The Secret Lover (ItaSaku)

Chapter 4 - Savior

"It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being." - John Joseph Powell, The Secret of Staying in Love

*One year later*

Sakura just came back home from her sparing with Naruto. She couldn't think about anything but Sasuke. Two days ago, they met him in one of Orochimaru's hideout when he nearly killed Naruto. For the first time in her life she had the courage to attack him, even if Yamato didn't let her. But she was sure that he would have dodged the attack anyway, she was a weakling after all.

The stars were shinning bright. She took the Team 7 photo and sat by the window looking at it. Oh, how happy she was back then. They were all together and her parents were alive. If she could only turn back time, she would try harder to stop him from leaving the village. A single tears rolled down her face, shinning in the moonlight.

"Sasuke-kun..." she thought about what a burden she was, how she begged Naruto to bring him back like a foolish little girl.

She caressed the glass that sheltered the photo from her tears.

Outside, a crow with red eyes was watching her closely through her window. It could see all the emotions written over her face.

Itachi sat in his bed with his eyes closed, observing her through his summoning. He knew that she was crying for his little foolish brother again. He often sent his crow to watch her.

Sakura was walking through the woods alone with her backpack, searching for any clue of the shinobis that were camping outside the village. Nothing too serious, Lady Tsunade sent her to check on them if they need anything.

A black crow with red eyes was watching her from a branch. Every step she took, every move she made. The man behind it felt like a stalker, but he loved to watch this beauty doing such trivial things. Since the first time he laid his eyes on her, he thought that she was the most beautiful thing that ever existed on Earth but he couldn't get to her because of his pride and that stupid vow he made to work like a double agent and a rogue ninja to protect his brother and the village. But looking at her like that, so clueless, so innocent, so beautiful. It made him want to drop everything and just go, kill Danzo and spill the truth. After that, he could make her his. Good thing that he had self control.

Sakura felt a kunai flying right next to her, giving her cheek a small cut and making it bleed. Her eyes widened in fear and her body started to tremble. What if she bumped into Akatsuki? How could she beat a team of two dangerous ninja by herself? She shook the dark thoughts from her head and gathered some strenght in her voice.

"Who's there?" she asked, trying to control her voice and her trembling.

Two men came from the bushes. They wore The Sound Village head protector. Orochimaru's men... She took out a kunai while one of them giggled creepily, sending shivers down her spine. The other one licked his lips with his long snake-like tongue. Sakura felt the disgust mixed with fear. A Chunnin exams deja vu ran through her veins, making her blood freeze.

"Well, well, what is a beautiful girl like you doing here, alone in the forest?" the snake man asked. He wasn't Orochimaru, but they were so alike...

She gulped.

"Nevermind. We'll finish you fast, without pain." he smirked. He charged at her, moving his long neck and his poisoned fangs towards her skin, but she jumped in the air, dodging his attack. She was taken by surprise by the other shinobi with some chakra strigs that wrapped around her tiny body, sqeezing the air out of her lungs. She couldn't breathe. Her body fell on the ground, in front of them.