So I haven't written in like three years. I really shouldn't be writing now, but I need the stress relief. So bear with me.

Warning Non-mass AU. Everyone is alive and happy...well kind of...

So this was how it was going to end.

Itachi laughed feeling the stab of the knife wound in his stomach twist and blood bubble from his lips. An ambush, bad intel, a solo mission that was meant to be easy, and now here the proud Uchiha prodigy was lying in a pool of his own blood surrounded by the corpses of at least forty or so shinobi bodies. He had been stupid. He should have seen the one in his shadow if he had he wouldn't have been stabbed in the back. The wound had slowed him down, and now...

He wished he had one last training session with is Sasuke, he wished he could go on one last mission with Shusui, he wished-he wished for a lot of things, but Itachi knew now that none to that mattered. What mattered now was that he was dying, and he needed to move.

With an audible grunt, Itachi flipped over from his back to the side and grabbed a fistful of grass trying to pull himself forward. Pain seared from his side and made him grit his teeth. His vision was getting blurred and his hands felt cold and numb. He was losing too much blood too fast. At this rate, Itachi knew he was going to bleed out within the next five minutes. His eyes hurt from overuse of his Sharingan Itachi flipped back onto his back staring up to the grey sky full of clouds blocking his view of the moon. Vaguely he felt water droplets on his face, and a few moments past before he realized it was raining.

Poetic. Itachi closed his eyes, too tired to keep them open anymore.

The slap to the face pulled him back to reality with a sharp snap.

"Open your eyes!"

Blurry and unfocused Itachi made out a figure hovering over him. A mixture of green, pink, and blue yelling at him in a demanding tone. "Hey stay with me! I'm going to fix your wound but then we need to move there's more on my tail!"

Friend? Enemy? It felt like Itachi was trying to think through a fog. He felt a warm sensation around his abdomen mixed with pain, and vaguely realized the person above him was using healing chakra. It was, soothing lulling his eyes back closed.

Another slap to face. Itachi was starting to get irritated.

"You are not allowed to close your eyes! Do you hear-" the person stopped talking suddenly before cursing under her breathing.

The next thing Itachi knew he was being lifted up with a grunt from the person who kept slapping him in the face and then the world was spinning with a blur of muted dark colors. They were running through the trees, the pain from his wound bring him around a little more. They were being chased. He could feel and her at least six different chakra signatures coming up from behind them. With his added weight their pursuit was gaining.

"Stop." Itachi ordered. He felt the persons feet that were carrying him stop on a large branch causing a jolt to got straight to his wound. He winced but pushed to be let down. He carrier complied helping him stand on his week feet

"Uchiha-san?" The person next to Itachi asked. So his mystery savior knew his name, he would come back to that later. Right now he needed to deal with the annoying pests that were coming up fast.

Closing his eyes Itachi took a deep breath reaching down in the fiber of his being, looking for the primal, ruthless feeling. He could feel the chakra signatures getting closure. He felt the body next to him pulling a kunai free the other arm wrapped around his waist to keep him upright. He could feel the rain and wind on his face, the sigh of the tree around him, everything.

All six of the assailants came at them at once. What idiots.

Itachi opened his eyes sharingan spinning. Immediately his genjutsu wrapped into the minds of his attackers taking each one with a crushing force. Lucky for him they seemed to have very little in the way of mental barriers and his bend of reality made five of them pass out almost immediately, hearing their bodies hit the forest floor with a sickening thud. The sixth one fought it harder, able to pull out before they became too lost, but their moves slowed taken off guard. Itachi saw the flicker of a black kunai coming toward his face followed by a gloved hand before vibrant green chakra filled his vision he heard the sound of a fist cracking the bones of someone's jaw. His attacker was sent flying straight into and tree which cracked immediately, their unconscious body falling to the forest floor.

As quickly as it came, the energy Itachi had found disappeared and his body slumped. He felt the person next to him take the full force of his weight with a squeak of surprise and his vision became a hazy black and grey. He was tired. His eyes hurt and felt his fragile hold on reality being to slip. He had pushed too hard, and he was cold and numb.

Itachi felt the grip on him tighten. "Uchiha-san, please stay with me." a voice found its way through the fog, but it was getting harder and harder to hear. He slipping. He was dying.

There was black. All he could feel was black. It was like someone had opened a void and shoved him right down into it, sealing the exit off. Was this what death was. Just nothing at the end. How cruel and utterly bittersweet. Itachi felt a sense of dread and at the same time a calming sense of acceptance. It was a fitting place for someone like him. He eased into it like he belonged there and felt his mind slipping away.

Green. At first, it was faint. Then it grew in intensity engulfing him with a sudden embrace. It grabbed him with a stronghold pulling at him with an instance. He fought back a little wanting to go back to the black, but the green only grew in intensity and started to pull harder. Suddenly Itachi was aware he could hear sounds, faint but growing in volume. Then he felt something rhythmically pumping on his chest up down, up down over and over again. He felt something incredibly soft touch his mouth filling his lungs with air before pulling away, and then repeating the motion. It was an alien feeling but at the same it made something click in his head. Someone was trying to drag back from death's door and suddenly the sounds he was hearing came into sharp focus.

"-Sasuke needs you!"

At the sound of his brother's name Itachi come crashing back into the world of the living with a heaving breath. He sputtered and coughed blood spewing form his lips and he tried to gulp down air.

"That's it! Breath! You are not allowed to die here!" The voice was yelling at him again.

Itachi felt his eyes snap open the world spinning with stars around him before he found a face hovering over his.

Green eyes, pale skin, and a head of pink hair stared at him tears bubbling at the corner of her eyes before falling down her cheeks. A smile of white teeth stood out against the dark light and for a moment, Itachi could only think one word.

Beautiful.

Then the pain came and he was squeezing his eyes shut hand going to his wound. The whole world came crashing down on him with a horrid force and everything became a whorling mess again.

"Uchiha-san we need to move. Please try to stay conscious."

Itachi felt himself being lifted again, his chest braced against the persons back. He felt the person jump leaving the ground behind as they rushed through the trees. The world was spinning to fast and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He felt is his mind slipping again wanting to go back to the blackness's embrace but then he feld fingers dig into skin pulling him back from the edge. How long they spent running Itachi didn't know, but it took him a few seconds to registered they had stopped. He felt his body being placed on the ground, back braced against something cold and damp. Rock maybe? The voice was talking agian but he was only dimly aware of what they were saying, catching every other word.

"Wound-mess-blood-healing will take-we can rest-Uchiha-san?"

His energy was gone, body going into shut down mode. Vaguely Itachi realized he was passing out, he felt himself falling forward before feeling warm thin arms wrap around him as the world slipped away.

#

Conciousness came back in pieces. The first thing Itachi realized was he could hear. The buzz of a battery powred light only a few feet away was the first thing he could make out, then the howl of wind nearby. Next he could start to feel the sense of his body coming back. He felt the blaket he was wrapped in and became aware that his shirt was gone, his stomach wrapped, and finally, his weapons were all gone. The last relization cause his mind to jump to reality with a sudden leap.

Itachi tried to sit up but the pain in his side immediately made him think better of that idea. He heard rustling nearby as someone shifted their weight making his eyes open and draw to the sound. Vision still blury Itachi could make out a figure, starting to lean over him. His mind rembered the ambush and immediately went into self defense mode. He sat up suddenly grabing the person with as much force as he could muster and flung them down to the ground below him, flipping himself on top. The pain in his side caused him to wince but he made his mind ignore it focusing on the human below him.

"Uchiha-san I'm not an enemy. Please calm down." A feminine voice completely calm and collected reached Itachi's ears causing him to pause. His vision was starting to clear, the blend of colors being to form recognizable elements. After a moment he could make out a face, framed with vibrant pink hair. Green eyes stared up at him sent in a sea of pale unblemished skin. Itachi blinked.

"Haruno Sakura." Itachi stated the girls name in a matter of fact tone, recognizing his brothers teamate and Tsunades apprentice.

The girl beneath him sighed. "Yes." She said sounding realived. "Can you please get off of me."

Itachi blinked again coming to the realization that his one hand held the girls wrist while the other was wrapped dangerously around her throat. Pulling away he allowed the kunochi to sit up.

Sakura righted herself pulling her knees under her as she gave the shinobi in front of her a once over. "I'm glad you are awake." She said letting her eyes trail down to his wound. "You've been asleep for two days."

"What happened?" Itachi looked her in the face. He was becoming aware of his surroundings. They appeared to be in a small cave. Supplies tucked into the corner, and eletric light buzzing in the middle and giving off minimal heat.

Sakura sighed. "After we escaped the bandits pursuing us I found this cave. It is well consealed. You lost conciousness. I healed your wound but you lost a lot of blood."

Itachi nodded rubbing his temple. He memory of the mission was hazy but the what Sakura was saying fit into what he could remeber.

"What were you doing so far into Cloud country?" Itachi asked.

"There is an orphanage that was in dire need of medical assistance. Bad outbreak of a sickness they could not handle. They didn't have the money to afford Cloud's medic nins for assistance, and reached out to Lady Tsunade for help. They had heard rumors of her generousity to children in need."

"Why were you being chased then?" Itachi remembered their attackers the kunai coming dangerously close to his face.

A blush sprang over Sakura cheeks and she looked away in embrassment. "I made a mistake." She said finally. "I let my guard down while leaving the orphanage. I got jumped by mountain bandits. I couldn't fight them full on so close to the orphanage, or it would cause trouble so I tired to lead them away into the mountains."

Which then lead her to him. Itachi stated to connect the dots. Complete chance. His life had been saved by the girl in front of him by complete chance.

The memory of the green light lifting him out of the darkness surfaced to the top of his mind.

"You saved my life." Itachi stated giving the girl a small bow of his head. "I thank you."

He heard Sakura sputter throwing her hands up in front of her face. "It's fine really! You don't have to thank me. I am a medic after all. Beside Sasuke would never forgive me if I let you die."

The memory of a young pink haired girl following his younger brother around came to Itachi's mind. He remember the look of utter raputure in her eyes as he watched him train in the famlies personal training field. It made sense now. This was all for Sasuke.

"You still deserve my thanks." Itachi stated simply. "You're healing jutsu is quite impressive."

If it was possible Sakura's face went even redder. Now it was the same color as her hair. Itachi found the look rather amusing, before dismissing the thought and coming back to the matter at hand.

"Have anymore come looking for us?" Itachi asked.

The color was being to drift from Sakura's face. "No." She stated. "But I didn't want to chance detection and have not contacted Kohona."

Itachi nodded. Smart move. If he remembered correctly Sakura was the top of her class and had aced tactical thinking with a very high level of merit during her academy days. He had peeked into her file when he found she had be paired with his bother along with the nine-tails container. Most likely it was in hopes she would balance the two out.

"We move once the sun sets." Itachi stated matter of factly taking the situation under his commanded. To is surprise rather then jumping to do what she was told Sakura frowned at him.

"Your wound was very deep." She said. "It may not be feasiable for you to move yet."

Itachi frowned. He didn't like being talked back too. It was his pride getting in the way and possibly his father's blood running thru his veins.

"I can handle it." He said voice leaving no room for discussion.

Sakura pressed her lips, and gave him a long look, but finally huffed and looked away. "Fine, but I'm not carrying you anymore. You're heavy."

#

Sakura ended up carrying him anways. Not on her back as she did when the they were escaping the bandits but with his arm slung over her shoulder traveling through the tree tops at a horribly slow pace. She could feel the irritation from Itachi at his lack of speed pouring off of him in waves, and when they finally crossed the boarder into leaf country, Sakura put her foot down and forced them to stop.

"You will not destroy all my hard work." Sakura had demanded before she started to make camp. Itachi would have argued by his feet felt like lead weights. Sakura had explained that his body had lost an extreme amount of blood and with no extra blood to preform a transfusion he was at the mercy of his own bodies devices to restock his red blood cells. According to the medic nin, as she shoved vitamin K and iron pills into his hand, it could take up to a week.

Night was already spilling into the scenery around them when Sakura laid out her mat and blanket on the ground under the the safety of a nearby tree and told Itachi he should use it. Itachi instantly refused years of his mother pounding chivelry and male deceincy into his head making him bulk at the idea.

"No offense Uchiha-san," The kunochi stated. "But it would be a major waste if you died of a simple cold."

The shear idea of Itachi succumbing to something so trival made his eye twitch. But the determined look on the girls face stated that she would not go down without a fight. Itachi sighed and relented sliding into under the blanket irked at the smile forming on the others face. Grabbing the pillow he tosed it at her head where it connected with a soft thump.

"Compramise." He stated flately before fully laying down and letting his eyes slide shut.

He heared Sakura huff and stand there for a minute knowing that she debating if it was worth fighting him or not. Itachi was glad when he heard her lay down a few feet away in the grass. A few more momments and he heard her breath even out. She was fast to fall asleep. The realization that most likely the kunochi was scrapping the bottom of the barrel of her chakra reserves made scold himself. Of course, she was depleted. Not only had she healed him from deaths door, but she was also most likely half done from saving that orphanage. The faster the got to Kohona the better. Itachi closed his eyes and allowed his body to slip down into sleep.

#

Sakura felt Itachi's hand on her mouth before she was even fully awake. Her eyes snapped open and looked up at the man hovering above her. He wasn't looking at her instead his eyes were staring off in the distance red sharinagain swirling. Itachi removed his hand making hand signals.

'Too many. Retreat.'

Sakura nodded her understanding.

'On signal.' Itachi signed and moved away from her crouching. Sakura sat up preparing herself to sprint.

Then she smelt it. It was faint but her training under Tsunade had made her nose very sensative to different types of nerve gasses. Sakura's hand flew to her face and she shot a glance at Itachi. From the look on his face, he had realized it just as fast as she had and he made a single signal.

'Run.'

Sakura launched herself from the ground and took off as fast as she could. She felt Itachi behind her keeping up with her pace, but the gas was moving in fast. She forced chakra into her nasal passage trying to block the chemical from getting into her lungs, and urged her feet to move faster. They had to be within five miles of the village. No bandits in their right mind would keep chasing them if the got within signaling range of the walls. They just had to push a little father.

With a sickening realization, Sakura suddenly felt Itachi falling behind her. His body wasn't fully healed yet and the intense speed was quickly draining him. She herself felt the numbness of chakra depletion hovering over her. Slowing down she grab Itachi by the waist slinging his arm over her shoulder. Faster, she urged her feet. Faster.

A kunai came from the left. Itachi shot it out of the air with one of his own. Then another from the right with the same result. The block Sakura had made in her nose was being to slip and some of the gas was getting through. She felt her Chakra flicker for a fleeting momment and lost her footing causing both of them to tumble down to the forest floor.

Sakura hit the ground with thud feeling her lose her grip on Itachi who rolled and came to his feet with unsteady momments. He was breathing hard but his eyes where whirling pools of red, Kunai in his right hand. She tired to pull herself to her feet, but foot slam into her back pushing her back down. Reaching around Sakura grab the persons leg and flug them arcoss the clearing chakra fueling her arm. Her attacker slammed into a nearby tree trunk and slide down to the ground not moving. Next to her, Sakura could hear metal on metal as Itachi fend off another attacker hearing the body slump to the ground.

Fifteen more. Sakura could feel them coming in fast towards them. Itachi was already grabbing her ready to run when his face twisted into a horrible mixtured between pain and shock. Horrified Sakura watched as he pitch forward revealing a slim, sliver blade lounged into the upper part of his right arm.

"Uchiha-san!"

Sakura ripped the blade from his arm quickly feeling the slimeness to the metal. It was poisoned. Sakura's hands flare green with her chakra following Itachi to the ground.

"Run." He ordered and Sakura just shook her head at him.

Sakura heard a kunai land into the ground near her feet but she forced her attention back onto the man in front of her letting her chakra isolating the poison and begin pulling it from his body. Luckily it was just some crude muscle paralyzing stuff, a simple run of the mill. She could pull it out of his blood without even trying but they were quickly running out of time. She just needed thirty more seconds.

"Die." Sakura felt the body behind her. She could hear the knife coming down to embed in her neck. She was out of time. How was Naruto ever going to forgive her.

The was a choked gurgle and thump. Surprised Sakura couldn't help but turn to find the body of a impressive sized mountain bandit dead on the ground a dagger shoved straight thru his skull. Above him leered a cloak ANBU solider who pulled the blade free with ease. Around her, the clearing was erupting in chaos. Bandits were emerging from the trees only to find a waiting ANBU squad ready to tear them down. Some turned and fled, others tried to fight. Sakura turned away from the fighting focusing on her mission. Slowly she pulled her hand away from Itachis shoulder purple ugly poison floating into a ball. With a disgusting sneer, Sakura pitched it to the ground where it landed with a statisfactory splash. In her arms, Itachi was already moving.

Behind them, the chaos had subsided. Their attackers were either dead or had fled.

"Itachi."

Sakura felt one of the ANBU soliders knelling down next to them. They pulled their mask away revealing black eyes and black hair extremely similar to Itachi's own.

Itachi opend his eyes at the sound of his name looking up at the man addressing him. "Shisui." Itachi commented before closing his eyes again. "Took you long enough."