as she leaned against a tree. The monk wasn't kidding when he said she'd be in pain. It was times like these when she wished she had been smart enough to have taken those medical ninjutsu classes that the fifth Hokage had so many times offered to her.

She turned so that her back was against the tree. Proof…living proof…or at least someone who knew what she didn't, that's all she needed. She closed her eyes and saw Itachi Uchiha. "Itachi?" she reached for her pouch and pulled it forward.

Please be in here, please be in here, please be in—Sayuri pulled out a small little black bingo book and smiled in relief. Quickly she searched for his profile, upon seeing it she tore it out and placed the book back into the pouch. In her hands was the picture of the only man that could possibly tell her what really happened to her clan and to the Uchiha.

She stood up with much effort and continued her journey. Sayuri was nearing the border of the fire country. There were rumors that the Uchiha had been staying around the area, but no one had confirmed it. That only made her job that much harder.

The heiress sighed as she stepped into a clearing, there next to a dirt road stood an Inn. That's where I'll start. She gripped the paper in her hands as she made her way over to the small Inn and stepped through its wooden doors.

"Welcome, how may we help you miss?" An elderly male said with a kind smile as he saw the young brunette approach the counter. "Would you like a room?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with something." The elder looked confused but none the less nodded. She placed the picture of Itachi on the counter and placed a delicate finger on a corner. "Have you seen this man?"

The elder frowned and rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm not sure, is he from around here?" His brown eyes looked at the girl.

"Well, he was born here…but he travels around."

"Hmm…" he tapped his chin. "Wait here." He stood from his seat and headed into another room. A few seconds later he came back followed by an elderly woman about his age. "This is my wife, she was here today longer than I have maybe she can help."

With a nod of the head, Sayuri pushed the picture of the young Uchiha to the elderly woman.

"Oh, yes!" she said after a few minutes. "Nice man, but seemed very lonely though. He actually left a few minutes ago, he followed the trail" she pointed to the dirt road that could be seen by the window. "If you hurry you might be able to catch him."

Elated, Sayuri bowed. "Thank you!" she said completely ignoring the sharp pain on her chest as she rushed out of the Inn.

Sayuri picked up her pace, despite the pain she felt she needed to catch up to him. She needed to know the truth.

But what if he didn't know anything?

Sayuri frowned. No, he had to have known, Danzo had kept a file on him. Regardless of the fact that he was a missing nin, if Itachi wasn't so important he wouldn't have hidden it like he did with the rest of those documents.

She stopped as she reached a fork on the road. Shit! She cursed herself for being too slow. How was she supposed to find him now?

"Isn't it a bit too dangerous for you to be travelling alone?" The deep voice caught her attention.

The brunette turned and looked up to see Itachi standing on a tree branch looking down at her. Immediately she averted her eyes, not wanting to get caught in an illusion.

"I…" She began. "I need to talk to you." Sayuri tried very hard to steady her breathing. Standing before him now felt exactly like the time she had stood before Zabuza Momochi. She felt afraid; this man had been an ANBU for far longer than she had. He had also killed off his clan and was involved with the Akatsuki, the largest criminal organization thus far.

"Well you found me…" his voice was cold and void of emotion. "Talk." He ordered she felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

Keeping her eyes trained on his feet she took a deep breath and began. "I want to know what Danzo had to do with your clan's massacre."

There was a long pause, he did not move, and it made Sayuri wonder if he was really there. Suddenly he shifted and she took a step back attempting a defensive stance as he appeared before her. "He had nothing to do with it, I merely wanted to test my abilities…it was all on a whim."

"That's not true." She answered. "I read the file. I know that he was involved in all this."

"Like I said before it was to test out my capabilities. Now, I suggest you return to your precious Konoha before I kill you."

Sayuri straightened up, ignoring her protesting body as she squared her shoulders and raised her head high. The monk had told her to never bow to anyone, Itachi was no exception. He may be feared as an S class criminal, but she was the heiress to the Marihasha. Her clan was considered the best of the best. Her decedents were at one point Diamyō of the land and had been the first to begin the small foundation that led to the building of Konohagakure. She would not avert her gaze any longer, because she had too much pride for that. She wanted answers and damn it she deserved them.

"I know you had help." She saw as his shoulders tensed. "What? Did you seriously expect me to believe that you killed an entire clan of elite shinobi all by yourself?" His Sharingan eyes narrowed but they did not spin. "I want the truth, Itachi…I'm not asking as a child, I'm asking as a shinobi."

Itachi for his part gave her a once over. Her cloak had been tattered, he noticed a small blood stain on her shoulder, her cheeks and neck had bandages, her hair looked mused, and she wore no forehead protector. Her posture although straight showed signs of strain as if something was causing her intense physical pain.

"I stole the documents from Danzo and he sent his ROOT after me." Sayuri explained. "I know he was involved in my clan's massacre as well." He looked disinterested as always but she somehow felt that she had his attention. "I'm not asking you for refuge, I'm asking you for the truth. I know you saved me back when my mother was attacked in the temple and during the fire in the compound. I know you weren't the only one there on the day of your clan's massacre. All I want is to know the truth…please."

At that moment his Sharingan eyes began to spin, her lids felt heavy and her body was numb as she let herself succumb to the darkness. Sayuri slumped forward allowing Itachi to catch her easily. He contemplated leaving her in the clearing but if the ROOT found her she would most likely die by their hand.

She wants the truth. He looked down at the sleeping girl. She hadn't put up much of a fight. She didn't even seem to fear him. He remembered the cheerful little girl that used to run through the gardens making flower crowns for all that wanted them. He had watched that same little girl grow up and learn about the ninja world all too quickly as, one by one, those she held dear were taken away.

The seal he had placed on her that night he left all those years ago, was waning. Soon she would remember everything like it had happened just yesterday and he wondered if she'd be able to handle it. He began to walk, Sayuri still in his arms.

Itachi had hoped that placing the seal on her would keep those memories at bay. It was for her own good, the young girl had been going insane after all. For too long he had watched as Sayuri lost touch with reality when she would so much as remember something from the night of her mother's murder to the massacre of her family.

He wanted her safe, not only because he cared for her, but because as children, Sasuke had developed some sort of affection towards her. On the night that he decided to kill his clan he knew that Sasuke would need something to go back to. Sasuke needed some semblance of hope to return to once he had accomplished his revenge, and the older of the Uchiha intended for Sayuri to be just that for his little brother.

The Uchiha arrived to a small town just as the sun began to set. Quietly he made his way to a small hotel and asked for a room. The clerk had eyed him suspiciously as he held Sayuri to him, but he ignored it, the man wouldn't dare do anything about it.

Laying the girl down on the bed he took of her coat, sat down on the small chair beside the bed and waited for her to wake. Black eyes moved to the tattoo on her right arm. As a child Sayuri never dealt with death very well, he had figured that much out when her mother had died, so it was a wonder to him as to why she chose to accept a position in which she would be the one to take a life instead of save it.

"Why become a ninja when you hate killing?" he asked the still form on the bed. He of course knew that answer, he himself hated when he had to take a life. It was all for the village. He thought. Everything he had done was for the village, and for his little brother.

Sayuri stirred, she grunted and her eyes fluttered open. They looked hazed as they tried to focus on something, anything. She turned to him and stared. She was waiting, he noticed.

"You're making a huge gamble." Sayuri blinked up at the man. "I could easily kill you any second."

"But you won't." Sayuri responded sitting up on her elbows. She suddenly felt her back make contact with the mattress again, a hand on her neck.

"What makes you so sure?"

Staring up into Sharingan red eyes, Sayuri held her ground. "I'm not afraid of you."

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the young girl. She was always bold, he remembered. Almost everything she did was on an impulse and strangely he found satisfaction in knowing that she hadn't changed much from the little girl, whose mind he had sealed thirteen years ago. But one of these days, that impulsivity he admire so much will get her killed.

The ex-ANBU frowned. "Alright then…" he sighed much to the girl's internal satisfaction. "But you'll have to do something for me."

"And what would that be?" Sayuri asked, a crease forming on her brow.

Itachi smiled, sincerely smiled down at the girl whose neck was still being held by his hand. "You'll find out when the time is right."

Sayuri hesitated. What exactly would Itachi ask from her? Mismatched brown looked over the Uchiha's face. He was as impassive as ever she concluded before answering, "Alright."

And so with a heavy sigh he began. "I was thirteen." She did not move, instead she kept her eyes trained on the man before her. "The clan was suspected of planning a coup, and I had sent be as a double agent…"

XXX

The day was sickeningly beautiful. There were birds out, the flowers looked more vibrant and the sky was clear blue. Beady black eyes wondered about the entire area. Their owner frowned. He'd been waiting for Itachi a good thirty minutes. Usually the Uchiha was at the rendezvous point before him, but today…

Kisame frowned as he crossed his arms. Where the hell was that damned Uchiha?

He heard the sound of crunching gravel before he turned back to the road where he tried to concentrate on the chakra. It was at that point that he noticed that there were two people, and that one of them was indeed his teammate but the other was a mystery.

Patiently he waited as the two made their way into the clearing. There Itachi stood followed closely behind by a young teen, who, sported bandages around her eyes. The blue man frowned.

"Who's the brat?" He asked all the while eyeing the hand that was around the girl's wrist.

"I found her in the woods." He released her hand and stood behind her as if presenting her to his teammate. "She was lost and I decided to help her."

Kisame's eyebrows shot up as he crossed his arms and examined the girl. "Helping her won't compensate for all your crimes." He said as he crept closer to the girl. Itachi said nothing, instead watched as his partner took out his Samehada and raised it as if to strike the girl only to stop just as his sword was to connect with her shoulder.

The blue man blinked as the girl failed to flinch. He turned to Itachi. "She's blind." His partner said nothing. "You brought back a blind girl?" He pulled back his sword and smirked. "You must really want forgiveness from the gods." His amusement grew as his teammate simply looked away. Black eyes turned to the girl before him. "What's your name, girl?"

"Aka." Sayuri said automatically falling back on her old code name.

"Ah, Aka…" Kisame rubbed his chin. "All right then Aka since Itachi brought you, I guess I can let you live a while longer."

Sayuri bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from responding. Just who the hell did he think he was!? Stupid shark man!

Itachi looked down at Sayuri rather impressed. The girl didn't miss a beat as his partner continued to question her as they made their way to the next hideout.

"All right." Kisame said as they reached the mouth of the cave. He looked down at the girl. "Want me to knock her out for a bit?" He asked Itachi.

"That won't be necessary." The Uchiha answered as he turned back to the brunette. "Aka, we will be out in a few minutes. You are to stay here and don't wonder off."

"I understand." The girl answered as she heard the two walk further away from her. With a sigh, Sayuri sat down against the wall. She reached for the bandages but stopped midway.

"Sit up." Itachi had ordered after a minute consideration. Blinking, she slowly pushed herself up from the bed and turned to him. He reached for his pocket taking out a small roll of white bandages. Alarmed, Sayuri jumped back as he reached for her. "I won't do anything." He assured.

Still wary, Sayuri let him wrap the white material around her eyes. "What is this for?"

"I can't let you go back to Konoha, not until I figure out a way for you to stay safe." Sayuri frowned at the white cloth, her senses going on overdrive. "You'll stay with me for now." She felt as one of his hands wrapped around her wrists and tug her up.

Black eyes watched as the girl tensed for a mere second as she regained her bearings. Sayuri took a deep shaky breath still feeling sore from her fight. "What's the blindfold for?" she asked as she turned to him catching Itachi off guard.

He had expected her to be well…disoriented. He did just take one of her senses away. "It's so Kisame doesn't recognize you."

Kisame…? She thought, suddenly remembering the tall blue, shark-like man that was with him all those years ago.

Pursing her lips she let her hand fall back to her lap. She couldn't remove the bandages…not if she wanted to keep her cover. Itachi had yet to tell her what he need her to do for him, and in all honesty she wasn't too sure that she wanted to know. Something about his voice in the way he said it made her shiver and feel completely out of place.

Sayuri tilted her head up, as she heard a low rumble. She had told Itachi that she didn't want sanctuary, yet he gave it to her anyway. The rumble grew louder; the wind began to pick up in speed around her. She sniffed the air and frowned.

"It's going to rain soon." She whispered disappointed. Rain was not something she was very fond of.

"Aka…" Itachi's voice drew her out of her thoughts as she looked over at his general direction. "Let's go." The rain suddenly began to pour as she stood up.

Kisame watched as the girl held her cloak tighter to herself. Itachi on the other hand had his eyes to the grey sky. "You know…you look like you're crying."

Crying? Sayuri wondered, wishing now more than ever that she could see.

"At least now you really are the last Uchiha."

Last Uchiha…that would mean…Sasuke's face came to mind.

"He's not dead." Itachi said after a few minutes calming her erratic thoughts. "Let's get going."

XXX

Kisame looked up as Itachi paused in the middle of the road, his hand automatically moving to the girls shoulder to stop her from walking into the Uchiha's back.

"What's wrong Mr. Kisame?" Sayuri asked, yes she was getting used to walking around blind, but that by no means did it mean that she was good at detecting her surroundings.

"Itachi?" Kisame asked.

"We'll spend the night here." Kisame's eyes narrowed at Itachi's pale form but none the less nodded and followed the man into an inn.

Sayuri frowned, hearing a small tired note in Itachi's voice, and if she focused just enough she could tell that his chakra seemed…off. She focused on the man barely paying attention to anything until she heard Kisame bid them good night. Taken by surprised, she turned about her trying to figure out if, during her musings, she'd been led to a room all her own.

A hand on hers made her bite back a gasp. "Relax."

Itachi? She wondered. Why had he sounded so drained? And why did his hand feel so clammy?

"Come." He ordered as he tugged her along. The sound of a door creaking open, and then she was pushed inside. As soon as the door clicked closed she all but ripped the bandages off her eyes.

The brunette cringed at the stinging sensation she got from the light. Shielding her eyes with her hand she turned back to the door to find Itachi leaning up against it. Slowly her eyes began to adjust and she was able to notice how the man panted, and sweat trickled down his jaw.

"Are…" Sayuri began as she looked uncertain. "Are you all right?" She crept closer to the man noticing how pale his complexion had turned. Suddenly he began to cough into his hand, alarmed she quickly moved to his side and patted his back as he hunched over. Brown eyes widened as they saw a small trickle of blood seep through his closed fingers. "Itachi!"

He held up a hand. "I'll be fine." Sayuri could do nothing as he made his way to the small couch by the bed before taking a few pills out and swallowing them.

"Itachi?" she crept closer watching as he wiped his mouth. Her eyes narrowed. "You're not fine."

He looked up, black eyes tired as her form came closer. Her hand glowed bright green as she placed it over his forehead, easing up his fever. Her expression went from serious to shocked as she ventured further into his condition. She might not have had extensive medical training but she at least knew how to diagnose, and this…this wasn't good.

"Itachi you're—" He slapped a hand to her mouth, his eyes red once again.

"You are not to say a word." Brown eyes looked down at the man in surprise. "Understand?" the small commas around his iris began to spin, and hesitantly she nodded. He pulled back before looking away. "I need to be fine, if I want to face him."

"You're still planning on fighting him?" He nodded. "But…" Sayuri bit her lip and looked down. "But you did it because you were ordered to, not because you wanted to!"

"It doesn't matter. Once Sasuke kills me he'll be able to return to Konoha a hero."

Sayuri's hand stopped glowing as she pulled back. "What makes you so sure he'd return?" Black eyes slid to her form.

She still didn't understand what her part was in all of this, but it was ok. Everything would fall into place in due time. "I know my little brother." was his answer.

Sayuri's fists clenched at her sides. "What if he finds out the truth?" He looked at her then. "What then?" She hated how he could say that Sasuke would return with such confidence. Sure he was his older brother, but ultimately Sasuke was his own person, and he rarely acted as was expected.

"He won't." He placed a hand on her head. "And even if he does, you'll be there to anchor him."

The Marihasha heiress looked up. Anchor him? She frowned. Just what the hell does he mean by that!?

Seeing her confusion he smiled and patted her head. "Go to sleep, Lady Sayuri."

Later that night she lay on her back staring up at the ceiling unable to fall asleep. This was tuning into a mess. Itachi was going to fight Sasuke soon, and the guy seemed completely comfortable with the idea of dying by his brother's hand. And what was that about her being an anchor? She turned to her side to watch Itachi, completely transfixed by the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"It's not fair…" she whispered, as she clutched the pillow under her. And it really wasn't. If everything went according to Itachi's master plan, Sasuke would go on through life thinking his brother was a crazed murdered when in reality the man was closer to a saint than anyone in this wretched world. She sighed as her eyes grew heavy. Her thoughts were on two young brothers as they ran around playing hide and seek just before she fell asleep.

A.N.

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