Those dark onyx-eyes..
That figure of his covered in moonlight..
Those scars that seemed to be healed..
Those lips, curved into a malicious smirk...
She froze right then and there, leaning her back against the bed post. Her lips would quiver a bit, before they spoke his name.. "Itachi.."
She soon found herself pressed against her bed, his figure above hers. His hands would grab unto her wrists, pining her down with enough force to keep her from restraining. He smirked once more, lowering his face towards hers. His lips would whisper in her ear:
"It's been awhile, Sakura-chan. You haven't come to see me in four days.."
"A Beautiful Mind"
Chapter five: Crossroad
She noticed him above her, but she couldn't move her arms because his hand would grip themselves unto her wrists. At that moment she suddenly felt his body weight , but at the same time she could tell that he was trying to be as gentle as he could. She was scared. To tell the truth, she was absolutely terrified. she looked up at him, absorbing his eyes, no longer dark-onyxed but now red sharingan. She noticed his lips curve into a smirk, and that was when Sakura could tell that the elder Uchiha was enjoying himself.
Then she remembered about Naruto...
If she screamed, then Naruto would be able to hear her...
But before she could open her mouth, his own mouth would open as he spoke:
"Don't even try it. I'll silence you before you can open that pretty mouth of yours.."
It was at this moment that she realized how deeply in-trouble she was. Sakura also realized that no matter how hard she tried, a scream would not come out of her mouth. Completely vulnerable, she was afraid of what he might do next. "You didn't keep your end of the bargain." his lips would curve back to their normal state. "Why did you not come to see me?"
She began to breathe in and out heavily. Her chest rising up and down in a fast motion. Her heart beated faster than anyone could ever beat a drum, and as the sweat began to trickle down she could feel his knees resting next to her legs. Was he trying to..? Perhaps, the elder Uchiha had wanted to have his way with her. If he did, there was probably nothing she could do to stop him..
Relax, don't worry..
"I was..on a mission.." Sakura replied, trying to slow down her breathing.
She could feel his eyes glancing upon her figure. Mostly around where she had a couple of scars left over from the previous mission. Before Sakura could heal her team-mates, the enemy had attacked and left her almost to a vital state.
If it wasn't for Hyuuga-san, then I probably would've still been in the hospital...
"You were injured..." his eyes would fixate themselves on one scar that she had, right across her collarbone. She had received it earlier while on a mission with Sasuke and Naruto...
It was the same scar I had touched when I saw him for the second time...
She was about to respond but before her lips could open one of his hands had released its grip on her wrists, and began to trace the wound he looked at earlier. With a single finger he would trace the wound, at the same time glancing back towards her face to see if there was any reaction.
There was.
She squinted her eyes a bit, and before she knew it her eyelids began to flutter in some rhythmic motion. She bit her lip softly, as his finger would no longer trace the wound, but it soon began to roam towards her neck. Tracing her neck up and down, slowly going down towards her shoulder blade..
She could tell that this amused him greatly.
He leaned his face towards hers, and if she had moved any closer their lips would have met. "Well now, it seems like you were never touched by a man.."
"No..." Sakura quivered a bit when she answered back, waiting for his fingers to do much more but it never did.
She hated to admit it to herself that this was true. She had waited all her life for Sasuke to take her as his, but that day never came. She waited patiently for him, for one day to be his, but he never asked nor did he seem all that interested...
His finger suddenly stopped tracing her neck and the wound. It took her a couple of seconds to open her eyes. She saw him looking at her with the oddest look on his face.
What's wrong...?
"Not even my foolish little brother...?"
He never has..
"No..."
Suddenly, the same hand that had earlier released its grip on her wrist was now gently stroking her cheek. She could suddenly feel all the blood rush to her face as he did this. At that moment, she did not know why she felt the way she did, but Sakura felt, almost..captivated.
With the moonlight beaming on him, it dawned had just dawned on her how beautiful he truly was. The darkness had covered him for so long, she thought. She felt almost, as if she were begging him to continue...
Is he, going to kiss me?
But, she didn't feel lips pressed against hers...
Nor his hands lazily tracing random wounds on her body..
Instead, all she heard were his words.
"I have to go now.."
He got up, releasing his grip. Sakura was no longer pressed against the bed and soon found herself sitting sat up against the bed post, covering herself with the pink covers. She watched him, never removing those green orbs of hers from his figure..
"Your friend has noticed my presence. It is best for me to leave now..."
"Wait!" for some reason, she stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. He didn't respond, but she was sure that this sudden action surprised him more than it surprised her. She leaned her head against his back, and then she noticed something else about him...
He sure smelled nice...
"Sakura-san.."
I don't want you to leave..
Don't leave me...
"I will see you tomorrow..." and then he disappeared.
Sakura stood there, listening to the darkness until she heard a couple of footsteps come towards the door. Naruto quickly appeared infront of her, his face looked both exhausted and worried. "Oy, Sakura-chan! are you alright!"
She glanced at him. I don't want to tell him, I couldn't tell him...
Sakura smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Naruto. Nothing's going on..."
He didn't believe her. "Are you sure? I sensed someone earlier..."
"Nothing's wrong, Naruto. Just go back to sleep, you probably had a bad dream." She ushered him out of her room and was thus satisfied after she heard Naruto's snores a couple of minutes later. She found herself glancing towards the ceiling. She didn't know why, but she began to feel the blood rush to her cheeks once more..
She could still remember the way he touched the wound on her collarbone. She could still remember the way he caressed her cheek...
The way he would trace it ever so softly, still lingered...
For that reason, she did not know why...
She secretly wished that Itachi would return...
The following day, Sakura awoke to a noisy Naruto making lunch. She did not notice at the time, but she slept really late last night. She woke up around the beginning of the afternoon, exhausted. When she finished taking a shower, she emerged from her room and sat down on the table besides Naruto.
During the meal, they did not speak.
What could she be hiding..?
Naruto was still not satisfied, he knew that Sakura was hiding something from him. "Sakura..-chan?"
She looked up at him, placing her fork down besides the plate. Finishing her meal, she licked her lips and then replied "What is it, Naruto?"
He wanted to ask her again if she noticed anything or anyone stranger in her room last night. If I keep bothering her about it, then she won't tell me. If she didn't tell me at first, then she wasn't going to tell me now..
She blinked, cocking a pink brow "..Naruto?"
He quickly shook his head and then grinned. "N-Nothing! It's alright, Sakura-chan heh.."
He decided that Sakura would eventually tell him, and that right now wasn't that time..
Meanwhile...
"Hokage-sama, here are the papers concerning the earlier mission." Kotetsu arrived and handed Tsunade a large folder.
"Thanks, Kotetsu. I really appreciate it." She sighed, placing the folder on a pile of other folders. She had been filing papers all day in her office and she didn't even get a single break.
Laying her head on her desk, she began to notice that the keys were misplaced. She blinked, "Strange. I had the keys on the right side of the desk the last time I checked. Unless.."
'Unless somebody's been sneaking them out..'
"Tsunade-sama, you need my help?"
She glanced up and noticed Shizune standing before her. "Oh, Shizune. Glad you're here. I need some help with these files.."
Shizune glanced at the huge pile of folders and almost had a heart attack. "Gah! Tsunade-sama! You didn't even finish a single one!"
"Sadly, no. That's why you're here to help me." She sweatdropped, and then sighed.
While Shizune was having a heart attack, Tsunade thought to herself. 'I need to keep my eyes open next time, maybe I'll be able to catch the perpetrator..'
After Naruto left, Sakura walked down a couple of blocks towards the Yamanaka flower shop. She bought a couple of flowers and then walked back towards the hospital.
It was time to pay a visit to Sasuke..
She felt guilty for not visiting in awhile, she figured the flowers she had left a couple of days ago were now starting to wilt so he needed some fresh ones. This time, instead of the regular colors of white and red, she bought a couple of violet flowers mixed with some light pinkish ones.
The same routine as always, she told herself as she walked into the hospital. She sometimes hated the way a hospital would make you feel isolated from the entire world..
She quickly signed her name in the signature book, waved to the nurse, and then walked upstairs towards Sasuke's room. When she entered, the first thing she noticed were the flowers near the window.
She was right, they were wilting..
She grabbed the old flowers, and replaced them with the new ones inside of the vase. Once she had finished this task, she sat down on the wooden chair they always kept there for her. It was a bit study, and before she sat down she made sure she removed all the dust that was left over.
Sakura placed her hands on her lap, as she would absorb his figure once more. "...Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun." she smiled, placing the invisible mask upon her face as she watched him lay there motionless.
Tsunade-Shishou said that you will be fine soon, but I can't believe that..
She didn't want to conceal the sadness buried deep within her heart but nevertheless, she smiled fidgiting her fingers as her eyes would dart towards his lifeless body. "Ne, Sasuke-kun let me tell you what happened during my previous mission..."
Feeling guilty of her previous encounter with Itachi, Sakura decided to leave early that day. The nurse was surprised to see Sakura walk out of the hospital, four hours before closing time. When she asked, Sakura shook her head and said that she had to do other things, and left.
The sun was getting ready to fall into its daily slumber, when Sakura walked by the garden walkpath near the markets. It was a bit chilly, and goosebumps began to appear all over her arms as she walked by. If only she had not forgotten to wear her long sleeved-shirt, instead of the sleeveless one.
No sooner did she delve into her thoughts that a familar figure passed by.
" Hyuuga-san? "
Neji turned his head, facing his shoulder as his eyes would peer at the person who called out his name. "Haruno..?". With that he completely turned around to face her.
"Good Evening..." she smiled. If she had ignored him and had given him a sad expression then the Hyuuga genius probably would have questioned her feelings.
She seems, a bit out of wack.. "Haruno, are you feeling better?"
She gave him a dubious smile, and nodded. "My wounds have healed, so I'm feeling much better, thanks."
"Is that so..?" he replied. Even if she smiled, he could tell that something was still bothering her. "With that dubious smile of yours I would think twice about that.."
"It wasn't dubious.." she replied. There's nothing else I could do. It seems that no matter how hard I tried to keep an act, he always sees through me.
Sakura feared the Hyuuga genius' ability of the Byakugan, knowing that it was just as easy for him to break that invisible mask that she herself had placed upon her face...
He sighed, "Sakura if you need someone to talk to..."
"I'm fine.." she lied, of course but she didn't want any sympathy from others. Especially from Hyuuga Neji himself. If she had given off the idea that she was miserable, then he would probably say that she would be unable to take upon the task of another mission...
He walked towards her and extended his arm. Within seconds his hand would firmly place itself on her shoulder, as he replied. "You're not fine, and you know it. You just don't want to say anything because you're afraid of other people's judgement. I won't bother you about it anymore, and if it deals with Uchiha Sasuke then you should not worry about him. I'm sure Godaime-sama will treat him as best as she could, and he'll be with you in no time.."
His words, the encouragement...
Neji...I never knew, you could be so kind to me...
They have been team-mates on missions for a year now, but they've known each other even longer. She never believed that Neji would be the type of person to give advice, or to help another. Especially since the only people he would consider truly close to him like, Tenten and Lee, would usually never see this side of him.
She had found a new trust in him, and smiled. "Arigatoo, Neji..".
It was the first time she ever called him by his first name...
She had spent a couple of minutes talking with Neji that early evening, and realized that she did not have the sufficient amount of time to buy any materials for her next missions. Before he left, Neji told her that their next mission should be assigned to them soon.
She didn't want to be unprepared, but Sakura had no time whatsoever to buy materials. By the time she reached the market place all the stores were already closing. The medical store, as well as the weapons store had closed for that day placing Sakura in a very difficult position.
When she arrived home, she walked towards her room. Her fingers would grasp the edges of her shirt, removing it slowly. Next came her pants, then her undergarments. She quickly walked into the bathroom, turned the knob allowing water to flow from the faucet and sat down against the marble floor of the bathtub. When the water filled it up, she turned the knob to the other side and the water ceased.
The water was warm, and it had been awhile since Sakura could fully enjoy a bath. She leaned her dry back against the wall, and closed her eyes slowly. The warm water was enticing, and she could feel the stings from her scars especially on her legs and arms. The water wasn't high enough, but covered half of her breasts.
She quickly found herself dazing off, as her eyelids became heavy...
She could've sworn she heard someone come inside. The door, from what she could tell was a bit open. The next thing she heard were soft footsteps enter the bathroom, then a voice...
"Sakura-san..."
Before she could respond, a hand would grasp the shower curtains and he revealed himself infront of her. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the figure stand before her.
She bit her lip, as her hand would move towards the very same wound that Itachi had touched last night...
Regardless of him being fully cloathed, he entered the bathtub. He knelt down, soaking his legs in the warm water. He extended his arm to caress her cheek, but she soon found herself extending her own arms and they wrapped themselves around his neck. She smiled, licking her cherry lips as she spoke to him:
"Itachi-san, I've missed you since last night.."
She knew that this amused him, because he smirked and replied, "It was not enough for you...?"
She smirked, and leaned her face towards his ear. Biting his earlobe gently, she replied. "It is never enough..."
"Sakura-san..."
She silenced him by placing her lips against his, pressing hers hard and before she knew it, he kissed her back passionately but feverishly. His hands would roam around her, and it seemed that she was not aware that she was completely in the nude. He gently pressed himself against her chest as her legs would wrap around his torso..
Stopping the kiss, he placed his lips against her neck and this would make her moan "mmn, Itachi-san.."
"Is this what you want, or do you want more?" he replied, removing his lips from her neck.
She shook her head, and began to fiddle her fingers against his hair. "No, I want more.."
He smirked, "As you wish..." he lowered his head down towards her breasts, and she could've sworn that it all felt real...
If only it was real, but it wasn't.
The cold reality had slapped Sakura against the face, as she woke up from her dream. The water was gone now, and she assumed that she had been laying there asleep for almost thirty minutes now.
Why did I...?
A couple of tears began to roll down from her eyes as she quickly left the bathtub, covered herself in her towel and layed against her bed. She was still wet, and her hair was a mess but she didn't care.
Right now, the only thing she cared about, was what she had just witnessed in her dream..
Since when has the one whom loved Sasuke the most, dream about the one who destroyed his dreams and shatter his reality?
Many times she denied in her heart that she was doing the right thing, by visiting Itachi and keeping Sasuke-kun safe from his malicious presence but now..
It seems like she's reached a crossroad, that the devil Uchiha Itachi himself, has inflicted on her heart.
Author's Notes: Woah, I reached 61 reviews! -feels happy, throws confetti- Yaaay! Sankyuu to all those who read and reviewed. You make Sakunade very, very happy. -smile- anyways, sorry I didn't update last week. I was in serious writer's block, and I thought I would never get out of it until like...next week, lol. Anyways, many thanks to my readers and Kakashi-sensei for urging me to keep writing chapter five, even though I was kinda stumped earlier when I was writing this, heh. If you're starting to notice, I added some NejiSaku in it. Also, there'll be NaruSaku, and of course..ItaSaku. I bet you guys all thought you'd get a smut in this chapter (well, you kinda did..heh..) Anyways, next chapter will be up in a couple of days (if I get inspired) If not, then next week! I got two new ideas for fanfics, but I dunno if you guys will like it. Also, check out "Bittersweet Symphony" (plz? lol..) The two new ideas will be included in next week's chapter, giving me time to develop it more!