Yes! Chapter 2 is up! It took me 4ever to write this. I blame P.E.( or should I say Physical Torture) cause everytime I get back home, everything hurts. So uh...here's chapter 2.

Disclamer: No I do not own Naruto, like everyone in this website (hence the term FANfic)


The harsh blizzard buried the lands in a heap of white. The two cloaked figures battled the winds and held their ground. Their task was important; the weather wouldn't be enough to stop them. In the Land of Snow, everyone was in danger of being buried alive or perhaps killed by frost bite, but these two shinobis, despite their country of origin, aren't likely to end up as a frozen corpse.

They sought shelter inside a damp cave. It wasn't enough to get rid of the cold but it was enough to shield themselves from the cruel winter winds.

The smaller of the two shivered in her cloak but refused to complain. She would never be again annoying to anyone, she swore to herself.

But despite not complaining, her partner gathered some twigs then blew fire from his mouth. The fire's light was relaxing and warmed the both of them enough to stop shivering.

Sakura couldn't help but sigh as she sat down near the fire.

"Arigato Itachi-sempai," she said

He sat down across from her. "Hn"

They would have interactions like these. Itachi would do something surprisingly thoughtful then Sakura would thank him and he would return with the Uchiha "Hn". It wasn't much but it was enough to halt the silence and comfort her.

"Sempai, What is our mission?" she asked. She didn't know the mission, just that it required her skills.

Itachi closed his eyes, something he does to stop the pain in it. "We are to enter the Akatsuki hideout here in the Land of Snow and destroy every piece of evidence regarding the organization."

She nodded and stared into the dancing flames.

She knew enough not to ask why. The Akatsuki were on red alert these past couple of days since the 5 shinobi countries have agreed to work together to eradicate their organization. Led by Konoha, every country searched their lands for the Akatsuki hideouts and had even killed a few members.

Sakura remembered the day Leader reported Deidara had been killed. He was always a ticking time bomb and Sakura knew he wouldn't last long, but despite that she missed his regular rambling about his art and his never ending hate for Itachi. At least he was sociable. He reminded her a bit like Naruto and his female-like appearance reminded her a lot of her former best friend.

She didn't miss the fact that it was Sasuke who killed him nor did she fail to notice that Sasuke had gotten stronger, or at least strong enough to kill an S-class criminal. Nonetheless, he still wasn't strong enough to beat his brother. She smirked...Or even her.

Sasuke wasn't the only one that had gotten stronger.

He wasn't strong enough. He knew that much. He also knew that despite how tough he looks outside, he knows he dosn't have the conscience to kill her. He was surprised he even had a conscience. He didn't hesitate to kill Naruto when they had met. And he certainly did not hesitate to end that annoying blonde maniac's life. So why now and her of all people?

And because of his hesitation. He was defeated. Now, he lay on the grass bleeding and broken, while his opponent was standing before him holding a katana, not a scratch on her. His pitiful eyes looking up at the cold, merciless emerald orbs, searching for the remains of the dead heart-broken girl he regreted to leave behind. Instead he saw the sadistic gaze of a vengeful harpy.

"She's gone, Uchiha." said the demon above him, "And all because of you."

"No...Sakura...ugh..it's me...please..don't." his words were pathetic, even he was disgusted of himself.

She thought he was pathetic, too. She let out a harsh laugh. It was shrill and histaric, much like a deranged person. Crazy that what she was, crazy with revenge.

"Your pathetic." She stated, she leaned closer to him and for a moment he thought he saw a faint glimpse of the girl he once knew. But that quickly disappeared as she placed on a grin that matched her laugh. "And here I thought Itachi-kun's brother would be much stronger. That's a disappointment."

His eyes widdened, "...Itachi..kun?." he said before he coughed up blood.

"Yes, foolish little brother."

Speaking of the devil, he appeared from the shadows like a ghost and stood beside the kunoichi. He was smirking as he placed a possesive hand on her waist.

"Sakura-chan and I will live alot lighter knowing that you are out the picture. Who knows, I might go as far as to call her the new Mrs. Uchiha." He pulled her closer to him and gazed arrogantly at his bloody brother. "Too bad you won't live to see your future niece and nephews."

He groaned as he coughed up more blood. "Get...away...from her!" he managed to say,

Sakura smirked, looking almost as identical as his brother. "I have to thank you, Sasuke. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have met Itachi-kun."

"Sakura...no..."

She held up the katana ready to end his life, "This is the end."

He looked up at her and for the first time he was...scared. Scared of her or more precisely- what she has become.

"Sayonara, Sasuke-kun." Were her last words to him.

He tried to get away. He had to get away, but he couldn't move. 'No!' but it was too late, the blade had decended and he felt the last faint beats of his heart. He felt the sword go through his back and he knew now, that there was no escape. And the last thing he saw before fading to black was Itachi landing a fierce kiss at Sakura.

"No!!!"

He awoke with a scream. It was a nightmare, a terrible terrible nightmare. He had nightmares before but this one was the most dreadful. He wipped the sweat off his forehead and looked outside. It was just a nightmare. Amazingly realistic but still a nightmare. It was haunting and replayed it his mind with explicit detail.

Her laugh echoed like a broken record in his mind. It disturbed him, but not as much as seeing Itachi touching her. That murder's hands around her. Then he remembered the last thing he saw before he woke up.

His eyes bled crimson at the image that will forever be stained into his memory.

It was repulsive. Wrong. And it sent a sickening feeling in his stomach.

However, he was confident that such a thing was impossible. It was just a dream, nothing more. 'Just a dream.'

Or was it?

He was interrupted as Karin spoke outside his tent.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright? Did something happen? I heard you shout." she asked, obviously concerned.

He shrugged her away. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

"Are you sure? You're not hurt are you? If you need some company I'll-"

"I said go back to sleep." He said more sternly,

She left without arguing.

Sasuke glared at nothing. He had to get stronger. One Akatsuki wasn't enough to prove he was strong enough to take down Itachi, or get past Sakura. He needed to get stronger...but how?

The Next Day

The Uchiha emerged from his tent, exhausted and sleepless. He spent the night trying to sleep but the nightmare kept repeating and haunting him.

"You look half dead." Suigetsu was kind enough to point out,

"Didn't you get any sleep last night?" Juugo asked,

He glared at them both then headed to the stream to wash his splashed his face with water then wiped it away with his sleeve.

He went back to his group and sat silently at the ground.

"So...um, Sasuke care to inform us what happened last night." Suigetsu asked,

He narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Karin said she heard you scream last night. What exactly happened?"

"None of your buiseness." he said glaring at him,

Suigetsu flinched and backed away, "No, it's all right. I'm just saying, some information might be useful."

"Hn"

He stared below at the burnt wood from last night. Then, It hit him.

Of course, that was it. The answer he was waiting for the entire night. A way to make him stronger.

He stood up and turned towards the south.

"Where are you going?" Juugo asked,

"Don't follow me. Whatever you do stay here and don't leave except when you need supplies. If Karin wakes up tell her I went for a walk. I'll be back in 2 days." He said with no room for arguements.

The two subordinates knew better that to question the Uchiha so they merely nodded and stayed silent. Sasuke jumped off to the forest and headed south. To the one place he was least expected to go.

The blizzard had subsided, instead small flakes of snow fell gracefully from the sky. The two silhouettes walked the blanket of white side by side for warmth. The footprints they left trailed along behind them, visible and disappearing quickly.

Onward they went silent as the falling snow. Until-

"Sempai what are we looking for?" the smaller of the two asked, her scowl hidden in the collar.

"Hn, patience. It's around here somewhere." He said simply,

Sakura held her tongue and obeyed.

She followed him and stayed silence. They may be on the same team but he was still her senior. The ring on his finger showed that. Being a member of Akatsuki for only several weeks, Sakura had not yet earned enough to become a full member. True, she wore the cloak and the straw hat and also painted her nails dark green, but one was still missing. That one was on the right middle finger of her companion.

They soon stopped in front of a tree. A tree? In the snow? At full bloom? Strange for anyone to see but exactly what these two were looking for.

Wordlessly, the taller one formed a quick, long array of seals then placed his hand on the wooden yet surprisingly warm bark. Black symbols appeared and encircled the tree with carvings in black.

The roots pulled themselves up from the ground and stretched around them like cobwebs. Covering a quarter of the snowy meadow, the black seals rose up from the ground like geysers. All ends however met at the very middle, the tree. The symbols thickened forming more like walls. From afar you would probably think that the cave rose from the ground; that was exactly what it's doing.

Soon there was a ceiling and the snow falling had ceased. The entrance was a small opening at the western part and right now Itachi and Sakura were standing at the middle of the cavern.

"Nice place." Sakura said smirking,

"Hn."

It wasn't exactly nice. In front of them was a gigantic statue of a creature with multiple eyes, a wide mouth and a pair of hands whose fingers are the size of one person. Other than that the entire place was empty.

Sakura stared up at the intimidating size of the statue. "Am I suppose to destroy this?"

Itachi nodded and turned around. "You can start. I'll keep watch outside."

Putting her hat aside, Sakura loosened the cloak allowing her more flexibilty as well as agility. Once again she stared at the large statue and smirked knowingly.

"This is gonna be fun."

As he stood outside but he could clearly hear the loud crashing, banging and yells off "Shannaro!", meaning the kunoichi was probably enjoying herself. He sighed as he closed his eyes.

He doesn't know how long he can take it. The pain is unbearable and everyday it seems to be getting worse. The virus was spreading quick; it won't take long for it to finally end his life. In fact, he could possibly die on this mission right now.

He straightened his posture and opened his eyes. No, not now. There's still work to be done. He will survive, he will not die in the hands of a simple virus.

Almost as though the virus heard him, the burning in his throat increased and he broke into an array of coughs. He covered his mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound. It didn't work that much but it was better than hacking so loud it could start an avalanche. Or even attract-

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here boys. Told you I smelled a weasel."

-them

A few yards from him were a 3 shinobis. 2 men and one woman. From the looks of their outfits, they were probably some renegade shinobis but he couldn't be sure. They were dressed in simple jounin outfits except with much thinker fabric and a some sort of hat wrapped around their heads, probably to protect themselves from the cold. They glared at him and prepared for an attack.

Their leader, a man whose face was scared with various marks, unshethed his katana. "Akatsuki, you realize you are trespassing on Snow Country."

Itachi remained silent.

"Very well," he turned to his lackeys. "Attack."

And with bullet like speed, they stroke. The kunoichi of the group made the first attack and formed quick hand seals that were suppose to summon a genjutsu that would bind Itachi, while her 2 companions attacked head on.

But with a flash the Akatsuki disappeared.

"Where did he go?" the leader asked,

The group scanned the area, but unfortunately couldn't find a trace of the Akatsuki.

"The coward! He left!" the kunoichi yelled frustratingly

"I don't think so." One male, a pale brunette, looked doubtingly at a tree.

Then he stroke the tree with his palm. His lavender eyes glinted with glee as the Uchiha emerged from the bark like a shadow.

"A Hyuuga?" was all Itachi could say as he jumped away from the man.

The Byakugan user smiled as he got ready for a move. Itachi was about to form a fireball when he realized that his body refused to move. He glared at the kunoichi who struggled to maintain a seal. 'A Nara?' he thought

"Your from Konoha." He stated,

Their leader smirked as the Uchiha directed his eyes at him. The Uchiha was trapped and by none other than his team. He felt a rush of pride as the supposed deadly S-class shinobi was left helpless at their hands.

"Sensei, what are we suppose to do now?" the kunoichi asked

He turned to her- then a look of horror spread through out his face. There was nothing wrong; her face looked the same, except for the blazing red eyes looking up at him.

The Nara girl stared quizzically at her sensei. "Sensei?"

The scarred man unsheathed his katana and directed it at her. "Sensei!" she yelled more loudly

"He's trapped in a genjutsu!" her teammate said,

He lifted it up and prepared to strike. She dodged the blade and jumped away. Unfortunately though she also broke the seal on Itachi.

The Hyuga cursed as he stroke the Uchiha with his palms. Itachi prepared to attack when the pain in his throat increased and he winched. The Hyuuga took the opportunity to place a bone breaking hit at his ribs.

Itachi stepped back and coughed out blood. The Hyuuga prepared for another hit when-

"Nani! I was gone 5 minutes and this happens?"

The Hyuuga stood frozen in shock as he gaped at the woman who emerged from the cave. "Y-Yo-You're suppose to be dead." He stuttered

The Akatsuki smirked as she recalled the stuttering of a former hyuuga female. "Then I guess my plan worked."

Itachi fell to his knees coughing. His throat was burning like Sunakagure on a summer day. Sakura stared at her partner then glared at the Hyuuga. Her fists clenched and the ground trembled.

The next thing Itachi knew was the ground breaking apart before he fell unconscious.

He woke up and felt soothing charkra entering his body. He immedietly bolted up; the feeling of foreign chakra unnerved him. But firm yet smooth hands held him down.

Sakura sat above him, hands on his shoulders, restraining him. She gave him a cold glare, which meant she was probably upset & angry. "Stay down." She ordered.

"No." Itachi said firmly. He was her senior, she had no right to order him around. But as a medic she had every right to.

"I said stay down." She said and held him down. Being the super strong woman she was, Itachi had no choice but to obey or risk getting further injured.

She continued healing him, though she was quieter than usual. He could feel her tension by the chakra she was flowing. It was uneasy and...surprisingly worried.

Finally she finished and stood up. She neither looked at him nor uttered a word. Instead she walked over to the ruined statue and simply stared at nothing.

Itachi tried to sit but the burning pain in his gut prevented him so. "Don't sit." Sakura said, not even glancing.

So he lied there, and slowly drifted to sleep.

She stared at the statue. Her eyes never wavering but her mind wondering.

She knew there was something wrong. Even from the start she felt it. She stared grimly at his sleeping form. He was dying.

He never even told her that he was sick. The idiot keeping it to himself. Now that the virus has grown it's barely even curable, even with chakra. There's no telling when it'll take over. It could be any day to any minute maybe even a second.

She laugh drily. A mere virus killing the great Itachi Uchiha, no one would have guessed that. She always thought he would end with his brother. Not that she's implying Sasuke will win, no that's impossible. She thought that both brothers will die in the fight, ending the feud and their bloodline. A sad and unfortunate end. Like everything else in this world.

But it would be a shame to think that Itachi would fight his brother when he's weak. It would be unfair and an insult to his legacy.

No, she decided. He will live. Not if Sakura Haruno has anything to say about it.

The hooded man wondered the streets like ghost. No one would take a second glance at him. He was a ghost. If you passed him, you would see no one. If you looked at him, you would think he was a mere stranger.

Those were ignorant people, of course. None of them knew that one person could probably end their life with a simple glance. A simple look at his blood red eyes could send you or anyone to the worst nightmare you could ever experience. You would feel the wrath of his anger. Feel the pain of his betrayal.

No one would expect it. After all, it has been a while since the avenger walked the streets of Konoha.

Dun-Dun-Dun! Cliffhanger. I know I hate those too but just can't resist it. Thanks for the lovely reviews!

Loved the part with the nightmare. I don't know why, maybe it's just my sadistic imagination but I LOVE seeing Sasuke suffer mwahahahahaha :3....

If any one has any comments, suggestions, yadayada there's a button at the bottom that might be useful.

Anyway Sneek Peek at the next:

"What happened to her?" he asked

The lady smiled grimly, "Let me tell you a story" she dared to look into his eyes, "Of how a cherry blossom blossoms- then withers away."

"You're going to cure me?"

"Yes, and I won't give up until I will."

He stared into her eyes, searching for any sign of lie. Seeing nothing he sighed. "Thank you."

"That's what partners are for."

Oooh...wonder what happens next. Please Read and Review!