306A/N: First thing, I want to thank everyone for all of your kind messages. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long, but I'm working on being in a better headspace now. Finally have a therapist that's helping me work through some stuff. So, while we're in quarantine, I decided to knuckle down and work on this chapter and focus on getting some serious writing done. I hope you guys enjoy this next installment. But seriously, thanks again. I don't really even know how to say how much you guys checking on me, meant to me. This is an awesome community and I feel privileged to be a part of it. Secondly, I know there is no Itasaku action in this chapter. This is all plot, but more Itasaku coming soon, I just had to set somethings in motion! Hope you guys enjoy!
Chapter 7
She didn't know where she was.
The trees were familiar, but the location teased the edge of her consciousness. Her muscles were tense, her eyes scanning the dark surroundings. Shadows flickered at the edge of her sight, wrapping around tree trunks and slithering across the moon bleached grass.
"Sakura."
It came from everywhere and nowhere. A low caress running along the back of her neck, like a whisper of wind.
She tensed, but didn't turn. It was a distraction technique. "What do you want?"
A soft chuckle was accompanied by the heat of breath against her ear.
Gotcha.
Sakura drove her elbow back, stepping into the movement to give it more power. It should have knocked the wind out of whoever the hell was there, but she hit nothing but air. Dammit.
"Who are you?"
The only answer was a chuckle before invisible teeth nipped at her ear, tugging at her earlobe. "Run, princess. I want to chase you."
"Like I care what you want." Sakura snarled and tossed her head, not unlike an unbroken horse.
Phantom arms wrapped around her slender waist pulling her until a hard chest pressed against her back. Lips pressed against the curve of her neck, as a face nuzzled her. "Run while you can, because I'm going to catch you."
"Get. Off!"
Slamming her foot down in a move that would shatter bone on impact, Sakura hissed in frustration as her stomp connected only with the ground, leaving a crater instead of a footprint, but not dislodging her captor.
The stranger sucked lightly on the flesh they'd just kissed, like they were trying to leave a mark, the sensation raising goosebumps on her neck before the phantom arms disappeared from around her waist. "Blossom, run for me."
Blossom? Who did this asshole think he was? She cast one more look over her shoulder before taking off towards the tree line.
This had to be some sort of jutsu. A modified henge or genjutsu perhaps? Now, under the forest's shadow, she took in her surroundings. Nothing was familiar. Where was she? What was this?
A tsking sound brushed her ear, like he was disappointed. "Faster. You don't want me to catch you so soon, do you?"
Sakura sped up, sending a burst of chakra to her feet. It felt stupid to outrun a voice, but how was she supposed to fight something she couldn't see or touch? Her chakra pathways burned, like lactic burning in her muscles, eating away at her tendons. Her vision flickered, but she couldn't tell if it was from the shadows or the exhaustion flooding her limbs. It was like trying to treat Shisui's ankle all over again. Her breathing was heavier than it should be, and labored. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, deafening her to her surroundings.
Stupid Sakura!
Focus!
How pathetic can you be?
Ignoring her screaming limbs, Sakura pushed harder, making a wide circle back to the clearing. Maybe there were clues that could tell her where she was.
She darted to the side, ducking behind a large tree and pulled her shaking hands up to form the seals for a shadow clone. The distraction should give her enough time to get back to the clearing. Maybe she could figure out where she was, or at least find a clue.
She blinked the spots away from her eyes to focus on forming the hand seal, but hands wrapped around her wrists, pressing her up against the trunk.
"You don't have enough chakra."
Instead of crushing her hands in a tight grip, her hands were cradled, his thumbs brushing over her palms.
"Let go of me!"
She tried to kick out at him, but he took a step closer until he was pinning her to the tree. His body felt hot and firm, but she couldn't see him in the shadow of the tree.
Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her heels against his spine, baring her teeth in a malicious grimace. "I could crush your spine like this."
She squeezed, but nothing gave in her vice like grip. No crunching squish as bone and organ collapsed under her enhanced strength. Instead, her vision swam. Chakra exhaustion? How?
"What did you do?"
Even in the absence of her strength, her assailant's breathing still hitched on a low groan and long fingers tightened around her wrists, massaging the tender skin. "I haven't done anything to you, Blossom. You did this to yourself."
It was pathetic, she couldn't even fight, just wriggle like a civilian heroine in one of Ino-pig's dirty novels. Her eyes burned with shame and anger. Humiliation burned her cheeks. "My ass. What are you talking about?"
The hands around her wrists slid down the sides of her body, wrapping around her back, and lifting her until she was cradled against someone's chest. The bastard wasn't even holding her in a princess carry, he was cuddling her to his chest like a sleepy toddler!
"Let me go!"
"No."
A hand stroked her hair as the figure carried her through the woods, running through the short pink strands before massaging the base of her neck. Pressing her hands against his chest, Sakura shoved. "Fuck off!"
He bounced her like a fussy child, and pressed her face against his chest. "Shh. It's alright. I have you now."
How delusional was this guy? "What part of- Get the fuck-"
Great, now she was reduced to slapping at his chest like an Icha Icha heroine. "Put me down!"
He ignored her. "Rest now. You're safe."
"Safe? You sick sonofa-"
She refused to admit that the hand running through her hair felt soothing. The heart beating beneath her ear was steady and the arms wrapped around her were warm. Gritting her teeth and ignoring the burning of her fried chakra pathways, Sakura turned her head and sank her teeth into the pectoral muscle.
The figure groaned and at first Sakura thought it was in pain and grinned evilly, shoving at his chest against only to gasp as she was suddenly pressed up against another tree. The bark on the trunk was rough against her back and the hand in her hair tightened into a fist, tilting her head back and forcing her to release her jaw.
Sakura hissed as teeth grazed her throat, nipping just hard enough to sting without causing any real damage. The hand around her waist slid over her hip to behind her knee, lifting until there was room for a pair of slim hips to press between her legs. The mouth traveled up to the edge of her jaw, leaving a trail of nips before trailing up her jaw to pull the lobe of her ear between his teeth. Sakura jerked her head in his grip and bucked her hips. The figure made a soft, strangled noise and something hard and shockingly hot ground between her legs.
"If you feel like biting, princess. I'm happy to return the favor." His voice was low and heated, his chest pressed so close to hers that his words vibrated through her breasts.
"You sick fuck!"
He chuckled. "Only for you."
He ground up against her again, sending a tingling through her pelvis that Sakura refused to acknowledge. Lightheaded, she growled and lifted one hand, trying to sink her nails into the hand holding her hair. She couldn't get any traction, she could feel the grip, but when she lashed out, all the felt was the bark or her own hair. This had to be a nightmare. "Get OFF of me!"
He tutted her again, stroking along the inside of her thigh, down from her knee. "It's okay. Fight as much as you want, we'll be together soon-"
Sakura woke up with fear still trickling down her spine.
She ran a hand through her hair, pushing the pink locks back from her sweat dampened forehead. The sunlight streaming through the windows, throbbed in her temples. Her muscles ached, not with the lactic burn after a hard day of training, but the weak-kneed tremble after a bad fever. Her mouth even felt dry and her tongue felt like sandpaper, scraping over her teeth.
Sakura forced herself to roll up her futon this time, putting it away before stepping into the bathroom. Her eyes didn't look quite as sunken today, but the effects of the lip mask were apparently only temporary as her lips were now drawn and chapped.
The cool water felt good against her skin, better than usual, but the towel scratched as she dried her face. With Ino-Pig's glower in the back of her mind, Sakura used a damp corner of towel to scrub the dead skin off her lips before slathering moisturizer over her face.
I looked decent.
Define decent.
Her civilian clothes were getting more wear than they'd seen in months, Sakura didn't even remember owning a pair of green pants. They fit though, sort of, a little loose in the waist, but nothing a belt wouldn't fix. Her tee shirt gapped a little at the neck, and the sleeves covered part of her hands, but it was soft. After Pig's haircut, her hair was too short to pin back, so the pinkette just ruffled it, hoping for it to air dry as she padded into the kitchen. She filled the kettle with water and rifled through the pantry for a teabag.
Her stomach growled, accompanied by an insistent cramp. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she was actually hungry, normally she forced herself to consume some calories in between patients otherwise. The only thing she had was a packet of instant miso ramen. Reluctantly, Sakura pulled it out. Better than nothing.
She rubbed the back of her neck and rolled her stiff shoulders, then jumped as the kettle began to whistle.
And you call yourself a kunoichi.
Shut up.
She splashed water into a battered cup, then went ahead and filled the cup noodle. The warmth helped soothe her stomach. The broth was salty, the artificial miso flavor had a sour edge, and the noodles were chewy and sprinkled with dehydrated sprinkles of what were once vegetables. Still, Sakura drained the cup, licking her stinging lips free of the broth before taking a swing of the cooling tea. The salt in her system subdued some of the throbbing in her head enough for her to feel human again.
Exhaling, Sakura looked around her apartment. This was pathetic. Books were stacked everywhere. The sofa, ratty on a good day, looked like she'd stolen it from a dumpster. She could see dust caked on the window sills even from where she stood across the room, and the fern her mother gave her for her last birthday was a dehydrated husk.
Well, I guess I know what I'm doing today.
*On one of the Uchiha training grounds*
His ankle was fine.
Shisui stomped a couple of times on his injured foot. Just a twinge of soreness, he was fine.
Tip top shape.
Nothing to worry about.
The older Uchiha rolled his shoulders. He was alone on a private training ground, Itachi was reading reports for the rest of the morning so he had plenty of time to himself. A tree rustled just out of his peripheral vision. "You're a hundred years too early to sneak up on me."
His baby cousin snorted and stepped out of the tree line. Sasuke wasn't dressed for a fight, but there was something tense, almost aggressive in his movements. He was too tightly controlled to really be dangerous. It was better to keep body language loose and languid, let anger make you fast, not stiff, but Shisui didn't think he was there for a lesson on intimidation techniques. Itachi would be a better choice for that anyway.
Sasuke didn't say anything, so Shisui continued to stretch.
"What is my brother doing?"
"At the moment? I think he's reading reports or possibly frightening the living daylights out of new ANBU recruits."
"Hn."
He felt the movement in the air before he saw his cousin move. Sasuke was getting faster, but not fast enough.
He dodged the hand reaching out to grab either his throat or his shoulder, you could never be too sure in this clan, and wrapped his own hand around Sasuke's wrist, using his younger cousin's own momentum to throw him off balance and slam him into the ground. Twisting the arm up and bending the wrist while his good foot was planted in the middle of his cousin's back to keep him in place, Shisui tisked in the annoying way he knew Sasuke hated. "Rude. And sloppy. Did you really think it was going to work?"
The younger Uchiha mumbled something unflattering into the grass all but suffocating him.
"Hn, that's what I thought. Now, I'm going to let you up and you're going to explain to me what has your panties in a twist this morning."
Another grunt. Close enough. They'd done this same routine enough times over the years that if Sasuke tried again, he'd be right back where he started. It was like time out, except more often than not, a shoulder came out of socket. So, basically, the Uchiha version of time out.
After another moment, Shisui stepped back, releasing Sasuke's arm at the same time.
The younger Uchiha heir pushed himself to his feet, subtly spitting out a mouthful of grass. "Sakura. My brother's watching her. He invited her to the compound. He took the long way around the perimeter instead of coming straight through. I saw one of his crow spies following us when I walked her home."
Shisui felt like rubbing his face in secondhand embarrassment. How could his cousin simultaneously be a prodigy in combat and clueless in human interaction? Still, he promised himself that he wouldn't interfere directly as long as Itachi was receptive to reason.
"Sounds like he was just doing his job as clan heir. Making sure the guest arrived and left safely."
"So you do know what he's doing."
Shisui hmmed. "Maybe, maybe not."
It was true, Shisui doubted that even Itachi knew what he was doing at this point, other than embarrassing himself by acting like a complete stalker.
Sasuke rotated his shoulder.
"Bullshit. He's up to something. And I know you know."
Shisui shrugged again, knowing it infuriated his younger cousin. Blunt as his approach was,it was nice to see Sasuke taking an interest in the well being of his teammates. It was just unfortunate timing that it coincided with his brother's obsession.
Sasuke growled in frustration. "What is this? Is it Father? The Council?"
Shisui cocked his head. "Is it impossible to believe that your brother likes her?"
Glaring up at his older cousin, through his bangs, Sasuke snapped. "It can't be that simple. He doesn't know her."
"Believe what you want, but Sakura is a talented kunoichi with close ties to the Hokage. Your brother isn't the only one with an interest."
"He needs to back off."
"He hasn't done anything, yet."
Yet, being the operative phrase. Going on Shisui's conversations with the Uchiha heir, Itachi was bordering on delusional, no plan in sight, just lost in the fantasy of the outcome he was determined to make reality.
"He's too old for her."
Shisui snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's five years Sasuke."
"She doesn't like him."
"She doesn't know him."
Sasuke's eyes flashed with his sharingan. "Stop defending him! You know this is wrong!"
Shisui shrugged. "Then come up with better excuses. If you're really convinced that Sakura won't like your brother, then let it happen. Let Sakura tell him no."
Sasuke glared at his cousin for another moment before turning back to walk away. "He can't have her."
"Why do you care? You never liked Sakura-chan before! What changed?"
"Shut up!" Sasuke snapped.
Before Shisui could say another word, Sasuke disappeared back towards the main house. "Forget it. I'll stop him myself."
Shisui pinched the bridge of his nose and swore, the pain in his head rocketing towards a full blown migraine.
This was a disaster.
Sasuke crossed the yard and stepped into the kitchen where his mother stood, humming under her breath.
"Where's Aniki?"
"Sasuke! You're just in time. Have some lunch."
Mikoto didn't even look up, her slender hands expertly forming rice balls.
"Hn. I'm not hungry."
"Is that so?"
"Hn." His brother must be at the office.
Finishing the last rice ball, his mother wiped her hands on her apron. "Well, if you aren't going to eat lunch, then go to the Hokage Tower. You've been summoned."
Dammit, Sasuke grit his teeth. "Ah."
His brother would have to wait. He hoped Sakura took his advice and put up traps. That should at least stall his brother, or make him recalculate.
*In the Hokage Tower*
"This is a two-month mission. Hatake will relay the location to you, en route. He also has the mission details. I'm expecting you to leave within the hour. Any questions?"
"Where's Sakura-chan?"
Naruto looked around as though her name alone would be enough to summon his friend. It was beneath Sasuke's Uchiha dignity to ask, but he wanted to know where she was too. If Sakura was on a mission, that would solve his problem for the time being.
"She won't be accompanying you."
"What! Why? She's part of the team! Why not?"
"Because I said so!" The Hokage slammed down her sake cup hard enough to slosh the liquid inside.
"But, Baa-chan!"
"She's our medic." In contrast to Naruto's dismayed whining, Sasuke's monotone was underpinned by confusion. He didn't like disruption to his routine, Sakura was the medic, and a part of Team Seven. If the Team was sent out, Sakura accompanied them. Sakura was also the only one to treat Team Seven's injuries, not that they were injured often.
A vein pulsed in the Hokage's forehead. "Call me Baa-chan again and you'll be on D-rank missions for the foreseeable future! And you," she raised an eyebrow at the normally mute Uchiha. "She is the village medic. She goes where I tell her to go, and I need her here. If you return home in pieces, I'll let her take care of you then."
"Hn."
Naruto pout warred with his excitement. He wanted to go on a secret mission, but he wanted his entire team together.
"Now get out of my sight."
Sasuke felt a tightening in his shoulders as he climbed the steps to Sakura's apartment. He knocked lightly, his scowl deepening as he didn't sense any traps, chakra based or otherwise.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." She heaved the door open. "Sasuke?"
"Hn." He brushed past her and stepped into her living room. "You didn't put any traps up."
"Good morning to you too." Sakura closed the door back and rocked back on her heels. "Did something happen?"
Sasuke's brow furrowed. "What are you doing?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Cleaning. Us common folk have to do that from time to time."
"Hn. Your hair's wet."
"I slept in. And I never said I'd put up traps. I still think you're overreacting."
"Hn."
Her teammate's grunt melded with the hissing whistle of her kettle and Sakura rolled her eyes as she stepped into the kitchen. "Tea?"
"Ah."
She snorted and pulled another mug off the shelf, pouring hot water over both. "Alright, what do you want? Or did you just drop by to be paranoid and state the obvious?"
Even with Sasuke's limited facial expressions, he managed to look offended as he took his cup. "Shisui's in on it."
"In on what?" She blew on her tea before taking a sip and immediately burned her tongue. Excellent.
Sasuke was looking at her walls and ceilings, somehow looking simultaneously unimpressed with his surroundings and calculating potential traps. "He knows what my brother is doing."
Sakura groaned and sat down on her battered sofa. "Are you still stuck on that? It doesn't even make any sense. What would your brother even want with me?"
Sasuke made a strangled noise into his mug, which coming from a lesser clan would probably be a choked wheeze of pain as hot tea flooded his windpipe instead of sliding down his esophagus.
Sakura narrowed her eyes as her teammate's ears turned slightly pink as he avoided her gaze. "What? What did Shisui tell you?"
"He was lying."
Sakura felt her own brows furrow. "What?"
Sasuke set his cup down on the counter to stuff his hands in his pockets; the Uchiha body language for 'uncomfortable conversation'. "He said…."
The rest trailed off on a dark mutter that even if her chakra coils were filled to capacity, Sakura would have struggled to hear. Tired, hungry, and more unsettled than she'd like to admit, Sakura set her mug down on her burdened coffee table with a heavy thunk, ignoring the hot water that sploshed over onto her fingers. "Look, Sasuke. I'm tired. I don't have time for this. Either tell me, or leave."
"Shisui told me….that, Aniki likes you." Sasuke stared at Sakura, pinwheel Sharingan eyes spinning in agitation.
Sakura snorted. "Sure he does."
The spinning sped up. "Sakura-"
"Sasuke do you hear yourself?" Sakura ran a hand through her damp hair. "In what world does that make sense? Your brother is clan heir !"
"And you're the Hokage's apprentice."
Sakura rubbed her hands over her face. This was ridiculous. Sasuke's brother was one of the most loyal shinobi in the village. It didn't make any sense, sure Itachi was a little weird, but she didn't think it was malicious. Uchiha were just awkward. Sasuke was one to talk about his brother's odd behavior. Sasuke removed his hands from his pockets and took a step towards her. "Listen to me!"
Sakura stood up.. "Sasuke, Shisui is screwing with you! This is the same Shisui that convinced you that onigiri grew on trees when you were four and told you that you'd never master fireball technique until you could sneeze with your eyes open when you were seven."
Irritated by the reminder of his childhood gullibility or by Sakura's dismissal of his concerns, Sasuke bit off his own retort in favor of glaring. "The crow that followed us home-"
"-was probably following you!" Itachi Uchiha was notoriously protective of his younger brother. Paranoia must run in the family.
Sasuke growled. "Tell my brother that you aren't interested."
"Interested in what ? He doesn't like me!"
"He is up to something," Sasuke reiterated "but if you turn him down in public, then he'll have to regroup and give me some time."
"Give you time to do what, come up with another conspiracy?"
"Figure out what he's doing!"
Sakura threw out her arms. "So you just want me to, what, just announce to your brother that I'm not interested in pursuing a non-existent relationship with him, in hopes of foiling some imaginary plot? Are you trying to make me a village joke?"
The red on his ears spread down the younger Uchiha's neck as he snapped. "Since when has that ever stopped you?"
The Uchiha were not a wishing clan, but Sasuke would not have turned down a time travel jutsu, or a memory wipe. Anything to prevent the words snapped in temper from traveling to Sakura's ears.
The creamy skin over her chest flushed as pink as her hair, her small hands clenched into fists, and her shoulders tightened, rigid and defensive. Her mouth opened, then closed. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
"Sakura-"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Sasuke' stuffed his hands back in his pockets, hunching his shoulders defensively. "Sakura-"
She was so angry, she was shaking, her slight frame vibrating with suppressed anger. "No! You said it, what's that supposed to mean?"
"I-"
"Fuck you, Sasuke! You storm over here crazy, with no evidence, and then call me a joke? You'll be lucky if I don't tell your brother what a nutcase you are!"
She walked over to her front door, and pulled it open. "Get out."
Defeated, Sasuke started for the door. He wasn't sure what to say, but she wasn't going to listen to him right now. "The Dobe and I have a mission, I'm not sure how long we'll be gone. Put traps up and stay away from my brother."
"Get out!"
The door slammed behind him hard enough to rattle on its hinges.
That could have gone better.
He paused outside her door for another minute, then began down the stairs. He shouldn't have said that. It wasn't true. He was angry with his brother and his cousin. Something was very wrong and he wouldn't be here to keep an eye on her.
His chest ached as he crossed back to the complex to pack. He told himself it was his ribs already aching in anticipation of the beating his pink hair teammate would deliver in her righteous fury.
He knew he deserved it, but hopefully she was over it by the time he returned. Sakura never held a grudge against him before.
Putting his wrongdoing from his mind out of habit, Sasuke first packed his bag, informing his mother of his mission and promising to send her a summons if possible. She packed food for him and his teammates for at least their first night.
"Rations only strengthen a shinobi so much. Always have time for a real meal. Soldier pills aren't for prolonged use."
"Hn?"
Soldier pills? Sasuke never took soldier pills. Neither did Naruto. Between the deep Uchiha chakra coils, and Naruto's regenerative properties, they'd never needed them. He'd never seen Kakashi take one either.
Mikoto just hummed, tucking the last few rice balls into a container. "Oh, nothing. Just wanted to make sure you hadn't picked up any bad habits."
"Ah."
Still not entirely convinced, Sasuke took the pack of food, plus his own pack and headed for the village gate.
Naruto was already waiting there, a bouncing orange beacon of energy and idiocy. "Took you long enough, teme! You're picking up Kaka-sensei's bad habits!"
"Shut up, Dobe."
"Did you see Sakura-chan? She wasn't home when I checked, do you think baa-chan sent her on another mission?"
"Hn."
Sakura was probably at the Yamanaka's. Wasn't that what girls did when they were upset? Cry and gossip?
"Don't 'hn' at me, teme! I'll race you to the rendezvous point!"
Naruto bounced again and shoved at his surly best friend before taking off. The faster they left, the faster they could come home. He bet Sakura would be jealous, she hated missing out on action.
Sasuke caught his balance easily and raced after his obnoxious teammate. Sakura would be fine. She'd get over it. She always did.
She just better put some traps up while he was gone.
A tight feeling he refused to acknowledge as guilt coiled around his heart as he left the village.
She'd be fine.
His brother wouldn't do anything right under the Hokage's nose.
Right?
Muffling a growl, Sasuke sped up. The faster this was finished, the faster he could come home and get to the bottom of this mess.
He just hoped Sakura didn't do anything stupid in his absence, like try to confront his brother.
Fuck.
He had a bad feeling about this.
