A/N: I am sorry this took so long. xD I'm terrible, but it's done! And out on my birthday... Happy 16th to me.

Thanks to BrittMarie for being amazing once again and betaing this for me. She is sooo good.

THIS STORY IS RATED M. MOSTLY FOR LANGUAGE, GORE AND VIOLENCE, IDEALOGICALLY SENSITIVE MATERIALS AND GOOD OLD SEXUAL CONTENT.

Not in this chapter, though. Just fluff. ENJOY!

-does not own Naruto-

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss would be losing to some undead bastard."

I know that I always seem to start complaining about Itachi at every chance I get, and I it might seem a bit odd to some people but in all honesty, I don't think that he deserves a good word sometimes. Yeah, he totally saved my ass the first time we met, but he always seems so pompous and just… mreh. Like he doesn't care about anything, or more specifically, me.

But on that note, he's ridiculously protective. It doesn't make any sense! He won't let me do anything that could get me in danger, yet he continues to say that I have to go on this mission with him. He says that there's something that he can't do alone and that I need to do it. Something about locks and houses and forests… And I overheard him on the ride from the helicopter (which I did rage about) talking about my father. What the hell does he have to do with anything? He's dead.

It has nothing to do with anything, that's what I thought, considering that he completely disregarded my anger to whisper with the pilot for gods know what reasons and not tell me anything. That resulted in me tugging on the end of the Uchiha's ponytail and yelling "YOU LISTEN TO ME NOW, YOU MANIPULATIVE BASTARD!" which then prompted him to fall backwards and offset the weight of the helicopter (not my fault) and the guy flying the damn thing yelled at both of us and said we had to sit still.

That meant I couldn't rage anymore. Instead I fumed until we got back to where ever the hell Itachi's office/prison/apartment/thing was.

It was a long twenty minutes, and if I recalled correctly we now had less than twenty-four hours to find out where the meeting point was and find a way to get his little friend back (but for some reason, I kinda thought that she could take care of herself. She survived this long, didn't she?) and then do whatever the hell that we're actually supposed to be doing.

I wish he would have told me stuff more often. He always seemed to be really closed off.

- - -

August 6th, 8:22 PM

Itachi's Underground Apartment, Uchiha Corps

20 hours, 38 minutes remain

- - -

"That took way too long," Sakura complained, dropping her bloodstained coat on his chair. Of course he winced a bit, but it was leather and it wasn't like it couldn't be wiped down or replaced.

"It wouldn't have been so long if you had not pulled my hair."

"Well soooooooorr-y. You should have told me you had a helicopter."

He smirked slightly, noting her scowl as she examined her new, shorter hair in the mirror. It was in need of a trim, obviously, but they style suited her. She still looked feminine, but more of an I-could-totally-kick-your-ass kind of feminine.

"It was more convenient to drive." She rolled her eyes.

"You know what else would be convenient? A shower."

"There's a bathroom right over there." He pointed, and she raised an eyebrow.

"There's also no running water, because if I recall we're kind of in the middle of a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE." Oi, she needed to stop yelling. Itachi sighed.

"This facility is on a private water and power network. We were prepared for the chance of outages."

Well, how was that possible? There was no way to know unless you saw this situation coming… Sakura's brow creased, but she didn't pursue the subject.

"Oh."

"Mm… and just yesterday you walked in on me changing after one, correct?" OKAY, THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR. Her cheeks flushed a bright red as a scowl crossed her face, remembering the repercussions of that intrusion and how warm and tight his body had been…

"Shut up, Itachi."

With that she stalked off to said washroom, discarding her boots outside the door and closing it behind her. Of course he knew that she was bound to use all the hot water and not once would she ever stop to think about whether or not he wanted to get clean. Then again he had not chopped off his hair or dismembered a zombie with his bare hands… but it was worth a try to at least get her to reconsider wreaking her revenge via his mood being eaten alive by grief due to lack of hot water.

He approached the door, using one knuckle to rap on the dark, polished wood. "Sakura, I—"

Apparently he was not allowed to finish that sentence, because within that time the door opened with a 'click', and a small amount of sweet-smelling, bloodstained fabric hit him in the face before it was closed.

"No. Go figure out that damn tape and let me have my shower in peace!"

Itachi sighed. Fair enough.

- - -

Sakura studied her new hair in the mirror, ignoring the bruises that covered her stomach and shoulders from the damn ghoul that had dragged her away.

She had never been all too fond of her hair colour, but she did like the length. As a teenager she had insisted on cutting it short in a display of rebellion—along with getting herself a tattoo—but as she grew older and had proved herself capable, she no longer found it necessary to do such a thing. Instead she had grown it, and it had been so nice and long, thick and wavy and just perfect.

But now it was gone, and needed to be trimmed. The once elbow-length locks were now jagged and just below her shoulders, the longest bits at her shoulder blades. With a sigh she began to rummage through the drawers, and finally procured a pair of scissors.

There was silence as she brushed out her hair, neatly trimming the ends of her hair so that they were even before slicing at the right angle to give it more of a natural look. It didn't take long, but once she was done Haruno Sakura had effectively given herself a haircut.

She turned her head left and right, examining the way it looked. It could still be tied back and it looked good, so she supposed it wasn't that bad… it wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone, after all.

Of course Itachi didn't count. As hot as he was, he was a total prick and seemed to take it upon himself to make her miserable. She mulled that fact over as she pulled off the remainder of her clothing, turning on the hot water and stepping into the shower.

A soft sound of bliss left her lips at the sensation of the water (and the fact that she was finally getting clean), her eyes closing and all thoughts of Itachi leaving her mind…

Well, at least until the little voice in her head started describing what it would be like to have company. Sakura scowled, blushing even though she was alone. Now that she thought about it she was alone in his shower, using his things, being treated with some fucked-up kind of respect and what not… and he had kissed her (more like made out with, but that didn't matter) and it had been nice.

His motives were questionable, however, and she believed that if he really wanted her he would at least make an effort. Thus, thinking about him wet and naked and pressed against her was completely out of the question, and so she kicked the voice and told it to shut up as she reached for the shampoo.

Her hand grasped the bottle, the scent filling the air as she uncapped it. It wasn't something overly-perfumed, nor was it fruity, flowery or otherwise feminine. It smelled like him, kinda, and it was oddly comforting… kinda.

Not that she really had a choice in her shampoo's scent. Washing her hair and shaving her legs (yes, his razor was used) without another thought, the roseate shut off the water and wrapped herself in one of the many plush, black towels that adorned his bathroom.

Now just to find something to wear… at least he was gone for now.

- - -

August 6th, 5:34 PM

Unknown Location, Underground Base

20 hours, 8 minutes remain

- - -

Nagato leaned back in his chair, a smug grin on his face after being informed that yes, his plan had been a success. For his own enjoyment (not really any evil planning) he had told various henchmen to do terrible things to hinder the Haruno girl's progress… well, mostly he wanted her dead and her fingers chopped off, but it was more fun to watch her freak out and kill things. It would eventually lead to her own demise and, in fact, she would never reach the goal. Not to mention that his tape made no sense whatsoever and it was too far for them to get to by car within twenty-four hours.

With a yawn, he turned to look out the window that was not actually a window. It was instead a computer screen that could be programmed to be whatever kind of weather was suitable. Man, those Senju sure knew how to run things.

"Nagato, there's some bad news."

Well, that broke his reverie. Bad news… what on earth could have possibly happened? There was no good reason why his secretary, the lovely Konan (who he had known since diapers), would have any bad news.

The redhead pushed the button on the intercom. "What do you mean, bad news?"

"I, um, well… you see we kinda… there's been an…" Nagato made a sound of impatience, and he heard the woman clear her throat.

"Your hostage escaped."

It did not take an intercom for Konan, who was three floors away, to hear his yell.

Oh yes, they were in trouble now.

- - -

August 6th, 9:06 PM

Film Lab, Uchiha Corps

19 hours, 4 minutes remain

- - -

It had taken a couple hours for Itachi to figure out that tape. He found that if nothing, their enemy was a bit sadistic.

That had been nearly impossible. Encrypted, in code, scrambled, crappy quality… it had taken more than an ounce of his patience and much more than one cup of coffee for him to sit through that. And people wondered why he had insomnia…

But the point was, he knew where they were supposed to go, and he also knew that Sakura wasn't going to like it. There was good reason: she hadn't known of the truth about her childhood home.

Her father had charged him on his deathbed with her protection in exchange for the ultimate biological weapon. A biochemist employed by Uchiha Corps, Haruno Toru had been one of the most intelligent men he had ever met, and also one of the most devoted. His wife left him after bearing him a child, taking all his money and leaving him with nothing but the house. He had sold his brainpower to science, and had signed a multi-million dollar contract.

Needless to say he spent it building up his lab, which just so happened to be completely underground. He asked for a loan from the company, and they had complied—so long as it was connected to the main building via tunnel. Sadly he put so many traps and locks on it that they could no longer get in, and now needed fingerprints to get inside… and the last one in the Haruno line was the daughter he had so loved.

The lovely, humble, quiet and complacent Haruno Sakura.

Itachi snorted. Yeah right.

Regardless, he had to be nice to her until he could get inside. She was utterly infuriating, full of fire and a spirit that could content with a hurricane. And yet she was growing on him… too bad they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, or he would probably work on tapping that.

Well, he was also nearly worried that she would castrate him or something.

He doubted it, in all honesty. She seemed so eager to return his kiss, so nice and pliant under his expert touches. It would probably be too easy to get her in his bed, but there was no time since they had a deadline. With a sigh, he heaved himself out of the comfy, rather sinister looking chair and made his way back up to his room.

- - -

The room seemed to quiet when he arrived, so he took caution while unlocking and opening the door. He scanned the room, noting that his closet door was open, but thought nothing of it until his eyes rested upon his bed.

There, lightly sleeping, was Sakura.

As her clothes were dirty (he could hear the washer running) she was wearing one of his shirts and what looked to be nothing else. It rode high on her thighs, the skin glowing in the dim light. Her hair was splayed across his pillows, vibrantly contrasting with the black of his sheets. Full lips were slightly parted and wet, her breath coming in even and calm. She looked absolutely divine.

And… cute, of all things. Yes, this was how he liked her—quiet and looking like she was his.

Wait, what? No. She was a rambunctious little witch that yelled too much and was far too amused by his misery for her own good. Attractive, yes, but never his type.

Though she did look pretty hot ripping zombies to shreds. There was something attractive about a girl that could use weapons.

Damn. Itachi shook his head, approaching the sleeping girl quietly. They had time, right? It wasn't like he couldn't take a nap and then set an alarm. With a smirk he did just that—two hours exactly. It was his bed anyway: he could sleep where he wanted to. If she was there, so be it.

He removed his shirt and got under the covers, being sure to stay away from her delicious warmth. Tempting as it was, he would like to wake with his head attached.

- - -

August 6th, 9:06 PM

Itachi's Underground Apartment, Uchiha Corps

17 hours, 0 minutes remain

- - -

Sakura felt oddly warm when she woke, and found herself pressed against what seemed to be a nice, firm wall. Her brow creased, eyelashes fluttering at the sound of an alarm… When had she done that? Groping for the button, Sakura smacked it and felt the immense satisfaction of the sound stopping. She cuddled closer to the source of heat until she felt it move and pull her closer.

What the fuck…?

She finally opened her eyes and realized that OH SHIT, THERE IS A SHIRTLESS MAN NEXT TO ME.

More accurately a shirtless Itachi, but that was beside the point. When had that happened? Wasn't he supposed to be figuring out the tape and not sleeping? Not to mention that it seemed that he hadn't moved, she had—it was just instinct for him to put his arms around her.

Aw man, this was going to be awkward as all hell. Good thing there was no one around but zombies, because this would look so bad if someone walked in.

Maneuvering carefully, Sakura somehow managed to disentangle herself from him so that she could get up and get dressed—he had flipped over her laundry. Aw, that was nice. She unbuttoned the shirt slowly, inching over to the machines to pull out her clothing. Damn, all this zombie hunting was great for being silent…

That was until she was pulling on her undergarments and heard him stir, raise himself up, and call her name.

"Sakura, what are you… Oh."

Sakura cringed, but promptly squeaked and threw his shirt that she had been wearing right at his face. She did not appreciate being stared at while she was changing, dammit!

"Don't look, please." He nodded mutely, knowing that if he removed the shirt she would snap his neck. Not that she could, really, but the shirt also smelt nice—like cherries and chamomile and himself, because it was his. It was strange to have a female in his room for more than a few hours.

She didn't really notice his musing, too busy trying to cool off her cheeks as she hastily pulled on her clothing. Maybe she should change the subject.

"So, um, why were you here when I woke up?"

"It's my bed, Sakura. You were the intruder." She rolled her eyes. He was so logical.

"Yeah well, I kinda needed the sleep. Did you figure out where we need to go?" Small hands tugged down the tight-fitting crimson fabric, though it more from nervousness than necessity.

He nodded again, this time meeting her eyes when she approached to remove the fabric from over his face. "It was not difficult. We are supposed to be in the Senju foyer before our time is up."

Senju…? Sakura frowned, nibbling her lip. "Why Senju?"

"They are the ones with the hostage."

"But aren't they another pharmaceutical company?"

"Of course."

"How does that make any sense?" Itachi sighed patiently as she sat. He rose to get dressed, and the roseate honestly did her best not to stare. Needless to say she failed, but he wasn't really paying attention.

"They are obviously planning something, and have survived the apocalypse—or they were taken over." His expression clouded for a moment, as if he were a bit surprised at the thought. "Regardless of what is going on, we must retrieve Megan before we can continue. It is only a minor setback."

"But why do we need her?" He was really bad at explaining things, apparently.

"To complete our mission."

That struck a nerve, and she scowled at him as she watched his back. "You never even told me what our mission is."

He tilted his head, looking over his shoulder at her with a raised brow. "Of course not."

"Then why the hell should I bother with this? I don't even know you, let alone want to deal with something that's not my problem. I just wanna survive this thing, not have to fix the world's issue! It's not my problem, nor is it yours! It's not like you caused it or something!"

She didn't notice the minute amount his muscles tensed: she was too busy staring at the ceiling, fuming.

"…Relax, Sakura. Everything will be revealed in due time."

"And how much more time?"

"About sixteen hours and thirty-four minutes."

She watched as he pulled on his coat. Why he always wore that black and red suit was beyond her, but she wasn't complaining. It was then she realized what time it was, and she grinned.

"Let's go."

- - -

August 7th, 7:22 AM

Foyer, Senju Industries

1 hour, 38 minutes remain

- - -

"That… is a really big door."

"Obviously."

Their drive had not been nice. Literally nine hours of getting lost, and then one repairing the car, and then one to deal with injuries, and then they walked the rest of the way. Neither was happy, but annoyed was not even close.

For about the fifth time since they arrived two minutes ago, Sakura scowled at the Uchiha. "You say that like I'm retarded or something."

He resisted the urge to say something, and this time succeeded. Instead he sighed, checking his watch. Sakura rolled her eyes and wandered a bit before yelling for him.

"HEY ITACHI!" The roseate gestured for him to come over to her, and he complied. When he arrived she flashed him a rather smug grin. "There's a back door."

"It's probably lock—" He didn't even get the words out before she swung herself around, and kicked the door in with a rather loud, noticeable 'BANG!'. As it turns out, yes, it was locked, but she hit it so hard that she snapped the lock clean in two. Sakura hopped on one foot, cursing her life while he stared.

"Oww…" She tested her weight before stepping down, then tiptoeing in. He raised an eyebrow in his slight amusement, wondering what the point of making such a loud noise and then sneaking in. They were expected anyway.

He shrugged to himself and followed, not once thinking to draw his weapon. Sakura did, but mostly because whatever kind of place seemed safe never really was. Verdant eyes searched the area, trying to adjust to the dim light.

That was when he heard the click of heels.

Itachi frowned. Wasn't the person who captured their target a male…?

Sakura, unlike Itachi, didn't care. She pulled out a flashlight, flicked it on and held it above her weapon, shining it in the direction of the noise. "Show yourself!"

There was high, feminine laughter before a single snap, and the lights turned on, exposing their company.

She was tall, with blue hair piled atop her head in a strange style. There was a small paper flower in her hair, but that didn't really matter. A black suit clung to her body, skirt pulled tight and hands on her hips. She appeared to be unarmed, but this was not someone to be taken lightly—Itachi knew this woman.

"Konan. How… nice to see you again." His voice was pleasant, though both women could detect a hint of malice. They were not on good terms, Sakura supposed, but didn't care: instead she directed her weapon at said woman, emerald eyes narrowing to slits.

Konan, however, seemed amused. "Mm, hello Itachi. I see you have brought a guest."

Her look hinted that she knew why Sakura was there. Itachi glowered in his own Uchiha way, but the roseate was outright glaring.

"You know full well why she and I are here. Would you mind telling us where our friend is?"

The blue-haired woman mused mockingly, circling them nice and slow while she tapped her chin. Sakura's laser sight followed her movements, but Itachi remained still. Finally, it seemed that Konan had a reply, but it wasn't really the one they wanted.

"Why? So you can have her too? I would think having this… female would be enough." Her haughty tone made Sakura growl, but Itachi shook his head.

"It's not like that."

"Really? Because she smells just like you—I would never have thought that you would keep things a secret." A smirk crossed her face. "Unless she's a man… or some kind of skank."

"What did you just say?" Sakura hissed. Itachi took a step back: this was not going to end well. Konan, however, grinned smugly at her reaction.

Cobalt clashed with jade for a brief moment. "I called you a skank. That means a whore, slut, prostitute, strumpet—"

"I know what it means." The rosette's voice was deathly quiet, her eyes burning with hatred. "Why don't you come say it to my face, you disease-infested cunt?"

That got a reaction. Konan's eyes narrowed almost as fast as she approached. Soon enough the two women were face to face.

"Say that again."

"With pleasure." Sakura was the smug one now, but she didn't get the words out before Konan whispered something that Itachi could not quite hear.

He knew it was bad, however, by Sakura's reaction.

"YOU COCKSUCKING WHORE! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Sakura then proceeded to lunge at the woman's throat, effectively wrapping her thin hands around and squeezing hard.

Itachi's eyes widened. Shit.

"Sakura, no!" He grabbed her around the waist and pried her hands off Konan's neck. The taller woman glared, her breath coming in harsh pants that rivaled Sakura's own.

"Let me at her! I'm going to kill that bitch!"

"No killing the woman in charge of the hostage." He was stupidly calm, and that was just pissing her off more. Sakura struggled fruitlessly while Konan gasped for breath.

It was a few good minutes of negotiating that weren't really working at all until Konan finally opened her mouth again, and what she was only going to make things worse.

"Your… princess is in… another castle."

The pair stopped, and stared at the woman. "What?" They chorused.

"She escaped. Good luck, bitches."

Before either could react, Konan snapped her fingers. The lights went out.

"FUCK MY FUCKING LIFE." It was obvious who was cursing.

When the lights came back on, Sakura was nearing the point of breaking down. "Now what?"

"Well, there's only one place she would go."

"Do you know where that is?"

Itachi gave her the 'look'. Sakura scowled. "How are we getting there?"

"By foot."

"OH HELL NO. I AM NOT WALKING."

"You either walk or I make you stay here."

Sakura muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'bring it'. Itachi raised a brow.

"Yes or no, Sakura."

"… fine. Lead the way, pretty boy."


Sorry about Konan. She's a nice lady.

Reviews for birthday? :D They inspire me.