Hello dear readers! Here is what my muse has kept me busy with! This is a new story and not an old one I took down and re-edited/re-posted.

Please enjoy, and please note that Naruto and all other characters are not mine! (It is called FANfiction after all)

The Rainstorm

The battle had been fierce and unexpected. It had been raining at the time, but that had been the last thing on Haruno Sakura's mind as she stood before a team of Iwa jounins. She had only been in the area to collect some rare herbs that Shizune needed for an antidote when she had sensed them and took off in the opposite direction. But the wet rock of Stone Country made it hard for her to navigate and they had caught up to her in a laughable amount of time. Of course with her hood on, none of the foreign nin had recognized her and she had been able to knock two of the men unconscious before they realized her abilities. After that, things got hard. Sakura attacked and dodged and countered the best she could and though she had come out victorious, she hadn't walked away unscathed. In fact, she was surprised she could walk at all.

Her ankle was at least sprained, her cheekbone bruised if not broken, and she knew without a doubt that her rib was broken. But without chakra she could do little more than stumble on the uneven terrain and hope that she made it into Fire Country before she fell unconscious. And she knew she needed to lay down before darkness took her, otherwise her broken bone might pierce into her lung, which would create a whole other issue.

Eventually the rough, slick stone began to level out and a sigh of relief escaped her bloody lips as the view of trees, thick and lush, grew on the horizon. Sakura determinedly set her gaze on the familiar landscape and practically collapsed against the nearest tree when it finally came within reach. But she made herself keep moving. She wasn't safe yet.

Another half mile into the woods and her legs refused to support her any longer. She stumbled forward and landed on her knees harshly, her hand wrapped around her middle to ensure her loose rib wouldn't compromise her breathing. Then she slowly lowered herself down until she was on her back and staring at the grey sky through the thick foliage of the tree tops. The cool rain splashed against her face and though she knew she needed to move to better protection, her eyes were already closing as the pain and exhaustion finally forced her body to shut down.

It was a common fact that most shinobi hated to travel in the rain. The wet terrain required more chakra to counteract the slick ground and the wetness seeped into one's clothing until the material clung to the body and chilled to the bone. It made for a long, tiring journey.

However, Uchiha Itachi had never been bothered by the rain and in fact, it relaxed him and calmed his troubled mind. Today was no different for two days earlier he had received information that connected his younger brother, Sasuke, to an attack on a small town on the edge of Mist Country. He had been looking for information. Information on Itachi's whereabouts. And he had injured and possibly killed innocent civilians in his need to locate him. The thought made Itachi's lips purse in angry disappointment.

Which is why Itachi had made his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, pack up earlier that morning and make their way directly to Mist Country. They had just completed a mission for Pein in Stone and so their path led them directly into the heart of Fire Country, his home land. The journey west to Mist would take them four days and so he needed to remain focused even though his brother's actions made him quietly seethe. It was a good day to rain.

Easily, Itachi pushed off from the tree branch as he reached it. He had made a point of leaving his straw hat off so the water could splash against his skin as they travelled. It also allowed his sharp eyes more visiblity in the storm. It had become habit more than four years ago for him to continuily keep his bloodline limit, the Sharingan, activated at all times as it threw everything into crisp clarity. Which was a significant help as he ran at nearly blinding speed through the trees, his partner behind him. The green forest was familiar to him and he felt himself briefly lapse into a moment of nostalgia before he quickly reminded himself to focus. He was in enemy territory after all.

A sudden flash of pink to his left caused him to halt abruptly and he prepared himself for the possibility of danger as Kisame came to a stop next to him. Without a word, the pair exchanged a glance before Itachi took the lead and changed their direction north as he searched for the unusual constrast of color he had seen against the lush green of the forest. When he came to a small clearing he found what had drawn his gaze.

Haruno Sakura.

He recognized her immediately with her cherry blossom colored hair. He knew her to be his brother's teammate, or former teammate, as well as the Godiame's apprentice. She didn't look like much with her lithe form and feminine appearance, but he knew better than to underestimate her. This was the same woman who at the age of fifteen had killed Sasori, a member of their own organization.

Only looking at her now, she appearered to be more than a little worse for wear as she laid on her back in the near middle of the clearing with her eyes closed. He had heard of her intelligence so he was fairly certain she hadn't decided to take a rest break so close to the border with Stone and in the middle of a clearing, nonetheless. With a quick scan of the area, Itachi realized she was in fact alone. Something didn't sit well with him.

Silently, Itachi took to the ground and approached her motionless form, Kisame behind him. "Is that your brother's teammate?"

"Appears so," he replied lightly as he took in her appearance.

She was damp from the rainfall, her coral hair stuck to her neck and face. A deep bruise marred her porcelain skin on the right side of her cheekbone and she had a split lip below it, giving him the impression she had been hit hard. But what distracted him most was her breathing. Even unconscious - because he did not believe she was just resting - she seemed to be having some difficulty with filling her lungs. Knelling down, Itachi carefully pressed a hand to her right side. Under his touch, he felt a rib move slightly confirming his suspicions before he stood and cast another calculating look around them. There were no signs of a battle so he had to assume she had wondered here after the fact.

"What are you thinking?" Kisame asked.

Without a glance at his partner, he answered, "I believe we should find a room for the night."

"You want to bring her?" His voice held a note of surprise.

His red gaze turned down at the unconscious kunoichi. "She has some answers I seek."

Gracefully, Itachi bent down and picked her up carefully to avoid moving her broken rib. The last thing he wanted was for her to be too injured to speak with him. Once she was situated, he turned to his partner to find the bigger male eyeing him in amusement, but he said nothing before they took back to the trees. They would have to follow the border south to avoid Konoha and Iwa nins who might be looking for the kunoichi.

Slowly, so slowly the world began to come into awareness. The first thing Sakura realized was that she was in pain. Everywhere. Her ankle ached, her face felt like it was on fire and she ever so carefully, ever so sorely moved her hand over her right side to ensure that there was not in fact a kunai embedded in her chest, because at the moment, that's what it felt like.

A pained groan escaped her chapped lips and as she moved her arm back off her chest, she realized she was laying on something soft. Softer than the grass she could vaguely remember collapsing on. Someone must have moved her and judging by the softness of the sheets, she suspected it was a friend. And judging by her injuries, they wouldn't have left her or at least gone very far. As if on cue, even through the pain fogging her mind she heard a slight shuffling on her left, confirming her thoughts.

"I think I died," she muttered roughly.

"Not quite, kitten, but you gave it your best shot," a deep voice chuckled.

The pain made it nearly impossible to form thoughts, but something still didn't sit right with her. She didn't recognize that voice. Confused, Sakura finally forced her eyes open and blinked against the brightness coming in from the window. It took her eyes a moment to adjust and when her gaze fell on the person standing next to her bed, she froze in panic.

Hoshigaku Kisame.

But the panic only lasted a second before adrenaline flooded her system. With blinding speed, she launched herself at him, twisting under his guard as he reached for her a moment too slow. He must have not been expecting her sudden attack in her condition for he only managed to grab her by the throat and pin her against the wall after she had already placed a well aimed punch to his jaw. How unfortunate she hadn't been able to gather chakra into her fist to deal a deadly blow in her state.

The panic returned as she felt her airway close in his large hand. She clawed at his grip as her legs gave out on her, his grasp the only thing keeping her from collapsing, but he didn't budge as he stared her down with a look of faint curiosity.

Just as she thought she was about to pass out, the door that led to the bathroom nearly slammed open to reveal Uchiha Itachi. "Release her now."

Ingrained fear swept through her already panicked mind at the sight of him and although his voice was cool, Kisame followed his order immediately. Sakura fell hard on her hands and knees from the sudden lack of support. She tried to suck air into her starved lungs only for it to get trapped in her throat. Her panic only increased as the black spots in her vision grew larger and she reached for her throat as she tired unsuccessfully to force air into her lungs. She was going to suffocate she realized.

Itachi appeared before her as her vision began to darken. "You punctured your lung. You have chakra. Heal yourself before you pass out," he commanded.

His words cut through her hazed mind and she closed her eyes as she focused on finding the location of the puncture. It took her longer than usual but after a minute she healed her injured lung with all her remaining energy. Immediate relief filled her as she was finally able to take in a full breath, but the feeling didn't last as her body once again forced itself to shut down. Bonelessly, she fell forward as unconsciousness reclaimed her once more.

As soon as the kunoichi began to fall forward, Itachi reached out and caught her before she could collapse the rest of the way on the ground. He knew that if he had allowed her to hit the floor, she most likely would have repunctured her lung and he knew he wouldn't be able to help her with an injury like that.

Just as carefully as the first time, he picked her up and gently set her back down on the bed before he turned to his partner. Kisame just raised his hands in defense, but Itachi wasn't looking to blame him; he was looking at the bruise on his face. "Hey, she attacked me."

Itachi just raised a brow before he returned to the bathroom to clean up his things from his shower. He had just pulled a shirt on over his head when he had heard the commotion from the other room and opened the door to find Sakura pinned to the wall. Looking at Kisame, he realized that she undoubtedly had attacked his partner first as he had claimed, judging by the nicely forming bruise on his jawline. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but the small female had impressed him with her ability. Kisame was a large individual but he was surprisingly fast and agile, especially when he didn't have Samehada strapped to his back. The fact that Sakura could land a hit on his partner in her current state made him almost wish he could have viewed her earlier battle. He was sure it had been impressive.

But that being said, Itachi knew that Sakura was unaware they were not currently a threat to her - as evidence by her attack on Kisame - and he knew he would have to watch her carefully when she regained consciousness once more.

When Itachi exited the bathroom, he found Kisame lounging on the second bed as he flipped through a magazine provided by the shabby inn. Silently he placed his clothes into his pack as he listened to the rain pelt against the window. The sound drew his attention and for a moment he stood watching it wash over the panels. The only reason they had been in that rainstorm to begin with was because of Sasuke. He hadn't been able to keep a close eye on his brother's actions for the past six months because of his missions within Akatsuki. His original plan had simply been to track him down and have a small conversation with him, but with the presence of his teammate, Itachi was beginning to wonder if travelling to Mist was no longer necessary. If Sakura could provide him with the information he needed, he would no longer need to find his brother. At least not at the moment.

From what he had gathered lately, it sounded as if Sasuke had been under the direction of Madara himself, which worried him. It had been awhile since Itachi had last spoken to the old man and he knew his state of mind was questionable. If it was true that Sasuke was working with him he would need to do his best to get his brother away from him. Madara was a master at manipulation. Itachi could only assume that he was attempting to twist Sasuke's mind into believing his lies so Sasuke could help Madara on his latest quest. None of which sat well with him. He hadn't risked everything so Sasuke could become just as twisted as the rest of his clan.

A sudden shuffling drew Itachi's attention. He didn't turn his gaze from the window, but by the sounds, he could tell Kisame was throwing his cloak on. "I'm going to get some food."

He didn't respond - he usually never did - but over the years Kisame had come to know Itachi well, probably better than anyone else, and he knew that he had heard him. Another moment later and Itachi heard the door open. Only once the door was closed did he finally turn off his Sharingan. He released a soft sigh at the sudden relief he felt behind his eyes and he closed his eyes momentarily before he looked at the window once more. A frown of irritation crossed his lips as he saw he could no longer see the droplets of rain sliding down the panel. Annoyed, he turned his back on the window and took a seat in the large arm chair next to it. As soon as Kisame returned, he would fetch himself his own meal and perhaps a good tea.

When Sakura awoke again, she was aware of a few things. The first was the pain. Her entire body still ached from her earlier battle but now her throat was also incredibly sore. The second thing she became aware of was her chakra and the fact that she now had enough of it to properly heal herself and so immediately she took to healing to worst of her pain. She focused on her ribs first and laid perfectly still as she focused her chakra into realigning the bone before fusing it together, ensuring that the cells were functioning normally and that the marrow was healthy.

Once that was fully healed, she focused next on her ankle, knowing that she only had enough to either ease the sprain or heal her bruised cheekbone. Between the two, she chose her ankle. Because if she remembered correctly, she was in a hotel room with two Akatsuki members and she'd rather be able to run rather than smile at them.

As soon as her body was mostly healed, Sakura began to take in her surroundings. The first thing she realized - which surprised her she hadn't notice immediately after waking up - was that someone nearby was snoring. Loudly. So loud it made Naruto's snoring sound soft in comparison. She half wondered if the people in the rooms next to them were able to sleep at all. It would have made her laugh if it wasn't for the fact the snoring belong to an Akatsuki member.

"You are awake," a smooth voice said.

She was surprised she had heard it over the snoring but then again she knew who it belonged to and she knew that they had a presence that demanded attention. "You expected me to sleep through that?" she responded as she finally opened her eyes. Above her the ceiling was dark and she realized quite a bit of time must have past to throw the room into such stark shadows.

A low chuckle reached her ears and slowly she dragged her eyes towards the sound to find Itachi was watching her in a large armchair by the window. Even in the low lighting his sharingan eyes bore into her and she unconsciously looked away as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Now that she knew she would be waking to the sight of Akatsuki, she didn't feel panic. Instead, she felt a strange form of relief. Because for nearly six months now, ever since that late night in the Hokage Tower, she had been wanting the chance to speak with Uchiha Itachi and now here he was, sitting before her. She had questions and she wanted answers.

If her suspiscions were true, then she knew she had no reason to fear the man before her. But she had witnessed only a slight portion of his power and what she had seen made her skin prickle and her hackles raise. Even if he wasn't what he appeared, he was still someone to be weary of.

"There is food," Itachi spoke again.

Sakura briefly glanced at him again before she turned her gaze to the small table at the foot of the bed. Sure enough there were a few containers of takeout, but she hesitated even as her stomach growled. Itachi seemed to sense her hesitation. "We are not here to harm you," he said smoothly.

Again, she spared him a glance to see he was sitting in a relaxed position on the arm chair. His legs were stretched out before him, crossed at the ankles, and though his cloak was over his shoulders, he didn't have his arms through the sleeves. Instead his hands were resting casually on his lap with a cup of tea in his grasp, a still-steaming kettle on the small table next to him. His attention seemed to be fixed entirely upon her.

"No," she answered softly. "I suppose if you wanted me harmed you could have left me in the forest." She turned her attention away from him as she looked through the cartons until she found one that interested her. As she ate, she kept her gaze downcast. Because in this low lighting, the man across from the room looked too similar to one Uchiha Sasuke. And she had no desire to think of him at the moment. Not when she had so many questions.

Kisame's loud snoring filled the air as she ate. Casually she gazed around the inn room, taking in the ugly, blue carpet and scratched, wooden tables. There were two beds in the room, the one she was occupying and the one Kisame was sprawled across, which she assumed was why Itachi had taken up residency in one of the two armchairs in front of the only window. There was a half opened door in the corner of the room, the same one Itachi had walked out of earlier, that she assumed led to the bathroom, but other than that the room was bare. No ugly random pictures or books or anything. It was nondescript and she realized that she could really be anywhere. Although with the sound of the heavy rain outside she could only assume she was still in Fire Country, if not at the border of it for it had been raining when she fell unconscious.

Which brought her to her next train of thought of why wasn't she still currently out in the forest. She could only assume the pair had wonder across her and took her with them. Her first thought had been to lure Naruto out, but she sensed no ill-will from them. But that wasn't entirely surprising with Kisame being knocked out and Itachi being…well Itachi. She had gathered in her research of him that he had always been rather reserved, even before the massacre. Which led her to a whole other stream of questions. But those would have to be answered by the Uchiha himself.

So if Itachi was being honest and they meant her no harm, the only other option was information. He wanted something from her that only she could give, otherwise they would have left her to probably be captured by Iwa nins. But they had to have known that she would never give out any information about her village, which left her to believe the source of his line of questioning would be about Sasuke. The one person she never wanted to speak of.

With a soft sigh, Sakura finally set her carton down before she cast another glance at Itachi. She almost jumped when she found that his gaze was still fixated upon her. Steeling her nerves, she stood slowly, wincing slightly as her chest tightened with soreness, before she appraoched the small table Itachi was seated before. "You have questions for me," she said smoothly.

"I do," he replied, his face as passive as ever.

"About Sasuke."

His expression didn't change but the slight sharpening of his crimson eyes told her she had assumed correctly. But she didn't sit down as he continued to watch her every move. "I have questions as well." His eyebrow arched elegantly in reply. "About that night."

A mild look she could only describe as amusement briefly passed across his face, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't be sure. Gracefully Itachi gestured to the vacant chair but she didn't move. He seemed to sense the reason for her hesitation. "I will answer your questions if you answer mine," he acquiested.

Finally, Sakura ever so slowly lowered herself into the chair across from him. She watched him wearily as he filled up a second cup of tea before refilling his own. When he offered the cup to her, she took it silently and carefully. Immediately the warmth invaded her chilled hands and she took a long drink before reluctantly refocusing her gaze on Itachi's magnetic eyes. "What would you like to know?" he asked smoothly.

Sakura took a deep breath as she prepared herself to hear what she had been wondering for months now. "Why did you do it?"

Itachi's eyes took on a look of boredom. "Always the same question," he said as if he had been asked a million times over.

But he had misinterpreted her. "No," she spoke softly, even as Kisame's snores continued to fill the air around them. "I want to know why you followed the orders given to you by Danzo to massacre your clan."

The air around them stilled. Itachi gave no outward reaction to her question but the way his eyes bore into her, rooting her on the spot made her believe that her question had some truth to it. The seconds ticked by but she dared not repeat herself for she could tell that his mood had shifted. But then he drank his tea calmly before his gaze looked her over again passively. "Where did you get such a foolish idea from?"

Sakura took a deep breath, not realizing that she had been holding it as she waited for his answer. "I overheard Danzo discussing it with another elder a few months ago."

"And you believed him."

"No," she said as she tightening her grip on her cup. "But when an elder claims that they ordered the assassination of an entire clan, one begins to research it."

Again, his gaze still held a look of boredom. "And what did you find?"

"Nothing." His eyebrow arched and again she forced herself to remember to breath. "And that's what makes me believe that it's true. Your file says that you committed the act before fleeing the village, but there are no other reports. None from the ANBU who first arrived on scene, none on the investigation of the murders, and none from the Sandaime."

For a long moment, he simply held her gaze. He just silently watched her for so long in fact that she began to wonder if he would answer her at all. But then he drained the rest of his tea and set the cup back on the table. "That would be quite the conspiracy theory, wouldn't it."

A frown crossed Sakura's face. He was just messing with her now. "If you're not going to answer me then-," she began hotly.

"It is true."

Itachi only silently watched as the kunoichi before him froze as she processed the information he gave her. She simply stared at him with wide eyes, her tea long forgotten in her grasp as he watched her mentally attempt to sort out her thoughts. He could understand her confusion and shock. Sakura was an incredibly loyal shinobi - Konoha was lucky to have her - and for her to hear that her own village had ordered the massacre of one of the most powerful clans to have ever existed was most likely not sitting well with her.

But she recovered faster than he anticipated. It had taken Kisame longer to find his voice when Itachi had finally told him the truth two years ago, but then again, Sakura had already been suspiscious of the incident. "Why?" she asked.

Another stretch of silence passed between them as he prepared himself to relay the entire story to her, just as he had done to Kisame. When he began to describe his clan's ruthlessness and power-crazed ideals a look of horror etched across her face. He told her of how they were planning a coup and how they had ordered his best friend and cousin, Shisui, to watch him to ensure he would cooperate with the clan's plans. He purposely left out Shisu's suicide, something he hadn't even been able to tell Kisame, before he moved on to tell her how the only way to save Sasuke was to commit the massacre himself, rather than allowing ANBU to do so.

When he finished, they sat in silence for nearly an hour before Sakura found her voice again. The earlier look of horror on her face had been replaced with one of sadness and she stared at him in quiet distress. The open expression made him redirect his gaze to his snoring partner. No one had even looked at him with such concern before. It made him…not so much uncomfortable, but another feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. Not since his childhood.

"You're Jiraiya's contact then?" she asked, drawing his gaze once more.

Itachi arched an eyebrow. Well, she was certainly well-informed. "Yes."

Her emerald eyes briefly flickered to the man on the bed. "Does he know?"

"Yes," he answered honestly.

His gaze drew down to her mouth as she chewed on her bottom lip in contemplation. Again, they lapsed into silence, but it didn't last long before Sakura finally returned her gaze to his. "You wanted to know about Sasuke."

Itachi nodded once. "Have you seen him recently?"

Her brows drew together in confusion. "Naruto and I ran into him about three months ago now."

He nodded slightly. "And what did you make of his state of mind?"

A frown crossed her face, making her bruised face look more dangerous. "He seemed hell bent as ever to find you. Why do you ask?"

A sudden loud snore drew Itachi's attention briefly before he turned back to the kunoichi before him. "Sasuke is currently in contact with Uchiha Madara."

As expected, her eyes widened. "What?"

"I believe he is trying to manipulate Sasuke into turning against Konoha entirely after he has defeated me," Itachi explained quietly. Sakura appeared speechless but he didn't give her much time to recover. "My question for you is what would happen if Sasuke were to return to Konoha."

He hated not already knowing, but he hadn't been able to track Sasuke's movements much lately and he had only an idea of Sasuke's latest crimes. He had to know what he was up against the next time he faced his brother. And for a long moment, he watched as she thought. "He would be given a trial," she said calmly. "Where he would most likely be found guilty of treason and other crimes against Konoha after which he'd probably be executed."

The news didn't surprise him. And in fact he expected it, but hearing the words put everything he had worked so hard for for Sasuke into perspective. He turned his attention back to Sakura to see she seemed lost in her own thoughts. Her body language had changed as well he realized. Instead of resting openly as she had before she was now curled up with her knees drawn in and her elbow resting on the arm rest with her chin on her fist. A subconscious sign of defense. And he knew it was because the conversation had changed. He could only imagine the effect his brother's betrayal had on her with them having been teammates since they graduated from the academy.

"Would you be present?" he asked suddenly.

Her gaze never turned from the window. "I don't know."

Her answer surprised him. He had been under the impression that she would adamantly be by Sasuke's side until the end. "I was under the impression that you cared for him," he said quietly.

Sakura looked at him sharply as her emerald eyes hardened. The deep bruise on her cheek only made her look that much fiercer. "Then you would be wrong."

But her response only confused him more, even if he didn't outwardly show it. "What changed?"

Again silence fell between them with only Kisame's loud snoring to fill the otherwise still air. By the subtle shift he knew that she held something against his brother; something that had forever changed her opinion of him. She fixed him with a cold stare. "What changed is he tried to run me through with a katana."

It was only his well practiced control that kept his expression from changing. He knew his brother had done unforgivable things, but he had never expected him to turn his blade on his own teammates. Itachi had never even done such a thing, even after his exile.

"Your brother has lost his way beyond morals and ethics. And if he doesn't stop now, Konoha will soon put out a kill-on-sight order," Sakura continued interuppting his thoughts.

"Sasuke's opportunity to complete his revenge is approaching quicker than he anticipates. I believe that once he has completed his goal, he will aim his sights back on Konoha and return home," he said quietly.

"Completed his goal…" she repeated quietly. "You sound as if your final fight will happen soon. After all these years."

Itachi could hear the question in her words, but he didn't clarify. He had aleady told her more than she needed to know and he knew that his words had already changed her opinion on the world around her. But her gaze held a strange curiosity and her chakra-laced hand suddenly forward. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist for a split second before he managed to withdrawl from her, his sharingan automatically spinning in response. But whatever she had been trying to do, she had apparantly succeeded for her eyes grew large. "You're dying."

Her voice was so sure, so confident that he knew in that split second she had seen the disease that had been eating away at him for years. And the fact that someone now knew did not settle well with him. A glare settled on his face and he pinned her in place with his crimson eyes. But his normally fear-inducing gaze didn't make her back down. Instead, she met them steadily.

"Why did you not seek treatment?"

Briefly, Itachi glanced at Kisame's sleeping form. "The best healers have told me that there is nothing they can do for me."

Her expression changed slightly. "Tsunade-sama and I are the best healers and I know for a fact you have not seen either of us."

He turned his attention to the window as the conversation began to turn in a direction he did not want it to go. He did not want to hope that there was a chance he could be saved because he knew that the only way Sasuke could return to his life in Konoha was if he was able to finally kill him and gain closure for what had been taken from him when he was so young. This conversation needed to end. Now.

Without turning back to her, he answered quietly, "There is nothing you can do for me."

"Perhaps not," she answered just as softly.

And for a long while neither of them spoke as they stared out the dark, wet window. The room was still except for Kisame's snoring form, but Itachi was used to it. He hadn't slept well in years and it had nothing to do with his partner's loud exertions. His disease wasn't the only reason that he was so set on allowing Sasuke to finally take his revenge on him. It was because he was tired. Oh so tired of his dreams replaying the night that defined him in every shinobi's eyes around the world; so tired of the constant headache his infamous bloodline limit provided him; so tired of living in a world of hatred and violence when he wanted nothing more than to be at peace. It had occurred to him recently that his peace would only be achieved once he was finally set to rest, when he knew Sasuke could finally go on with the rest of his life without the thought of him plaguing his darkest thoughts. It needed to end.

"What happens in the morning?" Sakura suddenly asked quietly.

Itachi turned his gaze back to her to see she was still watching the rain drizzle down the panels. "When you wake up, Kisame and I will be gone, you will return to Konoha, and this meeting will have never happened."

She turned to him then, her bruised face making the small frown on her face appear sadder, but then it was gone and he would have believed it was never there if not for the fact it was forever captured by his sharingan and ingrained into his mind. He glanced out the window as he realized it was late and he knew that the storm would be lightening up soon.

"You should rest," Itachi finally spoke. "You have a long journey tomorrow."

Sakura nodded absentmindedly, but then her gaze fell on his partner and she arched a brow. "You actually expect me to rest with Shark-man over here sleeping like there's no tomorrow?"

A small, amused smirk cross Itachi's face. "Kisame has been awake since you got up."

She glanced at him sharply, her eyes large in surprise and her mouth hanging open slightly before she looked at Kisame with an incredulous look. Itachi knew he sensed her gaze for immediately the snoring stopped and the room fell into abrupt silence even as Kisame continued to lay on the bed with his eyes closed as if he were still asleep.

A quiet muttering from Sakura followed and Itachi vaguely made out something along the lines of 'what a jackass' before she returned to her own bed and laid on her side, facing away from them.

For a long time, Itachi continued to watch the pink-haired kunoichi, even long after she fell back asleep, thinking over what she had told him. It was well-known that she was an incredible healer and he allowed himself a moment to wonder if she really could cure or at least treat his disease before he wiped the thought from his mind. His path was set and there was no sense in straying from it. He had been planning this meeting with his brother for years now and he would not allow this kunoichi to ruin his well-thought out plans.

When morning came, Sakura opened her eyes to find that she was very much alone in the hotel room. The bed next to her was made and looked as if it had never been touched in the first place and the tea cups and kettle she shared with Itachi a few hours before were gone. The room was so immaculately untouched that she would have believed that she dreamt the whole thing up. But she knew she had collapsed in the grass clearing and she knew that if she had stayed in a hotel room, she would not have asked for two beds.

For a long while Sakura continued to lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling as she recalled her long conversation with Itachi. She had the feeling she would never see him again, but she chose not to dwell on his early ending. He had chosen it after all and she would not judge him or mourn him.

Eventually, she forced herself to get up and take a shower. She still needed to heal her cheekbone and figure out exactly where she was before she headed home. But she knew that she would never say a word to anyone about what had occurred last night. That was her secret to keep.

Kisame stood a few paces behind Itachi as he examined the map in his hand. The pair were just outside the village, standing on a hill overlooking the small town they had taken refuge in the night before. Around them, the forest was wet, having gotten a good rainfall the night before and the smells of wet moss and grass was washing over him, reminding him again of why he loved the water so much.

But there was something distracting him from the night before. Something said between his partner and the pink-hair kunoichi. She had said something about Itachi's health that disturbed him greatly, because he was under the impression that he knew everything about the Uchiha. Even the fact that he was still loyal to Konoha.

"Is it true?" he asked suddenly.

Itachi glanced at him briefly before turning his attention back to the map. It was the only indication he gave that he had heard him at all and Kisame knew it was Itachi's way of asking him what was on his mind.

"That you're dying," he clarified.

The way his partner stilled ever so slightly made Kisame aware that he was uncomfortable discussing what he had overheard the night before. But he had to know. After all, Itachi was the closest thing he had to family.

"No one was to ever know."

The words were whispered, only carried back to him by the soft window blowing in from the south. But Kisame heard and though he would never admit it, it made him sad. His partner was beyond selfless and Kisame wished just once that he would ask for something in return. "One of these days, Itachi, you have the stop sacraficing everything for everyone else. Do something for yourself for once."

For a long while, Itachi was silent and Kisame began to believe that his partner would revert back to his usual self and not reply. But then he said smoothly, his mask back in place, "I do not believe I will live to see that day." Then he folded up his map, slid it into his cloak and silently headed into the forest.

But Kisame hesitated. He glanced back at the village where he knew one pink-hair kunoichi would just be waking up and wondered if she would be able to help his partner. Because he wished more than anything that Itachi would just ask someone for help for once. Especially now that he needed it so badly. But he knew that would never happen and so he shook his head mournfully as a frown settled upon his face before he turned his back on the small town and followed after his stoic partner.

Uchiha Itachi, the man who gave everything for nothing.

Ehh...so this may or may not be a oneshot...haven't decided...help me decide? Thanks for reading oh lovely readers! Please excuse all spelling errors. I didn't write this on a program that provided spell check so it is all edited by me!

So I always wished that Sakura had learned the truth about the Uchiha massacre because she's so protective and loyal that I feel like she would have tried to protect Itachi as much as she protected Sasuke. (Speaing of which, sorry for the Sasuke bashing...I'm in an anti-Sasuke-ish mood) :O But again, just something I had always wished and so I wrote it...