Wish - chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Drawing Conclusions

Itachi picked at his formerly stolen hair band with barely visible disgruntlement. Somehow a few of those annoyingly pink strands had been irreversibly tangled with the fabric. He leaned back against his headboard with a sigh. Of course, if he used a bit of violence, he'd be able to rip a few strands here and there and make the whole untangling process that much easier. Itachi scrunched up his nose just slightly. The thought of having to resort to any sort of violence did not sit well with him. Even if it was only the matter of ripping a few curiously colored hairs. Or maybe it was just because it was Sakura, who was what exactly to him? A mission? Companion? Friend even?

He had long since stopped thinking of her as "the mission" or "the girl" in his mind. Someone like Inuzuka Hana would be an acquaintance. He didn't really know her beside the trivial facts and her wish to beat him, which would of course never happen. He enjoyed subtly teasing her by showing up in her hospital room to politely check on her, while also showing her that he was none the worse for wear. But that was that. Hatake Kakashi would be a highly respected superior, the degree of control he had over the sharingan was remarkable for someone outside the clan, possible even inside as well. Of course, it was nowhere near that of the main line, he simply hadn't got the body for it. His respect for Hatake had decreased slightly due to Sakura's little stunt, but somehow he felt he knew the man better now. That was the extent of people he had regular contact with outside of the clan. Shisui would be his friend. The only one he had.

But where did that put Sakura?  He naturally respected her skills, but he also enjoyed her company. She added a spray of colors to his existence both literally and figuratively. It seemed her mind ran on a different frequency than most people. Something that made her difficult to predict. Not difficult to read however, it was often very easy to read her every emotion as it was openly displayed in her wide emerald eyes. Sometimes it was just very hard to keep up. She could change moods faster than he could activate his sharingan (and being the Uchiha prodigy, that was saying something). Still she could put up a happy smiling face to fool any that hadn't spent as much time watching her as he had and even then he felt that sometimes, he'd been deceived as well. Her creativity with using a smile to disarm people was boundless. His instincts should be screaming at him to keep a safe distance. They just didn't.

Why? He had realized today with startling clarity, that she had gained his trust and he really didn't know the hows and whens. Just that for some inexplicable reason he trusted her. The very same instincts that should be screaming at him to keep away from her was telling him that she could be trusted. He prided himself in his instincts. He'd honed them till they were sharp and pointy like any other weapon in his shinobi arsenal. Right at this moment his instincts were clashing with his teachings. Trust was a two way thing but in the life of Uchiha Itachi, clan heir and prodigy, there were only room for two loyalties. His village. His clan.

He looked down at his poor hair tie that had been so irreversibly tangled. He had not fully understood her objection to having long hair, because his hair never bothered him in the slightest. Now, however he could see that her hair tangled easily. Kinda like her person, he mused with a half-smile-half-pained grimace. Would it already be too late for him to untangle himself without ripping a few strings?

Maybe it didn't matter at all. She was going to be a Konoha Kunoichi. They would have at least one loyalty in common. Also she was not going anywhere. His father had assured that in a most uncharacteristic display of compassion for "the poor girl's" wellbeing. Clearly, she shouldn't be moved yet again after getting so used to the Uchiha compound. Obviously it had more to do with the clan's reputation, but hadn't he known, that his father only had the clan in mind, even he might have been fooled by the decidedly human look of concern. There was no doubt that the Hokage hadn't been fooled either, but he still almost gleefully entered his father's game, an amused smile lurking at the corner of his lips. The only one fooled was perhaps the head medic. Fumio-san had practically looked touched to tears. It probably reminded him of how he'd taken in his own son.

Getting out of bed with a start he moved towards his dresser. He did not like the look that medic had sent Sakura's way in the least. It wasn't something he could do anything about, however. If he wanted to test her capabilities, it was well in his power to do so. Itachi wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. It's not like he should do anything either. It wasn't even his business. She was no longer his mission. He'd probably be given a new mission already tomorrow. One that would take him away from the village a few days. He opened his top drawer. Onyx eyes scanned the immaculately sharpened kunai and shuriken laid orderly, each weapon having it's very own place. He pursed his lips grabbing a kunai and holding it up towards the waning sunbeams. Sharingan activated itself to take in the spotless weapon. Light reflected as he turned it. It had been forever since he'd been on a real mission. He did not miss the fighting, but he felt his body itch to run for miles on end never stopping to consider. With a sigh he laid down the kunai, purposely angling it slightly askew.

In the innermost right corner of the drawer was his small collection of hair ties. Setting the mangled band slightly aside from the neat pile he cursed himself for wearing his favorite red one today.

Oo o oO

Sakura awoke to the persistent glare of the morning sun and the broadly smiling face of dr. Fumio.

"Ah, you are awake. How do you feel today?" He said laying a gently glowing hand on her forehead.

"I'm fine" She croaked shaking off his hand and sitting up. A frown marred her features as she rubbed her pounding forehead. Glancing out the corned of her eye she judged the sun's position. It couldn't be more than eight in the morning. It was way too damn early to wake up after successfully depleting her chakra and subsequently taking a midnight stroll. At least she assumed it was only the day after.

"What day is it?" She managed through her parched throat. The medic didn't seem the slightest put off by her grumpy demeanor as he answered (sort of) in a much too cheerful voice.

"It was only yesterday that you depleted yourself to the point of collapse, yet you don't seem to be in as much pain as you should be," she sent him a mean glare at that from below her bangs, "your healing rate is simply impressive!"

With a sigh she decided to correct him. "I woke up earlier and loosened up my muscles by circulating my chakra," which you should have done, Inner Sakura added sourly in her mind, "I still have a pounding headache and my chakra levels are slim to none" She hoped it would be enough get him to quiet his awed demeanor. It wasn't. She could really use some quiet right now. Where was Itachi when she needed someone to be silent? That thought brought a small smile to her lips. She wondered if Itachi enjoyed his Sakura-free time.

Oo o oO

Itachi sat at the morning table picking at his food listening only halfheartedly to Sasuke's cheerful chatter. That boy was much too cheerful in the mornings, kinda like a certain girl he'd come to know. Waking up this morning Itachi was promptly reminded of the events of yesterday by the hair tie set aside from the rest. With a half growl he'd taken one of the others setting his hair in his customary low ponytail. He looked just as he used to: distant, emotionless. Yet, there was something subtly dark about his mood today. Not that anyone noticed, though maybe Sasuke did and that was why he was trying so hard to be cheerful.

He looked down at his food distastefully, not that there was anything wrong with it. It tasted just as good as usual, he just wasn't very hungry. He pushed the half eaten foodstuff away. Usually he would go train after breakfast, but felt that it would feel very weird to train without Sakura there. He'd gotten so very used to her presence and it irked him. Besides, she was a good sparring partner, and his training regime wouldn't feel complete. Itachi returned abruptly to reality when Sasuke mentioned Sakura's name. He looked at his little brother questionably and the boy pouted. Clearly his older brother had not been listening as he should.

"I said, that Sakura is sleeping late today... I wanted to show her a drawing..."

Of course Sasuke wouldn't know that Sakura was in the hospital, he'd already been asleep when he and father had returned home.

"Sakura is in the hospital," at the sight of his brother's sudden worried visage he continued to assure him quickly, "she merely drained all of her chakra, nothing serious."

Sasuke looked down at the table thoughtfully. The set of his shoulders had relaxed visibly, but his left hand clenched around a neatly folded piece of paper. He looked up suddenly, "can we go visit her?"

Itachi blinked, at his brother's sudden fervor, "Sure"

It seemed his brother disliked not having her around just as much as he did, the younger was just much more obvious about it. She had become almost like an older sister to Sasuke almost from the moment she came into their home. Sometimes it was almost as if she had an attachment to Sasuke from before they even met. That couldn't be, though, it was just because she was a girl and Sasuke was "the cutest little thing ever"...

"Aniki,"a frowning Sasuke interrupted his thoughts, "how do you spell "get better soon"?"

With a smile gently curving his lips he surveyed his brother's hand hovering above the drawing clutching at a brightly pink crayon.

"Guess, and I'll correct you."

Sasuke sneered at him irritatedly, before scrunching up his face in intense concentration, "G?"

Oo o oO

Sakura was eating. Though, she rather considered it merely an intake of nourishment on her part. There was no pleasure usually connected to eating about the grey matter of indistinct origin steaming in her bowl. It was highly nourishing she knew. It was however also highly horrible to the taste buds. Still she'd just suck it up (or rather spoon it up), because it was really her own fault. While she'd made sure yesterday that her muscles was loosened and she therefore didn't feel any pain in particular, that soldier pill had left her every joint feeling weak and sorta disconnected. Soldier pills was made to keep people on the edge, artificially keeping the body highly energized when it should be collapsing from fatigue. Basically it consisted of several highly active enzymes and transmitter substances made to override the body's natural urge to shut down. Of course it was also a highly concentrated dose of vitamins and minerals, not to mention that which kept it all together: sugar.

The high dose of these minerals would in normal circumstances mean death by poisoning, but soldier pills had a specific working order that insured that would not be the case. The transmitters would override the order to shut down, but even that wouldn't be enough if the muscles broke down. That's where the enzymes came in, speeding up the metabolism and the body's own recovery rate, rebuilding tissue and muscles even as it gave out. The body only keeps a small storage of those important little building blocks that make up the body, and that's where the minerals and vitamins came into place. As for the sugar, it was the most logical thing to keep the pill together, every bit of energy would be appreciated after all. There was a most crucial reason it was soldier pills, and not soldier drink or injection, that had nothing to do with practicality.It would simply react way too fast in the body otherwise causing massive overload to the brain and major organ failure.

Using a soldier pill on someone that wasn't on the verge of exhaustion, could possibly kill the person from the shock. Heck, using a soldier pill on a civilian even on the edge would probably mean the end for him. There were reasons the use of soldier pills was so tightly regulated. She felt blood rush to her cheeks in rightful anger. The door to the storage hadn't been locked... She furiously stuffed her mouth with the warm, slobbery... grainy... "source of nourishment", she diplomatically labeled it in her mind. Swallowing with great difficulty, she desperately tried to keep it down. She had no wish to reacquaint herself with the horrid taste. "Now with added bile flavor!" She added dryly in her mind.

Her stomach made a lurching movement and she was quick to down the glass of stale water that tasted way too much of hospital. Oh, dear, she needed to get out of here. She suddenly knew why most shinobi hated being stuck in the hospital, most notably she remembered preventing several escape attempts of her former sensei. She had never really understood the animosity held towards the hospital, but then again she had never really been the one to be the patient...

It knocked on the door. Sakura looked up startled from the sad concoction the hospital deemed breakfast, dreading that it might be Fumio-san again. She had nothing against the guy per see, she just wasn't in the mood. However, she was pleasantly surprised to see the smiling face of Sasuke and the not so obviously smiling Itachi. In fact, she wasn't even sure it could be called a smile. It wasn't physical it was more like she sensed, that he was smiling at her.

Oo o oO

"Sasuke-chan, Itachi-san" She exclaimed with a wide smile, back to the suffix, it seemed. It might have just been his imagination, but it felt as if her eyes had lingered on him, just for micro-seconds more than what was necessary to merely recognize a person. He shook his head inwardly, he was obviously reading too much into this. His mood had consistently brightened when he'd made the decision to take Sasuke to visit Sakura. After all, in a way his mission wasn't really over until she knew.

The young chunin watched amusedly as his younger brother practically bounded towards the girl, following in a much more dignified pace.

Oo o oO

Sasuke reached her bedside followed shortly by Itachi, who had the advantage of longer legs. She quickly removed her rapidly cooling "source of nourishment" from her bed. Itachi's nose twitched slightly and he raised and eyebrow, questioning her without words if she was really eating that. Sasuke however was not so subtle.

"Eew! What is that? It looks like mashed up brains or something!" His little face scrunched up in distressed disgust, "Shisui was right! I thought he was only kidding, you said he was only kidding!" The young boy looked desperately up at his older brother.

Sakura looked at Itachi as well, though her face was intrigued. She of course knew of Shunshin no Shisui, the first victim of the massacre, supposedly Itachi's best friend, yet she hadn't met him in these three months. Frankly, she hadn't given him much thought if any at all. She'd been busy trying to get Itachi to lower his guard. Now, that she did think about it, it was rather weird...

"Don't worry Sasuke, Shisui was just trying to scare you. It's just that the hospitals cook isn't very good" Sasuke still looked uncertainly at him, it was rather obvious to Sakura that he was changing the subject, "besides, we didn't come here to discuss the questionable origin of the cook's ingredients, I believe you have something for Sakura?"

The young boy visibly brightened and his face returned to its normal somewhat pale complexion (better than being as white as Mikoto's newly washed sheets). Enthusiastically he thrust a neatly folded but slightly crumbled piece of paper into her hands.

She unfolded the paper and stared. Just stared. She vaguely heard Sasuke stating proudly, that he'd spelled it all by himself and Itachi only helped a little. If she had looked at him then, she would have seen him blushing cutely, with his arms crossed in a failed attempt to appear nonchalant. She didn't look however. Her eyes were glued to the drawing. She felt her heart speed up rapidly and tears forming.

It was crudely drawn, in a way that only a child could manage. The biggest part of the paper was taken up by a tree with pink petals – a Sakura. Under the boughs on one side, there were a decent sharingan eye and an Uchiha clan symbol, it was obviously something he drew often. The most surprising part of the drawing was the dark red spiral on the other side. It was shakily drawn, and she imagined the look of utmost concentration on his face, as he must have traced it with the red crayon he usually colored his clan symbol with. Obviously, the red spiral was merely something he'd noticed on her green shirts. He'd probably just found it interesting, or maybe he'd realized the symbol meant something to her. Either way, Sasuke of all people had figuratively brought Team 7 together again. Her eyes took in the childishly scribbled "get better soon", and something within her cracked.

Before her tears could spill over she drew little Sasuke into a hug. She didn't need him to think he made her sad. For so long the sole purpose of her life was to bring her team back together again. It was why she rose in the morning. It was the reason she trained so hard. Then when it finally happened Sasuke had been too broken. Her happiness this moment was bittersweet. Now Sasuke had unwittingly brought their team together, with the double edged words "get better soon". There was no getting better for her team seven however, it was something she had given up. Given it up to save the broken member of their team. Now that member had given her this, unwittingly of how much those symbols meant to her. It wasn't something that meant as much to him, but it did to her and that would be enough. Salty water escaped her eyes and made twin dark spots on Sasuke's thick shirt.

Get better soon

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear as she tightened her hold.

Bonus Short 2 - Inquiries of the pink nature

It was at a moment in which Itachi had deemed it the most "proper" course of action to cease his watch over the pink haired monstrosity, that he finally could have some alone time with Sasuke. In other words Sakura was taking a bath, something he'd discovered could take the better part of an hour, when she was really tired. That would be ample time to question his little brother. He might have just driven her a bit harder than usual today to ensure her need for that long revitalizing bath. He might have just promised Sasuke to throw a few shuriken with him in the backyard to ensure his presence. He was obviously not desperate... only slightly annoyed and curious...

Honestly, which self respecting shinobi, wouldn't want to know a secret? Nins thrived on knowledge. It was such an integrated part of how they made their living, that unraveling secrets was second nature. For a prodigy such Itachi, who had been molded into the shinobi way of life practically from birth, having such a ridiculous secret dangled in front of him was almost torture. Obviously he should not even care as to the origin of Sakura's appallingly unnatural hair color. Because it was just that, Unnatural. There wasn't actually a way for it to be natural, was there? It was that uncertainty, that irked him.

To ensure the setting was as it should for his impromptu interrogation of secret-withholding little brothers, he'd made preparations the only way he knew; the shinobi way. Make sure the leader is out of the way. Use bribery.

It was as Itachi was gently correcting Sasuke's grip on the shuriken that he asked as casually as he could, "So, Sakura's hair color isn't natural, is it?"

When Sasuke met his inquiring look with a too smug smile on his cute little face, he knew, he was fighting a loosing battle. Sakura had made his dear little brother into the devil in disguise.

"Sakura made me promise not to tell you. Do you want me to break a promise?" Sasuke's eyes were too wide, too dark and his pout too innocent. Dammit, his little brother of only six years old had driven him into a corner and the glint in his eyes told him he damn well knew that.  His left eye twitched, stupid Sakura.