Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Moon On Fire ❯ Tricked And Trapped ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter 13

Tricked and Trapped

 

 

When Mizuki awoke the first thing she felt was pain from a knot behind her left ear. The second thing she felt were the hot tracks of the unceasing tears running down her face. She reached up and wiped her eyes and she noticed that she was unbound. Still feeling a little dizzy, she propped herself up on her hands and blinked several times, trying to bring her vision to focus. It was dark wherever she was and she could not make out much detail. She forced herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes hard. The tears though would not stop leaking from them. Her mouth twisted in a horrible grimace and she heard herself whimper.

 

“I can't believe it.” She whispered as she drew her knees up to her face and buried her head in her arms. “All this time. Everything I felt. How could I have been so stupid?” She was horrified by what she had remembered and even more so about how her friends would feel learning what she knew. She could not stop herself from crying but her voice was hard when she said, “I guess I played my part just perfectly didn't I Itachi?” She raised her head when she said his name and although she could not see him or anything really, she did not flinch when she heard his cold voice.

 

“You really were spectacular…Mizuki-chan.” The voice from the darkness dripped with sarcasm.

 

“Hmmm I'll bet.” Mizuki said with a grim smile. “You stole my chakra and my name, messed with my head and you've broken my heart. I guess everything really went just as you planned.”

 

“I take it your memories have returned in full then?” The voice moved slowly to the left. Mizuki's heart tripled timed as she heard him coming closer to her. She heard a small `click' and then the room was flooded with weak light from a single slightly blackened light bulb. Mizuki blinked a few times as her eyes tried to adjust to the sudden light. She could see she was in a small room with wooden slat walls. There was a set of stairs leading up to a door and just to the left of those stairs stood Itachi. Dressed as he always was, his eyes the colour of cream gone slightly bad. His face was stoic but he was squinting his eyes as though they were causing him pain. Mizuki felt panic rise in her as her only escape route was effectively blocked but she fought it back. She knew Naruto and the others would be looking for her. If she could just keep him talking until they could find her…

 

“For the most part yeah. I do have to hand it to you Itachi. With nothing but a flick of your finger you made me believe that I trusted you. That I loved you. I would have done anything for you. But of course, that was the whole point wasn't it?”

 

“At least I never took advantage of you. I was always a perfect gentleman.”

 

Mizuki scoffed. “No you let your creepy illusions take the advantage. I never thought you could be capable of something that disgusting. But you manipulated me into believing the horrible things you'd done in the past were not your fault. That you had been forced to murder your entire clan by the leaders of your own village. That Akatsuki had forced you to join them and kill all those innocent people under threat of death. Even before you first used the Tsukuyomi on me to make me believe I loved you I actually felt sorry for you! I was such a fool. I must have made it so easy for you.”

 

“I admit I didn't have to do much to bring you under my control. You must have a weakness for men with dark hair, dark eyes and damaged hearts. No wonder you were so attracted to my…”

 

“Shut up!” Mizuki yelled. “Don't talk like you know how I feel!”

 

“I think I know better than you do. Trying to lie to yourself and to everyone that everything was okay. Appearing tough when all you wanted to do was break down. Making the Kyuubi Jinchurriki believe you held any feelings for him. You've quite effectively broken all their hearts. You're not only right where I want you, but you've brought the rest of them down to a level I could never achieve.”

 

“Why me?” Mizuki tried to keep the shake out of her voice but it was getting harder and harder to hold back her fear. “We met one random day in the middle of a deserted road. You could not possibly have known I would `work out' as well as I did. Why did you…”

 

“Do you remember me telling you how special you were?” He interrupted. “That I had tried my little `trick' for removing chakra on several others but it hadn't worked?”

 

“Yeah I do remember that.”

 

“Well what I didn't tell you is that everyone else I tried it on died.”

 

Mizuki gasped in horror and she could hear the smile enter Itachi's voice.

 

“So really I meant at least that much. You are special. One in a million really. Humans cannot survive without chakra or a network to disperse it but you did. Your fear and your determination to hide it drew in my brother and the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki just as I knew it would. I hadn't counted on their own “issues of the heart” being so out of control but it worked to my advantage. I didn't even have to do anything until now.”

 

“So glad I could help.” Mizuki spat out. “You should stop trying to sound so confident. You don't know half as much about them as you say you do. They're much smarter than you're giving them credit for. They'll find me.”

 

“I'm afraid not. I'm much smarter than you're giving me credit for as well. I've accounted for that. By the time they figure out where we are they'll be far too late. We have all the time in the world.” The evil coming from his voice was an almost solid wall that hit Mizuki hard in the chest. Her body began to shake and almost reflexively she reached behind her and grabbed the small bottle of sand Gaara had given her for comfort.

 

The sand!

 

“If you're in trouble open this bottle and the sand will protect you. Because it is my will to protect you.” Gaara's voice said once again in her mind. She clasped her hand hard around the vial and brought it to her face under the pretense of wiping her eyes, knowing full well that although Itachi's eyes reflected no light, he could see her.

 

“So what now? If you're going to kill me I suggest you make it quick. I've never been fond of long goodbyes.” Mizuki said as nastily as she could through her tears as she frantically began to work the cork from the top of the bottle from behind her knees.

 

“Oh you are wonderful. No wonder you drove Sasuke crazy. Still trying to be brave after seeing the man you love beat and rape you to death? You still have the strength to challenge me after seeing him and your other `friends' laugh at your pain? Perhaps you need to be broken just a bit more.” Itachi started to move closer once more and Mizuki felt the air change. Her hands went cold and she found herself having trouble lifting the lid of the sand vial as the images began to flash through her mind again.

 

XXX

 

A team of shinobi raced towards the Nankno Shrine. Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke led them but Sasuke was even farther ahead than the other two. Sakura watched him sprint like she'd never seen him before.

 

“He really does love her doesn't he?” She thought sadly. “I never would have noticed. They fought so much and he really seemed to hate her. Even now he's probably telling himself that the reason he's so upset is because he let his guard down and let Itachi get the upper hand. He won't admit it but that's not going to change anything.” Her heart hurt at the thought. “You can wish it and ignore it all you want. Once the heart has made a decision…”

 

“Sakura are you alright?” Kakashi's voice cut through her thoughts. She focused again only to find that she was being overtaken by the other members of the team. Kakashi had slowed down to get her attention.

 

“Huh? Kakashi-sensei! Sorry, I was just…” She felt her face go red as she couldn't think of a suitable reason for slowing down.

 

“We're not far now Sakura. Mizuki-chan is probably going to need you. Let's catch up.” He sprinted off ahead and heard Sakura quickly gaining speed. Despite the seriousness of the situation he shook his head. Did she really think he didn't know what was going on? His students could be so dumb sometimes.

 

Sasuke sprinted ahead, the presence of the team behind him all but forgotten. “Please say I'm not too late.” He thought urgently. “I failed my mission to protect her, I have to save her!” The secret room hidden under the seventh tatami mat in that old shrine. The room Itachi himself had told Sasuke about the night he had massacred the entire clan. It was the perfect place to hide. Sasuke hadn't been down there in years. If it hadn't been for Konohamaru, Sasuke would never have thought to look there. He was angry with Itachi for choosing their clan's secret meeting place to complete whatever foul jutsu he planned to use on Mizuki. He was angry with Naruto for letting Mizuki run off. He was angry at himself for what he'd done with Sakura. But most of all, he was angry at his own heart.

 

“Is that really what it wants?” He thought of his heart's entreaties as he kissed Sakura. Her lips had captured his so quickly and easily but the moment he felt it, his mind had replaced Sakura's face with Mizuki's. He'd wrapped his arms around Sakura but it was really Mizuki he was holding, just like he'd held her the night before. But the feeling of peace and contentment he'd been waiting for didn't come. Because it wasn't Mizuki he was holding. She was half the village away in the arms of his best friend. Even with Sakura's arms around him, Sasuke was alone; and it was his fault.

 

“I really am a teme.”

 

His house came into view and Sasuke put on an extra burst of speed. The shrine was just beyond the house. He could hear the others catching up to him.

 

“Sasuke! Wait for us! Don't go barging in there by yourself. We don't know what state Mizuki-chan is currently in!” Kakashi yelled.

 

Sasuke wanted to ignore Kakashi's commands but the thought of Mizuki caught in the grips of the Tsukuyomi again made him slow down some. If he went recklessly flying in, he ran the risk of hurting her even more. Kakashi caught up to him a few seconds later.

 

“We approach in silence. You and I will be the first through the trap door. I will distract Itachi and you will grab Mizuki-chan and get her out to Sakura. The others will follow in after you're out and we will deal with Itachi.”

 

“You don't know the layout of that room. Only Itachi and I do. I should be the one to face him. You can get the girl out to Sakura.”

 

“Do I have to remind you of the Hokage's orders?”

 

Sasuke shot Kakashi a dirty look but relented. Once the girl was safe with Sakura then he'd be going back in. He would be the one to take Itachi down. Promise or no promise things were different now. It had to be him.

 

They reached the shrine a few minutes later. Kakashi signaled the others to follow them loosely while he and Sasuke crept into the shrine without a sound. They entered the room filled with tatami mats and counted down to the seventh one. The stood on either side of it and without a sound, Sasuke lifted the mat to reveal a trap door. The wood was old and was starting to warp from neglect. It looked as though it hadn't been opened in years.

 

“Something's not right.” Sasuke thought suddenly. “I can't sense him anywhere. He can't hide his chakra can he?” He looked to Kakashi who had bent over the trap door and was preparing to pull it open. He raised three fingers to Sasuke. Sasuke counted in his head. “Three, two, one.” Kakashi pulled on the door which gave way with loud protest, sending a large cloud of dust up into the air. Kakashi couldn't help but pause and cough as the dust flew in his face but Sasuke ran straight past him and into the room.

 

“Itachi!” He looked around him frantically. But the room was dark. No one was there!

 

XXX

 

Naruto ran after Shikamaru. He'd tried several times to get Shikamaru to tell him what the hell was going on but Shikamaru had just run on, urging Naruto to shut up and follow him. Normally Naruto would have been incredibly angry by now but he knew his fellow shinobi and what he was capable of. If Shikamaru reacted to something, you didn't argue, you just did what he said.

 

So Naruto ran. He followed Shikamaru past the deserted Hokage's office, and straight past Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto realized they were heading East, in the direction of Sasuke's house. But Shikamaru turned away from Sasuke's house and ran towards the gate.

 

“We're heading for the training ground? Why there? There are guards all over the place, Itachi would have nowhere to hide with Mizuki-chan.” He followed obediently, frustrated but trusting in his friend.

 

Shikamaru stopped on the roof of a house just a few yards from the gate. Naruto stopped beside him. “Are you finally going to tell me what the hell is going on Shikamaru?”

 

Shikamaru still said nothing but he shushed Naruto as he scanned the area quickly. Despite the large amount of teams that had been stationed throughout the village, he and Naruto had run into no one since taking off more than twenty minutes before.

 

“Something must have happened.” He thought. “All the pieces are falling into place. Too bad one of the pieces is working for the other team.” He didn't know who the traitor was but it had been fairly easy for him to figure out that there was someone on the inside giving information to Itachi.

 

“They had to have been under Genjutsu. There's no one in the village who would willingly help Uchiha Itachi. But the damage has been done. Everyone is probably headed in the completely wrong direction and that leaves just me and Naruto to deal with Itachi. Bah, what a hassle!” He turned to Naruto.

 

“I don't have time to explain everything but I'm fairly sure Itachi has the girl hidden in this building we're standing on right now.” He whispered pointing to the rood they were now standing on.

 

“Huh?” Naruto looked down at his feet. They were standing on the roof of a decrepit house that had suffered a fair amount of fire damage. Naruto remembered Konohamaru telling him about his latest mission to repair a house damaged by fire. “They had been working on the house next to this one.” Naruto looked over to the house next door which showed signs of heavy renovation. They one they stood on was currently abandoned and probably next on the list to be repaired. “But how would Itachi have known about this house?” He asked out loud to Shikamaru. He saw Shikamaru's grim look and the answer hit him like a ton of bricks.

 

“Konohamaru.” Naruto said shocked. “Itachi must have…”

 

“Konohamaru huh? I see.” Shikamaru said dourly. “But we can worry about that later. If there is a later. We have to deal with what's in this house right now. You need to listen carefully and not screw this up by going in there flying off the handle. We've got only this one chance to surprise him. This is what I need you to do.”

 

XXX

 

Sasuke stood dumbfounded and shocked. He barely heard Kakashi come up beside him.

 

“We've been tricked.” He said simply. Sasuke shot him a dangerous look.

 

“No shit Kakashi! But this is where Konohamaru said to look!”

 

“Then Konohamaru was wrong.” Kakashi said simply again. Sasuke could feel his anger increasing.

 

“What now then? He's got her somewhere and he's going to kill her!”

 

“Do you honestly think I'd run out of idea's that quickly? Sasuke I'm hurt.” Kakashi said calmly and before Sasuke could say anything else, Kakashi cut his thumb with a kunai and slammed his hand on the ground. “Kuchiyose No Jutsu!”

 

XXX

 

The air around Mizuki continued to grow colder and she could suddenly hear low laughter coming from behind her. Her hands were almost completely numb now and she couldn't feel the bottle in them properly.

uhH

 

“He's doing it again. I can't let him. If he puts me under now it's all over.” She thought frantically as she fought to remain conscious. Her fingers slipped over the bottle uselessly. She could feel her grip loosening as the red rain began to fall on her shoulders and face. The laughter grew louder and more obscene.

 

Sakura and Kakashi pushed her over and held her down, taking turns slapping and punching her face. Naruto stood above her, laughing brutally with eyes the colour of molten lava. A hot and terrifying chakra leaked from his skin, burning her where it touched her. He reached down with a claw dripping blood and ripped the clothes from her body. She tried to scream and resist but Kakashi grabbed her hair and pulled, the pain forcing her still. She felt hands grab her ankles and twist them painfully, spraining them. Sakura took her ankles and forced them up unnaturally near her head. She knew what was going to happen now and she fought with every breath she could muster. Her head was held still again as Sasuke's face suddenly appeared directly over hers. His eyes were red, black and burning. His grin was wide and merciless. He ran a hand over her forehead and down the side of her face. She closed her eyes and tried to turn away but Kakashi's grip on her head was too firm.

 

“Open your eyes.”

 

She closed her eyes tighter still, refusing to look, willing her mind somewhere else, anywhere else.

 

“It's alright. I've got you.” She heard the familiar voice comforting her. She felt strong arms enfold her gently. Warm breath on her face. She'd never felt so safe. It was just like she'd felt back in the Sand Village after Itachi's attack.

 

“Naruto?” Mizuki opened her eyes and looked into soft dark eyes that shone with concealed affection. The rain stopped. The angry, hurting hands disappeared. The pain was gone. All that was left was her, her madly thumping heart and…

 

Mizuki opened her eyes wide as she heard the sound of breaking glass to her right. She could feel slivers of glass forcing their way into her hand and she opened her eyes fully, the Genjutsu dispelled. She sat up, wincing at the pain in her hand and was immediately aware of the sound of a great deal of sand falling onto the floor. She could also feel another presence in the room. Her senses cleared but she could still hardly believe her ears.

 

“Gaara.” Itachi spat the word out.

 

“Uchiha Itachi.” Gaara growled his response just as menacingly.