Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Anything related to the Naruto series is property of its creator, Masashi Kishimoto. Any story elements included in this story that have already been published or used were added to this fan fiction by pure coincidence, and copyright infringement was not intended.
Hello again everybody, I hope you enjoy this chapter but just a little warning: sexual content. (Not that anybody ever listens to warnings but yeah, just for the sake of it.)
Silhouette of a Dream
Chapter 5: A Rocky Start
Sakura listened to the soft footsteps of the man carrying her and lay limply in his arms, cradled gently to his chest. Her mind was blank but her chest felt heavy with grief and guilt overwhelmed her entire being. It was as if all functions of her brain had died or gone to sleep, leaving a type of numbness or emptiness behind that started to spread like a drop of ink in a glass of water, expanding and invading every crevice.
Why did she go with Itachi? He was an S-class criminal, a murderer—a monster... she knew everything about him and his records...so why did she go with him? For a moment her pulse jumped and her breath caught. His obsidian eyes fell onto her form but she paid him no mind and made not a sound nor movement to acknowledge his presence as her thoughts were sent spiraling.
What was that? That feeling, as if her heart was trying to communicate something that her brain couldn't seem to grasp. What was it? She knew that love involved speeding pulses, rushing blood, and sometimes skipping heartbeats, but she also knew that she couldn't possibly be in love with an S-rank criminal. It just couldn't be.
Brushing her thoughts aside, she let out a breath of air she didn't even realize she had been holding in. Tilting her head closer to his chest, she listened for his steady heartbeat and got back on the same train of thought as before. Why am I here? She was already in his arms, on her way to god only knows where anyways, it didn't matter why she went with him anymore, she realized. Now all she knew was that she had to find a way to get back.
In the midst of her thoughts, she suddenly paused to look up and around to check her surroundings. She didn't know how long they had been traveling; the journey didn't even feel real anymore, but the cabin that materialized in front of her certainly was. Her gaze warmed at the sight of the tiny wooden cabin and Itachi stepped closer to it slowly, brushing aside small tree branches and pushing growing shrubbery away with his feet.
The rustling of the plants reminded her of home. It was silly, but she was already homesick and everything she looked at reminded her of Konoha and all of her friends that lived there. Their warm smiles flashed and faded in her mind and the sound of the rustling plants made her think of the windy days she would sometimes wake up to in the middle of winter... from where she was now it didn't look like she'd be seeing anymore of those anytime soon.
Itachi lifted her out of his arms and placed her on her two feet at the entrance to the cabin. He stepped in front of her and twisted the piece of dull bronze metal, opening the door for Sakura to step in. She hesitated for a split second before stepping forward and her eyes seemed to dart everywhere as soon as she was in.
The door clicked behind her and all of a sudden her heart slammed to a halt. Out of all the things in the cabin, her gaze was locked on one single corner of the room, where only a single bed stood flush against the wall... just one bed. Of course, the fact that there was only one bed wasn't the problem, it was the fact that it was obviously made to fit two people, and she didn't want to be one of them.
Itachi turned to the side and hung his coat by the door, now standing only in his fishnet shirt and black pants. To Sakura's surprise, he also took off his sandals and feeling awkward, she followed suit. Who knew that Itachi was one to care about cleanliness?
When he turned his back to her and walked into another room, she suddenly felt out of place. What was she doing, just standing here? She felt like an idiot but went into the room Itachi had walked into and was caught off guard when she realized it was a bathroom. Itachi stood there with his usual poker face with his pants hanging loosely at his hips and his shirt around sitting on the floor. He raised an eyebrow and she began to blabber and point mindlessly.
"I—you—argh!" She stormed out of the room and slammed the door, her face burning bright red in embarrassment as she leaned against the door and slapped a hand to her face. "...could have said something," she muttered, only to gasp in surprise when she felt the door pushing against her from the other side. She stepped away and turned toward the door, seeing Itachi standing there with a smirk on his face.
"Care to join me?"
"Rrgh..." Sakura stomped forward and slammed the door in his face. "No, thank you!" Realizing that she had just slammed a door on an S-rank criminal, her jaw almost dropped. What have I done?! She held her hand over her open mouth and stared at the door, awaiting some type of outburst but none came.
On the other side of the door Itachi chuckled to himself. She was much more amusing than the rest of the girls he had observed in the past. Most of them would have jumped in with him without a second thought... but then again, those girls and women—most of them had no clue of who he was. While he was an S-rank criminal, it seemed that nobody recognized the threat he posed to their lives, only shinobi and kunoichi ever stepped back and realized his power. His smirk faded and he paused to see the steam beginning to billow out from behind the shower curtains. Normal people, huh...?
He rid himself of the rest of his clothes and stepped into the shower, yanking the elastic band from his hair and putting it on the soap shelf. The hot water cascaded over his tired body and he let it wash over his face, feeling completely refreshed by the streams of hot water cleansing away the dirt, sweat, and blood. Looking down at the corner of the tub he saw the mint shampoo and conditioner bottles and inwardly scoffed. He remembered when Kisame had bought those and smiled a little when he saw images of his partner joking around about making the rest of the Akatsuki smell like mint.
It wasn't very funny, but the idea of Kisame making an idiot of himself in front of the rest of the Akatsuki surely was. Grabbing the shampoo, he squeezed some of it out of the bottle and onto his hand. He inhaled the scent but recoiled at the strength of the smell. Perhaps Kisame had been serious about the scent after all.
Sakura waltzed into the kitchen and began to open cabinets and such, finding canned food along with bottled water sitting in large amounts all over the place. Grabbing a bottle of water, she twisted the cap off and took a long sip, enjoying the soothing feel of the warm water sliding down her throat. Water hadn't tasted so good in a long time.
Placing the cap back on, she turned on her heel and walked over to the bed. Staring at it only made her more and more nervous, but she didn't exactly want to stand around all night. She furrowed her brows and glanced back in Itachi's direction, hearing the shower water still running. She sighed. I might as well, she thought, dropping down onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling.
A couple of minutes later, Itachi emerged from the bathroom with a cloud of warm steam following behind. He was wearing his pants again but his shirt seemed to have disappeared, Sakura noted, face slightly pink. His hair was still dripping a bit as he walked about the cabin and when he noticed Sakura watching him, a devious smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You can take a bath now," he said.
Sakura nodded, slightly red-faced at the look in his eyes. What's he up to? She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. As soon as she felt the warm air she sighed in content and began to strip away her clothes. The warmth enveloped her and caressed her skin, sending waves of warmth throughout her entire body.
Finally, she pushed the curtain aside and turned on the shower, stepping into the stream of hot water. Everything felt wonderful and perfect until she felt a sting in her hand. "Ouch!" She yelped, turning her back to the shower head to examine her hand. Great, it's bleeding again...
Hearing Sakura's yelp, he pursed his lips together into a thin line in slight irritation. He wanted to go in and see what was wrong, but he knew that if he did, he'd most likely look to be a fool. Curiosity killed the cat, he told himself, turning on his side as he lay on the large bed.
"Ugh..." Sakura changed the water temperature and slid her injured hand beneath the spray slowly and cautiously. When her hand sat painlessly beneath the cool water, she sighed in relief and watched as the crimson streaks of blood were washed away and sent down the drain. "Stupid hand..."
When her hand felt better, she resumed her shower in the cool water and swore under her breath. The pleasant hot water shower she had hoped for wouldn't be possible after all...
A couple minutes of one-handed showering maneuvers later, she was dressed and out of the shower smelling of fresh mint with her hair slightly damp and mussed. As soon as she was out in the kitchen however, she realized that Itachi was laying on the bed and appeared to be sleeping... she groaned inwardly and felt like stomping her feet and whining. Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?
Not asleep as he appeared to be, Itachi turned toward Sakura and sat up slowly, mischief shining in his onyx orbs as he realized her predicament. "Need something?" He said playfully.
She froze and resisted the urge to punch him. It was bad enough that she slammed a door in his face earlier, she didn't need to make him angry. "Where do I sleep?"
He shrugged his shoulders lightly and pulled the sheet up as if telling her to crawl in. She frowned and felt a creeping feeling go up her spine. He isn't serious, is he? When Itachi raised an eyebrow and continued to hold the sheet up she began to panic. Oh god—he's serious! He's really serious! She felt as though she had a brick thrown directly at her face but still tried to think of what to do. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?! I can't just leave him holding the sheet up...! But—but I can't crawl in bed with him either!
Inner Sakura began to laugh maniacally and urge her to climb under the sheet but Sakura herself immediately bashed the idea and shoved her inner-self back into the recesses of her mind. However, she was pulled from her thoughts when he spoke, "is there a problem?" He asked casually, refraining from laughing as the girl inwardly tore herself apart about what to say in reply.
Dammit, what do I do?!
"Hmm?" He pressed, urging her to answer him. He loved the way she seemed to tense nervously and almost panic outwardly. It was as if she wasn't even a ninja—her emotions were clear as day; it was somehow refreshing.
"I—um, I actually like sleeping on the floor," she lied. "If you just give me a blanket, I could--"
He paused to give her a devilish smile. "There's only one," he stated, lifting the sheet for her to crawl under again.
Seeing his smile, she felt another brick coming her way, only, it was the size of a truck this time... He was messing with me! That jerk! Her face turned completely red, even her neck and shoulders were turning color. "You jerk!" She grabbed the sheet from his hands roughly and jumped in bed. I'll show him, she thought, grunting in annoyance as she twisted and turned to get comfortable, taking as much space as possible to irritate him. As she scooted around on the bed she yanked at the covers, trying to steal them away with each movement.
He only chuckled at her childish behavior and lay back down. She was getting closer and closer, he noticed, watching as she tried to invade his space further. When she got close enough, he immediately got an idea and rested his hand on her shoulder, curling his other arm under her neck and across the length of her shoulders.
The scent of the mint shampoo caught his nose and for some reason it smelled much more pleasant than before—it was as if the fact that it was on her rather than himself or someone else was making the scent so much nicer... but that just couldn't be, he decided.
Feeling his strong arms wrap around her, she squeaked and tried to wiggle away. "Let me go...!" She twisted in his grip but he held onto her and buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling dramatically to catch her attention. She froze, but her heart was still beating a thousand times faster than normal. Why am I so nervous? Argh! I don't love him! I don't! I'm just not used to this, she convinced herself.
He sat there quietly for a moment, just taking in her scent before slipping his leg forward, resting his knee dangerously high on her thigh. She gulped and he pressed closer, their bodies molding against each other and creating a heated friction that sent her senses into overdrive. This can't be happening! She screeched inwardly, eyes screwed shut as she kept another squeak from escaping her throat.
"Comfortable?" He purred, a tempting darkness resonating within his voice.
She felt the vibrations of his chest against her back and became all too aware of his state of dress... or lack thereof. "What are you doing?" She managed to squeak, wiggling in his grasp and pursing her lips together tightly to keep from making any other noises as his knee crept upward. Why did I decide that spandex shorts were comfortable?!
He pulled her closer and tilted her head towards him, forcing her to lock eyes. "I thought I made my intentions clear in Konoha," he whispered darkly.
"Wha--" She gasped and it dawned on her. All of his attention—the stalking, night visits, kisses, and all those other times... he wasn't interested in the village or her knowledge! He just wanted to get into her pants! "Why, you...!" She shoved him off and rolled to the edge of the bed, nearly falling over. "This whole time I was wondering what the hell kind of elaborate scheme you had up your sleeve and it turns out you just want a quick lay?" She sat up and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're--"
He frowned slightly. "Getting impatient," he finished, completely ignoring her protests as he took her hand and pulled her into his lap. She felt her stomach drop when he stared down at her face. Whether it was flushed with anger or embarrassment he didn't know, both, was his guess.
Her lips seemed to form a permanent frown and she tried to sit up, failing miserably when his hand came to rest on her shoulder and push her back down. "Look, I didn't come here because I wanted to," she muttered.
He lay back against the headboard and lifted his hand from her shoulder to cross his arms over his bare chest. "Is that so?" He looked at her with a skeptical expression and allowed her to sit up.
"Yes, so if you'd just let me go I could be on my way back home," she spat, crawling out of his lap.
He grabbed her wrist and before she could even respond he had her pinned to the bed. "You know, I'm not used to being rejected," he joked humorously, taking hold of both her wrists and tightening his grip. "I didn't chase after you for a 'quick lay' either." His eyes narrowed slightly and he continued to look down on her powerless form.
It felt like the blood was draining from her body but the butterflies in her stomach and the fuzzy tickling feeling in her arms and legs told her otherwise. She was completely powerless in this position and that unnerving smirk of his only made it more obvious. Her lips parted as if to let out a sentence, but the words she wanted to say were melting away as she became lost in his entire being.
He inched closer and closer, shifting his legs to press a chaste kiss to her innocent lips. When he pulled away she finally found the strength to speak, "if I'm not a quick lay, then...then what am I?"
"Quick isn't nearly a week of stalking," he remarked.
She pressed her lips into a fine line and glared. "You know what I mean."
"Persistent, aren't you?" He changed his grip on her wrists and brushed the pads of his thumbs over her open palm sending a shiver down her spine. Taking advantage of the quick distraction he brought his knee up against her heated center and she bit her lip to hold in a gasp.
She was used to being the pursuer, not the other way around! She averted her gaze and ended up staring at a nearby wall. Dammit, she wasn't used to this! She could handle normal fourteen year-old boys, but this—this man was an entirely different creature to her. She bit her lip harder and tried to scoot away from his invasive maneuvers but he continued and soon had his face buried in the crook of her neck once again.
He made a trail of hot open-mouthed kisses from the side of her neck, across her elegant collar bone, and slowly downward until he was hovering over the tops of her breasts. "You can stop me anytime," he challenged, exploring further as he released her hands and held his weight with one while using the other to gently caress her every curve, his callused thumb rubbing at the underside of her breast through the cotton of her dress.
She could tell him to stop, but would he? Did she want him to? She felt her body grow white-hot when his hands began to explore and lips began to dive lower and lower... "Itachi," she rasped, lifting her arms as if to push him away, only to let her slender fingers rest on his shoulders and gently scrape over his pale flesh as she let out a heavy gasp.
His kisses were already down to her abdomen, and his hands were lifting and tugging her dress upwards and above her hips. Simple for him, it seemed, as he quickly found the zipper and pulled at it slowly—tantalizing.
Sakura felt like she was in a daze with her eyes seemingly clouded with lust and her breathing heavy, bordering on a moan and a deep sigh. This feeling—this desire burning and rushing in her blood was sending her spiraling into the beginnings of ecstasy... but why? She was questioning herself endlessly but found no motion to convey her confusion and simply held onto the shoulders of the man before her as though it would keep her anchored to whatever was left of reality.
Could this really be happening? She was laying beneath the hated brother of her object of affection and she was just laying there without a word of protest. Is this what I...want? Her mind was in a thick fog of tumultuous emotions and thoughts, and like a thunderstorm sending sheets of rain across the Earth, her brain was drowning in the onslaught of questions. "I--"
He didn't stop, completely ignoring her as his dexterous hands now rest at the curve of her hips. His fingers curled around the waistband and when he pulled, it felt like he was yanking at her heartstrings. The spandex shorts were being pulled away and within moments she sat before him with only her simple red and white-striped panties covering her growing arousal.
He stared with controlled hunger, a dangerous lust reflecting in his eyes. Her spandex shorts hung at her knees and she felt embarrassed beyond anything in her life. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She could only watch him stare down at her scantily clad core with a hunger she had never even dreamed of seeing. This man was dangerous, but like a moth to a flame she was drawn to him—she was flirting with danger and some part of her longed for the excitement, while the other wanted to slap him senseless.
He lifted his hands back to her hips and his thumbs hooked into the sides of her panties. His flesh directly on hers sent her mind reeling and she knew she had to do something. "St—stop...!" She sat up abruptly and her head collided with his, sending him a few inches back as he recoiled from the sudden attack. "You—you can't...!" Her hands forced her dress down and between her legs to cover herself but she was too embarrassed to attempt pulling her shorts back up.
Watching the flashes of white disappear from his vision, courtesy of her unintentional headbutt, he rubbed the back of his head and tried to soothe a small headache away. "Dammit," he swore, now rubbing at his forehead.
Seeing him care for the minor injury, she bit her lip to keep from saying anything and bowed her head low to keep her eyes from meeting his. "Sorry," she mumbled, still feeling exposed as she shifted.
He mumbled something incoherently and let out a heavy sigh. "You could have just said 'stop'."
Sakura gripped the dress tighter and continued to shield herself from his heated gaze. She couldn't expect him to just let this go, could she?
Itachi spied her spandex shorts hanging around her knees and smiled with satisfaction as he pulled them completely off and tossed them across the room. "Hey I thought you said--!"
Itachi patted the top of her head and lay back on the mattress, pulling her down next to him. "I said I'd stop, not go back."
She looked over at her shorts and he caught the look in her eye. "Go ahead and grab them," he said playfully, "give me a show."
The bricks were coming again. "I'm—there's no way I—you--!"
"You could just sleep like that," he suggested, pulling the sheet up to his waist as he watched her reaction.
She quieted and scooted to the opposite side of the bed. "I'll get you for this," she threatened lightly. "Sleep with one eye open."
He chuckled and threw the sheet over her.
"Goodnight."
End of Chapter 5
So yeah, I gave you guys an almost-lemon... heehee. I thought it would be a little too fast if Sakura just goes for it the first night, so don't worry, you will get your lemon eventually. Anyways, I'm not really used to writing lemons yet, so it would be a big help if you guys give me some criticism, tips, and advice. And, as always, thank you for reading, please review!