Yes, a new story again. Just can't help it! Blame my muzes!

Sakura might be OOC in this chapter, but I'll promise to make it up in chapter 2.

Chapter 1:

Locked away. Yes, he had been locked away. For how long? How long was it again?

Eight days, yes... eight long days, without any daylight, proper food, without any training, without any complaints of his (former)… partner; Kisame.

He had been caught, the great Itachi, the prodigy, the one and only cause of the Uchiha-massacre had been caught by Konoha's ninjas. It had been rather unfair, because he had been badly injured already when they found him and his bad-eyesight didn't help preventing it either. No, those young nins were just lucky that day. Dumb luck, he called it. He had been caught by the kyuubi jinchuuriki, a guy named Rock Lee, a male Hyuga, and a guy he did not know, a certain Nara, the leader of their small squad.

Yes, they had just been very lucky, he decided. However, knowing that fact could not help him now.

No, he had been caught already now. His cloak and shirt being ripped off of him, leaving him bare chested and chained to the wall. His arms are spread in an uncomfortable position, with the iron rings of the chains biting his skin. His knees rest on the hard and cold ground. Blood is pouring out of the fresh wounds on his naked back and shoulders. And cold sweat slowly drips down his temples, while he grits his teeth.

Even though his body was in this horrible state, worn, tired, wounded and already underfed, his eyes are closed and he had been able to remain calm.

Yes, he can shut out pain, that's why Ibiki wasn't done with him yet. He had turned off pain, that way he was able to keep his mind clear. He could do that, he could shut out pain. This Uchiha wasn't called a prodigy for nothing, you know.

He had been tortured several times, never betraying his organization, never being a traitor to Akatsuki. He could stand it, he could stand it all. Never did he lose his mind in pain. He had been thinking, about many things. About the thing that actually got him here.

Oh yes, he remembers… It was for killing his own clan. Slaying every member of it. Stabbing even his own parents to death, leaving only his little brother behind.

''Sasuke…'' he whispers.

Ironically enough, he wonders what ever became of him. He heard Sasuke left Konoha, to gain power from that snake-freak Orochimaru. And three years later, another rumour reached Akatsuki's Headquarters. It seemed that his foolish little brother had killed Orochimaru and their former spy Kabuto. He had returned to Konoha and that was the last thing he ever heard of the other Uchiha. Not that he was utterly interested in his foolish little brother.

Itachi hears footsteps, and of course he immediately knows what that means... Interrogation.

That is the only reason why anyone visits him anyway. He has been cut off from any for of society for more than a week now. The heavy door opens, the hinges crack loudly. Ibiki's silhouette appears in the doorframe. The bright daylight blinds the prisoner. Ibiki walks over to Itachi, his heavy boots making his footsteps echo loud in the interrogation-dungeon in which Itachi is locked.

Ibiki pulls Itachi's head up by his hair, forcing the Uchiha's black gaze to fix on his own. Yes, they had been injecting him with a drug everyday. A drug which made him uncapable of using any chakra. In his first day of prison, he realized that with them drugging him every day, he lost his ability to activate his highly respected Sharingan and thus the Mangekyou Sharingan.

His unfocused black eyes look into Ibiki's as the heavy voice of the interrogater speaks. ''They have given me two more days to interrogate you. If you won't spill anything... You'll be executed, since you're of no further use to us.''

The weak prisoner does not respond, he just stares at the scarred man. ''That's why I'm giving you a special treatment in these two days.'' his face darkens, his eyes almost penetrate Itachi's. His hand still clutches Itachi's hair in a strong grip.

''When I leave this room, two other men will take my place, and they will do whatever I order them to.'' he now whispers. ''Are you sure you're not telling me anything now?'' He releases his grip on the man's hair and takes a step back, watching the Uchiha's head drop. However, the Akatsuki member still and always remains quiet.

''Then it's settled.'' he quietly says. ''We meet again tomorrow, perhaps you find yourself able to talk then. If not... I'll send them in again.''

He hears more footsteps enter the room, followed by Ibiki's whispering: ''Break some bones, but don't go too far... Save some for the next time.''

Itachi closes his eyes as Ibiki's footsteps die away and the hinges of the heavy door crack loudly again, the daylight being broken. Covering Itachi in darkness for the umpteenth time.

This time... when the two men torture him, he is not able to remain quiet. Icy screams leave his throat as bones are being broken, muscles being ripped and flesh is being bruises. Pain runs through all his veins as his weakened body is being tortured for an answer. He screams and after some time, which takes far too long, he passes out.

When he awakes from darkness, his chains are loose. He is lying on the cold floor, but he feels something warm on his stomach. Itachi tries to sit up, but finds himself unable, completely drugged... That's when he slightly starts to panic. His senbon-pierced hands are wrapped in tight bandages he notices when he tries to clench his fists. His breath speeds up, but suddenly he calms down when he hears a soft feminine voice speak.

''Two broken ribs, sprained ankle, wound on the head, multiple stabs in upperleg, shoulder and neck.''

His head moves up to watch the person that's speaking. The room is very dark, only enlightened by the light coming from the half closed door and from a green glow. The green glow is coming from the medic's hands, the source of warmth he feels on his stomach. He doesn't really focus on what she is saying, but her voice seems to calm him down.

With a slightly blurred vision, he sees the medic healing his probably broken ribs and naming his injuries. Behind her stands a brown haired assistent, writing down what the girl is saying. His eyes focus on the medic again. Pink hair, green eyes... Yes, the female team-member of the kyuubi jinchuuriki, he recalls. He lets his head fall back again and tries to moisten his dry lips.

''Bring me some more bandages please, also... some water for the patient.''

His eyes shoot up and see the medic looking at him. A strange expression is on her face. Is it pity, digsust, worry, anger? He cannot tell. Maybe the expression contains it all. He looks away from her.

''Are you in pain?'' she asks with the same soft and calm voice. He slowly shakes his head

''Good.''

He forgets about the medic for a moment and realizes that he has still one and a half day of torture... In an hour, Ibiki will probably visit him again, and start the interrogating again when he is ''healthy'' enough. But Itachi is not planning on giving away anything. That means more torture... at least things will be over soon.

''Why won't you speak...'' a soft voice pulls him out of his thoughts. His half lidded black eyes watch the girl again, kneeling next to his body, working on his shoulder. For a second, their eyes meet, but hers soon fix on his wound again.

''You would save yourself a lot of pain...'' she whispers.

He decides not to answer and she decides not to ask any further. While the pink haired medic still works on his torn body, the assistent comes in again. She hands Sakura some more bandages and places a water bottle next to the Uchiha's arm. The silent healing continues like this for another forty minutes.

Sakura helps the prisoner sit up and hands him his water bottle. With a still drugged head, Itachi lets the cool liquid sooth his sour throat, he closes his eyes at the sensation.

Suddenly he feels a wet cloth rubbing his forehead. Itachi's dark eyes open immediately. He watches her, rubbing the dried blood off his forehead, her lips slightly parted and a concentrated look on her face. He looks down at his bandaged hand, holding the water bottle.

How disgusted he suddenly feels. He had worked so hard for all that power, for all that freedom. And now... they've taken it away from him. They've taken it all away. They took away his power by drugging him, his Sharingan! They took away his freedom by prisoning him. He is disgusted by himself... how pitifull. He watches his legs and realizes how weak his body has become. Underfed, worn, tired, injured. Lack of sleep causes the lines under his eyes to stand out even more. He sighs deeply, hopeless.

So pitifull.

This is the first time he feels desperate actually, he realizes. He cannot escape without any help. He cannot survive this time without any help. He will be executed. Desperation suddenly squeezes his heart painfully.

''There...'' she whispers smoothly as she retreats her hands and watches his clean skin. Again, her voice seems to take the worry off his heart. The sound of someone talking to him calms him down. No one has talked to him for days, nobody has looked at him. Nobody has even taken care of him... for so long. This girl was taking care of him now and, probably without her knowing, comforting him slightly.

''Thank you.'' he speaks quietly with a raw voice. She looks him in the eyes and gives him a soft smile. She probably doesn't know that he wasn't thanking her for just cleaning his forehead. After that, he has to stand, while she chains him to the wall again. Carefully, she locks the iron rings around his thin wrists. Positioning him in a very uncomfortable way again, especially with his barely healed shoulder. When she walks to the door she sends him one last look, before Ibiki takes her place.

As Ibiki closes the door again, Itachi realizes that the look on the girl's face meant:

Guilt.

Hope you liked it.

In about six days I'm going to China (!) , so I'll probably upload chapter 2 in one of these days.

Review please!