Kiss The Rain

A/N: Thanks guys, for the great reviews. I do have to put this warning in my notes and it will carry out for the rest of the fic. There is a spoiler or two in here. So, there you have it and have been warned.

Please enjoy and review. They simply make me giddy.

*Poket is keeping me straight. Thanks for the good eyes, and I went in and edited.*

~!~

Sakura wandered through the village, and despite the sunny weather, and the laughter of the villagers around her, she simply didn't have it within her to feel cheerful.

Of course, if she had been able to go back to sleep the previous night, things might have been better, but when she tried to close her eyes and fall back asleep, all she could see was the face of a man who clearly loved his little brother, and all she could hear were those false words falling from his lips, in order to protect the only family he had left.

She looked up to see the hokage tower looming over the village, and then sighed. Perhaps she could ask her sensei about the mangekyo, and figure out exactly had happened to make Itachi release her.

When she finally stood in front of her beloved sensei, the woman looked almost as haggard as she did, except Tsunade's appearance was more than likely the result of a night of drinking sake.

Once the hokage had swallowed the aspirin that Shizune had brought, she looked at Sakura and bluntly said, “You look like hell.”

“Thank you.” Sakura replied, too tired to come up with a comeback. “I have a question, and I am hoping that you can answer it.”

Once her sensei nodded, Sakura asked, “What do you know about the mangekyo sharingan?”

The blond sannin nearly spit her water out and onto her desk, but managed to swallow and asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“When we met up with Itachi, he used it on me, but ended up breaking his hold.” Sakura explained, her eyes straying down to the desk. “I just want to know more about it, just in case he and I meet up again.”

Tsunade studied her young apprentice carefully, but then sighed. “To be honest, I don't really have a clue as to how it works.” She said, shrugging. “There are theories about it, but so far, there have only been two people who have gained that ability. Itachi is one of them.”


“Who was the other?” Sakura asked, her green eyes now trained on her mentor.

Tsunade sat back in her chair and allow her lips to form into a very thin line. “The other was a man whom my grandfather fought in a bid to lead this village. It was out of that battle that my grandfather became the first hokage.” She said, proudly.

Sakura's eyes traveled over to the five framed picture of the hokages and she smiled at the handsome picture of the first.

“Sakura, let's be honest, hm?” Tsunade said, leaning forward. “Why the sudden interest? Everyone knows that the mangekyo sharingan is a terrifying weapon, and neither of the masters of that technique have any qualms about using it for their own advantage. Of course, the first man is long dead, but know this, if you cross paths with Itachi again, I seriously doubt that he would release you a second time.”

Sakura's cheeks tinted with a soft pink, and when a hand fell onto her shoulder, she jumped.

“But, if you are really that interested in the sharingan, then I would suggest that you speak with Kakashi about it.” Tsunade murmured, thoughtfully. “He might be able to tell you more about it, seeing as he is a sharingan wielder, as well.”

Sakura nodded, and stood up. She walked to the door, but then stopped. Turning, she looked at her sensei and softly asked, “I know that it is asking a lot, but is there any way that I may see Itachi's file?”

Tsunade's eyebrows lifted and she crossed her arms over her busty chest. “Sakura, you know that those files are restricted.” She explained. But, then a naughty smirked formed on her lips and she leaned towards her student. “However, the file might be on my desk around six o'clock, and since you have just kindly volunteered to finish up the files for the upcoming chunnin exam, you might run across it. Just don't tell Shizune that I've decided to take the night off. Deal?”

Sakura gave her sensei a large grin, and nodded. Despite everything, her sensei was one of a kind. Thankfully, that kind seemed to be lazy and alcoholic.

She left the office and decided to go and look for Kakashi. Perhaps he could shed some light on the mangekyo sharingan.

~!~

Naruto and Sasuke fell to the ground, both trying desperately to catch their breaths. Sai stood a few feet away, looking bored. When he finally caught his breath, Naruto snapped, “Is this what we are going to do for the entire time? I thought that we were supposed to be training.”

“But, this is training, Naruto.” Kakashi said, his eyes never leaving the page of his book. “This of this as an exercise in endurance.”

“Endurance, my ass.” Naruto snapped, and stood up. “If you wanted to read, instead of train, you should have said so.”

The older ninja's eyes turned towards the blonde, but then darted across the field, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw Sakura running towards them. Maybe Naruto's attention would be directed over to his friend, and he could read in peace.

When she slid to a stop before the four men, she gave them a smile and said, “Hi.”

Naruto gave her his biggest grin. Sasuke simply gave her a nod, and then turned his eyes towards the woods. Sai gave her one of his creepy stares, but then broke out into a smile that totally freaked her out. Kakashi gave her an eye crinkle, and then said, “Well, now that Sakura is here, it's time to spar.”

Before anyone could say a word, Sasuke and Naruto both jumped up and pointed at each other. “You're mine!” Both men snapped, and glared at each other in a silent challenge.

Sakura sighed, but then allowed her eyes to rest on her former sensei. She glanced over at Sai, but found the artist watching the other two men, and she moved over to sit next to the older man.

“Um, Kakashi-sensei?” She asked, her bright green eyes staring up at him. Kakashi sighed and put his book down. Was it asking too much to be allowed to read in peace?

“Sakura, how many times do I have to tell you that I am no longer your sensei. You may call me 'Kakashi.'” He said, and then reached over to ruffle her hair.

Taking in a deep breath, and pushing back all of the urges to shove his hand off of her head, she softly asked, “What do you know about the mangekyo sharingan?”

Suddenly, the entire field went quiet, and Sakura was stunned to find Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai staring at her, along with Kakashi. She fidgeted for a few moments, uncomfortable with their attention, but then turned her eyes towards Kakashi.

The older ninja simply didn't know what to say. Sure, he knew that the mangekyo sharingan was a mentally debilitating weapon, and he knew that fact, first hand. After all, he had been a victim of Uchiha Itachi's sharingan, once before.

He cleared his throat and put his book away. “Sakura, I don't think that you should dwell upon the sharingan too much.” He murmured. “All you need to know about the mangekyo is that it is a weapon that messes with the mind. I'm just surprised that you managed to break his hold over you, and you should consider yourself lucky that it has not scarred you.”

Sakura mumbled something, and despite his good hearing, he didn't catch her words. He watched as the other three men moved closer, and saw that Sasuke was now wearing a scowl on his face. It was clear that despite everything, he was also curious as to how Sakura managed to fight off the mangekyo.

“I'm sorry, Sakura.” He said, his eye never leaving her face. “I'm afraid that I didn't catch what you said.”

Sakura bit her lip and then took in a deep breath. “I said, that I didn't break free of it.” She repeated. “He let me go.”

She could see the stunned looks upon Naruto and Sasuke's faces, while Sai seemed to be deep in thought. Kakashi, however, narrowed his eyes at the young woman.

“What do you mean 'he let you go'?” Kakashi demanded, his tone serious. “Sakura, Itachi doesn't let people go from his mangekyo. I can tell you that he would not have used the technique on you if he was just going to let you go only seconds after he performed it.”

Sakura's eyes fell to the grass beside her and she shrugged one bare shoulder. “All I know is that he didn't hurt me, and when he let me go, he walked away calmly and called for his partner.” She explained, her tone quiet.

“What did you see when he placed you in the mangekyo?” Sasuke asked, his face hard. “Don't lie to us, Sakura, and say that you didn't see anything. I saw his face, and whatever it is that you did, he was shocked. Now, what did you see?”

Sakura bit her lip. How could she tell him that what she had seen, was different from what he had grown up believing? How could she explain to him that from what she had witnessed, Itachi had been set up and forced to leave his younger brother? How could she tell Sasuke that his defection from their village had been in vain, and that his brother was not the monster that he thought.

Lifting her fingers to her temples, she sighed and quietly said, “All I saw was red, and I heard some voices, but I wasn't in long enough to really understand what they were saying.”

Kakashi frowned. Something was not adding up, but from the look on her face, she was telling the truth, but he could not help but wonder if she were omitting something. He looked up and saw that Sasuke's hands were now clenched tightly into fists. Clearly, he wasn't satisfied with Sakura's answer, and he wanted more.

“That's it?” Sasuke demanded, angrily. “That's all you saw?”

“Knock it off, bastard.” Naruto snapped, as he moved to kneel beside Sakura. “She doesn't need to hear this now.”

Sasuke gritted his teeth, and ran his fingers through his hair. He paced back and forth for several minutes and then glared down at Sakura. He gave a frustrated grunt and then snapped, “He probably realized that she was a waste of his time and got bored.”

Naruto was about to stand up and defend her honor, but Sakura stopped him, and shook her head. “It's alright.” She said, staring at Sasuke. His scowl deepened and he snapped, “What?” He could see that she wasn't angry over his statement, and that bothered him.

“It's nothing.” Sakura murmured, and stood up. She watched as both Naruto and Kakashi stood, as well, and then said, “Well, I've got to go home and get ready for tonight. I'm helping Tsunade-sensei, and I can't be late.”

She gave a weak wave to the men and then disappeared in a flurry of sakura petals, leaving three bewildered men and one fuming man, behind. Once she was gone, Naruto's smile left his lips and he rounded on Sasuke.

“Ok, asshole.” He demanded, angrily. “What in the hell was all that about?”

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He knew that his brother was vicious, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why Itachi would have simply released Sakura from his hold. Why would that murdering bastard allow her to simply walk away without torturing her in that hellish world?

He turned his back on his oldest friend and began to walk away, his mind simply refusing to allow him to accept that Itachi would have shown mercy to Sakura, when he brutally thrust his own brother into the memories of that night, so long ago.

Why would Itachi simply walk away, when he could have destroyed Sakura so easily?

~!~

He should have just killed her, and put her out of her misery. He knew that he had made a serious mistake by letting her live, and now, he was sure that he was going to pay for it. However, as much as he wanted to continue to berate himself for his carelessness, he had other matters to deal with.

“And, that is what happened.” Kisame said, his head bowed as he gave their report to their leader. When he was finished, he stood up to his full height, and stepped backwards, until he stood beside Itachi, once more.

Together, they waited for their leader's decision.

The man before them glared at them, and then shook his head. “And, what about the girl? What happened to her?” He asked, his tone deceptively calm.

“She has returned to Konoha, and has probably told her superiors of our encounter.” Itachi replied, his own tone calm.

“I see.” The leader known as Pein, said. He leaned back in his chair and thought for several moments, before allowing his gaze to wander over the other Akatsuki members that were in attendance. “So, now we know that there is, at least, one individual who can break the mangekyo sharingan's hold. Tell me, Itachi. Doesn't it bother you that this girl was able to break free from your beloved technique? After all, you did sacrifice so much for it, didn't you?”

Itachi did not reply. It was true that he had sacrificed, but not in the way that people thought. His sacrifice cost him more than he had ever imagined it would. It was a price that he was still paying.

Pein smirked and then nodded. “I will make my final decision, concerning the two of you and your failure, after I have had some time to think about these recent events.” He said, his tone leaving no room for arguments. “Leave me.”

The room emptied quickly and grew quiet, and he waited for several minutes before asking, “Is it really possible? Did this girl truly break free of the mangekyo sharingan?”

“I do not know.” Came the soft reply. Pein's eyes moved over to the wall, where he knew the man was standing. “It would seem that Konoha are turning out some very strong ninja. I am curious as to see this girl, for myself. I wonder what she saw and why Itachi was not able to keep her contained. It is very curious.”

Pein nodded and stood up. He watched as the figure on the wall began to blend in with the shadows and bowed when the man said, “Bring her to us. Let us see for ourselves just how powerful she really is. If it turns out that she can defeat the mangekyo, then perhaps we need to think about eliminating her before she can teach others how to break free.”

“What of Itachi and Kisame?” Pein asked, his eyes narrowing. “They did fail, after all.”

The man chuckled. “I leave them to your discretion.” He replied, and then faded into the shadows, leaving Pein behind, smiling.

Turning on his heel, he walked to the door and left the room, intent on explaining to both Kisame and Itachi that failure was not an option, especially in the Akatsuki.

~!~

Sakura blinked and shook her head, as sleep attempted to overcome her. However, now that all of the files were completed for the upcoming exam, she could turn her attention to Itachi's file.

It amazed her at just how thick his file was. The man was nothing short of a legend, and from what his records from his days at the academy stated, she seriously doubted that there was anyone alive who could actually surpass him, mentally.

His files stated that he was a genius, and that his time as a chunnin was short because the village elders felt that Itachi would be of more use to them as a member of ANBU. Thus, began his career in the dark world of assassinations and intelligence.

He excelled in ANBU, quickly making captain at the age of thirteen. From what she read from his superiors, he was a model soldier, and he was committed to serving Konoha.

However, she froze when she saw a charge of murder against him. From what she read, a cousin of Itachi and Sasuke's, Uchiha Shisui, was found floating in the river, dead. Three members of the Uchiha police force went to Itachi and basically accused Itachi of murdering his friend and cousin.

Of course, Itachi denied the charge, but then attacked the three men, only stopping when his younger brother called out to him, and it was then that he fell to his knees, and begged the men to forgive him for his attack.

However, he maintained his innocence, and the charge was dropped for lack of evidence. The investigator clearly believed that Itachi had something to do with his cousin's death, but he made the note that despite the charges being dropped, he still felt that Itachi had murdered the young man.

Sakura's eyes widened when she saw that the investigator was none other than Hatake Kakashi. While it didn't surprise her that Kakashi had been in ANBU, she was shocked to learn that he had been one of their investigators.

Shaking her head, she continued to read, and nearly gasped at what she found. Within his file, was an account of the Uchiha clan massacre. She read the statement that Sasuke had given, and even though he had been a little boy, his recount of the encounter with his brother had been very detailed.

Even at that age, Sasuke was blunt and to the point.

What the report didn't state was Itachi's appearance. When she had seen him, in that nightmare world, his clothing and sword were clean. There was no blood upon him. If he had committed the crimes, then he would have been covered in blood.

However, she could also remember that she had seen a small glimpse of the other man, who had been in the room with Itachi, and unlike Itachi, he was covered in blood.

Now she knew. Uchiha Itachi had been set up, and whomever that man was, he did one hell of a job.

She slowly closed the file and stood up. Moving over to the window, she stared out into the night and then felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks.

Why was this happening to her? Why had he shown her that sad night? Was it to torment her, knowing that she cared deeply for his younger brother? Or, was it his way of reaching out, asking for help?

She didn't know what to do. If she went to Sasuke, he would probably hate her for the rest of her life because he would see it as her defending Itachi.

She could not go to Kakashi, simply because he still held a grudge towards the elder Uchiha for his own imprisonment within the mangekyo.

She wouldn't go to Naruto, mainly because he knew the pain that Sasuke felt, and despite them being rivals, he would be in total support of Sasuke, and would probably chew her out for stirring up trouble.

As for Sai, well, she wasn't even going to go there.

Frowning, she turned her eyes back to the file and stared at the picture that adorned the front of the file. She would admit it. Uchiha Itachi was handsome. No, Sasuke was handsome. Itachi was beyond handsome.

Carefully, she lifted the file and stared at the picture.

“Why can't I get you out of my mind? Why do you and your sad eyes haunt me?” She whispered, her fingertips running over the black and white photo.

She placed the file back on the desk and moved towards the door and turned out the light. Glancing back over her shoulder, she softly said, “Good night, Itachi.”

~!~

Itachi's eyes opened and he glanced over at his partner, who was still quite pale. It was odd to see the blue-skinned man so shaken, but after what their leader had said to them, he supposed that anyone would be scared.

He, on the other hand, simply didn't care. Dying by his leader's hand, or his little brother's hand, it didn't matter. All he knew was that once he died, the emptiness that filled him would be gone, and he could finally rest.

“So, how are we going to do this?” Kisame asked, his tone sharp. “I am not going through anything like this again, so we had better not fuck up.”

Itachi inclined his head, and then looked up at the sky. “The girl will come to us.” He said, his tone calm.

Snorting, Kisame turned his head and stared at his partner, skeptically. “Really? And, what makes you say that?” He asked, curious.

Itachi closed his eyes and said, “She now has a reason to seek me out. All we need to do is be ready when she finally comes looking for me.”

The shark ninja lifted his brow, but didn't say a word. He turned and quickly grabbed up his pack, and then grabbed up his cloak. His quiet partner mirrored his actions and together, they faded into the night.

The only thing that they left behind was the sound of tinkling bells.

~!~

“It's just the two of us.” Itachi said, his eyes lighting up in a smile, as he gazed down at his younger brother. “I'll always be here, like a wall you need to climb over. Even if it means being hated...that's what big brothers are for.”

Sasuke stared up at his older brother for a moment, but then grinned.

The endearing scene faded, and another image appeared. Sasuke stood and watched as his father and brother drew closer to each other. And, as he watched, both men passed by the other, neither speaking a word, ignoring each other.

It confused Sasuke, but when he saw his father looking down at him, he smiled shyly and said, “Good morning, father.”

Neither Sasuke or their father knew it, but when the elder Uchiha showed Sasuke the hand signals for the fireball jutsu, he had been watching them. Finally, their father's focus was on Sasuke, as it should be.

However, he saw their father shake his head in disappointment when the fireball that Sasuke produced was less than acceptable. But, Sasuke was determined to show their father that he was just as good as his older brother, and it was with great pride when he watched Sasuke, once again, stand before their father and this time, his fireball rivaled those that he, Itachi, could produce.

He watched as his father turned, and could see Sasuke hang his head, clearly thinking that he had done something wrong. But, the small boy's head snapped up when he heard his father's words.

“That's my boy.”

A small smile crossed his lips as his younger brother's face lit up, but his smile faded a bit when he heard his father's warning to Sasuke.

“Don't follow your brother, anymore.” Their father said, his tone serious.

Suddenly, he realized that what his father said, held merit. He knew that with everything that had happened with Shisui, the same could happen to Sasuke. He couldn't go to his father and tell him what he suspected, nor could he explain the events surrounding Shisui's death.

While he had not committed the act against his friend that had put Shisui at death's door, he had been the one to push him through it, though it was at Shisui's insistence.

“Gain the weapon, Itachi.” Shisui had said, his voice weak. “Do it now before you loose your chance. Stop him, before it's too late.”

But, by the time he had formed a plan in his mind as to bring the man down, it was too late.

He was too late.

~!~

Sakura's eyes opened and she bolted up, and hit her head against the wall she had been sitting against. She looked around wildly, and then slumped against the wall, her body shaking as she tried to push the images out of her head.

However, she simply could not make the words disappear. Instead, they echoed in her mind, and she sighed as her eyes turned towards the window.

For what had to be the hundredth time, she wondered, 'Why me?'