The Suspect: Sakura Of The Akatsuki

Alleged Membership

Feeling lots of pain, Sakura slowly tried to open her eyes. She was feeling too dizzy that she couldn't even know where she was. She slowly lifted her upper body and flipped her hair back to examine her surroundings. It was no use, Sakura couldn't remember having ever been to this place. She turned her head to see through the window in hopes that she'd know where she is, but it was of no help. Standing a bit closer to the window, she noticed a little letter-like rolled paper that was stuck to the glass. She immediately opened it and started reading.

~~~Sakura, are the rumours true? Are you really a member? Write back because you've been declared a missing-nin -Kakashi- ~~~

"A missing-nin? A member? What is he talking about?" Sakura wondered.

"I see you finally woke up" a voice coming from the door said.

"Itachi?" Sakura muttered.

"Are you going to keep up with this attitude every time you see me?" Itachi said.

"Every time? Like we've met before" Sakura argued.

"I see you have memory issues, don't you? Hurry up! Change into this. We're waiting outside" Itachi said.

"Wait! What? Who's waiting?" Sakura flinched as she saw Itachi leaving and ignoring her. She checked the clothes and saw the Akatsuki coat. She threw it on the floor understanding the whole plan "You must be insane thinking I'll join you".
She stomped out of the room and walked down some stairs to find herself in an open area where the Akatsuki members were gathered. She stood confidently and frowned at them.

"I see no coat on you" Pain said "Itachi! Didn't you give her hers?"

"I gave it to her but---" Itachi said but was interrupted by Sakura.

"You stop right there!" Sakura yelled "Look, if you think putting this act will make me agree with this forced membership then you'd better knock it off, I ain't falling for this"

"No one forced you to come, you came here all by yourself and sought membership" Pain explained.

"Sought huh!" Sakura chuckled "not even a simple 'ask' for membership"

"It is what it is you need to accept your fate" Pain raised his voice "besides, you have nowhere else to go, you're a missing-nin, you'll be dead meat if you show up to them"

"Look, I don't know what kind of scheme you're knitting, but I'd rather drop dead than join hands with people like you. I never sought membership, neither did am I a missing-nin"

Sakura stormed out of the place, going back to the room but was stopped by a familiar voice halfway. She recognised on the spot. How can she mistake her former teammate's voice, how can she not know Sasuke's voice.

"You never stop being annoying, don't you?" Sakura turned around to look at the handsome young man standing behind. Hearing him, she felt a burst of emotions but tried her best to keep cool and not show any sign of weakness.

"Hi scumbag! It's so not nice meeting you again" Sakura said.

"You've sure grown some attitude" Sasuke said.

"And you've sure grown some mental issues for you to work with people like these"

"What do you know, huh?" Sasuke got irritated by her words.

"I don't know, and I'm not interested in knowing anything" she stood very close to him giving him a daring look "You can rot in hell if you wish, I couldn't care less"

She couldn't care less? Even she knew she was telling the fattest lie. He was the man she loved, and he showed up suddenly after breaking her heart. With a mocking scoff she disappeared from his sight, leaving blown-away by the change of attitude.

Sakura felt like she was suffocating in the room she didn't want to stay there anymore, she wanted to breathe some fresh air but the same air as those dudes. She was trying to make her way out of the hideout when member Konan tried to force her to stay but Itachi gave her a hand sign asking Konan not to stop her, then he followed Sakura.

"How come I sought you to be a member when you actually found me in the woods and brought me here" Sakura said when she felt Itachi's presence behind her.

"Well, you seem to have missed a big part of the story. I actually helped you, but you asked me to let you join" Itachi explained.

"Is being a rascal a legacy in your family? You bastard basically knocked me off and did something to me with your weird eyes, so you can force me to join" Sakura yelled "Even you know this is insensible. I would never even think about joining you"

"Nothing like that happened, you just need to believe me" Itachi said "I can still prove it to you if you're that doubtful"

"How would you prove that?"

"How is a missing ninja declared in the hidden leaf?" Itachi asked.

"If the person declares rebellion himself"

"Then why were you declared a missing-nin?"

Sakura never wanted to trust Itachi, he's a murderer after all, and he could be lying. But what he has just said makes a lot of sense, and she was dead sure that the letter she received was from Kakashi himself. There are these tiny details about his handwritings that she knows and even if Itachi tries to copy it with his sharingan he wouldn't know these details.

"How did I?" Sakura asked "Why can I not remember?"

"I think I should ask you that" Itachi shrugged.

"Did you see the letter?" Sakura asked him.

"Yes, I found it at the main entrance and I stuck it to the window in your room" Itachi explained.

"So this is how things work?" Sakura whispered "For a while, I can allow myself to believe that you're not actually behind the massacre of your clan".

Those words, even said innocently by Sakura brought a storm to Itachi's heart. That was the first time he got emotional since the massacre. There's finally someone who could understand his pain, even if she knows nothing about the truth.