Title: ribbon redux

Author: paws-bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi

Type: One-shot (Complete)

Genre: Romance/Humor

Word Count: 6196

Theme: LJ Community, 50-shinobi theme #45, ribbon

Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

Summary: Another version of 'ribbon'. Thanks to the diligent efforts of a pair of goons, she had somehow ended up as a birthday gift…to the devil himself. A most sensual, seductive…drunk devil. And she had stupidly when and made a deal with him, too. This does not bode well.

Completion on: 09/07/08

Chapter Last Revised on: 05/10/08

They drugged him on his birthday.

In retrospect, Itachi realized that he should have known something was amiss when they converged upon him right after his return from a series of successful missions, dragging him unceremoniously towards the den of the hideout, whereby flask after flask of the most expensive sake decorated all flat surfaces available within the area. The raven-haired male would have put up a much stronger fight had he not been exhausted and drained of his usual supply of chakra, but as it was, he had decided to play along the moment they declared that they were celebrating his birthday for him. It had made sense that the less resistance he put up towards their planned celebration, the faster he would be able to escape the moment they got distracted by the incredulous amount of liquor that would soon follow.

It was a mistake.

They plied him with cup after cup of potent sake, and even if he wasn't the best drinker of the lot, his tolerance to alcohol was still considered well above average. It took him only three porcelain flasks of the rich Japanese rice wine before it occurred to him that he was feeling a lot more relaxed than he logically should, and that they seemed to be watching him closely for any sign of intoxication.

It took a bit of arm twisting (literally) and a vicious, swift attack before the sole blonde of Akatsuki quickly admitted to the paranoid Uchiha that they had added a sort of relaxant that was supposed to 'relax' him, but surprisingly enough (as one displeased Deidara had been unlucky enough to find out) hadn't seemed to affect Itachi's lightning quick reflexes whatsoever. That concession didn't please Itachi at all, but since his temperament appeared to be a lot more mellow thanks to the dangerous mix of alcohol and medication, Deidara was lucky enough to escape with nothing more than a bruised ego and a few ruffled feathers.

Of course, the Uchiha had been unaware at the beginning that the drug was only starting to take effect. After an hour or two though, it became quickly apparent that outright aggression, killing intent, as well as any other emotions that required cold, clinical concentration, were becoming very difficult to accomplish. But they were not impossible, and in the end, Kisame had to hold back his furious, seemingly drunk-but-not-really partner when he tried to have a go at the blonde again, when the Iwa nukenin had unwisely decided to comment about how the drugs had been his idea in the first place, a 'gift' meant to help the perpetually stressed Uchiha relax some.

It was also then that they learned that the previously untested drug apparently lowered inhibitions as well, which certainly explained the Uchiha's hair-trigger reaction when he was normally a lot more tolerant, at least so he appeared. As Deidara beat a quick escape, the blue-haired Kiri nukenin decided that the drug in his partner's bloodstream was probably about to reach its zenith very soon, and it was time for him to present the second part of their present to the, somewhat uncharacteristically disorientated, Uchiha.

And that was how Itachi found himself escorted all the way to the door of his own suite, facing the smirking shark man as he informed the younger male about the gift that lay just beyond his door, and to enjoy it as much as he could. Itachi was clearly feeling a distinct irritation at being drugged and then dragged around the hideout by his fellow members by then, but unfortunately, he just could not seem to find the will to retaliate or attack in frustration. It was a certainly disquieting sensation, to be stuck in one's own body but not being able to completely control one's own reaction. The Uchiha quickly resolved to make the two men in question pay badly when the drug finally washed out of his system.

But it certainly would not be now, and when Kisame pushed open the shoji door and shoved the somewhat bemused raven-haired male through it, Itachi could only mentally add the offensive action as yet another one of the many injustices that he would be taking up with his partner and blonde accomplice when he was finally recovered from this…affliction. The shoji door clacked shut behind him, and as Itachi made the decision to sleep off the remaining effects of the drug, his attention was finally drawn to the pink, shaking bundle that was currently situated in the middle of his futon.

He stared.

The woman was gagged and bound up tightly with an incredulous length of pink ribbon, which coincidentally, appeared to be the only piece of clothing on her otherwise nude form. It was quickly apparent that the ribbon had also acted as a restraint to keep her in the submissive, kneeling position that she was in right now, and judging by the panicked and furious look on her face, it was obvious that she had never wanted to be put in this situation in the first place.

She was also vaguely familiar, with eye catching pink-hair, large emerald eyes that seemed to eat up half of her face, as well as trembling lips that were full on the bottom and almost doll-like in appearance. Unfortunately, the Uchiha's photographic memory decided to bail out on him at the moment, and so this unknown female remained unidentified, which really didn't matter, if the instinctual portion of his brain was to be trusted.

For the picture of bound woman flesh displayed so delectably on his bed appeared to be a most pleasing sight to his badly influenced mind, and of course, the way that the ribbons were emphasizing more than concealing the female's milky, curvy body was most agreeable to him as well, judging by the fact that his body was instinctively reacting to the sight in an undoubtedly masculine manner.

This must be the 'entertainment' that Kisame had been rambling about earlier.

The Uchiha eyed the pink-haired woman with increasing interest, and when he started to move deeper into the room and towards her, her eyes widened with alarm and she started to struggle frantically against her bonds. Unfortunately for her, all her efforts proved to be useless, and all she had succeeded in doing was wriggle around the bedspread and made certain bits of her…jiggle most enticingly.

It was somewhat distracting, watching some of the ribbons constrict and loosen around her voluptuous, slightly perspiration-slicked form as she moved and tried desperately to free herself. She also appeared to be trying to warn him away from her, judging from the muffled sounds that she was emitting from behind the cloth gag, as well as the light of renewed anger and outrage in her strangely captivating eyes.

He ignored her muted squeals and grunts easily and walked, calmly, right up to the foot of the bed, and although he appeared to be his usual emotionless self externally, the drugs currently messing up his entire system were ensuring that he experienced sensations he had learned to suppress long ago.

Masculine interest.

Attraction.

Lust.

She stiffened when he lowered himself to a crouch before her, his intent eyes staring at her the entire while as he reached out towards her to loosen the gag. With an easy tug, he removed the cloth that had been stuffed so rudely into her mouth, and then swiftly pulled his fingers out of harm's way as the woman lunged forward and actually tried to bite him the moment the gag came off. Her ferocity was startling, and when she missed, she bared her teeth angrily at him.

Sakura wasted no time revealing her displeasure over her current circumstance.

"Uchiha Itachi," she spat out, as if his name was a particularly vile epithet. It was vaguely surprising to him that she actually knew him, and it told him immediately that this female was definitely a kunoichi, and one who may belong to the Leaf as well, judging by the way she was reacting so ferociously to the sight of him. Of course, her anger may also be due to the fact that she was currently trussed up like a pig, literally wrapped in bows and ribbons as a present for him.

Though he had to admit inwardly that she was a rather pretty present, all things considered.

Said present, on the other hand, was not feeling about as mellow as her current captor. To say that Sakura was not having a good day would have been a massive understatement in itself. She had been kidnapped from her village, had her chakra completely drained from her, her head was hurting badly from the chakra exhaustion as well as from the 'friendly tap' that the bastard shark nukenin had so very kindly bestowed upon her in order to 'persuade' her to quit her frustratingly fruitless struggles and yowling, and she had woken up just in time to witness herself naked as the day she was born, while another smirking, disturbingly familiar explosive specialist proceeded to wrap ribbons round and round her like she was some kind of present.

In other words, Sakura was angry, exhausted, in pain, powerless, humiliated, and scared.

Of course, Uchiha Itachi's entrance had not made matters any better. The pink-haired female had frozen over with terror when she easily recognized the clan-murdering, Konoha nukenin. It wasn't a moment that Sakura was extremely proud of, but she was bare assed naked, badly weakened and defenseless, and surely even the most powerful ninja would have felt discomforted in the face of such odds.

Sakura already knew what was going to happen today. She was going to die, end of story. She was going to die a virgin at the grand old age of twenty-one, and damn it, she should have accepted Lee's many (and often loud) proclamations of the 'power of youth' and how 'true love would prevail'.

"Beautiful."

The supposedly cold, emotionless Uchiha remarked calmly out of the blue, as if it was a completely common occurrence for him to shower praises on unknown, naked women dumped upon his bed.

Sakura really didn't want to know, but at the same time she could also hardly believe her ears. Her eyes bugged out in shock. Did he just say that—

Confused emerald met somewhat dazed, wondering onyx. Despite herself, the kunoichi turned an embarrassed, awkward shade of pink. It was almost unbelievable, that she was being complimented thusly by her captor. Sakura was taken back by the Uchiha's remark; wasn't he this coldblooded and detached male, and if she knew Uchiha like she thought she did, somewhat asexual as well?

This particular Uchiha sure as certain wasn't acting like the usual, however, if the direction of his gaze was to be of any indication. Immediately, Sakura felt herself begin to stiffen with outrage, the tint of pink across the bridge of her nose spreading and darkening into a more irate crimson as she realized that he was staring, most blatantly, at her exposed chest.

S-class missing nin or not, this was entirely too much!

Sakura quickly proceeded to puff up with great offence, which unfortunately for her, only served to bring more attention to her ballooning chest, which was already rather emphasized thanks to the…strategic positioning of ribbons. It wasn't surprising that Sakura felt even more exposed and vulnerable under the male's intent gaze, and therefore she sought to rectify the situation as best as she could. The kunoichi twisted herself backwards, and even though her limbs were becoming numb from being bound and restricted for so long, she forced herself to move all the same, until she apparently misjudged the distance, promptly lost her balance, and ended up flat on her back on the futon, the breath knocked out of her and momentarily dazed for all her efforts.

Itachi was certainly not complaining over her sudden change in posture. After all, this made the view even more…spectacular, and Sakura gaped in a rather unattractive fashion when she saw the Uchiha peruse her heaving form with casual scrutiny. Enough was enough! She proceeded to squawk loudly with growing fury. This situation was entirely too weird, even for her standards. Who would have thought that she would end up in an Akatsuki hideout of all places, being leered at by one supposedly emotionally constipated Uchiha whilst laying buck naked on his bed and only wrapped in nothing but sheer amounts of ribbons?!

"Release me this instant!" she barked out with a degree of ferocity that she didn't quite feel. He ignored her at first, and Sakura squealed with outrage when the Uchiha boldly laid his fingers on her, slowly trailing long fingers from her delicate collar bones to between the valley of her breasts, and then down towards her lightly indented navel, coming to a stop at the curve of a slender hip. The pink-haired female fought to conceal her gasp at the feather-light sensation of his hand on her, and tried her best to glare at the male.

Was this man really Uchiha Itachi?

Sakura did not realize that she had blurted out the question until he answered her, his fingers still resting lightly on her stiffened form, and his intent gaze never left her body. The absorbed expression on his face unnerved Sakura, but she tried not to acknowledge the way she was getting rather worried, as most sane women in her position would rightfully be.

His deceptively calm gaze settled on her frantic one, and for a moment, Sakura almost swore that she detected a hint of languid amusement lurking within those enigmatic, onyx depths.

"Would it put you more at ease, if I wasn't?" His soft drawl was a low timbre, possessing a rich quality that held her attention—in a manner not unlike a snake paralyzing a mouse with its dangerous gaze. His callused fingers were drawing lazy circles on her body now, and Sakura froze when one of those long digits brushed casually against the underside of a rounded breast.

Her nostrils flared with agitation.

"Release me," she demanded once again, this time as coldly as she could manage it. It was all she could do to not flinch away from his roving hand, but she forced herself to be still. He merely raised a brow, and then shook his head once, much to her immediate cry of fury.

"I see no gain for me in letting you go anywhere, girl." By now, he had crept silently over her stiffened form, his sleekly muscled arms caging the side of her head as he leaned over her, bodies so near that they were almost touching. Sakura did not appreciate this invasion of her personal bubble, but he was so near that if she struggled now it would certainly bring him closer. She glared defiantly at him, her fists clenching helplessly in their bound position behind her back; how she hated being weak and powerless!! The kunoichi tried desperately to gather her chakra again, only to find herself scraping at the bottom of the barrel. That shark-like nukenin had done a good job; he had sucked her completely dry, and it would be unlikely for her to even use a bit of her inhuman strength until tomorrow night, when her chakra would finally begin to replenish itself.

The way he drew his face towards her made her break off her troubled thoughts and focus warily back upon the Uchiha.

"What will you give me in return?" he whispered huskily. Sakura could only stare at him. His eyes were clear, his irises sharp, but she could easily smell the sake on his breath.

The Uchiha was drunk.

It definitely explained his odd behavior, never mind the fact that he hardly looked intoxicated. Sakura looked at the man warily, and then she scowled.

"Let me go now, and I will not kill you for this later," she snapped furiously. He was not impressed by her threat, unfortunately.

"I think not," he retorted mildly, softly, instead, and Sakura's eyes narrowed at the way he was now running his fingers carelessly through her pink hair, stroking her almost as if she was a ruffled pet and he, her indulgent master. Sakura wanted nothing than to bite him in reaction, or at the very least, move her head up abruptly and give him a very vicious head butt. That would teach him to act as if she was some docile female that he could fondle anywhere he wished.

The fact that it was technically the truth made the kunoichi tremble with growing anger and helplessness, and common sense told her that to lash out at him when she was currently defenseless would not do. She would have to bide her time for now, act unassuming until opportunity struck.

"Don't touch me." She could only snarl angrily as he continued to stroke her hair, the curve of her cheek.

"And why not?" Before the female could sputter out an answer, his remaining free hand reached down between their bodies, and as Sakura began to tense further with affront and growing panic, a kunai appeared within his grasp and he proceeded to slice the ribbons off her. The silky pink material fell off her easily, leaving slivers of reddened, irritated skin and…a completely nude woman.

Sakura reacted immediately. Hoping to catch him off guard, her fists came up flying, only to be completely immobilized as he caught her wrists singlehandedly and locked them in place above her head. At the same time, his knee parted her legs even as he dropped his weight upon her struggling form, knocking the breath out of her and subduing her completely. Sakura was so frustrated over her failure at attacking him that she growled loudly. How was it possible that his reaction was still so sharp even when he was supposed to be drunk?!

"Let me go!" she hissed loudly, frantically at the S-class nukenin. They were so near to each other that their noses touched and she could feel his breath on her cheek. He was also lying on top of her in order to prevent her from struggling, and Sakura was very, very angry, not to mention increasingly anxious and panicked. "I will not submit to you, Uchiha! I will not-"

Her furious statement ended in a pained gasp, as her face twisted into an uncomfortable grimace as her body jerked and twitched involuntarily. She had been bound up so tightly for hours, and with the sudden release of her constricted limbs, the blood was finally allowed to circulate to her extremities. The resulting abrupt dispersal of lactic acid buildup immediately caused her muscles to cramp agonizingly and contract.

The prickling, 'pins and needles' sensation was overwhelmingly uncomfortable, and without the aid of chakra to soothe the pain away, Sakura could only set her jaw, clench her fists and wait it out. Her form was stiffened, her eyes closed as she took deep, shaky breaths, and—

The firm weight of the powerful male pressed against her lightened and shifted slightly away, and warm, callused hands ran over her calves, rubbing and applying steady pressure, effectively easing the pain away. Even so, Sakura instinctively tried to move from his relieving grasp, but he was not budging; if anything, he merely continued working on her cramped muscles, moving up towards her thighs and taking away her discomfort with expert hands.

He moved to her arms and biceps next, and by then Sakura was loathed to resist at all. Who would have thought that Uchiha Itachi possessed a secret talent as a masseuse, of all things? Even though the thought sounded very wrong even to her mind, the kunoichi was reluctantly grateful for his help.

Of course, it should have also occurred to her that Uchiha Itachi did not 'help' people, unless there was something in it for him.

Eventually, he ceased his ministrations and by then, the pain had subsided enough for her to think clearly again, though it took all her control not to emit a grunt of protest when he took his talented fingers off her body.

Sakura nearly slapped herself for thinking what she just did, and then she opened her eyes just in time to see him draw alarmingly close to her, and before she could even react, he lowered his dark head and kissed her.

She stiffened completely, and did not react when he pressed his mouth against her, a chaste kiss. Eyes wide open with shock, she had half expected for him to use force, but it was anything but that. He was unbelievably gentle, and Sakura was completely bewildered when he pulled back slightly to look at her, his eyes calm, unreadable. Then he reached down for her again, and this time, against her better reasoning as well as all her common sense, she chose not to fight him.

Maybe it was the fact that she was completely exhausted and stressed out from her kidnapping, maybe it was the fact that she was currently completely exposed and vulnerable before him, maybe it was the fact that she had just seen something in him that was incongruent with the cold-blooded, merciless, clan murdering visage that he was supposed to be.

The fear and worry had taken a back seat, and even though a part of her was still constantly waiting for an opportunity to escape, she was now experiencing a growing interest in this man currently stretched over her, his lips against hers, his tongue gently nudging her mouth, almost as if asking for entrance.

He could have forced his way, but the fact that he didn't and was clearly leaving the choice to her piqued her attention further. Not for the first time that night, Sakura wondered if this was really Uchiha Itachi, and what was she supposed to do? Technically, she was now, literally, fraternizing with the enemy, and even as she tried to convince herself that she was just putting on an act, she also knew that she was lying blatantly. There was a growing curiosity here despite herself, an urge to know what it would feel like to kiss him, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to fulfill this particular, irrational, compulsion of hers.

She had always been someone who did things in the spur of the moment, or rather, she had always been someone who had secretly yearned to do things in the spur of the moment. The presence of Inner Sakura and Naruto's own encouragement (who was also known infamously for nearly always flying by the seat of his pants) had helped develop her courage further and made her into what she had become now.

Was she betraying her country by kissing Uchiha Itachi? Privately, Sakura really didn't think so. She wasn't divulging the village's secrets, was she? She wasn't aiding the enemy in destroying her beloved Konoha, she wasn't doing anything that would hurt her precious country. Besides, there was simply no telling what was going to happen tomorrow, or later. Would she be able to return to Konoha? Would she even be allowed to retain her life?

Above all else, Sakura really didn't want to die a virgin. Sakura didn't want to die at all, period. Not that the former would be a problem, judging by the way the raven-haired male hovering over her seemed to be paying her so much attention at the moment. Truly, Sakura also never had the intention of having her first time with someone she barely knew, not to mention an S-class nukenin at that, but it seemed at the moment that she really wasn't given much of a choice. Might as well take what she has, eh? And at the very least, Uchiha Itachi wasn't homely looking, nor was he inclined to using force and violence.

And…what about Sasuke?

Another subtle lave against her full lips distracted her from her contradicting thoughts, and this time, he upped the ante by running his teeth lightly against her succulent flesh, and she gasped involuntarily at the sensation, parting her mouth slightly in the process and gaining him passage into her mouth.

He tasted faintly of sake, as well as the scent of sweet rain. Sakura was taken aback by the taste of his very essence, and it was almost enough to distract her from her thoughts, save for this completely perverse enjoyment that she was getting but shouldn't have had in the first place, that she was currently engaged in relations with the very man that her once-upon-a-time crush was so desperate to kill, desperate enough to run headlong into the arms of a treacherous snake sannin, enough to betray his country, betray his comrades, betray his team, betray his friends.

The childish little crush that she once had for one Uchiha Sasuke had died the moment it finally occurred to her denying self that he had turned his back on his village willingly and would, most likely, never come back, and instead, had shifted into an utmost determination to bring a friend who had mistakenly wandered down a wrong path.

But it was now, as she was willingly being kissed by his brother, that she had finally understood that she had always been harboring a sort of unexpressed, vindictive anger at her ex-teammate, for abandoning Team Seven as easily as he had, for abandoning their friendship as easily as if it was yesterday's trash.

And it was also with this feeling of sudden fury and realization did Sakura know immediately that it was wrong to do this with Uchiha Itachi, no matter how much she was enjoying the skillful ministration of the powerful nukenin who was currently kissing her.

Sakura broke away immediately, ashamed and upset with herself.

"No," she whispered as she turned her lips away from his. Their eyes met. "Release me now. Please."

"You are my gift," he merely answered. Sedately. "I don't think that you are in any condition to make any demands of me."

She was his gift?! It certainly explained why she was here, wrapped in nothing but ribbons. And as much as Sakura wanted to react adversely at being treated as an object and nothing more, a part of her was aware that she had to be clearheaded and not distracted in this situation.

"Uchiha, I was brought here against my will." She tried to be cordial and logical. "My village will come for me. You don't want that."

Despite his inebriation, his mind was razor-sharp as ever.

"Your village won't dare risk war with Akatsuki." His tone was confident, and Sakura bristled at the insult towards Konoha.

"Let me go." Again, she tried to be calm, rational, but the way her voice wavered towards the end betrayed her true emotion.

He looked at her for a long time. It was apparent to him that she was upset. He was still pressed against her, but she was not resisting him any longer, just looking at him with no fear whatsoever, an unwavering determination shining in her striking emerald eyes. There was an attraction for her, that much he could feel, and because he knew that it was partially due to the drugs and alcohol still in his system, he tried to ignore his strange fixation for this pink-haired female who had just denied him; something no woman had ever done before. Admittedly, he rarely, if ever, indulged in physical affairs, but he was also aware of how his good looks and certain…talents had easily attracted him attention of the feminine kind, and the fact that she had pulled away from him midway during a heated kiss had intrigued him.

Sakura was surprised when he actually got off her, moving to rest by her side, and casually throwing a blanket over her nude form, much to her gratefulness. She gathered the thick, bulky material around her, making sure to cover every bit of her body as he watched on.

"Thank you." The fiery spitfire from just a little while ago had disappeared completely, leaving behind a polite young woman with a highly intelligent light in her eyes. It was somewhat surprising—and vaguely amusing—to him that she was hiding such a magnificently ferocious temper behind that seemingly docile and sweet-tempered appearance, and those mysterious onyx eyes gleamed.

"I presume that you are from Konoha, kunoichi." His tone was soft, almost curious. She hesitated a little at his comment, looking even somewhat surprised over the fact that he did not seem to recognize her (just look at her pink hair!!). Then she nodded.

"I am," she admitted shortly, sitting up on the futon, careful not to expose herself in the process, even though the man whom she was taking such care protecting her modesty against had already seen all there was to see. Once again, she paused slightly before continuing to talk. "We have met before, in fact, years ago."

He remembered. The very moment she confirmed her identity as a Konoha kunoichi, he became completely aware of just who she was, the influence of the drug and alcohol clearing up enough for him to put two and two together.

"You are the teammate of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."

Sakura bristled immediately at his reply.

"Don't call Naruto that," she snapped angrily with swift reaction. His brow lifted slightly.

"He…is important to you?" he questioned delicately.

Emerald eyes narrowed. Sakura did not like where this was heading.

"If you are planning to use me to lure out Naruto…" she began threateningly.

He had the bloody gall to look amused. The feisty spirit in her was beginning to stir again; she was so very easy to rile.

"You were also my brother's teammate," he interrupted her again. She began to stiffen with growing displeasure as she realized her precarious situation.

"And now, you are mine to do with as I please."

Sakura's brows drew together quickly, indicating great unhappiness. "Your Idiot Squad kidnapped me," she growled. "I am certainly not yours to do with as you please."

She was trying really hard to be cordial, to increase her chances at making out of this place alive, but if anything, Sakura had to admit that Uchiha Itachi had the knack of pushing all the correct buttons when it came to the matter of her composure, or lack thereof.

But of course he was being impossible; he was trying his best to incite her more ferocious nature out to play.

"Return me to Konoha! Now!" It was apparent that her self-control was slowly but surely slipping away from her.

Itachi appeared outwardly unimpressed.

"What will you give me in exchange, kunoichi?"

Sakura looked warily at him, almost like a hunted animal. Was he attempting to negotiate with her? If that was the case, he was in for a nasty surprise.

"I will not betray my teammates and country to you."

"I have no need for information from Konoha." He looked vaguely intrigued by the fierce tone of protectiveness in her voice. "That's what the spies are for."

She narrowed her eyes, the emerald orbs blazing with growing annoyance.

"Then what do you want?"

It was a mistake that she had unknowingly made; by indicating that she wasn't exactly adverse to talking terms, she had given him the chance to push his luck further with her. Sakura was too tired to care, either way. It was not as if he was unaware of the fact that she was desperate to return to her village, very weakened and completely helpless before him. In fact, it was somewhat of a surprise that he would want anything from her.

The handsome, dark-eyed Uchiha looked intently at his captive.

"I want a name, and a promise," he answered simply. "That's all I ask."

Sakura frowned harder.

"I told you that I will not give you any information-" she started heatedly again.

"I want your name, and a promise that pertains only to you, and no one else," he clarified calmly before her gaping façade. "Give me that, and I will guarantee a safe passage for you back to Leaf."

Sakura stared hard at Itachi. What the hell was he playing at?

"You know my name."

In reaction, he merely arched his brow quietly.

Sakura was most wary of the powerful shinobi sitting before her. He may appear in casual repose right now, but she knew that everything could change in an instant. At the same time, it may seem as if he was giving her a choice, but Sakura knew that was only an illusion. She did not belong here, and the only way to leave this place would be to take his offer and he knew it.

The pink-haired kunoichi really did not appreciate being toyed with in such a manner. She bit her lips, almost as if in deep thought, knowing deep within her heart that she was about to strike a deal with the devil.

Granted, he was a lesser demon; but that really did not make Sakura feel any better.

Damn it, she really had no choice. Sakura prayed inwardly that she was not making a mistake here.

Slowly, hesitantly, she stretched out her hand from under the voluminous folds of the blanket.

"Hajimemashite, my name is Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you." The kunoichi stumbled and almost choked over the last sentence. The subtle gleam in his onyx eyes indicated that he had not missed her action.

His own hand came up and almost swallowed her smaller, deceptively daintier one in a semblance of a very polite handshake.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi and-"

He drew his face dangerously close to her tensed one, his features intent, and very, very good looking, in a harsh, aristocratic manner.

"I shall keep your promise in reserve for whenever I need it."

Sakura could only stare at him. Had she just been tricked?

"What do you mean, 'in reserve'?" she demanded almost immediately.

It was all she could do to keep her composure around him. He was so near that she thought she could feel those incredibly long eyelashes of his brushing against her cheekbones. It was all she could do not to flinch back.

"It's simple." His tone never changed, calm and placid as always, betraying none of his intoxication—or intention. "I will send for you whenever I need you."

His pupils flared slightly, and she could see the slivers of the most brilliant cobalt blue embedded within his dark irises.

"And you will come to me."

Oh yes, she had definitely been tricked.

"I refuse to maintain any contact with you if I can help it!"

She was beginning to stir with renewed agitation all over again.

"But you have no choice, do you?"

Sakura kept silent at that, but her eyes revealed her great unhappiness.

"Why are you doing this?"

He cocked his head slightly at her question.

"You are my gift; I believe that we have gone through this before." He sounded so very quizzically polite that she gritted her teeth. His politesse would have actually worked if she wasn't being kept here against her will.

"And we have also ascertained that I didn't come here by my own accord, nor am I an object, so stop treating me as such!" Sakura was so frustrated that she almost roared with outrage. "What do you really want me for!!" she burst out again quickly in reaction. It was the wrong question.

"It's enough that I want you."

Sakura looked incredulously at the raven-haired male.

"It's because of you in the first place that I'm here," she protested weakly.

"And it is also up to me to decide if you stay or go."

Sakura was growing very frustrated. "What are you planning?"

Whatever it was, he definitely had no intention of telling her.

"Your answer, Sakura. Yes or no?"

The kunoichi gritted her teeth.

"Why go through all this?" She tried to stall one more time. "You don't need my promise whatsoever. You are strong enough to take me from Konoha whenever you wish, isn't that right?"

"I want you willing."

"By forcing me into a promise?!"

"Yes or no, kunoichi?"

She was being driven into a corner, helpless and scrabbling madly for any advantage she could get. If she agreed, he would let her go. But was it true freedom? She would be tied to him for as long as he wished, forced to keep the ugly secret of her connection with the Uchiha heir from her beloved friends and village.

But did she have a choice?

No.

Sakura slumped in defeat.

"Yes," she whispered at last. "If you let me go now, I vow as a kunoichi that I will come to you when summoned."

His onyx eyes flared with triumph.

He had her now; hook, line and sinker.

Sakura was starting to reach the conclusion that she had just made a very big mistake, and that dreaded feeling was only increasing.

"Very well." His voice was soft, lilting. Dark.

"From henceforth, you are bound to me, Haruno Sakura." His hypnotizing eyes never left hers.

"Never forget; you are mine now."

:owari:

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Please don't kill me; I know that both Sakura and Itachi are ridiculously OOC here. I really have no idea what I was on when I wrote this, but at least I managed to put it up as promised, even if I was a few months late. And before some readers decide to go all batshit on me and start on the 'Itachi is actually the good guy, didn't you read the manga?' spiel, well, I do know that, which is why this fic consists of a pre-revelation!evil!somewhat-pervered!Itachi, as well as a never-gonna-happen-in-a-million-years!desperate!virgin!Sakura.

Crack-fic, people, which means that the entire situation based for this one-shot is completely random, without plot, another PWP, actually, just like its sister version, 'ribbon'. Also, any (glaring) similarities with 'ribbon' will be promptly blamed on the fact that both versions had been written at the same time, revolving around the same scenario, and boy, that is definitely something I'm not planning to do again for quite some time to come.

Of course, I also made sure that there are some differences in terms of characterization and interpretation, namely a drunk and drugged Itachi, and a very violently unhappy Sakura. At least, I hope you readers can detect the difference, for all our sakes, haha.

That's all, I think, beyond the fact that I suck grandly at writing PWP.

My apologies for putting you guys through this!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic, thank you.

--paws