The Fuyuhana

By: Wounded angel

Warning: Some gore later in chapter.

"You cheated," Kisame growled while glaring at the pink haired woman as she casually craned her neck sideways. The genjutsu had just ended and although he looked alright, the havoc the illusion had wrecked on his mind was still affecting him. It was very frustrating when his body remained immobilized by wounds and injuries that had in reality never been dealt onto it.

Throwing a glance down at his hand he scowled openly in disgust. He hated genjutsu.

"As I recall you gave no conditions or rules for our fight so how could I have cheated?" Sakura inquired.

Snapping his attention back to her, Kisame's glare intensified as he saw open amusement displayed in her eyes. It didn't require many brain cells, to realize that this was her revenge for his earlier, rather poor, guide-dog-services. Thoughts drifting back to that particular event, a smirk tilted the corners of his lips and he quite quickly decided that even though the revenge stung, it didn't make him regret his actions; it had been hilarious.

As if somehow sensing the new direction in his thoughts, Sakura's eyes narrowing as an icy stare zoned in on him. Impulsively, Kisame's posture stiffened, and almost immediately he reprimanded himself for it.

'I'm not scared of that little lassie!'

As if to prove his point, he met the kunoichi's cold stare head on… and instantly felt every snarky comeback wither and die on his tongue. Clearing his throat uneasily he let his gaze settle on the trees behind her instead, the determined fire previously raging inside him now reduced to but a pile of ash and smoke.

'Then again,' he reckoned, 'cautiousness has never killed anyone.'

This new gained, and rapidly more unwanted, attention had Kisame's eyes darting away uneasily, trying to find a distraction. His eyes lit with relief when he caught sight of the perfect diversion a few feet away. "Hey Itachi-san, what're you doing here?" he asked, and he felt the weight of Sakura's stare disappear. He drew a discreet breath of relief.

Itachi's stare turned to the other nukenin for a moment before casually sliding over to settle on Sakura instead. Kisame felt his right eye twitch. Now if that wasn't a dismissal then he didn't know what was.

Sakura hid a smile at Kisame's exasperated expression, all traces of it gone when she focused on Itachi. "Shall we proceed?"

Pushing away from the tree he had been leaning against, Itachi went to stand beside Kisame. Taking that as a good an answer as any, Sakura slid into position.

Kisame's gaze leaped from one to the other and back, not grasping the situation and reduced to staring at them dumbly. When his inquiring glances evoked no answer in either of them, he shrugged and moved to stand off by the sidelines, deeming it the safest place to be right now.

When Kisame had moved out of the way, Sakura directed her full attention on Itachi and found that he too had slipped into his fighting stance. Keeping her form and breathing relaxed, she returned Itachi's stare, the tension and anticipation growing with each passing moment.

Then, like lightning from a blue sky, they leaped.

They moved in a flurry of movements; fast, calculating and brutal yet morbidly beautiful. There was no room for error or mistake as each hit and every kick that soared towards you was fatal. A fight for survival was probably what most accurately explained the combination of raw power, viciousness and sharp thinking that played out on the battlefield.

Skillfully dodging the attacks while never ceasing the exchange of defensive and offensive, Sakura channeled some chakra into her fist, hurling it at his chest. Itachi sidestepped, the exact countermove she had anticipated, and instantly she brought her elbow back, digging it into his stomach. Grunting at the hit, Itachi was quick to recover and expertly turned on his heal, knocking the breath out of her as he kneed her in the midriff.

Disengaging, Sakura brought a hand to her abdomen, breathing ragged as she fought to regain the breath knocked out of her.

Raising her eyes she watched as Itachi's eyes bled crimson and three tomoe took their designated places. She growled lowly in the back of her throat in irritation. His actions weren't unexpected. It had probably the only thing she had been certain would occur during this fight, but that still didn't take away from the fact that it meant a major setback on her part.

Worst of all was that he wasn't breaking their terms since the Sharingan went, by all books and rules, under the category of 'skills'.

Wiping the side of her mouth from any excess spittle, Sakura knew that she possessed the means to remove the worst of this setback. But she also knew that it would cost her greatly, more than she at the moment was willing to pay, especially when she knew she still had a slim chance of winning without it.

With renewed purpose and resolve, Sakura gathered herself and leaped at the red eyed devil. She wouldn't lose. She couldn't afford to.

Kisame watched from the sidelines, tense with excitement as he observed the battle raging on. The experience and skill displayed made the fighting appear effortless and graceful as they twirled around each other with obvious talent, deflecting and directing blows as they went. For a violence-activist such as himself it was like being a kid in a candy store. The ecstasy he was feeling was nonetheless slightly dulled by the realization of just how much Sakura had been holding back when he had fought her.

Pushing the depressing thought away, he focused back on the fight of giants before him. Tearing at each other's throats like two warring lions the intensity increased as more of the self-produced restraints holding them back snapped.

Watching them go at it, it didn't require a genius to see that there was nothing half-hearted in their actions. There was no concern for the other, no empathy, no affection, it was all about power, strength and who possessed the most of it. It was utterly exhilarating seeing them together because they were so damn close to one another in skills and experience that it was impossible to tell who would land the next hit. They sure knew how to keep their audience on their toes.

"So this is where you're all at."

Kisame didn't take his eyes away from the battling duo as he answered the new spectator. "They finally let you out, huh? Smart move, who knows what being cooped up in that room for much longer, could have driven you to. You were already throwing temper tantrums, what was next? Diaper changes?"

"Shut your trap shark-face," Deidara growled as walked up beside him. Crouching down, his mechanical eye zoomed in and out of focus at the scene ahead, just as the person having upper hand changed again. "How's it going?" he asked, voice low.

All traces of humour drained from Kisame's face as he adapted a reserved look. "Going by what I have seen so far, they are equally matched," mirth twinkled merrily in his beady eyes, "but I have a feeling the scale will tilt soon in one direction. Sakura's currently at a great disadvantage due to the Sharingan. She has been able to keep up until now, but Itachi hasn't used his speed to the fullest yet and during all my years as his partner, that's an area I've never seen him matched in. Her smaller size and chakra control are the only things keeping her afloat at the moment."

A look of concentration dominated Deidara's features as he listened to his colleague, a sudden smirk cracking the hard line of his mouth. "That girl sure can pack a punch," he observed and plopped down beside Kisame on the ground. Reaching inside his cloak, he withdrew a small bundle with two rice balls. Biting into one of the snacks, he chewed silently for a moment, "What're they fighting over?" he asked between bites.

"Who cares? All I care about is that we're in for one hell of a fight." Kisame reached for the other untouched snack but his hand was quickly slapped away by Deidara whose attention never strayed from the scene, "For once, shark-face, I must agree."

Too entranced by the fighting himself, Kisame didn't make a big fuss about the rejection and instead produced two sticks of onigiri from the folds of his cloak and started munching on them.

Parrying another hit, Sakura aimed a roundhouse kick to Itachi's head. Catching the blunt of the blow on the back of his raised fist, he twisted his hand so that he had a firm hold on her ankle and hurled her away from him. Sakura turned in the air and landed safely on all fours, a light cloud of debris forming around her as she skidded to a halt. Noticing that Itachi had changed his position, she leapt into motion.

Catching sight of his new location, she sent three kunai flying towards him. Evading two swiftly, he caught the third and sent it back at her.

Ducking under the weapon, she heard it dig into a tree trunk not far behind. She didn't have long to think about her next line of action as she was forced to roll out of the way, Itachi's knee landing on the spot where she had previously lain. He didn't give up in his pursuit as he came after her, trying to land a hit and forcing her to evade by rolling.

Stopping suddenly, Sakura grabbed onto the foot that came down at her with perfect timing and twisted it, forcing his whole body to turn in order to prevent an injury. Using the momentum to his advantage Itachi aimed a kick at her when he came down. She in turn leaped to her feet and produced a senbon into her hands and thrust it at his neck. The senbon successfully nicked the skin before he had a chance to move away.

Taking four kunai in each hand Itachi threw them at her while jumping back to place some distance between them. Sakura cursed when she noticed the flying projectiles. Turning towards a tree behind her, she planted her foot onto the trunk and, with the help of chakra to glue her in place, ran up it. The kunai imbedded into the wood and with a light push off of the tree, she landed back onto the ground.

Barely had her feet reached the firm soil beneath before she was whisked away into another round of hand-to-hand combat.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. He was getting faster very quickly. She had been able to keep up with the pace they had been going at so far but was now dancing along the line of her limit. She would have to come up with a plan and fast if she hoped to bring this fight home.

Landing a hit against Itachi's head he staggered back a few steps. Shaking off the remains of the hit, he pulled out a senbon from his pouch as he ran at her anew. But Sakura was prepared for him and quickly ducked under his attack, moving to stab him in the leg. However, once again he slipped out of her grasp by evading at the last moment, reducing a deciding blow to a mere cut in the fabric of his pants.

Switching her weapon to the other hand, she slammed her fist into the ground, sending a crack speeding in Itachi's direction. He leaped out of the way, his attention snapping above when a shower of senbon came raining down towards him. Raising his arms, he protected himself from the worst damage while his feet sought for a solid surface to settle on.

Barely had his full weight settled on the ground when it gave away from under him in a mighty rumble.

Not taking time to celebrate her successfully executed trap, Sakura ran over to the edge of the newly created crater. Peering down, pebbles still rained down on the bottom of it, debris obscuring what lay buried in the rubble. Eyes flickering around the hole, the dust had settled enough after a few very long seconds for her to see the remains of a log littered along the bottom.

A string of profanities ran through her head as her head shot up, just as a hand closed around her windpipe in a strangle hold. Gasping for breath, she instinctively began clawing at the hand hindering her breathing before she caught herself. Raising her arm, shakily but quickly, she brought elbow down in a sharp arch across the arm holding her. When the hold let up, she shot a burst of chakra to her legs and jumped to the other side of the crater and to temporary safety.

Resisting the urge to raise a hand to her sore throat, Sakura and Itachi stared each other down. Itachi raised his arm in her direction with a snap and every muscle in her body tensed as a bunch of strings unwound from around his wrist to come soaring towards her. Gritting her teeth she dug into her kunai pouch and found one kunai left. Pulling it out, she used it to cut at the wires while trying to dodge around them. Every seconds she had spent on training her stamina and flexibility came to use as she twisted and ducked around the thin network of wires around her.

She felt like a fly in a spider's web; one wrong move and game over.

The strings moved in direct response to Itachi's finger and hand movements. Circling around her in wide varying sizes, they clawed after her like long spindly fingers, trying to catch her. Controlling the wires like extensions of his own body, Itachi was several times so close to trapping her, but Sakura was always one step ahead, her reflexes and agility helping her slip through his fingers time and time again.

The wires were rapidly closing in, forming a ball-like-nest around her. Eyes flickering around her like a cornered animal her gaze settled on a shrinking patch of blue sky visible through the top. Knowing that her only way out was up, Sakura pushed off the ground, spiraling through the air as she emerged through the top of the entangled webs. Flipping backwards, she landed several yards away, panting with a whole new set of cuts and wounds littering her skin.

Knowing that wasn't the last of the wire-attacks, she threw a glance down at her kunai and found the blade scarred with deep incisions. Clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth in agitation, she threw the now useless blade to the ground.

It was looking worse by the second. Her weapons were spent, save for a few senbon, and her remaining chakra wasn't much to brag about either. She knew that she had bought herself a few seconds to catch her breath by escaping that yarn-ball-death-trap so she took the time to look over her options. It didn't take long to go through them for they were painfully few and most of them would require weapons, chakra or time that she didn't have.

With the seconds ticking away, Sakura started to realise that if she wanted to win, she would be forced to use her last trump card: the Fuyuhana.

However, it wasn't a card she was all too keen on playing. In this case it was more of a double-edged sword than anything else and could get her into more trouble than it was worth. Problems were something she had in plenty without adding to it.

It came down to choosing the lesser of two evils.

Keeping her eyes fixed on Itachi, she tried to compare the pros and cons of using the Fuyuhana, precious time ticking away as she did so.

From what she had gathered so far about the Sharingan, the Fuyuhana could level the odds slightly thanks to its ability to track fast moving objects. The extent of the aid was nonetheless very unclear since she had never measured the Fuyuhana to any other kekkei genkai before. For all she knew her speed limit might be even lower than that of the Sharingan.

Ultimately, Itachi would still have the upper hand by being able to predict her movements and it would also let him in on one of her best kept secrets.

Her fists clenched. Whatever happened, she couldn't afford to lose.

Just then the last grain of sand fell through the hourglass and the strings came at her anew. Accumulating her last traces of chakra, she formed a chakra scalpel and flashed out of sight. Appearing in mid-air, she swung the blade down. Cutting through them like butter, the disconnected wires fell to the ground, lifeless now that Itachi's chakra no longer coursed through them.

Sakura dispelled the chakra scalpel, saving the last drops of her chakra and instead turned back to her opponent.

Itachi let the limp wires slip between his fingers.

Knowing by her chakra-levels that Sakura was at the end of her rope, he took up pursuit after her. Sensing his approach, Sakura turned to her right and found him utilizing his full-speed as he came at her. There wasn't even a moment's hesitation as she jumped to avoid his first grab for her. But while Itachi didn't do much with his superior speed while airborne, it also cut off all chances of escape for Sakura.

Feeling the first pulls of gravity, Sakura knew that the moment her feet touched ground, she would be caught. Gritting her teeth she let her eyes slide shut. 'Oh fuck it.'

Thrusting his hand forward Itachi's fingers were inches away from wrapping around her neck and securing his victory, when Sakura's eyes snapped open. Red eyes widened marginally as a pair of blue orbs stared back.

Taken aback but not immobilized by the sudden turn in events, Itachi moved to close the remaining distance. He could already feel the heat emitted from her skin, sense the pulse of her jugular when in an instant, it all disappeared.

Landing on the ground in a crouch, he raised his gaze and found Sakura standing a few yards away, staring back. Not moving from his hunched position, his eyes flickered in response to the unspoken challenge. This was an unexpected turn in events.

Kisame frowned when he noticed that the fight had stopped. Had he missed something?

Itachi sat crouched on the ground, unmoving like a stalking tiger while Sakura, resembling a rearing dragon, stood a few yards away staring right back. He wasn't left with time to make any further observations before they were at it again.

The fight had only gone on for a few moments when Kisame took note of the obvious change from earlier. Just a while ago, Sakura had been struggling to keep up, but now they were perfectly match; he might even go as far as to say that Sakura was a tad bit faster.

He couldn't understand how she could suddenly make such an astounding comeback. She couldn't have been holding back all this time; Itachi had been winning. On a side note he had to admit that it was impressive watching the two of them move so fast that even he with his trained eyes could only pick up on a fraction of their movements.

He let a grin spread over his features. It wasn't everyday that the infamous Sharingan was put to the test like this.

It had worked better than Sakura had hoped for. Not only could she see his actions but it seemed as though Itachi was having problems with predicting hers. However, her body had already taken quite a beating and it would be pushing her luck in thinking that she could possibly last much longer. She would have to end this soon.

Pressing every last bit of speed from her body, she raised her leg and successfully caught Itachi under his chin, sending him flying backwards. Landing heavily on his back, Sakura was straddling him within seconds, senbon pressing threateningly into the skin covering his jugular.

Itachi stared up at her as apathetically as ever, wisps of her hair falling out of the braid to frame her face as they both tried to calm their labored breathing. Slowly, as she peered down at him, his eyes faded to black and with the change in color, lightness coursed through her beaten body.

She had done it. She had beaten him. She had, she had w—

The remaining line of the thought was cut off when she registered the faint prickle of a blade against her back, right behind her heart. All traces of relief and joy vanished in a heartbeat, every thought of victory crumbling when she realized that,

'It's a draw.'

Kisame and Deidara walked up to them, a grin on the former's face. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd see the day when Itachi-san would be lying on his back, matched by someone." Kisame jabbed, clearly enjoying the unexpected turn of events.

Eyes locked, green with dark blue, and simultaneously they slowly withdrew their weapons and disengaged. Sakura ran a hand through her hair and freed the strands from the loosened braid in the process. She could hear Kisame continue his monologue but her mind was too pressed by other matters to listen to his rant.

A draw. What would this mean for their deal? She cautiously slid her gaze over to Itachi who stood afew yards off. As if sensing her stare his dark eyes rose to meet hers and briefly she imagined seeing something flicker through them, but couldn't quite make out what it was.

She let her teeth press down into her lower lip. What would he do? Would he hold the knowledge of her possessing a doujutsu over her and turn the situation in his favour? Would he tell Pein? She lowered her gaze to the ground, the uncertainty of not knowing gnawing at her from within.

"Are you even listening to me, hakucho?"

Kisame's deadpanned voice brought her attention back to him. Flickering her eyes up at him, she set on gathering her tangled locks in a messy ponytail. "No."

Kisame glanced down at his painted fingernails, taking in their chipped and worn state. "How about you stop staring at the Uchiha and instead listen to a few pointers on your fight from yours truly?"

A snort passed her lips and she opened her mouth to give a retort when another one beat her to it, "The only thing you will be doing, Kisame-san, is carrying out the mission I gave to you this morning."

The cold undertone to Konan's voice had Kisame suppressing a wince. "Konan-san! Yes well, I was getting to it," he explained, hand awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as a signature grin lit his face.

Konan narrowed her eyes, "Save your excuses. All I care about is that I have your report waiting on my desk tomorrow at 0600, is that clear?"

"Crystal," he replied, his grin never wavering. Shouldering Samehada, he turned to Sakura. "Your path to improvement must be enlightened at another time, my young apprentice!" he said dramatically.

Shaking her head with a small smile, Sakura noticed Konan giving her a once over. She wasn't left long to ponder what the paper mistress was thinking. "Go back to the compound and get a shower and see to those wounds. I'll send the girl over with some supplies when I get back. You're no good to us dead."

Throwing a glance down at herself Sakura conceded to Konan's words. A layer of dirt, sweat and blood —a lot of blood— coated her skin and clothes. Through the remains of her tattered clothes she could make out at least a dozen wounds that would need tending to. It would seem that even though she had avoided the worst of Itachi's assaults, he had still managed to land quite a few blows on her, most of them probably with the help of those damn wires.

She threw a glance back over the training grounds. She had hoped that she would have been allowed enough time to collect the weapons she had used in the fight; she guessed that they would've come in handy at one point or another. Still. Giving another glance at Konan she realized quite quickly that she could kiss that thought goodbye.

Giving a nod in recognition of Konan's earlier words, Konan's attention was briefly drawn back to Kisame when he posed a question. A warm hand pressed onto her lower-back, and Sakura suppressed a start. Feeling someone's breath on the side of her face, she caught sight of long raven hair from the corner of her eye and a second later, Itachi's voice filtered to her ears in a murmur, "We'll finish this later."

His hand stayed on her back a brief moment longer than necessary before he ghosted past her, not waiting for a reply. Nothing about him had told her anything of what to except at this later meeting and while it didn't serve to unsettle her further neither did it give her any sense of comfort.

Sakura threw a glance in the direction Itachi had disappeared in when she caught sight of an unexpected mop of blond hair. Realizing that it was Deidara, she couldn't help but let an analyzing gaze sweep over him. She knew that she had given him permission to move about just a few hours ago but was still relieved to find that he seemed to be faring well-enough. It would have been a shame if all his patience and her work would have been brought to naught.

Glancing at his face she found an uncharacteristic crease to his eyebrows, as if he was troubled by something. Deidara's gaze shifted to her and immediately his expression fell behind a calm Noah's mask. They exchanged a reserved nod before his attention once again shifted away from her, remaining unreadable.

She continued staring at his back for a moment, a question about what might be bothering him going through her head. Mentally shaking that thought off, she turned to Konan when she addressed her, Kisame nowhere to be seen. A minute or two later they were on their way back to the compound.

Deidara turned in Sakura's direction when he felt her gaze move away from him and watched her disappear into the forest. He remained staring off into that general direction long after she had been swallowed by the foliage but snapped back to reality when he heard the pause in steps beside him. Throwing a sideway glance his previous blank expression twisted into a scowl at seeing the Uchiha shoulder to shoulder with him. "What do you want?" he all but spat.

Itachi, who was facing the opposite direction of Deidara, kept his eyes closed as he addressed the blond, voice level, "With your equipment you should've been able to pick up on Haruno-san's unexpected…ability."

Deidara stiffened slightly, a hand rising to cover his mechanical eye. Realizing what he was doing, he jerked his hand back to his side and sent a scathing glare at the raven haired shinobi beside him. "So what if I did?"

Ignoring the hostile manner in which he was addressed, Itachi kept his calm when he all but commanded, "You are under no circumstances inform anyone of this. Not even Pein."

Deidara narrowed his eyes at him rebelliously. He didn't take well to being bossed around but for that accursed Uchiha to do so, was too much to swallow. Turning to face the other man fully he spat back challengingly, "And if I do?"

His words were followed by chilling silence but he refused to let his unease show on as he kept his eyes fixed on the Uchiha. In the next instant Itachi's eyes opened lazily, enough to reveal the dark pinwheel shape of the Mangekyo in the middle of a bloody iris, and every muscle in Deidara's body froze as he quickly averted his gaze.

By the ominous presence weighing down on him, he knew that Itachi was staring him down. A bead of perspiration rolled down the side of his face and he swallowed thickly. He was proud man and didn't give up easily, but he knew when he was outmatched. Especially in his weakened state, he couldn't afford an enemy like the Uchiha.

Biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted his own sweet blood, he lowered his head submissively. At first, the weight of the Uchiha's stare remained but then slowly ebbed away. Hearing the shuffling of steps, he saw the toes of Itachi's feet step into his line of vision and in the next instant found himself pinned to a tree by his neck.

With his head uncomfortably tilted upwards, he couldn't catch sight of the Uchiha but guessed that his face would be as emotionless as ever. He didn't try to struggle, even though he could feel breathing getting harder and harder.

"This is the only warning I will ever give you; do not cross me Deidara." Spoken without an ounce of hostility or malice, the Uchiha's words conveyed a stronger threat that a knife to the throat ever could.

Releasing his hold, Itachi watched Deidara slump to the ground, gasping for a breath, while a hand instinctively rose to his bruised throat. Turning away from the scene he flickered out of sight, leaving behind a silently fuming Deidara.

How he despised that Uchiha! He had half a mind to report what he had seen straight to Konan or Pein in a metaphorical 'up yours' at the bloody bastard, consequences be damned. But there was something holding him back.

Calming down somewhat, he lowered his hand to his side while he remained seated by the foot of the tree. He wasn't stupid enough not to figure out who would suffer the most from the exposition and it sure as hell wasn't the Uchiha. It was the kunoichi who would take the blunt of the blow and with that thought, telling Pein suddenly didn't sit that well with him.

He hadn't yet been able to fully shake the feeling of being indebted to that damn kunoichi. She had after all pulled him from the brink of death, dealt with all his childish behavior and done so professionally and calmly, even though they were enemies. She treated him more like a human than he could ever expect to be by any other medic.

Till now he hadn't had even a fleeting notion about somehow repaying her, but now that he had this unexpected choice thrown in his lap…

Wait a minute! Why in the nine levels of hell was Uchiha frickin' Itachi the one telling him to shut his trap about this? And now that he thought about it, what was it that he and the kunoichi had been talking about earlier, looking real cozy?

The most obvious explanation would be that the Uchiha was banging her and that she was such a good shag that he wanted to have around for a little longer. But then again, she hadn't looked all that pleased with his brief attention, rather the opposite, and besides, would they really be fighting to kill each other if they were secretly all lovey-dovey? One could never know with an Uchiha. Maybe he got turned on by it. Being the sick bastard he was, it wouldn't surprise Deidara in the least.

But then there was option two, and for some reason this one had bells going off in his head: the Uchiha wanted to shag her but she didn't want to shag him.

He couldn't help a smile at the malicious pleasure swirling inside him. Who would have thought the day would come when the notorious Uchiha Itachi would be stalking after a piece of meat that didn't seem all that interested or flattered by the attention?

That had to be it. It would explain why the Uchiha had felt the need to go all alpha male on him. After all, if a man was working on a piece of, the occasional, tougher meat, then in order to prevent from having it snatched away from under his nose he would take precautions. That much was obvious. He would do something that sent a loud and clear message to all the competitors in the vicinity, something that would say 'this meat is off the market'.

His smile was by now so wide, Deidara was afraid it would split at the seams. The Uchiha having love-problems with a medic from Konoha? Oh he would live on this for a long, long time.

His smile dimmed slightly. Still, it didn't take away from the fact that if he was quiet about the whole kunoichi-ability-thing, then he would be throwing away the best opportunity he had ever had at royally pissing the Uchiha off. And there weren't many of those.

Silently his eyes settled on a tourniquet wrapped around his hand, one of many he still had. The seconds ticked by until, in the end, he clenched the hand tightly and rose to his feet.

Spitting onto the ground, he kicked some dirt over it before he resumed his walking, slightly irritated at himself for the decision he had just made. Why couldn't he have waited until tomorrow to develop a conscious?

Sakura narrowed her eyes down at the arm she was currently bandaging.

Even though tourniquets were an essential part of her profession, one she realized was needed, it was still something that she utterly abhorred when it had to be done on her. It required contortionist skills to simply find all the wounds sometimes, let alone dress them. Being a shinobi and medic she was naturally provided a great deal of opportunities to practice and hone her bandaging skills, but while the task became easier with time, she never found it any less detestable.

She also thought it pretty safe to claim that any shinobi who said he liked bandaging, was lying through his teeth. Sadly, it was a necessary evil in their profession.

Securing the end of her last wrapping she gave a small groan when she straightened her arm. That damn Uchiha had landed more hits on her than she had kept count of. Throwing a glance down at her body she would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so absurd. She looked like a mummy. It was a wonder that she even had enough gauze to spare for her breast bindings.

Rising to her feet a tingling sensation coursed through her legs after having been seated so long on the tiled floor. Taking a few minutes to simply get the blood flowing, she set on dressing into a fresh set of clothing before reaching for the ones she had previously been wearing.

Her nose scrunched up as she took in their tattered state. There wasn't really anything left to save on these.

Sighing she threw the shirt and pants over her arm before moving to exit the bathroom. Stepping back into her room, she threw the clothes into a corner before turning to throw a glance around the room. It didn't take long for her eyes to drift over to the neatly folded futon by the wall, betraying her hidden thoughts. She felt so beat that she seriously, albeit very briefly, toyed with the thought of taking an early night. It would have been an ok thought hadn't it been four in the afternoon.

She hadn't been particularly tired when she had at first gotten back here but once the adrenaline levels had had a chance to lower back to normal she felt as if she had ran across the continent fifteen times. At least.

Rubbing a hand across her eyes she couldn't for the love of her remember when she had needed a cup of coffee more. Not just today but for the whole time she had been at the Akatsuki head quarters. It was like she was on a mission to impersonate a 90-year-old granny and was doing a terrific job because all she did nowadays was be tired, eat, ache and sleep.

Her head jerked up when the unexpected sound of a firm knock announced someone's presence by the door. Her unexpected guest didn't wait for a reply, however, as the door opened and in stepped the last person she had expected.

Confusion swirled briefly through her head as to why the Akatsuki leader would darken her doorway. Hurriedly snapping out of her momentary surprise, Sakura broke the over-weighing silence, "Pein-sama, to what do I owe this visit?"

Striding into the room without an ounce of hesitation, the door slid close behind him effortlessly. He paused at a respectable length away from her. "Do I need another reason than simply wanting to assure your well-being?" he questioned with a playful tilt to his lips that did not quite reach his eyes.

Sakura tried not to let the confusion show on her face as she repeated, "My well-being?"

"A fight with Itachi is no languid experience, Haruno-san, a fact I am sure you are now more than well aware of. Truthfully I expected to find you in a considerably worse state."

She didn't know whether to feel insulted or grateful for his last comment and as of such decided to ignore it altogether. She wasn't even particularly surprised by his awareness of the fight with Itachi. She was after all on his playground now, and she was certain that there was little to nothing that escaped his attention.

Sakura turned to face him fully, bowing her head slightly when she spoke, "While I am honored, Pein-sama, please forgive me for strongly doubting that my well-being in itself would be enough to warrant such… personal attention from you."

Pein who was throwing an analyzing glance around the room let his lips quirk anew, this time with a bit more sincerity. "Your mistrust is quite well-founded, Haruno-san." Turning towards her, he folded his hand behind his back in a rather signature motion of his and stared at her calmly. "You are undoubtedly a very sharp woman, Haruno-san, and strong for having made a fight between Itachi and yourself a draw. Both of these are qualities that I greatly appreciate in my adversaries."

His words were followed by a heavy silence to which Sakura couldn't find the words to break. For some reason she felt a foreboding feeling claw at her from within but forced herself to keep her outward calm.

A reply on her part was seemingly unneeded as Pein shortly after continued, his attention this time directed somewhere behind her. "You have managed many near impossible feats, most of which have resulted in making things troublesome for me and have made you quite a prominent thorn in my side. But then again I have always enjoyed a challenge," his eyes flickered to her in a rather suggestive glance, "And what a challenge you have turned out to be."

Sakura didn't miss a beat as she skillfully danced around the traps he had lain, "By ending up in your territory it was never my intention to become anyone's nuisance."

"As I am quite sure you didn't. Still, however amusing this little game has been, I am afraid it, as everything else, must come to an end." Instantly Sakura felt fear plummet like a stone into her abdomen while the previously ominous feeling strengthened and gripped her spine with cold hands.

A loud crash filled the room with a cloud of debris as the wall by the bathroom blew to bits. Though blinded, Sakura felt a presence enter through the opening in the wall and even though every part of her was screaming for her to run, she forced herself to stay put. She wouldn't have made it far anyway for she found herself in a deadlock before she could even blink.

She knew what this meant and had known this moment would come sooner or later when Pein's patience ran out. The fact that she had anticipated this, served to help her keep calm which was essential if she hoped to make it out of this alive. She knew that one wrong step could blow her cover, and thereby mean her death. She was under no delusion that there was any help to seek here. She was on her own, as she had been from the very beginning.

Inwardly she cursed her helpless position, drained and weary from her fight as she was. She would bet that this had been exactly what Pein had been waiting for.

Catching movement in the corner of her eye, her eyes met with unique Rinnegan swirls. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked, not really thinking he would warrant her with an answer. He proved her right when he didn't.

Stepping over to them he was now joined by another man, this one with long orange hair, just like Pein and with a lighter physique than the mountain currently immobilizing her. She didn't have time to take a closer look at him before she was forcefully pressed to the floor, her face pressing into the floorboards and a knee digging into her back. Her eyes widened in brief panic when she felt the fabric covering her back being lifted and she wondered just how much Pein had figured out.

"Hm, indeed," he murmured a heartbeat later and let the edge of her shirt drop. Remaining crouched beside her his eyes turned in the direction of her head. Sakura had by now regained control of her expression and was staring blindly ahead, attention directed away from him.

"You're full of surprises, Haruno-san. A member, a human member at that, of a god-clan is a hard thing to come by down here on earth." Pein waved a gesture at the colossal restraining her and Sakura was pulled up from the floor until she was dangling a good foot above the floor. The shinobi's hold on her wrists was rapidly becoming painful as it cut off the blood flow to her hands but none of the pain showed on her face.

Pein rose to his feet and calmly stared her down. "You were very successful in keeping this a secret; in all honesty I didn't even suspect a connection between the gods and you until a few days ago.

"Tell me Haruno-san, who do you serve under?"

She averted her gaze to the floor, expression never-changing, making it evident that she was not going to answer.

This didn't seem to move him in the least though and instead of demanding an answer he posed another question, "Well then, how about telling me where you have hidden the Bijuu?" Another moment of silence. "Come on now, you're only making it harder on yourself."

Cold eyes focused on him. "What exactly is it that you believe that the Bijuu will help you achieve?"

Pein stared at her apathetically, the silence between them verging on oppressing when he answered her, "I don't believe I'm lying if I say that as a clan-member your grasp on the workings of the god realm should be pretty accurate, am I right?" Taking her lack of objection as an affirmative he added, "Still, to be assured that you will fully understand my reasoning, I better give the long version.

"All gods in the god realm live under the same complex hierarchy system, not something easy to explain in human terms. Founded long before the beginning of time, what matters among the gods could probably, through grave generalization, be summarized into three things: age, knowledge and power. Those who possess these, rule over them who have them in lesser quantity, it's as simple as that.

"Although compared to the other gods, age and knowledge is something that I'm at a grave disadvantage of, power is something that I've thanks to the Rinnegan always had in plenty and as it is, you only need one of the three to become a god. I am certain that my powers and abilities would earn me quite a high position among the divine, a fact I realized early in my existence. Thus, by the age of twenty I made my first attempt to ascend to the place where I was always meant to reside: in the god realm, overseeing humankind and guiding them in their ignorance. However, at that time I was not fully aware of the way to greatness, to my true destiny." He paused. "I'm sure you know of 'the Golden Path'?"

Instinctively Sakura hesitated but was then reminded that the cat was already out of the bag and that ignorance in this matter served her no good. Wanting to get it out of the way as soon as possible, she complied to his unvoiced request, "For a human to receive the torch of light/To guide man through ignorance's night/Three tasks are his to fulfill /To climb his own mortal hill/First himself he must prove/A great deed that him to us will move/Second a willful glance of one of our eyes/In a sign of recognition from the skies/Third and lastly he then shall receive/ A new name and title in proof of his divinity,"

Pein gave a slight nod, "Precisely. I performed the three tasks as asked but I made one fatal misstep." Without apparent reason the long haired shinobi who had previously stood unmoving behind them shifted but what exactly what he was doing, Sakura couldn't make out.

Not paying this any attention, Pein continued, "As I previously mentioned I was young and like most youngsters very rebellious, with little over for traditions and rules. Due to this I didn't take the message in 'the Golden Path' to heart, bent on doing it in my own way. So I did my great deed and went ahead to claim my title, thus ignoring the second part of the process, namely the recognition from the seated gods. A grave mistake I didn't realize the severity of until I received this,"

Just then the long haired shinobi stepped into her view, shirtless but with a symbol drawn onto his chest, seemingly above the heart. Sakura immediately reared back.

A Lemniscate.

Noting her reaction Pein turned to face her, "The symbol for eternal damnation, proof of my blasphemous act and stained soul. A very functional curse I might add." He then added as an afterthought, "Funny how it invokes the same revulsion in all the god clans' members."

Sakura stared at the tattoo that stood out sharply against the person's pale skin. This was not something to take lightly. It was the punishment for humans and other creatures who tried to place themselves equal to the divine. The only way to get rid of it was if the sin it represented was repented for; if not, then you died. But to every rule there is an exception. In cases like Pein's, were the crimes were so severe that simple death and rebirth didn't cut it, they were additionally sentenced to a near eternity in purgatory in order to remove the black stain on their souls.

Even from here she could sense the power of the curse, the tainted and rotten aura that was near overwhelming. It amazed her how she hadn't felt this while being near Pein before.

Green eyes narrowed in a sudden realization and hurriedly rose to the face of the man bearing the curse. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Pein tilted his head to the man beside him before shifting his attention back to her, face apathetic. "I see that you have discovered one of the Rinnegan's abilities and at the same time the reason for my survival. It is a rather unique technique but very useful. Of course a magician never reveals the secrets to his tricks but I think that for you I'll make a slight exception.

"You see, with the Rinnegan I have the power to transfer my consciousness, or my identity if you will, into another body." He directed a pointed stare at the shinobi holding her. "Several even. Part of the process is that the ones subjected to it will gain the Rinnegan and, in my case, an auburn hair color; no exception. It has been an ability that I have been rather fond of since it allows me to gain control of my subjects' powers and make them my own. At most I once possessed a grand total of six embodiments. What you see here is all that remains, all thanks to the Lemniscate."

It was then that realization started to clear the confused haze in her mind. "I was wondering how you had survived the curse for this long, but now I understand. Since what was 'you' stretched into six separate bodies, it served as a buffer and slowed down the curse's effect. Now with time it has taken down half of you and from what I can tell by that Lemniscate on him," she nodded towards the long haired man beside him, "it's soon about to claim another part of your existence."

Pein smirked. "I knew you'd be able to figure it out. As I previously stated, you are a sharp one. And yes," he turned to the one beside him, "These two bodies who have, along with the other ones, born the blunt of the curse for me are now sadly singing on their last verse." His eyes lowered to the symbol. "This curse is perfect, a true masterpiece. Although I managed to divert its effect, it still found a way around it."

Sensing her confusion, he tore his gaze away from the symbol and began explaining, "You see, on the day I was cursed there was no physical sign of this. The only proof of my damned station was that I had lost the Rinnegan ability that allowed me to transfer my identity. It wasn't until much later that the first curse mark appeared. Faint at first; only the beginning of an outline of the Lemniscate, but with time gaining more and more of its true shape and form.

"It started to appear on my extensions first, but never on the same places twice. Then a year in, the first one died. No gradual loss of function, no physical pain, the body just fell apart the second the mark was completely visible.

"Time also proved inconsistent as the timeline between when the mark appeared and time of death always differed. Some lasted for a mere six months while others almost five years."

Rolling up his sleeve, he presented her with another curse mark. "This one I have born for the last fifteen years but it wasn't until recently that the full outline became visible. It has systematically been working its way towards the core at a rather languid pace for all these years, but I know now that I don't have much time left."

Sakura's eyes flickered down at the mark before she looked back into his eyes. "Where exactly do the Bijuu fit into all this?" she questioned.

Pein calmly rolled his sleeve back down, "Of all the creatures, the Bijuu are the most powerful, the ones closest to being gods themselves. They possess powers that are not of this world, abilities that easily rival that of the founding gods'.

"It has taken a lot of time and effort but eight years ago I finally finished devising a plan that would make it possible for me to make these powers my own, a slightly different take on the same ability that the curse robbed me of. With the help of these powers I will then break this curse, regain my full strength and at the same time receive the recognition that was at first denied me"

Sakura closed her eyes and lowered her head until her chin touched her chest. "It is true that the Bijuu possess a power not of this earth, but for you to think that you could ever become a master of such greatness, of such suffering, is nothing but blatant heresy." Opening her eyes she lifted her head a fraction. "Should you succeed, it would still not spare you from this dark pit your falling into."

He closed his eyes. "I see that you are incapable of realizing the greatness in what I am trying to accomplish. I must admit that even though I expected it, I am still slightly disappointed." As if by an unspoken command, Sakura was suddenly slammed up against a wall, her wrists still clasped firmly in the colossal's hand.

Irritate green eyes focused on Pein's form. "Do you hate your mortal existence so much that you'd sacrifice everything to be rid of it? Even condemn yourself further by continuing this madness. "

Pein settled her with a bored look, "Though I am flattered by this concern, might I advise that you be more worried about your own health? This current situation doesn't bode well for you I'm afraid." He paused and tilted his head sideways. "Still, it all comes down to you. You tell me what I want to know and there will be no need for me to harm you. Refuse and things will turn out quite differently."

He took a step forward, "So tell me, where are the Bijuu?"

It was without hesitation that Sakura pressed her lips tightly together, the message she was sending with this simple action clear as daylight. Pein seemed unimpressed by her apparent defiance. "Either you are very brave or very stupid. I don't care which it is but I'm not a very patient man, Sakura, and not in the mood for games.

"However, you are quite valuable and it would make things less tiring if you would stop with these false acts of nobility and tell me what I want to know." Sakura opened her mouth but he stopped her with a raised hand. "And before you waste this chance, let me tell you now that if you believe that I won't harm you due to the divine law that forbids any harm from being brought onto a clan member, let me save you the trouble and inform you that you will receive no such courtesy here. I have worked too long and too ardently to trip on the finish line and you're the only thing currently in my way."

"It doesn't matter what you do to me, I'll tell you nothing," she said, voice calm and steady.

Pein stared at her coldly and in the next instant the long haired man appeared by her side and before she could blink he dug his fist into her stomach. Sakura's head jerked forward but none of the pain was seen on her face. The man didn't stop at one hit but continued to beat her like a punching back until she was sure that she if she survived this that she would be as purple as a plum in the morning.

Stopping as suddenly as he had begun, Sakura took a few moments to catch her breath, every heave sending an arrow of pain through her body. She reckoned that she a few broken and several bruised ribs.

"Where are they?"

Her strained breathing echoed through the silent room but no words tried to form on her lips.

Suddenly a mind numbing pain shot through her wrist and it took most of her self-control to bite back the scream that tore at the inside of her throat. Without having to look up, she could feel the kunai blade driven through her wrist, pinning her to the wall.

Raising her free hand she tried to make a grab for the kunai and pull it out but stopped that attempt quickly when blinding agony cut into her side where she most likely had a broken rib.

The taste of copper was fast becoming prominent in her mouth.

Her wrist throbbed at the same pace as her heartbeat and she could feel the warm blood spill down her arm in pulsing rivulets, painting herself and the wall behind her a dark scarlet. Taking deep, strained breaths through her mouth she tried to get a grasp on the pain in order to keep it from overwhelming her.

With her hazed senses she could suddenly feel another body press up against her own and a calm breathing ghost across her ear. "Tell me what I need to know and it'll stop, it's as simple as that."

She gave a slight grunt and spit out some of the blood in her mouth, wisps of pain sounding in her voice as she bit out "I-I don't know what you're tal-alking about."

He stood unmoving for a moment, eyes steadily boring holes into the side of her head. "You asked me a question a moment ago, something about if I found living as a human truly that despicable? Well, let me ask you something. Which one of us do you think has more to lose? And as a follow-up question, what is it about desperate people that make them so dangerous? You should at least know the answer to the second one, being a medic and all."

Sakura spit out another mouthful of blood and Pein placed a finger under her chin, raising her face to his. His eyes took in the bruises that were already beginning to form as he let his thumb stroke across her split lip, wiping away some blood in the process. "No answer?"

Reaching up he grabbed a hold of the kunai pinning her in place and slowly started to twist it. Sakura gave a small cry, digging her nails into her free hand until it too was painted red by her blood. Stopping the turning of the knife, Pein pressed his lips to her ear and almost hissed, "Because when you have nothing to lose, you become unpredictable and things like another person's life, your life in this case, lose their importance. But while I can't afford to let you die just yet, trust me, there are worse things than death."

Taking a moment to let his words sink in, he pulled back to look into her face. Her emotionless façade cracking, showing glimpses of pain and agony, she breathed heavily through her nostrils. "Your silence will serve to bring you nothing but a little time and a lot pain." Taking a hold of her chin, he nudged her face upward, waiting until her pain disoriented eyes focused solely on him before saying slowly and gently, as if talking to a child, "I'll ask you one more time; where have you hidden the Bijuu?"

Sakura stared back at him, gaze filled with pain only equaled by the defiance and determination that gave a cold edge to her stare.

Pein smirked and, letting his grip fall from her chin, stepped back. The next moment she felt someone grab hold of her free hand. The pain had slowed her mind and she barely had time to feel a grip around one of her fingers before there was a sickening crack. She hunched into herself, her teeth digging into her already bruised lip as she felt the pain course up her hand and arm.

Through it all she could hear Pein's emotionless voice waver over to her, "Your self-control is truly admirable. Let's see how much more you can take."

Blinding agony cut through her, and this time, Sakura did scream.

A/N: Chapter 27 is up!

NB! The eight first chapters of Fuyuhana have been rewritten and posted! Not a necessity to reread them for they contain no vital extra information but for those interested go take a look. I don't know when the next rewrites will be out because I'm currently in the middle of my matriculation exams so I'll be focusing on them for the following few weeks.

I don't believe I've introduced my second beta, , who gave the rewrites one last look before they were posted and who has also betaed this chapter. Welcome to the team! :)

On to this chapter. I hope the Itachi/Sakura-fighting scene met your expectations :) I had a real good time writing the Deidara-part and I think I kept him IC. As for the last part, I hope it didn't become too messy for you. I spent quite some time trying to hone and polish the descriptions so that it wouldn't get too complicated, but I guess it's up to you guys to tell me if I succeeded :) Btw, on a side note, the two people with Pein are the two we were intoduced to first in the series.

The plot thickens! I hope your patience has been awarded. After many chapters that could probably be called fillers we're finally progressing in the storyline. If things go as planned I will have a little treat for you guys in the next chapter, one I'm hoping you'll enjoy ;D

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Reviews: Just me and myself, 9tailedemonfoxonbu, Sabrina, Midori Heiwa (I don't think anytime soon ;P), JustAReview, SakuraXEverybody, GreekLia, Heaven's Graceful Angel (True, we'll just have to wait if this'll end happily or in tears ;)), I N V E E S A B L E (Yah ;D), NEVERMORE DARKNESS, Fumi Raisin, ..CHoMP., Goddess of the Innocent (You're right, I looked it up again and saw that I had picked the wrong word by mistake. Thanks for pointing it out for me :)), bluerosemisstress1069, freedomwings26 (;D), SpeedDemon315 (True but this story will be completed! Eventually ;P), Em-i-lo (Hope I lived up to your expectations concerning the fight-scene ;D), uchihacutie, Three sisters productions, Sakurachan623, bookbook, ArtisansMuse (I also get the vibe that Sakura isn't all too popular in the series; her times in the spotlight are so few and far between. A shame really ;/ You too! XD), sendo-tenshi, VALLED, Geniusly-Unique (Hope the chapter answered your questions (; ), Natalie, BlackBaccaraRose, TeenageCrisis, crystalwolfberri, azela4, harunosakua, kateshay (As said in one of the chapters, the HQ are situated on desecrated grounds so none of the gods can sense, much less contact anyone while they are staying there. The only reason Shi could contact her was because of the wounds that Kibishi had caused her which gave him a temporary link to her. The summonings can't help her because she doesn't have enough chakra to perform a summoning. Hope this cleared things up.), aznkitty180, angel897, akatsuki's hikari (It was the road of life ;P –Tastes one of the cookies and starts coughing uncontrollably while clawing at throat. Drowns the glass of orange juice and bites back a gagging reflex. Turns towards you and beams— Nothing like sweet, and sandy dry Halloween cookies with a glass of orange juice! (Could be a great commercial add ;D)), CelesticYumi7, Antanique013, Lady Sakura of the Uchihas, DelicateFan of the Sacred Fire.

Thanks once again for all the reviews, favorites and alerts! Your support is what keeps this story going! :D Do leave a comment on this chapter as well. Pointers, was it good or bad, slow or moving too fast, complicated etc. let me know. :)

Till next time!

Hugs,

-Wounded angel.