Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ What are these Memories? ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

Author's Note: A longer chapter for you all!

-Yuugi-chan

 

P.S. Nova Alexandria: Tell me what you think it is! E-mail me, leave it in a review, just tell me what you think! Now you're the one keeping me in suspense.

 

Italics-flashbacks

 

Chapter 16

 

My property…

The words rang in her head. She looked up at him; his eyes were not red this time. She steadily held his gaze with hers and if someone had come across them, they would have seen what looked like a staring match between a girl and a man about a head or two above her.

“I am not yours,” she repeated. Itachi dropped his hand that was supporting her chin up.

“You still have quite a debt to pay up kunoichi,” he stated, “one of which is telling him what I told you. Weither he likes it or not, weither you like it or not, the message will get across. Do you understand me?” Sakura didn't move; nonetheless say anything. “And yes, you are mine.” And with that, he left. She stood rather still for about five or six minutes before Naruto came bounding up to her.

“Everything's clear,” he said. “How'd your search go?”

Sakura snapped out of her daze, “Huh, oh, it was unsuccessful. I didn't find anything.” Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side. He knew she was lying. Sasuke appeared on a branch above them.

“I swore I felt my brother's chakra just a moment ago,” he said. Sakura started.

“You're probably just imagining things,” she said.

“Maybe,” he replied. “Anyways, it's time to head back. We're done with this area.”

“You guys go ahead without me. I have something I need to do here first. Naruto, you're in charge right now, so gather everyone up and bring them back to Konoha.”

“Hai,” Naruto sharply nodded and took off with his raven-haired teammate. Sakura looked up at the sky, letting the cool breeze flow off her skin.

“I thought you'd already left,” she said out into the darkness, her voice echoing off the trees. “Why are you still here Itachi?”

“You still owe me information on the ANBU's motives,” he replied, still out of sight.

“And I've already told you, I'm not supplying you with that information.”

“And why not?”

“You were ANBU captain at thirteen, you tell me.”

“I don't need you getting fresh with me Kunoichi. Every ANBU captain acts differently.”

“I am not betraying Konoha Village by giving you information on our plans and motives. I am loyal to Konoha. Just because I spent about a year with you in Akatsuki, does not mean that I'm going to give you every single piece of information, especially concerning matters with the Akatsuki. And besides, we currently have a contract with the Akatsuki for a short amount of temporary peace between us, remember?”

“You do know it expires in less than a month?”

“I know. You forget I am the one who arranged that contract in the first place. I don't need your reminders.”

“I can never tell with you Cherry Blossom.”

“Don't call me that. You know I hate being called that.”

“Why do you think I'm using it? It's rather entertaining to see your feathers all ruffled up.”

“You don't see me using you for my own entertainment.”

“Fortunately, I'm not you.”

Sakura sighed, “Why do I put up with you?”

“The question is, why do I put up with you?” he responded.

“Look, I'm not in the mood for this tonight, I've got things to do.”

“Such as?”

“That's none of your business.”

“All right, maybe it's not.”

“Damn right it's not! I just want to go home, is that too much to ask?”

“Hai.” Sakura scowled at his response. He was being difficult again, and he knew it.

“Whatever,” she said, and made her way back to Konoha, leaving him still on an unseen branch.

 

Sakura flopped down on her bed without looking. She was that tired. When she gathered her thoughts together she realized something didn't feel right. She looked up. Sasuke's face greeted her. That's when it struck her she was lying in his lap.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, too tired to be angry.

“I was waiting for you,” he replied, looking down at her.

“How'd you get in? You know you're not supposed to come into somebody's house without their permission.”

“You did just this morning. Besides that, your keys were in the door.” Sakura let out a very colorful curse word. “Your language is almost as bad as Naruto's.” She said nothing. “Sakura?” She looked up. “Tell me the truth. My brother was here, wasn't he?”

Tell him this…

“No,” she quickly lied.

“Why do you lie to me Sakura?” he asked as he let out a long sigh.

“I'm not lying.”

“Yes, you are.”

Sakura averted her eyes away from him, “I just don't want you to leave again.” Sasuke said nothing, but he set his mouth into a firm line. “Why aren't you telling me to move?” she asked him.

“Why should I?”

Why should I?

The word passed through her head, evoking memories long past.

 

“Why should I?” Sakura spat.

“Because you know what's good for you,” the elder Uchiha replied.

“Since when do I care what's good for me? I am not going on an Akatsuki mission just so I can heal someone who's been injured in the process,” her voice was hoarse from use. She still wasn't feeling all that well. She had been sick for the past four days and yet Itachi still worked her. He never gave her a break during those training sessions. Because the sessions involved strenuous amounts of chakra, she never had enough to heal herself with. So not only was she sick now, she was also battered, bruised, and beaten up; all because of the man in front of her.

“You do know we're going after ANBU members this time,” he said. This piqued Sakura's interest.

“You shouldn't be. Both are under a four-year peace treaty.”

“Yes, but it also stated that it excludes territorial problems and issues. You have the creator of that treaty to thank for that.”

Sakura swore under her breath, earning a glare from Itachi. She had just momentarily forgotten his no-tolerance swearing policy (or so Sakura called it). She looked down at the ground, “I'm the one who made that treaty.” Itachi raised an eyebrow, an amused look on his face.

“Now isn't that ironic? And you came up with this treaty all by yourself?”

“Hai.”

“That's a pretty complicated treaty for a fifteen, or should I say sixteen, year old girl.”

“And since when have you known me to be your average sixteen year old girl?”

“Never.”

“Then don't be so surprised.” She coughed. “Stop making me talk so much, I don't want to irritate my throat so much.”

“I'm not making you talk,” he said. “You're just choosing to answer.”

“Can you just shut up for a few moments?” Sakura had been rude to Itachi from the start, so she highly doubted it bothered him. She thought about these words for a moment and realized how strange they were. She was telling Uchiha Itachi to shut his mouth! Seeing as he really didn't talk much, no wonder it was so strange to her. Itachi said nothing of her outburst.

“So, are you coming?” he asked.

Sakura shook her head, “No.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Why should I?”

“We've been through this conversation already kunoichi.”

“I'm still not going.” Itachi sighed and roughly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up.

“You are going and that's final.”

 

“Sakura, what are you thinking about this time?” Sasuke asked her, snapping her out of her trance.

“Nothing,” she replied.

“You're lying again.” She was about to open her mouth to protest but Sasuke cut her off. “Yes, I know you're lying, so don't try to go and deny it with me.” They were quiet for a few moments until Sasuke asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

Sakura shook her head, “No.”

“All right, then I'll make you something.” He gently pushed her off his lap and got up to go to the kitchen.

“I don't want rice balls.” Sasuke stopped in the doorway.

“Nani?”

“I don't want rice balls,” she repeated. “I had enough of them when I stayed with your brother four years ago.” Sasuke stiffened. “Something wrong with not wanting rice balls?”

“No,” Sasuke swiftly replied. “I just make something else then.”

 

He made a rather quick but tasty meal, and a question popped into Sakura's head while she was eating.

“Your brother taught you to cook, didn't he?” she asked. Sasuke almost choked on the food he was eating.

“How do you know that?” he snapped.

“Your cooking style's similar.”

“Nani?”

“Your cooking style's similar,” she repeated. “You and your brother's.”

“He made your food?”

“If he absolutely needed to, yes.”

 

“Where is everyone? Nobody's in the kitchen,” Sakura asked as soon as they came back from the mission.

“It's late kunoichi, where do you think they are? They're sleeping,” he responded. Sakura had forgotten how late it was and she had had nothing to eat during that mission. Even though she reluctantly healed some members, nobody had shared their rations with her.

Sakura coughed again, “Does this mean I have to cook for us again?” It wouldn't be the first time Sakura had to, and she was all prepared to make another meal for the two of them as usual. His answer surprised her.

“I am not risking catching what you have. You are not going to cook if you're coughing all the time,” he replied. Sakura bit back a laugh. It was hard to imagine the Uchiha Itachi cooking. “Is something funny?” he asked when he saw the expression on her face.

“No,” she swiftly replied, regaining her composure.

“Good. Now get out of the kitchens. I don't want you coughing on the kitchen utensils and having all the other members get sick.”

 

Rice balls. He made rice balls. `Well, now I know where Sasuke got his love of rice balls from,' she thought. She ate slowly and quietly. She said nothing about the fact that rice balls were going to be hard to swallow because of her sore throat. She just said the required “thank you” and began eating. They weren't all that bad either. In fact, they weren't bad at all. They were actually tasted pretty good. She cleaned up her place when she was done and washed helped Itachi wash the dishes off so the kitchen staff didn't have to. Again, Sakura found it rather odd to be side-by-side by Itachi washing dishes; something she could never even imagine doing. Of course, she was sent out of the kitchens once again when her coughing started back up. It unnerved her when Itachi slept on the floor next to her again and when she tried to move to a different area of the room, he grabbed her wrist in a steel-like grip and forced her to stay. Every time she thought `why is he doing this,' only receiving a giant question mark each time. She didn't get sleep that night either. No wonder she wasn't ever feeling well, she never let her body get the rest it needed. It was strange though, for someone who didn't want to catch what she had, he always seemed to be next to her, usually when sleeping. It seemed he never slept in his own bed anymore.

 

Sasuke didn't leave even when it was well past dark. He just wrapped Sakura up in his arms and flopped down on the bed with her. She lay there quietly, and didn't protest when he held on to her tighter. A memory flashed by of her in the same position with Itachi, and when that happened, that's when she tried to get free…

 

Author's End Note: Almost five pages in Microsoft Word. Hope this is long enough for you guys as my idea bank is running low again.