Soundtrack: What Goes Around Comes Around – Justin Timberlake
Chapter Three – Praeceptor(Teacher)
A steady thudding was the first sound to meet her ears as Sakura woke the next morning. Sitting, Sakura worked on slowing her breathing, attempting to control her heartbeat until its scattered rhythm became strong and steady once more. When the last traces of the haunting dream had dissipated she analysed the sounds outside with faint interest. A faint was occurring. Weapons, grunts and a splitting sound she assumed to be one of the trees cracked permeated the isolated area.
The echo of a smile touched her lips. Perhaps Kisame had found someone else to relieve his boredom through. Standing she worked on stretching out the muscles that had been pushed past their limit in her pursuit of the two Akatsuki. As she worked, healing tears in muscles she'd left the previous night, she observed every part of the room, searching unobtrusively out of habit.
Her second night here and the wards she'd placed around the room to warn her of anothers presence were as untouched as they had been since she placed them. They were a moot point of course; she hardly expected a handful of wards to trap the famous Akatsuki, but they were trigger fine, noting any other person's presence in the room, the fact that neither had come to check on her unnerved her.
It meant one of two things, they either trusted her not to betray them, or they believed that she was so little a threat that it hardly mattered what she did. She knew which one was more likely, and she didn't like it.
Finally with a dissatisfied sigh she leant over and reached for the bag containing her belongings, pulling free black skin-tight pants and an equally tight black tank top and mesh over-shirt.
Tightening her leaf headband she exited the room. She had meant to go directly to the kitchen and to avoid the shark man who seemed to take a fair amount of enjoyment from her suffering. Despite that she found herself drawn the entrance leading outside.
Kisame was training with his back to her, the large sword he carried constantly buried hilt deep in a tree while he practiced his unarmed combat. Against her better nature she watched, analysing each of the movements as he made them. She was aware that Kisame wouldn't take to kindly to her spying on him if he caught her however she hovered for a few long moments, watching the slow controlled strokes as he performed a dance of some sort.
Finishing he reached for his sword in the tree trunk, pulling it out slowly and calling out in his grating voice, "Pick up that katana kunoichi, lets see if you're any good."
Fighting back her initial shock Sakura glanced across her surroundings searching for the sword he spoke of. She found it, lying at the top of one of the many training racks, sleek and black. Walking towards it she picked it up with noticeable admiration. It was an amazing piece of work; she'd never seen a katana of this quality before. Hefting the weight into her hands she frowned.
"Something wrong?"
Refusing to jump at the question directed to her from a scant metre away Sakura responded slowly, "It's almost weightless."
"Meant to be." Kisame grunted although she sensed a trace of humour in his voice as well.
Turning back to face him Sakura was met with his blade, close enough that it grazed her ear as she dodged it.
Swinging the katana up to block his next attack she was confused when he stopped. "You ever used that thing before kunoichi?"
"I've had basic training," she responded defensively, "It's not my primary method of fighting if that's what you mean."
He scowled, "Your teacher sucked."
Slowly he went through the basic blocks, making her repeat them again and again until her arms ached.
When he felt satisfied with that he taught her a basic strike.
He worked her past lunch, well into the afternoon, grunting out orders here and there. Sakura had the distinct feeling that he enjoyed watching her slip up so that he could criticise her for it. He also appeared to like giving orders. She stored this information away for later perusal, her focus more on completing the tasks that he set her.
When they finally pulled away for a break Sakura was beyond tired, exhaustion stirred at the edges of her awareness and she was irate for having wasted chakra to mend muscles earlier which could have easily healed on their own.
Sakura was so engrossed in her train of thought that she didn't notice Kisame come to stand in front of her. When the ground shifted as he sat down and her attention immediately snapped to him he laughed.
"Careful kunoichi, you keep ignoring what's going on around you and you'll get yourself killed." Kisame drawled lazily.
Leaning across with a feral grin he murmured slowly, "And I would hate for someone to kill you before I can."
Sakura stiffened minutely before easing her face into a smile. Despite Kisame's proximity to her she refused to move back.
"Why are you teaching me how to use it properly then?" she queried, a raised eyebrow showing him that she could care less.
He smiled, the action reminding her of an actual shark, all of his sharp teeth showing. "When I finally get the chance to kill you I want to at least be able to have a little fun."
Half expecting an answer like that she leant back against the tree Kisame had plunged his sword into earlier. Relaxing noticeably just to piss him off.
"I've been wondering Kisame. Have you ever defeated Itachi?"
She'd expected the question to ruffle a few feathers, perhaps send Kisame off in a rage and then cause him to challenge her to fight again. What she got was a calculating glance and a question in return.
"Why do you want to know?"
Leaning her chin on her hand Sakura contemplated the answer, choosing her words very carefully. "Because everything I've heard of Itachi has written him out to be an unbeatable opponent. A person even his allies cannot match up to."
Watching Kisame's reaction closely Sakura was surprised to find him grin.
"If you can defeat me in a fight using that katana I'll give you the answer."
She pursed her lips in consideration. "If I lose?"
He laughed, "You can have as many tries as you like kunoichi. I need something to relieve my boredom."
Still laughing he got to his feet and cast her an appraising look. "Well, lets see if you retained anything kunoichi."
Pulling herself up Sakura picked up the katana and returned to her proper formation.
Kisame lunged without warning and she withdrew, over-swinging the sword to block Kisame's attack she barely saved herself from being shredded with the huge object. The effect however left her off balance and without enough time to move away from his next attack. Puling herself away from the swords swing as it grazed her shoulder she pulled back, watching him steadily.
Retaining that safe distance she tried to recreate the way she was supposed to be fighting in her mind. The swords she had used in the past were all much heavier; the weight of this sword was equal to that of a dagger. None of her training had prepared her for something like this. When she considered the weight she forgot the length of the sword and when she considered the length she over-swung her movements.
Evidently she had been thinking long enough as Kisame disappeared from sight and struck her from behind even as she moved to dodge.
Pain rushed through the arm he had impacted against and the feel of shattered bone controlled her concentration. Kisame didn't give her room to readjust to this new burden moving faster than she had thought him capable of he brought the sword down, hitting the area behind her as she instinctively ducked.
Looking up and finding him gone she swore. Ignoring the throbbing sensation in her arm she listened carefully, searching for the sounds of breathing or fabric moving in the wind.
His hand was around her throat before she could comprehend the movement, her eyes watering as her airflow was restricted. Launching a leg out behind her she gave a satisfied smile as it impacted and she was released, listening to the dull thump as Kisame impacted with the tree.
She turned to watch him, pushing back the feeling of gasping air in and taking calm measured breaths instead.
He sat up slowly, chuckling. "Clever kunoichi. We'll call this one a draw. I have something to take care of so go back inside."
Nodding as her breathing became easier she stood walking back towards the opening and retracing her steps from earlier until she reached her room.
The fight had gone better than she could have hoped. There was a reason why Kisame was formerly one of Mists seven swordsmen. Moving in and closing the door she sat on the bed. Very slowly Sakura smiled adding the new information to her memory banks.
When Sakura had finished changing around the information she wandered back towards her door pulling fresh clothes from her bag with the intention of a bath and fresh clothes.
Leaving the bathroom she nearly ran into Itachi, glancing over him she wondered where exactly he'd been during her little training session with Kisame and why Kisame's expectation of a few days had shortened.
His own eyes travelled across her lithe frame stopping momentarily on her arm before rising to her eyes.
"You've been fighting with Kisame?" he posed it as a question but his tone suggested that he already knew.
She suppressed a shiver at his voice, like dark silk with an even tone. It was a voice that never succumbed to useless endeavours such as shouting.
"Kisame and I chose to entertain each other." She replied with the trace of a smile.
Blank eyes assessed her arm steadily before returning to her face.
"Your deal will not be revoked because Kisame has rendered your arm useless."
Although his tone was light the warning sounded somewhat ominous. Steeling her face into an equally blank stare Sakura look back at him. "The thought hadn't crossed my mind Itachi. I forgot to heal it, rest assured Itachi-kun the bone will be reassembled after my bath so there should be nothing to delay our plans."
He watched her for another moment as she stood there begging her body not to sweat out her anxiousness and her heartbeat to remain steady.
"You must be a relatively good healer to cure a shattered bone in that amount of time."
She shrugged. "I was a healer-nin in my previous life. If you'll excuse me Itachi-kun, I'd very much like to clean up."
He moved back politely as she stepped past him into the bathroom. Sakura shut the door slowly behind her before she allowed herself to sink to the floor, breathing carefully.
It had been years since anything had bothered her but Sakura found that just being in the Uchiha's presence unnerved her.
He's too similar. She thought her mind returning to the picture of his face imprinted there. Shape up or ship out! She berated herself angrily. You wanted this. Sakura drew herself a bath relaxing into it gradually. The body has two responses when it feels threatened, fight or flight, hers was finding it hard to ignore both of these responses and maintain its neutrality.
AD: Ok so I'm really not sure if I love the way this chapter turned out. But I've spent too much time trying to get it out and it's really not fair to the reviewers anymore. Yes, I know it's been ages. Please don't lecture me about it, a lot has happened in my life in that time that took priority. I will try my hardest to keep chapters coming more regularly though.