I sped through the woods, dodging branches and trees. They were closing in on me, despite my best efforts to evade them. My chakra was nearly gone and I was tiring quickly. I wouldn't last long.

Please God, just let me live! I'll give up swearing! I'll give up cursing people! I'll do anything, please, just don't let me die!! I begged.

I felt a kunai whistle past my ear. No!! They're getting closer!

I made a sharp turn and ran in another direction. They made the turn and all I gained from that was a loss of speed.

My eyes opened wide as I crashed into a red haired man. Seconds later, I found myself wrestled to the ground with the baby-faced puppet, Sasori, sitting on top of me.

"You!" I gasped. "I killed you!"

He smiled prettily but said nothing.

"Master, you got her, yeah?" a sickeningly familiar voice said.

Deidara and Kakuzu landed next to us. They had been my pursuers.

"Ne, you finally captured her."

Hidan had entered the clearing.

"Let's taker her back to base." Kakuzu said. "Pain is growing impatient."

"I know." Sasori grumbled. "You don't have to treat me like a child."

"Though you look and act like one." Hidan growled.

"That's enough." Kakuzu snarled. "Just knock her out and let's get a move on."

"I was going to do that." Sasori said snidely.

"Then do it!"

Sasori muttered to himself while he produced a long, vicious looking needle.

"Don't move much or the sedatives might take that as hostile action and kill you." he said sweetly.

My eyes opened in horror.

There was a sharp pain in my shoulder. A small yelp was the last noise I made before drifting away into a deep sleep.

Itachi

I was curled up into a ball upon my bed next to the window. The blinds had been opened for the first time in months. The window was open for the first time in, well, forever.

I took a deep calming breath of the sweet fragrance of cherry blossoms, drifting down from the trees.

The only noise was the sound of my own breathing and the birds chirping in the trees.

I shifted my weight and winced. My wounds were in bad shape and not healing at all.

The warm sunlight danced upon my skin, filling my body with warmth. I sluggishly began to doze.

The stone door to my room/cell creaked open and I instantly grew alert.

"Itachi-chan." someone sang from the doorway.

"What is it, Tobi?"

"Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Sasori brought back a pretty lady. They say that she's going to make you all better. But mean old Sasori knocked her out so we're going to have to wait till she wakes up to have her make you better.

"Thank you, Tobi."

"Why don't you take a nap?" he said in a concerned tone. "Naps always make me feel better."

"Perhaps I will."

"Good boy, Itachi. Tobi wants you to get better so you can go kill your little brother."

…

"Isn't that what you want?"

"No."

"Well, get better anyways so you can play with me."

"I can't take a nap with you here."

"Oh, sorry. I'll go now."

I heard the door creak close.

I rested my head upon my pillow and winced as pain shot through my head. I soon began to drift off. I sluggishly felt someone's hand rest upon my head.

"I'll protect you, Itachi."

Naruto

Ah, what a fine day to be eating ramen with Hinata.

"Naruto," Hinata said timidly, "do you mind passing the salt?"

"Ne, ne, Hinata, you don't know how to properly eat ramen."

"Um…"

"This does not need salt." I said philosophically.

"Okay."

"Ichiruka makes this ramen perfectly. It has no need of salt!!"

"Alright, Naruto."

Well, I set her straight.

"Naruto!"

I turned to see Shikamaru gasping for air.

"Sakura," he gasped.

"What about Sakura?" I said suspiciously.

"Sakura… has been… captured… by the Akatsuki!!"

I shot up like a bullet.

"When?! Where?!"

"Earlier this morning. The dog-nin we had tracking her reported that the Akatsuki captured her and disappeared, leaving no trail at all!"

My eyes widened in horror.

"Sakura-chan…"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Well, I wrote a sad Itachi fic, and now I'm going to write a reasonablly happy one. Thanks to everyone who reads this and cookies for those who review!

Full Summary:

Guilt was eating away at Itachi and he had lost the will to live. Pain was breaking him apart and destroying the little pieces. He had become an empty, soulless shell, wishing for his worthless existence to end. Sorrow and pain tormented Sakura but she refused to die, though she was injured beyond help and repair. She refused to forgive those that had hurt her.

Can Sakura teach Itachi to have a passion for life though her own is ending? Can Itachi teach Sakura to let go, and to understand that everything isn't her fault, though he can't forgive himself?

The wounds that hurt the most are the ones you can't see.

Sometimes the wounds that hurt the most are the ones that you can't see...