Kiss The Rain

A/N: I've gone around and around with this chapter and I hope that it came out all right. I'm currently working on the next chapter, and while some of you might be wondering why Sakura is so docile, that will be explained in the next chapter, so don't freak out on me.

Thanks to everyone who has read and review. I'm glad that you are enjoying the fic.

~!~

He watched as she begged him to stay. He felt his shoulders tense up when he heard her say, “I know that you hate me.”

Hate her? No, he didn’t hate her. He had to move away from her, to protect her from himself.

He watched as she closed her eyes, and slumped into his arms, and watched as she was placed onto the cold stone bench. Then, his younger brother turned and without a backwards glance left the leaf village, and began his life as Orochimaru’s puppet.

He walked over to the bench and looked down. Her eyes were open and her tears fell onto the cold stone beneath her. He lifted his hand and was about to place it on top of her head, but stopped when she quietly asked, “He isn’t coming back, is he?”

“One day, he will return.” He replied.

Slowly, she sat up and said, “I tried to stop him, but he only lives for the day that he kills you.”

What could he say? He knew exactly why Sasuke went to Orochimaru. But, Sasuke didn’t understand that it wasn’t his elder brother that he needed to be worried about. He needed to be worried about that sadistic monster named Uchiha Madara.

“He will come back and you will see that he will be fine.” He said, his hand running through her hair while his eyes looked in the direction that his brother had taken.

She shook her head. “It’s all going to be different.” She said. “Things have already changed.”

He turned to look at her, and found himself looking at the same small girl he had met all those years ago. Her innocence had charmed him, her eyes had made him smile, and most of all, her need to be accepted made him want to protect her.

But, could he protect her from himself?

~!~

His eyes opened and he found himself staring at the night sky. His eyes narrowed as a strange feeling enveloped his chest, and he wondered how much longer he would have to deal with it. Sitting up, his eyes wandered over the resting forms of his companions, and he had the sudden urge to go and seek out Sakura, once more.

But, he needed to figure out a way to prevent her from breaking out of his mangekyo. Even if she had not tried, she broke it without breaking a sweat, and despite passing out from the exertion, and never mind the fact that it took her even less time than before to break it, she had done it, and this time, he had made sure to concentrate on her fully, studying her in great detail.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the cliff, and peered down at the village. Even now, they were completely unaware of the world around them. He was positive that the kazekage had not informed Sakura’s friends or the hokage of what actually transpired, but he could no longer take the chance that she would not simply break and tell them, herself.

And so, he had to come up with an idea of how to get the girl alone so that he could remove her from the village. He knew that if he were to simply go into the village, and take her, the leaf ninja would know exactly who had taken her, and would come running straight for the Akatsuki.

No, he needed to think of a way to remove her, without alerting anyone that she was being stalked. It was thanks to Deidara’s little spy that they had learned that the kazekage and his siblings were returning to Suna in a day or two, so that would give him enough time to come up with a suitable plan to retrieve Sakura. Perhaps that little bird of Deidara’s could provide yet another use.

~!~

Yawning, Sakura opened her eyes and blinked. She was in her bedroom, and still fully dressed. Frowning, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Opening her bedroom door, she crept into the living room to find Gaara sitting on her couch, flipping through the channels of her television.

He turned to look at her, and lifted his eyebrow. “You were asleep when I arrived, so I moved you into your bedroom.” He stated, and then turned his attention back to the television screen. When he didn’t say anything else, she sighed and walked into her kitchen, eager to make herself some of the tea her mother had bought her for headache relief.

Never before had she slept so hard. Not that she didn’t need it, of course, but after the past several weeks, her body had welcomed the rest and she was more than happy to accept it. But, when the memory of just who had caused her to fall asleep resurfaced, she gasped and dropped the cup from her hand, the glass shattering all around her.

Gaara appeared at the entrance of her kitchen and took in her pale features. Without a word, he moved forward and gently lifted her up and moved her out of the kitchen and away from the broken glass. Sitting her down on a chair, he straightened and crossed his arms.

“The Uchiha was here.” He stated, his eyes narrowing.

“I-I don’t understand why he is doing this.” She said, her hands twisting in her laps. “Why can’t he leave me alone? I don’t care what happened with his family, and I don’t care if he thinks that he is doing the right thing by forcing Sasuke to become stronger. I just don’t care, anymore!”

“So, Uchiha Itachi paid you a visit, as well.” Gaara said, his head cocking to the side as he looked the girl before him over with a critical eye. “Yet, he did not harm you.”

Now Sakura was confused. “Of course Itachi was here. You just said so yourself. Is it the Shukaku’s sense of smell that helped you detect him?” She asked, curious.

Gaara allowed a slight lifting of his lip, but then shook his head. “I was referring to the younger Uchiha. However, I was able to detect a slight scent, but not enough to be completely sure.” He clarified. “Naruto and I have both decided not to use our demons’ abilities unless absolutely necessary. I have learned to shove Shukaku far back into my mind, thus allowing me to live a some-what normal life.”

Frowning, Sakura muttered, “What did Sasuke want?”

“He wanted you to tell him everything that you know.” Gaara replied, and sat down beside her. “I told him to quit being a hypocrite. He left unsatisfied.”

Giving him a grateful smile, she sighed and asked, “Am I wrong to keep this from them? Should I just tell them everything, and maybe if I do, then this will all be resolved.”

Gaara’s eyes narrowed, but he then shook his head. “I cannot tell you that you are wrong.” He said. “However, I do believe that Uchiha Itachi has developed an interest in you, and that could prove to be dangerous.”

“Great.” Sakura mumbled, and then let her head fall to the table. It never could be easy for her, could it?

~!~

Three days passed and Sakura watched as Gaara and his siblings walked away. But, before he left, he extended an invitation to her and said that if she needed a place to go, she was welcomed in Suna, and he would house her within his own private quarters.

Of course, that statement earned her a few curious looks, and an elbow in the ribs from Ino. When he was finally gone, Ino crossed her arms and waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“So, do you want to share with us why the esteemed kazekage has invited you to Suna, and let’s also discuss why he would extend the invitation to share his personal quarters.” Ino said, her blue eyes lighting up gaily, and then darting over to Sasuke, who stood a few feet away, glaring at the ground.

Sakura took in a deep breath and then shook her head. “He was just offering me a room in his home, Ino. You know that Gaara is a bit blunt when he speaks, so his invitation came out a little wrong.” She said, praying that her voice didn’t sound as weak as she thought it did. “As for me going to Suna, well, we were talking about how the hospital needs a few changes and he invited me to come and overlook them. It is really nothing to get excited about.”

Tenten smiled. “I don’t know about that, Sakura.” She said, her brown eyes twinkling. “With as much time as the two of you spent together, people are going around saying that you and Gaara are an item. If you are, it’s a good thing, but you have to admit, spending so much time, alone in your apartment, with such a handsome man is certainly fodder for the rumor mill.”

Hinata blushed and took in a deep breath. “W-we are g-going out to-tonight, Sakura.” She whispered, her pale eyes lowering to the floor. “W-will you come?”

Smiling, she nodded and Ino let out a loud whoop. “Tonight is ladies night, so that means no boys allowed.” She declared, and blew a kiss over at Shikamaru, who sighed and muttered that girls were ‘troublesome’. He tilted his head back and proceeded to watch the birds that were flying over head.

Naruto, who was still trying to get back into Sakura’s good graces, wrapped his arm around Hinata, and smiled when her face blushed a pretty pink. “Have a good time, tonight. We’re going over to the Uchiha brat’s house, so if you need me, I’ll be there.” He said, and leaned over to kiss his precious Hinata’s cheek.

Neji stepped forward and yanked the kyuubi container away from his cousin. “Let’s get this over with.” He mumbled, clearly unhappy about having to join in whatever the Uchiha had planned.

The boys disappeared, and the girls glanced at one another. “Ok,” Ino said, her tone bossy. “We’re going back to my place to get ready. Tonight, we party.”

~!~

Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she sought out her table in the crowd of people. She could not believe that so many individuals could fit into such a tiny club, but she was wrong.

As she moved around the dancers, she gritted her teeth as people bumped into her, and when she finally arrived at the table, she gave Ino a glare.

“What in the hell made you pick this place?” She demanded as she sat down beside Hinata. Ino simply waved her hands around and said, “This place is the hottest club in this village, and best of all, it is a civilian club. Here we can have as much fun as we want and don’t have to face anyone we work with the next day, now you and Hinata lighten up and have a drink.”

Sighing, Sakura nodded and lifted the glass to her lips. This was going to be a long night.

~!~

Ino caught sight of the men first. Her eyes widened and then narrowed as the men moved towards the dance floor, and she smiled.

“Ladies, I do believe that we have found our companions for the night.” She drawled. Standing quickly, and then grabbing the table for support, Ino tottered her way over to the small group of men and began to talk to them.

Sakura, who was feeling very warm, smiled and then poked at Hinata, who turned to look at her with glassy eyes. “You ok?” She asked, and watched as Hinata nodded.

“I’m not allowed to drink.” Hinata explained and then took another drink from her glass. “Father and Neji don’t approve and say that it isn’t ladylike. They would die if they saw how I was dressed.”

Sakura could completely understand wheat Hinata was saying. Ino had convinced them, and even fought Tenten over the issue, to wear short skirts, low cut tops, and high heels, while telling them that they were women and they were going to flaunt it. All she wanted to do was kick off the heels and soak her poor, sore feet.

Tenten lifted her head from the table and shook her head. “That’s funny,” She slurred. “I can remember Neji buying drinks for a couple of girls on a few of our missions. Of course, he wanted to fuck them and I don’t think that he gave a damn about how they were dressed, either.”

The girls giggled, but shut up with Ino reappeared. “Ok, ladies.” She said, and then broke out into a fit of giggles. “They are going to come over, so don’t make assholes out of yourselves.”

Sakura smirked, but then turned when a shadow fell over her, and found herself staring at a jeans covered crotch. Inner Sakura giggled and said, ‘Well, hello there.’

Looking up, she squinted and then sighed. Damn it, she should not have had that last drink. All she could see were blurs.

She was gently nudged over, and when all three men were seated, Ino chirped, “Now, isn’t this cozy?”

She could see that the man before her had blonde hair and was currently whispering to Tenten, who was blushing. Another man, quite possibly the largest man she had ever seen, save for that Zazuba guy, was sitting between Ino and Hinata, and she was sitting next to a guy with dark hair.

'And a really nice crotch.' Inner Sakura dreamily chimed in.

At first, no one said a word, but then Ino said, “Drinks. We need drinks.”

The dark haired guy gave a nod, and then stood up. Without a word, he walked to the bar, and ordered a round of drinks, and then returned a few minutes later, their order in his grasp. Tenten and the blonde continued to whisper to each other, and then he stood up, pulling the attractive brunette with him.

They walked into the crowd of people and disappeared. Ino smirked and nodded. Tenten was a girl who needed some action that didn’t have anything to do with weapons. She glanced over at Hinata, and found the heiress and the larger man, who seemed to have a very unique skin tone shade, talk. Hinata broke out into a fit of giggles, and caused both Ino and Sakura to raise their eyebrows. Hinata was clearly a very happy drunk.

Sakura smiled and watched as the man adjusted his baseball cap over his face and then bent over to whisper in the Hyuuga’s ear. When she nodded, the man said, “We’re going to go and play some pool. You kiddies behave.”

Now, the only people at the table were Ino, Sakura, and the dark haired guy. Ino was approached by a young man who asked her to dance, and Ino quickly waved at them, and then tottered off and into the arms of the young man.

When she put her glass down, the man beside her asked, “Do you come here often?”

Shaking her head to clear her head, she said, “Nope. This is the first time I’ve been here. How about you?”

“I do not frequent clubs.” He stated, his voice deep and rich. Inner Sakura was already drooling. “I am only here because I was looking for a very special lady.”

“Oh?” Sakura asked, her voice beginning to slur even worse than before. “Maybe I can help. What does she look like?”

Itachi allowed a smirk to form on his lips as he took a sip of his drink. “Oh, I’ve already found her.”

~!~

Deidara and Kisame trudged up the hill and smirked over at Itachi, who was currently sitting beside the passed out kunoichi who was sleeping in his bedroll.

“Well, I must say that your kunoichi’s friends are a riot.” Kisame said, and moved over to his pack while he removed the baseball cap that he was wearing. “That little girl that I was with last night certainly loves the kyuubi brat. It’s too bad that she’s going to have to mourn him once we get a hold of him.”

Deidara smirked. He had a blast with that weapons’ mistress. In fact, he would not have minded taking her out back with him, but just as he was about to suggest that they go somewhere quiet, that blond friend of hers arrived and asked if she had seen Sakura.

He had glanced over at the table and found that Sakura’s glass was upside down, telling both him and Kisame that the girl had ingested the sedative and had been taken from the club by Itachi. So, he calmly suggested that he and his friend help them look for the girl, and when the other three girls were busy, the two missing nin left, and headed back to camp.

Now, after changing out of their civilian clothing, Deidara drawled, “She’s a pretty one, yeah.”

Itachi did not respond as he retied his head plate around his forehead. He glanced down at Sakura and sighed. While it would give them a lengthy head start, he knew that her absence would be noticed very quickly. Standing up, he said, “We are leaving.”

Deidara and Kisame nodded, and when Deidara took off to go and meet up with his own partner, Kisame lifted an eyebrow. “So, she’s the one that shook off your mangekyo.” He said, his mouth set in a grin. “Doesn’t look like much, does she?”

“Looks are deceiving.” Itachi warned, his tone soft. “Come, we need to get to headquarters and report in to the leader.”

~!~

“So, they have finally managed to secure the kunoichi.” The soft voice mused. “It certainly took long enough.”

Pein grimaced and then straightened. “I assure you that delays such as this one will not occur again.” He said, his tone hard. “I am sorry that you have been made to wait.”

The shadow moved forward and Pein watched in morbid fascination as the man came closer. “I’ve been doing my own research into how this girl could have broken from the mangekyo, and I think that I have come up with a theory.” He said, a hint of amusement heard in his tone. “I believe that Itachi may have known this girl in his earlier years, and a part of his sub-conscious is protecting her by shielding her from his mangekyo.”

“I see.” Pein said, his tone hard. “Why would he protect her?”

“Itachi was groomed from birth to be the best of the Uchiha. He is strong, smart, and very cunning. But, most of all, he cared for his younger brother so much that often he would attempt to step out of the spotlight, and thrust the younger boy into it. I believe that this girl may have gained his sympathy and protection and his former self cannot allow any harm to befall her.” The shadow sneered. “It really is disgusting.”

“So, what are we going to do about it?” Pein demanded, his temper rising. “This girl needs to be taken out of the picture. I’ll kill her, myself.”

“You will not touch her.” The shadow snapped. “Now we know of a weakness to use against Itachi, and if he is protecting her, then he will work that much harder to get the kyuubi. Really, Pein. You should learn some restraint.”

Pein stood up and bowed as the shadow blended back into the other shadows. When he was alone, a sneer twisted his lips. It was about time Uchiha Itachi was brought down a few notches.

~!~

Her head hurt. It hurt really, really bad. And, it didn’t help that her bed was swaying from side to side, adding to her discomfort, and knew that if it didn’t stop, her drinks would be returning the same way they entered.

He heard her groan. His eyes narrowed and he glanced over at Kisame, who was eyeballing the kunoichi that was hanging over his shoulder. After her second groan, the shark nin stopped and said, “The princess needs a pit stop.”

He gave a sharp nod, and watched as Kisame deposited the girl onto the ground. He walked over to Sakura and calmly said, “Kisame, scout the area. If we are being followed, take care of it.”

The shark grinned and quickly disappeared, leaving the stoic missing nin and the green-faced kunoichi alone.

She looked up and noticed a pair of cold, red eyes staring down at her. Shaking her head a bit, she slowly asked, “Where are we?”

He watched her for a moment and then said, “We are several hours away from your village, and it is too early for anyone to miss your presence.”

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you, Itachi?” Sakura asked, her tone dry. Before she could say another word, a strong wave of nausea hit her and she began to dry heave. After several minutes, she finally settled and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes glaring over at the silent Uchiha.

He lifted an eyebrow at the sight of her angry eyes, and then asked, “Were we followed?”

“No.” Kisame said, and then grinned when Sakura’s angered gaze turned towards him. “What? No ‘welcome back’ for me, kunoichi? Careful, you might hurt my feelings.”

Sakura scowled at him, and was about to snap back at him, but the urge to purge was upon her, once more, and the dry heaving began.

Itachi watched as the kunoichi finally relieved her stomach of its contents, and then turned towards his partner. “Deidara should have reported to leader, so we will need to return to base quickly.” He said, and watched as his partner nodded.

Sakura finally felt slightly better and stood up on wobbly legs. “Oh, no.” She snapped, her face screwed up in displeasure. “I am not going a single step more. I am going home, and the two of you can go trotting back to your little hideout all by yourselves.”

Kisame looked at Itachi, and then back at Sakura. “It sounds like you believe that you have a choice.” He sneered.

“Kisame, quit wasting time with the clone and get moving.” Itachi said, his eyes scanning the area for Sakura’s chakra.

Kisame’s mouth dropped open, and then he growled. Damn it, he should have seen through it, but because the scent of her vomit was so close to the clone, he could not distinguish the fact that it was a fake through scent. But, he did have to admit, it was a very good clone.

~!~

She ran. She ran, fought the urge to throw up, and ran some more. She knew that she shouldn’t use chakra do to the fact that Itachi would be able to spot her, and she was also aware that his partner could track her scent. Either way, she was screwed. And, the fact that she was wearing her high heels was not helping matters, either. Damn Ino and her stupid idea to go out dressed to perfection.

So, with that thought in mind, she activated her chakra, and felt the wind whip by her as she began to increase her speed. However, when the branch that she landed on snapped, she felt herself falling to the hard earth, only to be caught in a pair of arms.

Kisame shook his head as Itachi landed on his feet, before dumping the kunoichi on the ground. But, if he thought that she was going to remain on the ground, at their mercy, he was about to be pleasantly surprised.

Sakura’s fists connected with the ground, causing giant cracks in the dirt, and then darted towards the larger of the two. He was so stunned by her strength that he didn’t have time to draw upon his beloved samehada, and clenched his teeth as he dodged her punches.

Itachi simply stood by, watching as the girl did her best to hit Kisame. His eyes followed her motions and when it appeared that she was beginning to run out of steam, he was mildly surprised that she managed to grab onto Kisame’s arm and yank him forward, snapping the bone at his shoulder.

The shark nin was not just angry. He was furious, and he was going to kill the bitch. But, without his sword arm, he would have to fight her with his weaker hand, meaning that at the moment, she had the upper hand.

“Enough.” Itachi said, finally stepping in. “Kunoichi, we will not harm you.”

“Want to bet?” Kisame growled and hissed in even more anger when Sakura flipped him off.

Itachi’s eyes darted over to his partner and narrowed in a silent warning. When Kisame quieted down, he turned towards Sakura and said, “You will not be harmed, but you will do as you are told. Disobedience will not be tolerated and you will be punished accordingly.”

“Gee, I hope that you are not planning on using your mangekyo because we all know just how effective that is on me, don’t we?” Sakura snapped, not caring that her comment would anger him.

Kisame could not help it and allowed a snicker to escape his lips. His eyes quickly darted away when Itachi’s eyes snapped over to him, and Sakura smirked. When his eyes finally returned to her, he quietly said, “There are worse things that I could do to you, little one. Do not forget what I am.”

“No, Itachi.” Sakura murmured, and watched as he stiffed. “I know what you are all too well. It’s you who have forgotten who you are. I know your truth, Uchiha Itachi, and you know it, too.”

“So much fire.” Itachi mused and suddenly disappeared, only to reappear right behind Sakura. “One day, it is going to burn you, little one.”

Kisame watched as Itachi’s fingers quickly hit different points on the back of her neck and grinned when she slumped into his waiting arms.

“She’s going to have one hell of a headache when she wakes up.” He muttered. “Good.”

~!~

Ino groaned and glared over at Shikamaru who muttered, “It’s your fault for getting so blasted drunk, you insufferable woman.”

She lifted her head and gave a short wave to Tenten, who walked in with Neji and Lee, only to be followed by Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke. When everyone was seated, Ino frowned.

“Ok, where is forehead-girl?” She said, though not too loudly. “She is supposed to be with the three of you.”

Naruto frowned. Ino was right. Sakura was supposed to meet them, and he definitely wanted to speak his mind to all of the girls about getting so wasted. His poor Hinata had looked so badly when he arrived to pick her up, and he had been told that Neji had already left to go and confront Tenten about letting Hinata drink.

Sasuke looked around the small café, but then turned to glare at Ino when the blond suddenly said, “Hey, I wonder if she went home with that guy who sat beside her.”

Hinata frowned and then bit her lip. She could vaguely recall the young man, but she did recall the lesson in pool that the larger of the men had taught her. Of course, when she told Neji that she could do a decent break, he had hissed at her and told her in that haughty voice of his, “Proper ladies do not shoot pool.”

“What guy?” Sasuke demanded, and leaned over the table to stare Ino directly in her eyes. The blond looked slightly worried, but then smiled. “Oh, he was beautiful.” She gushed, and ignored the snort from Shikamaru. “Long dark hair, beautiful eyes, and a body that was just perfect.”

Everyone turned to look at Tenten, but she shrugged. “Don’t look at me.” She said, her large brown eyes widening in alarm. “All I remember is seeing three blobs and that the blonde blob kept babbling about art, and then kept groping my ass while we danced. I’m not sure, but I also think that someone bit me on my ass.”

Neji looked very irritated while Lee simply leapt up from his seat, fire in his eyes as he clenched his fist. “I will find the villain who dared to place his hands upon our lovely Tenten. I will go and get Gai-sensei and together with Neji will we use the power of our youth to restore Tenten’s honor.” He bellowed, and was quickly yanked down by Neji as the other patrons of the café turned to stare at them.

Naruto shook his head and turned to Hinata. “Do you remember this man that Ino is talking about?” He asked, his tone gentle. When she shook her head, he sighed, but then perked up when she softly said, “I-I do remember his friend.”

Sasuke shoved Naruto out of his way and said, “Tell me about him.”

“H-he was very nice to me, b-but a bit loud.” She murmured, and then smiled. “H-he didn’t touch me except when he was showing me how to hold a pool stick. He also kept telling the other men who would come over to us to ‘get lost’. I do know that I told him about Naruto, and he seemed really interested in the fact that Naruto and I are together.”

“Anything else?” Sasuke pressed, ignoring Naruto’s sharp demand that he back off.

Hinata frowned, but then smiled. “Before he left with his friend, he did call me a ‘real sweetheart’ and that Naruto should be thankful that he has me.” She said, blushing as her eyes lowered to the table.

“Damn right I am.” Naruto said, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, dragging her into him for a hug. Sasuke slumped into his seat for a moment, but then stiffened when Hinata said, “I’ve never seen anyone with such a skin color. I-I mean, who walks around with blue skin?”

~!~

“Tobi missed you, Deidara-senpai!” The younger nin exclaimed, and jumped up to follow the man down the hall. “Zetsu-senpai said that we are going to be having a visitor soon, and Tobi wants to make a good impression.”

“Then keep your mouth shut and don’t go near her, and your impression will be perfect, yeah.” Deidara snapped, already feeling a headache coming on.

Tobi stared after the blonde man and cocked his head to the side. “How can Tobi make a good impression if Tobi doesn’t talk to the lady?” He asked, curious. “Are you ashamed of Tobi, Deidara-senpai?”

“Terribly, yeah.” Deidara snapped, and then slammed the door on the masked face of his new partner. He heard the younger nin walk away, and then cheerfully call out to Zetsu. Well, better the cannibal than him. If Tobi gets on his nerves too much, he could kill him, eat him, and then there would be no evidence that he ever existed. If he killed Tobi, they’d know it was him because he’d have blown the little bastard all the way to hell.

~!~

It was nearly night time when Sakura’s eyes began to flutter open. As soon as her eyes finally focused, she bit back a scream when she noticed that a blue face was staring down at her.

“Ok, you broke and now you are going to fix it.” Kisame snapped, and indicated to his shoulder. He stepped back and watched as Sakura sat up, and then began to massage her temples. “Headache?” He asked, and then grinned. “Well, get used to it, princess. Fuck up again and I’m sure that Itachi will put you down for the entire journey, now fix my damn arm.”

Sakura lifted her eyebrow, and then sighed. “So, where is he?” She asked, her tone weary. When she didn’t receive an answer, she glanced up to see the shark looking around. When he finally glanced down at her, he shrugged.

“He’s around.” He replied, and then knelt down and motioned, once more, to his shoulder. “Fuck it up any worse than it already is, I’ll make what he did to you seem like a sweet dream.”

Rolling her eyes, Sakura huffed and muttered, “Such a sweetheart, aren’t you?”

When all she received was a snort, she sighed and studied his shoulder before delving into it with her chakra to see just how much damage was done. The bone was clearly broken, and was probably very painful for him. She smirked. Good.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but the only thing that heals these kinds of breaks is time.” She replied, and bit back a laugh when he glared at her. “Don’t give me that look. The best I can do for you is to ease the pain, and you are just going to have to wait for a few weeks to play with your little sword.”

“I thought that medics were able to heal anything.” He jeered, and growled at her when she tightened her grip on the sore appendage.

Sakura glared at him and snapped, “Then you shouldn’t believe everything that you hear. For your information, bones that break need to heal naturally. Anyone else who tells you differently is full of shit and should be slaughtered for tossing around such nonsense.”

“I don’t believe everything I hear, princess.” The shark said, and gave a sigh of relief when her chakra began to sooth the pain within his shoulder. “I heard that you were quite a beauty, but looking at you now, I can see that it was nothing more than bullshit.”

Sakura gave him a saccharine smile while Inner Sakura hissed like a scalded cat. “That’s ok,” She replied, in her most sickening sweet tone, “I was always told that trolls didn’t exist, but after seeing you, I can see that was bullshit, too.”

Kisame glared at the pink haired girl, but then barked out a loud laugh. Finally, after being with his constipated partner for so long, he finally found someone he could harass. Thankfully, she wasn’t going to act like some pathetic bitch in distress, and might actually provide some entertainment for him, at least for a while.

Yes, this was going to get very interesting.

~!~

“I know your truth, Uchiha Itachi, and you know it, too.”

Her words echoed in his mind and for a moment, he allowed himself to agree with her. Yes, he knew his truth, but to actually admit it and to give it substance would be to acknowledge the fact that despite his best efforts, he was failing miserably.

Oh, he had tried so hard to let go of the guilt of his past, and yet, with this girl’s reappearance in his life, the guilt was slowly building and all he knew was that he didn’t know how much longer he would last until all of his past regrets finally caught up with him.

He could not fully blame Sakura for this situation. After all, it was not her fault that she had seen his most painful secrets, and she didn’t appear to be eager to share those secrets with anyone from her village, but he still could not be sure that her loyalty to Sasuke would not overwhelm her and in a moment of weakness, destroy everything that he worked so hard for.

His head snapped up when he heard Kisame’s loud laughter and he frowned. Kisame only laughed when he was amused or was in the middle of killing someone. Either way, he knew that he had better get back to camp and separate his partner and captive from one another.

~!~

Naruto and Sasuke were in the training field, their voices growing with each passing moment. They did not notice that Kakashi had arrived, nor did they notice that Sai was with him. As the two approached, they froze when they heard the conversation.

“Who else has fucking blue skin, asshole?” Naruto bellowed, his rage growing by the minute. “Both of us know that Hoshigaki Kisame is the only freak that has skin like that and now he and that lunatic you call ‘brother’ has Sakura-chan and you won’t do a fucking thing about it.”

Sasuke glared at Naruto, but then shook his head. “Look,” He snapped, his own anger apparent, “We will get her back, but I am not going to miss this perfect opportunity to finally get Itachi. Whatever he wants, he is going to use Sakura, and he will need her alive. So, for the time being, she is safe.”

Naruto’s fists balled up and he shook his head. “That’s all you care about, isn’t it?” He demanded. “As long as you get Itachi, Sakura is expendable. After all that she has done for you, after all that she has been to this team, you are more than willing to sacrifice her as long as you get your precious battle.”

Before he could reply, Kakashi’s firm voice cut in. “Ok,” He said, his tone warning both young men that he was not in the mood for games. “Let’s take this from the top and I want to know everything.”

~!~

Inner Sakura was livid. ’You know, we should have just said ‘fuck the oath’ and beaten his blue ass when we had the chance.’

Sakura sighed. Despite the fact that she was really dirty, tired, and now, hungry, she could not help but agree with her counterpart. However, she always kept her word and the first thing that Tsunade-sensei had made her promise when she agreed to take her as an apprentice was that she was to help everyone in need, and lords help her, that ugly blue thing needed her help.

True, he had deserved what he received, but in the end, she was still obligated to help him.

When Itachi finally appeared, both Sakura and Kisame glanced up and watched as he moved towards his pack. He opened the large bag up and produced a few energy bars, and then tossed two of them to Sakura, and the other two over to Kisame.

“We will be leaving in fifteen minutes.” He stated, and then began to gather up his belongings. She quickly tore into the energy bar and grimaced at its taste. But, since there were no other options, she simply had to suck it up and eat, or else risk the embarrassment of having one of them carry her when she grew too tired to move on her own.

When they began to move, she had removed her heels while Itachi made sure to remain behind Sakura, and watched as the young woman avoided his gaze. A part of him wanted to grasp her by the shoulders and shake her for seeing him as that young man she had once encountered, but then there was a smaller part of him that wanted her far away from him and the danger that he represented.

After all, he created this hell, and while it was too late to save himself, he didn’t want to drag an innocent down with him.