Nothing But the Truth

Chapter 6: Reminds You of Him

AN: Revised 6/29/13

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Nothing but the Truth

"I know that's what people say- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, you'll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him."

― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

For perhaps the first time in his life, Sasuke found himself ignoring his brother and staring at the pink-haired leaf kunoichi behind him. "Sakura?" he asked again, disregarding his brother's greeting.

Itachi raised one eyebrow at his brother and sidestepped, allowing Sakura to come into full view. Sakura pulled her hat off of her head to fully face Sasuke, jade eyes glistening with emotion as a mixture of apprehension and fear bubbled deep within her. The first time she sees Sasuke in many months, and she's with his brother.

"What are you doing with them?" Sasuke spat, utterly confused and horrified by the sight of his former teammate with his brother and his band of traitors. For a moment it struck her how utterly alike Itachi and Sasuke looked, and it nearly took her breath away. There was something so familial between them that denying their heritage would be absurd. They just looked so much alike.

"Calm down, little brother, she is a hostage," Itachi remarked coldly. He lightly and quickly grabbed Sakura's wrists, lifted them, and showed the chakra restraints on her wrists. Sasuke's eyes widened even further.

"You let her go!" he replied harshly.

"No," Itachi responded shortly, raising his eyebrow at his brother again. His demeanor was changing rapidly, and it confused Sakura. Usually Itachi was calm, stoic, and relatively monotonic. Now, his voice was laced with a deadly tenor that reminded her of their first meeting. However, she noticed the amusement that was laced within his voice, as if he was taunting his little brother with every syllable that he uttered.

"She belongs in Konoha!" the younger Uchiha exclaimed.

"As do you," Itachi replied. Sasuke's glare was fully engaged on his brother again, and he looked as if he were about to attack. Itachi stiffened, ever so slightly, in case his brother chose to attack.

Sasuke allowed an animalistic snarl to escape his lips. This certainly hadn't been in the plan; attack and kill Itachi – that was the plan. He had not anticipated his former teammate from Konoha being captured by said brother. Sasuke bit out, "Itachi..."

"Sasuke," Sakura interrupted softly. Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked back down to face the kunoichi. Sakura stepped from around his brother, and turned to him. Holding her wrists up pointedly, she nodded at the chakra restraints. "Just a little," she murmured.

Itachi complied, allowing Sakura some of her chakra. Originally, he was going to say no, but the sparkling jade eyes looked so much like Sasuke's when he'd asked his brother to train with him. Back then, Itachi hadn't thought twice about denying his little brother, but now he was truly regretful that he'd missed that time. Now, there was Sakura, with big, expressive jade eyes asking him for something.

Sakura gave him a shy smile, turned around, and walked slowly towards Sasuke. Sasuke instantly straightened as Sakura approached slowly. Sakura was trying her best to hold the tears back. This was perhaps the least confrontational meeting she'd had with Sasuke since he'd left. The two had met on other occasions where they would battle, but this was the first time she felt like she could approach him.

Pushing green chakra into her hands, she held them up for him to see, and she whispered, "Do your eyes hurt?" Sasuke's jaw went slack and his mouth parted in surprise. Sakura continued, as she got closer, "That's why I'm with your brother. I'm healing his eyes in exchange for him letting Kakashi-sensei out of captivity."