Chapter Text
Every parent is piously convinced of something. And they make sure to put those beliefs - even false ones! - into the heads of their children. Sakura was no exception. Her conservative mother had repeated to her daughter, year after year, day after day, with enviable zeal: a woman should never make the first move. She should be as dodgy and silent as a snake and watch out for men with vigilance. She is too proud to act first. A man must desire her enough to blow his mind. He will betray his father's home and homeland if necessary to prove his love. Oh, Mebuki Haruno was fanatical when it came to love experiences!
Be that as it may, Sakura didn't share her mother's views. She had her own opinion on how a woman should choose a life partner. The girl had chosen Uchiha Itachi as a child. At first she thought it was just admiration for his genius; then teenage hormones and purely physical attraction, but as she passed fourteen, she realised that she was... comfortable with him. Her mother's upbringing had been neurotic, and what the woman had unequivocally managed to instil in her daughter was an anxious expectation of a catch from those around her. And Itachi... he was different. Sakura didn't even bother to explain what different meant to her. He was simply the only person she wanted to walk hand in hand with every day. She wasn't afraid of him, she wasn't shy, and she had no illusions about him.
She had cooked with him, visited the theatre, exhibitions and even clubs. She had seen him in life and in the light. She would have liked to flatter herself with the idea that she had studied him thoroughly, but it would have been ungodly flattery. Ah, she had no idea what was in the mind of the heir to the clan! He didn't talk much, but he did a lot. And he truly respected her. And he enjoyed spending time with her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invited her to various events. They loved art and valued silence. At fourteen Haruno was still in doubt, at fifteen she accepted as truth: her feelings were not an addiction or delusion. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, have sex with him, and more, but she took it so... normal. Without the adrenaline flashes and the unrestrained flow of want-want-want. It was true. She wanted to. But it wasn't a life necessity.
And when the fateful moment came, she decided to put it all on the line. Mum wouldn't have approved. So who cares? Itachi, full of doubt and tenderness for her, would never offer himself. That's the kind of man he is. Not a coward or a weakling. Too considerate of the few people he cares about. And she was on that list - she knew it without a word.
Sakura had always been guided by a premonition. And now it was telling her to act, and she obeyed with a bit of fear. She reached for the desired lips, covered them with her own, and pushed her tongue into his mouth. It was... wet. And very, very strange, and so hot, and...tight? Ah, she would die of embarrassment if Itachi didn't respond in any way to her inept caresses.
But suddenly - Itachi pulls her under him and deepens the kiss. She flounders and moans; she can't believe this is real. It's like a dream. Better than her most explicit dream! Itachi is so, so... it's like he knows where her most sensitive spots are. She gets hard and wet, down there, and breaks off the kiss to whimper in an unrecognisable voice:
- Itachi, please-" her eyelids are half-closed: she rubs her cheek against his temple and whispers hotly into his ear, not even realising how turned on she is, "take me now.
Itachi frowns and surveys the area. Sakura understands with half a glance.
- Not here," and she agrees. The dusty bridge some distance away from the village they've positioned themselves on was hardly suitable for lovemaking.
Itachi throws Sakura onto his shoulder, and as he leaps up into the tree, she laughs for some reason - gleefully, loudly, genuinely happy. They kissed, and she even asked for more. And he didn't mind! How she had loved it. Dusk was thickening, it was getting colder outside. The girl shivered and mentally thanked the Uchiha for his foresight. They would have been gorging themselves on each other for a long time, and she might have caught a cold. Shinobi shouldn't get sick.
Itachi didn't take her home to his or hers - he was staying at his best friend's flat, who was now on a long-term mission. The window was open and Itachi darted into the bedroom, tossing her onto the bed. Sakura sank into the softness of the bed and didn't come to her senses right away.
And was so glad she did. Tonight she was discovering all sorts of new sides to Itachi. Turns out he could be mean to her. She clamped her hand over her mouth. If it was to her liking, was that a very bad thing? It's a paradox: she can't a priori dislike anything he does to her. It's Itachi, after all. Just don't let him stop. She gives a suppressed chuckle. Silly. Still sure of the sobriety of her feelings?
She comes to her senses and finds Itachi hovering over her, pressing her into the bed. The mattress creaks pitifully under their weight, and when the man covers her neck with greedy kisses, she dissolves into the sensation. There is no more Haruno Sakura - just an impulse, responsive to the touch of his fingers, his lips, his chest.
She gasps and feels on edge. About to ask again. Enough foreplay. She's already horny beyond belief. Itachi suddenly lifts her in his arms and walks to the balcony. Sakura thinks he'll have cooled down in the time it took them to get to Konoha, but no - she can clearly see the raging flames now.
- Look," she obeys and looks in the direction indicated: the balcony has a great view of the Uchiha quarter, "a daily cluster of conspiracies and intrigue. Not having power at all, or having too much of it, is bad. The Uchiha know no measure. It's not safe here. I want to give you a better life, away from this. But I was foolish and arrogant - there are some things beyond my control. I'm sorry... I was proud and I wanted everything at once.
She listens breathlessly, and he closes his eyes, shaking his head and feeling ashamed of himself. Itachi should be so hard on himself. It's in people's nature to make mistakes. And his mistakes are nothing. Moreover, more often than not, they only happen in his head. These wars affect no one but himself. So why does he apologise, the fool? He puts her on her feet and she can't feel them. She feels like a breeze on the curtains and she'll fall. She will. Only now it's not weakness, it's emotion - Itachi leans down in front of her and holds out a velvety box with a ring. Sakura doesn't know where to put herself. How on earth could she have forgotten? The Uchiha clan, despite their darkness and warlike cohesion, are the most loyal and sincere clan when it comes to human relationships. They make honest husbands and wives.
- I want to live with you for the rest of my life. I can protect you. The only question is, are you willing to trust me?
'I love the Uchiha,' Sakura thought with tears in her eyes. - I love those damn Uchiha so much, it's crazy!"
She throws herself around his neck and screams fervently:
- Yes, yes, yes! Kami, yes! Take care of me.
His lips on her thigh are demanding, his clothes are unnecessary, and the flash before his eyes is blinding.
***
Sakura's legs shake when she wakes up. The first memory is one of joy. Itachi rarely allowed himself to have fun during work hours, but this time he went against his principles: he asked the Hokage for two or three days off to be with her. They sat on the bridge and admired the sky. Her heart thudded in her chest; it seemed like the perfect moment. She pressed her lips to his soft lips. And she didn't regret it.
Then the cool, refreshing breeze caressing her bare arms, neck, legs. The squeaky mattress. The proposal to consummate the relationship. Her squeal of "yes, yes, yes!" And the bruises on her thighs. Yes, Itachi could be tough. But she liked it for some reason.
Mum wouldn't approve of them doing "it" before their wedding night. That they'd even decided to get married without actually dating before that. Ah, to hell with Mum and her morals! Every relationship is individual, because people are not an exam you have to study hard for or you'll fail.
It's weird. It smells damp. She finds the strength to sit up. The nasty squeak of unlubricated railings. Her head hurts as if she'd been hit with something heavy before the eclipse. Sakura feels a lump on the back of her head. She doesn't feel it. She stands up abruptly and bends in a three-legged stance - she's about to vomit. She doesn't know where she is, but it's definitely not Shisui's flat.
The only door of the cramped room, more like a prison cell, opens. In walks... A wave of relief rolls through the girl's body as she looks up. Itachi. It's Itachi. So everything will be fine. He always has everything under control. This must be some kind of prank.
- You're awake. - He refers to her as "you," even though he's a stickler for officiousness with intimates. That's the first sign. His eyes don't show attention or tenderness. Nothing at all. Second bell. - I have a few questions for you.
Sakura is tense to the max, but denies the problem to the last. Smiling stupidly and laughing, she launches into a disturbing speech:
- Itachi. Thank Kami, it's you! Imagine, I thought I'd been kidnapped. What a fool, aren't you? But where are we? This is some kind of secret initiation rite, isn't it?
- I have no idea what you're talking about. - He almost tilted his head, a sign of interest. Quickly pulled himself back. The ringing in her ears rumbled. - Explain yourself.
- What?" she gets lost and instinctively pulls down the hem of her nightgown. White, it comes to mid-thigh. Sakura has no desire to wonder whose it is. She only notices that it's someone else's. And not female at all. It doesn't smell familiar. This thing doesn't belong to Itachi, Sasuke or Naruto. Her immediate male entourage. Then? Sakura is cursing herself. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all!
- Who are you and how did you figure us out?
- Itachi, what's wrong with you-" she pivots as he takes one wide, measured step towards her and crashes her shoulder blades into the cold wall. Covered in goosebumps. The activated Mangekyo sharingan scares her. ITACHI DOESN'T HAVE MANGEKYO. This isn't her Itachi. Not the one she knows. Not the one who proposed to her yesterday. And kissed and kissed her to the point of helplessness. - You're delusional.
- How do you know me? - He's angry when she ignores what must be his hundredth question. She couldn't even open her lips, clenching and biting, as if the taste of her own blood would bring her out of this horrible trance.
- Oh, Itachi," she resorts to a last-ditch attempt to appeal to his conscience, "love...
- I am not your favourite. - He catches up to her swiftly. She only has time to gasp and collapse in his arms. Her legs won't hold her. It would be better to fall than to find herself pressed tightly and warmly against the wall by a lean figure. Frost rims her ears, she gasps. The Uchiha is so close that Sakura can feel the heat of his fresh breath. It seems he hasn't even eaten - just brushed his teeth. No light penetrates this dungeon, but she has to get her bearings somehow. So it's morning? - I don't even know you. Yet that's what you called me in my dream.
- I... I got confused," she breaks down into a groan from and realisation - this is all real. This is not her fiancé and therefore not her world. She had heard of time travel and inter-world travel. But it rarely happened, and she would never have thought it was with her. - My fiancé's name is Itachi, too. And he looks a lot like you...sorry.
- And his last name is Uchiha, right?
- Yes. - Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. Looking into his stern eyes was too much for her. She had said something stupid and she knew it. She didn't care. All she wanted was for this stranger to leave her alone. His face is just like her Itachi's. The same one she loves. And to see unrecognition and alienation in his own dark waters... Kami, this is unbearable! She'll burst into tears if this torture lasts even a moment. - I'm surprised you realised. Where are we?! I have a right to know.
- You have no rights here.
- Please! - There, a sob escapes her lips, and he... looks at her sympathetically. Oh, she's laughing hysterically inside. She doesn't need this stranger's sympathy! She dreads going home to her fiancé. Yes, yes, yes, yes, she wishes to participate in the cold Uchiha wars. Yes, yes, yes, yes, she longs to be accepted reluctantly and warily into the clan. She is ready for anything, as long as it takes place within the confines of her world. There, everything is familiar, familiar... and Itachi kissing her is like the best thing that could have happened to him. - Let me go. My parents will be worried! My mother.
- Your mother is in Konoha. Haruno Sakura is in Konoha. Then who are you?
Shit. Sakura opens her eyes and looks at him defiantly. She has no idea what goes on in this fucking world, but it's not like Itachi and Sakura here are on such close terms that... swallows. How could she not notice the crossed out village crest on the tread? And the black cloak in the bloody clouds. So this dangerous organisation had formed in this world too... oh no. Itachi, what...oh yeah how? She exhales raggedly. It can't be.
A hot rivulet streaks down her cheek. Sakura wipes her tears and clenches her fists, pushing Itachi and shouting something inaudible, but he doesn't move. Realises it's hysterical. It's a waste of nerves to pry something out when your opponent is in such a state. And time. Speaking of which. He can't deal with her any longer. He must report the results of the interrogation to the Leader. After all, a girl falling on him and Kisame out of nowhere was no joke.
- What had to happen in your life for you to put on that damn cape! - Sakura swords lightning bolts and clutches at his shoulders with brutal ferocity. Finding clouds with her fingernails, she scratches at the fabric, as if wanting to tear the intricate patterns with a distinctive crack. She almost succeeds. - Itachi, what was supposed to happen to you?! Tell me! You have no idea how many innocent people they've killed! You too, huh?! You're a murderer too?! How do you like drowning in blood?!
Her words hurt him. Spellbound, the girl watches the change in his gaze and wonders - did she cause such a stir in his soul? Before, she had thought that this Itachi was devoid of emotion - he had appeared before her with such a colourless stoicism. Now it was clearer: it was nothing more than a mask. The Itachi of her world had many of them. He changed them whenever he wanted. So this one was no exception. Sakura didn't think about anything when she was immersed in genjutsu, though.