"A little rough there don't you think?" Dawn wondered looking over at Sakura who simply shrugged her shoulders.
"They will never learn unless I am stern." She replied.
"She was a kid." Diem laughed, "She almost peed herself!"
"Yeah..." Sakura muttered biting her bottom lip, "That was kind of funny!"
"Your terrible!" Dawn laughed with Sakura.
"Alright-" Diem sighed, "-what are we going to do with him?"
The three commanders of the waterfall village turned to look at the man tied to the metal chair. The man belonged to no other than the reapers, he came screaming into the village begging for Sakura's help.
When Sakura arrived on scene, he dropped to his knees claiming he wanted to be set free from the reapers and he would pass over any information he had on them in order to help Sakura bring them down.
Sakura sighed as she pulled up a chair and sat down across from the man, he slowly looked up to the pink haired reaper. This was the first time seeing her in person, he had only seen her inside quick snapshots taken by hidden members of his organization.
She was stunning and the word terrifying didn't give the deadly look she was giving him justice. Sakura was watching, studying the man as he looked from her to the two commanders standing behind her.
"Your name and rank." Sakura said, finally breaking the melting silence that was oozing around the room.
"Th-They call me-me Bo-Bowie." The reaper stuttered under the three Commanders gazes.
"Bowie?" Diem raised an eyebrow; he joined the reapers and could pick any new name to start his new twisted life and he picked Bowie?
"Rank." Dawn crossed her arms over her chest.
"I-I was just a low-level tr-trafficker." The reaper said honestly, he saw the disgust in Sakura's eyes, the molten hatred that swirled inside those green orbs felt like they were burning his very soul. "I didn't want too!" The reaper defended himself. "I never even wanted to join the reapers, but they attacked my village out of nowhere a few years ago, we never stood a chance and it was either be killed on the spot or join them...I did what I had to do to survive!" The reaper pleaded. "What was I supposed to do?!"
"You die on your feet-" Sakura said standing, her chair scraping across the cement floor. "-than serve on your knees."
"I-I have information!" Bowie said, "I know you have been looking for our hideout and I don't know where that is, but I do know where the next portal to take us there will open up."
The three commanders all looked at each other, this could be a real shot at finding the reapers hideout and finally taking them down.
"He could be lying." Diem muttered.
"But I am not!" Bowie promised but was ignored.
"He is a Reaper." Dawn stated with her hand on her hip, "Lies come out of their mouth as naturally as carbon dioxide."
"That is true." Sakura muttered,
"I am trying to get out of the Reapers!" Bowie cried looking between the three people who determined his future.
"Once a Reaper, is always a Reaper." Dawn said appalled she was even speaking to this sorry excuse for a being and not slitting his throat!
"She was a Reaper!" Bowie guestered with his head towards Sakura.
"Exactly their point." Sakura stated as she moved, leaning in front of him placing both her arms on the chairs rests and gazed into his eyes as hers shifted into their familiar Christmas wreaths that made Dawn feel comfort and safe. "He isn't lying." Sakura muttered as her eyes shifted back into their green orbs, "He did receive coordinates a few miles outside Sand territory."
"Hm..." Dawn muttered,
"This seems way to easy." Diem sighed rubbing his face.
"We don't get this lucky." Dawn agreed.
"True." Sakura said, "But I don't want to pass this opportunity up either."
"We could go again." Dawn said, "Take Hazel's team as well just in case, that wouldn't leave the village to open should this be a trap."
"That is good." Diem nodded, "What do you think?" Diem turned to Sakura.
"I like it." Sakura said turning from dozing off in thought, "I'll call Hazel and tell her to get her team together while you two get ready."
"Alright another field trip!" Diem smiled as the three turned to leave the room.
"Wait!" Bowie called out. "What about me!?"
"What about you?" Diem asked as the three commanders turned to look at the reaper.
"I told you everything I know! The reapers will kill me if I walk out of this village." Bowie cried,
"How is that my problem?" Sakura asked looking at Dawn who shrugged.
"Please! Help me!"
"If your information checks out, then you can have a place in one of the cells down here until you die." Sakura offered.
"What!? But-But-"
"You were a sex trafficker." Sakura tilted her head, "You sold helpless women and men of all ages to be tortured and raped. How the fuck can you expect me to allow you move around my fucking village freely? I will not pull one of my soldiers off their post to follow you around the village to be your fucking shadow."
"Let's be honest-" Diem yawned, "-you take one step outside these cells, those soldiers will be all over you. They won't tolerate something as disgusting as you walking about their home."
"But if you tell them to-"
"You want us to tell them to not go after a man who sold little girls and boys to the highest bidder?" Diem pulled his lips together. "Come on now honestly if you live through the night, I will be surprised."
"Reaper!" Bowie screamed as the commanders left the room to get dressed and ready for their next mission.
"We move out in an hour." Sakura said. "Only us and only Hazel's team, I am not risking anyone else's life on some half-baked bull shit."
"Agreed." Dawn nodded.
"Got it boss!" Diem waved as they went their separate ways to their homes.
----
Sakura, Dawn, Diem and their best captain with her four manned team walked behind her as they blew into the Sand Village. Sakura opened her eyes and looked around, she dropped them off outside the village not wanting to get the sand shinobi involved.
Sakura knew Gaara and he would want to help, but the truth was she didn't know what she was walking into and to risk his life seemed pointless.
The air was dry and hot, Sakura could already feel herself sweating and she hated sand. She and her team trudged through the blazing desert on their way to their destination Bowie was sent.
"Hello-" A voice turned the ground around, Sakura watched people pulling themselves out of the sand reminding her of a low budget mummy film that failed.
"Ew." Diem muttered, "That's gross."
"-Reaper of Reapers." Sakura just watched them with a bored expression. "I have to say I am surprised I am looking at you right now!" The masked reaper laughed; a dozen of his friends pulled themselves into sight. "I definitely would of thought you would have brought more Waterfall soldiers with you."
"This was a trap." Dawn stated feeling extremely pissed off, she walked through this hot desert for nothing.
"Looks like we couldn't fool you!" One reaper to the side laughed, "Bowie really was telling what he thought the truth would be!" He laughed, "It was a way to lure your ass out which that did work." Sakura narrowed her eyes onto him, she wanted to see his blood sizzle in the hot sun in this damn sand.
"Now." The center reaper said walking a few feet closer to Sakura. "Let's cut the chit chat and get to the point, we are here to finish you off." The reaper pulled out a bright shiny red orb. "Well not us per say but someone is here to finish you off while you are still hurt-"
Sakura didn't wait to see who the orb controlled, she didn't wait to hear the rest of the story or more shitty jokes. Sakura and her team flew forward, almost vanishing from sight as they did so.
The reaper who had the orb jumped out of the way, she ignored him for the moment and ran up to a side reaper who had mocked her she grabbed his head, snapping his neck.
When Sakura began her training with Kaguya she was surprised to learn that unlike on television, it is quite difficult to snap someone's neck. In order to get an instant kill you need four things: swift flexion, extension with rotation, relaxed neck muscles and ridiculous amount of force.
Sakura took her sword and ran it through the reaper who brown eyes. He looked down at his stomach as he watched his insides spill out into the sunny sand.
Sakura turned from his sad dying moment and walked towards the blue eyed reaper who looked just stunned by the brutal act conducted by a hero. She waved her sword with no mercy, cutting his throat without a damn in the world she was feeling fucking hot!
Why would they pick the desert to ambush her? The heat only pissed her off more. Sakura then turned to the leader with the red orb, where was this person who was supposed to take her down at?
"Y-You are a monster." He breathed looking into her emotionless eyes. Behind Sakura Dawn, Diem, Hazel and her team were taking the remaining ten reapers down. Really the only issue for the waterfall soldiers was the damn sun!
Sakura moved to end this stupid waste of time until she saw a shadow falling towards her, she jumped back. Sakura quickly spun around and cursed under her breath.
After burying Kakashi, Hinata and TenTen seeing People pop up from the dead really shouldn't surprise her, but he did. He stood before her wearing dark blue mesh armor with navy accents under a t-shirt with a simple white belt around the waist and dark blue pants.
"No fucking way." Diem breathed walking to stand beside Sakura.
"Are the Reapers down?" Sakura asked never removing her eyes from his glowing red orbs in front of her.
"You have to ask!?" Diem gasped acting hurt.
"Is that-?" Dawn asked walking up to Sakura's free side.
"Yup." Sakura said, "That is Itachi Uchiha, no one strike to kill!" Sakura called out to the black ops team behind her.
"Yes Commander!" The nodded.
"What do we do?" Hazel questioned. Sakura pointed her eyes to the only reaper left standing.
"Hazel your job is to take him down and shatter that orb he is holding."
"The orb?"
"It is controlling Itachi. Dawn, Diem and I will keep him at bay until then."
"Right away!" Hazel said running past Sakura as the masked reaper spun around running through the sand. Saura quickly tried to wrap a dome around him to seal him inside but it failed, instead it sent him running towards her. Sakura blocked his punch and flipped him backwards, she growled getting tired of feeling hot and sweaty!
Dawn and diem went to fighting with Itachi, Sakura noticed his movements were almost stiff as if he had been sitting inactivated for all the years, she thought he had been dead. Diem trapped Itachi inside a shadow jutsu, he tilted his head. Itachi's stiff body was a plus for them, it made him easy to trap.
"How long can you hold him?" Sakura wondered, thinking about going after Hazel and that reaper.
"Not sure." Diem shrugged, "If this was Itachi on any normal day this wouldn't hold him, but he just returned from the dead, so I have no fucking idea!"
"Awesome." Sakura breathed wrapping a dome around Itachi as an extra layer.
"Oh my God!" Diem gasped using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "Why the fuck do people live here!?"
"It is hot." Dawn nodded in agreement, she could feel her clothes sticking to her as her sweat soaked into her uniform. She could remove layers but that would allow the bright sun to scorch her skin leaving it burnt. Even her hair felt wet from her sweat, she hated this village!
"Let me go!" A voice shouted; Sakura turned her head as did the other commanders. Hazel and her team were walking towards her dragging the reaper through the uneven sand.
"Huh?" Dawn knitted her eyebrows together as Hazel tossed Sakura the red orb.
"Did you want him alive or dead?" Hazel questioned her.
"I don't care, I just needed this-" Sakura said shattering the orb in her hand. "-broken."
"You owe me fifty bucks!" One of Hazel's team members laughed to the other in the background.
"I am surprised you caught him." Diem said.
"I am surprised you caught him." Hazel pointed to Itachi.
"Oh, this wasn't too hard." Diem brushed off feeling himself blush.
"Neither was he." Hazel looked at the reaper laying in the sand, "He didn't run very fast."
"What do you think Malachite is going to do when he finds out you lost Itachi?" Sakura wondered as she watched Itachi's eyes return from red to their onyx color. The reaper glared up from Hazels foot placed on his back, keeping his face against the burning sand.
"Kill me and get it over with!" The reaper yelled,
"Mm...no." Sakura laughed, "I'm not going to kill you. I could never punish you as bad as Malachite is going to do when he gets his hands on you after word gets out that you lost one of his toys." Sakura said.
The realization of how botched the reaper was suck in. He had to run, he had to get away! Before the reapers closed in on him. The masked man didn't say another word, Hazle took the pressure off his back. He quickly scurried up and took off into the desert.
"He does know there is nothing out there right?" Dawn muttered to Sakura.
"I don't give a fuck." Sakura said looking at her, "I hope he gets cooked alive."
"Sakura, what is going on?" Itachi asked, causing all eyes to turn to him. He was looking around confused as to why he was standing inside a dome, Diem's shadow jutsu broke.
"You-You know who I am?" Sakura was stunned as she looked at her commanders, they were expecting him to be confused and have no idea who they were. Sakura thought he would awake with large gaps of missing memory just like Kakashi had.
"Of course, I do!" Itachi laughed,
"How do you remember her?" Dawn wondered.
"We are on the same team together."
"What team would that be?"
"The Nine."
"You remember the Nine?" Sakura said in disbelief.
"Why wouldn't I remember?"
"Because the others had large gaps in their memory when broken out of their trance." Diem answered watching Itachi.
"Others?" Itachi asked.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"Being killed by Sasuke..." Itachi said looking down at his hands. "I remember seeing him again...being reincarnated but only flashes of when that happened, I don't remember why I was brought back or what I did, I just remember Sasuke. Why?" Sakura watched him for a moment. He remembered everything right up until his multiple last breaths. Why did he remember everything and not the others?
"Can you all stop looking at me like I am a lab rat?" Itachi asked annoyed at all the shocked faces.
"You uh...you're not even wondering why you're here?" Diem scratched his face.
"Hm...oh yeah..." Itachi said reflexing his fingers.
"Ugh!" Diem groaned. "I'm hot! Sakura can we go home!?"
"Yeah..." Sakura trained off still staring at Itachi Sakura's eyes shifted, the dome around him broke as her seal wrapped around them. Itachi's mouth dropped open taking in Sakura's glowing eyes and the strong wind that hugged them.
"Wow..." He breathed seeing they were no longer standing in the desert, they were home.
"Yes!" Diem sighed,
"Do you need us for anything else Commander?" Hazel bowed.
"No, your free for the day." Sakura answered, "As are you two."
"Yes!" Diem jumped, "Day off!"
"Are you going to be alright?" Dawn asked,
"I have a lot of explaining to do." Sakura nodded over to Itachi who was looking around the waterfall village.
"I see." Dawn smiled, "Have fun with that."
"Oh yeah." Sakura rolled her eyes as she called Itachi over to follow her,
"Do you still live in the same house?" Itachi asked.
"No."
"Why?"
"It was burnt down." Sakura answered remembering the small raid a group of soldiers put together trying to resurrect Purgatory, Sakura's house was among the damage.
"What the fuck-?!"
"Kaguya's deal about Purgatory still stands." Sakura explained as she unlocked her front door and let Itachi walk in.
"Nice place!" Itachi looked around.
"Thanks."
"Why does that thing about Purgatory still stand after a freaking year-" Sakura turned from locking her front door, he believed it had only been a year since she took over commander of this village.
"Itachi..." Her voice was calm and steady in an attempt to keep him relaxed.
"Yeah?"
"I..." Sakura sighed as she pulled her hair down from the hair tie, it was giving her a massive headache. "...we are going to need drinks."
----
"So, I have been gone for four years?" Itachi repeated.
"Yes." Sakura confirmed.
"And the Nine is no more." Itachi repeated rubbing his face trying to absorb the thought of missing years of your life.
"Yes." Sakura said confirmed.
"Carver and Raiden live inside the Leaf Village." Itachi relayed the information he was just told.
"Yes."
"You're ok with the Leaf Village now?" Itachi's mind was blown!
"More or less." Sakura muttered thinking back to her 'meeting' with Tsunade, Minato and Kakashi inside the Hokage Tower a couple weeks ago.
"What else has changed?" Itachi leaned forward on the kitchen table, it felt like he was flung into the future! This both excited and saddened him at the same time, it was a confusing mix.
"Other than that, I mean..." Sakura laughed as the two of them had been sitting at her kitchen table talking for hours. She pulled a cold bottle of beer to her lips, "...I don't know what else to say."
"Wow...I can't believe the Nine fell..." Itachi shook his head,
"I'm sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing?" Itachi chuckled, "You had to bury them."
"Yeah..."
"Carver and Raiden, are they-"
"They are good." Sakura nodded, "They are really happy inside the Leaf Village and they fit in really well." Itachi reached over and smiled taking her hand in his.
"It feels like just yesterday I seen you." Itachi said, "I am so sorry I left you like I did."
"I get it." Sakura said, "You went out the way you wanted to, and we didn't get in the way."
"Thank you for that, I know it must have been really hard."
"You have no idea." Sakura laughed. "We missed you."
"I missed you too."
"No, you haven't you said you thought you just seen me yesterday!"
"You know what I meant!" Itachi smiled, Sakura had changed that was easy to see. Her hair was longer than before, she carried more weight on her shoulders than he remembered. But damn, she was still so beautiful as she smiled in his direction, his heart fluttered seeing her grin and the way her eyes lit up made Itachi feel at home, she made him not care years were ripped away from him he was just glad to be back with her.
Itachi looked at the bottle in his hand, he died by Sasuke's hand. He felt he had paid for his sins maybe now he could live his life and have a future. "Where are you going?" Itachi wondered being pulled away from his thoughts.
"I am going to change." Sakura sighed, "You can probably find some old clothes of yours or some of Carver's could fit you upstairs."
"You kept my things?"
"Shut up." Sakura walked to her bedroom, Itachi felt warm knowing through the years she kept his things, it made him feel he could maybe start a new life with...possibly her.
After a long hot shower Itachi walked downstairs, he saw Sakura sat on her couch watching TV. His eyes instantly went to her long smooth legs inside those shorts and her blue tank top was ruffled up showing a little skin.
When Itachi last seen Sakura she was a blooming seventeen year old he didn't feel right about letting himself feel things towards her but now, here she was sitting beside him as a flourished woman.
"What-" Itachi cleared his throat sitting down. "-What are you watching?"
"Zombies." Sakura smiled causing Itachi to chuckle, he looked over taking his chance while she was distracted to take in her appearance. He didn't think it was possible, but she has grown even more attractive. "Are you hungry?" Sakura asked standing picking up her empty beer bottle.
"I-I am fine." Itachi smiled as she walked past him, his neck craned around to watch her walk away. Itachi liked how firm and plump her ass looked in those shorts, Itachi thanked the heavens commercials were invented so he could get this opportunity to watch her leave the room.
"So-" Sakura said walking back into the room, "-I figured you could sleep in either Carver or Raiden's room. They have yet to come get their shit since they are living inside a different village." Sakura muttered to herself sitting back down as the show started back on the screen.
"Oh?" Itachi said, "They are going to clear out their rooms?"
"I don't really care if they do or don't, but I figured they would want their stuff." Sakura said leaning back against the couch with a bag of pretzels and a fresh beer.
"Could I take one of their rooms?" Itachi wondered.
"Why would you want to do that?" Sakura questioned, "I figured you would want to return to the Leaf Village."
"I...I don't know." Itachi said honestly.
"Hm." Sakura hummed, "I don't care, you can have a room if you want."
"Really?!" Itachi smiled,
"Yeah." Sakura shrugged. "I'm not usually around here much, I work a lot and travel around so..."
"I could come with you." Itachi grinned.
"You should probably like, I don't know recover from returning from the dead?" Sakura laughed, "I thought for sure you would want to see your brother right away."
"I will." Itachi said, "But I don't want to jump into commitments just yet." Itachi knew if he returned home there would be no leaving due to his brother most likely clinging to him. Itachi wasn't sure if he wanted to go home, or stay here inside the waterfall village.
"Oh yeah?" Sakura laughed pulling her beer to her lips, Itachi noticed something sparkling around her neck.
"What is that?" Itachi didn't know Sakura to wear jewelry.
"Huh?"
"That-" Itachi pointed to the long chain that was tucked into her tank top. She lifted the chain from her shirt and sat the end of it on his hand, Itachi's heart slammed into his stomach seeing a dazzling ring, "-a ring?"
"Yeah..." Sakura said, she took it from him and tucked it back into her tank top.
"Your engaged?!" Itachi breathed, the thought of Sakura wanting to get married with a white dress baffled him but the thought of her doing it with a man that wasn't him left him feeling unsettled.
"Was." Sakura corrected,
"Was?" Itachi breathed his chest deflated, why did that make him feel better?
"He died." Sakura explained the confusion on Itachi's face.
"I-I am so sorry." Itachi breathed,
"Yeah." She said turning back to the television screen, she was sorry too...