A/N:

I'm back after my boring summer! Well, only a few weeks passed and I already want to go back to school. My aunt took my laptop so I couldn't put a chapter. So, while my sister is gone with my aunt- the one who took my laptop- I went on my sister's laptop! Yes, my sister would kill me, but who cares because she is my younger, twin sister!

I think I made this more longer, but we will see when this is done. (My sister, cousin, and I broke my aunt's laptop-no we are not rich- just to let you know)

A Fallen Blossom

Sakura got out of the bathroom and the peircing gaze of Itachi was making her fidget. She walked to the corner of her bed looking nervous and Kisame was staring at her intently. Silence was among them until Sakura broke it.

"I have to tell you both something," Sakura blurted out. 'So much for telling them later!' She thought and mentally hit her forehead.

"What is it, Pinky?" Kisame questioned in curiosity.

"Last night I went out for a breath of fresh air at the club. A few minutes later I was attacked," Sakura watched as Kisame's eyes widened while Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "And when I was attacked, that person put a seal of some sort on my stomach; I don't know what the seal can do."

"Do you know who your attacker was?" Itachi asked with an emotionless face. You could see his eyes were filled with anger and bloodlust.

"No, my mind was dizzy from the drinks." Sakura said, half-lying, because her mind was dizzy from the drinks. She hoped he would buy it.

"And why didn't you tell us when you woke up?" Itachi asked through gritted teeth.

"How would I remember when having a hangover?" Sakura countered back. Itachi just grunted for an answer and narrowed his eyes more.

"I knew we shouldn't have went to the club. Argh, this is all my fault!" Kisame yelled in frustration.

"What's done is done, Kisame. Just forget what happened until we get back to headquarters." Itachi growled.

'Did he just growl? He's so pissed!' Kisame and Sakura thought in sync. Kisame nodded and gulped audibly.

"Let's just relax today seeing that our energy is worn out." Sakura suggested, as that was similar to Kisame's earlier words. Itachi and Kisame just nodded and continued what they were doing before the incident. No one dared to talk to break the tension and silence. Sakura feared they could actually hear her heart beating erotically. The silence was deafening and the day was ending very slowly for her.

A week passed from the whole 'curse/seal' incident. Sakura, Itachi, and Kisame haven't figured out what the seal does. The seal was a total mystery to them. The trio were planning to report back to their HQ, but Sakura wanted to leave later for she had not bid goodbye to Shikamaru yet. She had notified Shikamaru of meeting up later.

"I'm going to meet with Shikamaru right now, bye!" Sakura yelled out. She had put on a henge again with her hair in low pigtails, like Tsunade, with a white cardigan over a dark blue cami. She wore white shorts with blue converse on, light blue eye shadow and mascara. She put a light pink lipgloss on her lips.

"Come back at 8, if possible. We will be leaving tonight." Itachi said while reading a poetry book.

"Have fun!" Kisame yelled from the bathroom. Sakura walked out of the hotel making her way to a little diner. Boys would greet and flirt with her shamelessly. She would just greet back and walk away. She finally reached the diner which was neither too small nor too large. The walls were painted blue with different swirls on the walls, a huge chandelier was set in the middle of the ceiling, and a dozen or so tables with chairs were filled with people. A huge tank full of exotic fish were on the right side of the entrance inside.

Sakura made her way to the cashier which was a boy around her age. He was blushing lightly at her appearance. When she approached closer, the boy gulped audibly.

"H-Hello miss, may I help you?" he stuttered.

"I have an order under the name Akira Tiyomoko," Sakura kindly smiled, resulting in the boy blushing furiously.

"Your o-order would be right up." the boy hurriedly left to go get her order. He returned with her order and she paid for it and left. Sakura looked at her watch and saw that she was a little late.

'Gah, I'm late!' Sakura thought as she sped off by jumping on roofs. All that anybody saw, even high-ranked ninjas, was blue and white blur passing by. Sakura arrived at a little forest clearing panting. The forest clearing was surrounded by wild flowers, but there was a part in the middle which was a circle of grass. It was a great place today for cloud-watching. In the grass was Shikamaru laying on a blanket watching the clouds pass by.

Sakura sweatdropped and walked over to him. "Figures, it doesn't matter if I'm late or not, you would be enjoying the clouds," She said while putting down the food.

"You know me well." Shikamaru smirked and used his elbows to prop himself up.

"I got your favorite: tempura with rice and soy sauce or wasabi!" She exclaimed while giving the food to him. He nodded in thanks and she grabbed herself some dango. She had brought extra food for Itachi and Kisame.
Shikamaru and Sakura started eating and chatting once in a while. When they were done they would watch the clouds.

"While they were cloud-watching, Sakura felt a spike of chakra to her left, but chose to ignore it. Next thing you know a kunai was implanted next to her. They both stood up quickly waiting for the next attack. Out of nowhere a purple and yellow blur tackled Sakura to the ground with a screech.

"What are you doing with my boyfriend!" Ino yelled and punched Sakura. Sakura pushed Ino off of her easily and stayed away from the raging kunoichi a few yards apart.

"Let me explain-" Sakura tried to say, but was interrupted.

"Shut up, you whore! Shikamaru is not yours! He is mine so get that throught that little head of yours. Also, stay away from my man!" Ino threatened while clinging on Shikamaru's left arm.

"Excuse me, but Shikamaru and I-".

"Liar! Shika-kun would never cheat on me! He loves-" this time it was Ino who was interrupted.

"Ino, we are not even dating. She is a friend of mine long ago. We didn't see each other in a long time so we just had lunch to get updated with each other," Shikamaru snapped while shaking Ino off his arm.

"It doesn't look like it to me." Ino crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Sakura. Sakura just looked at her blankly.

Shikamaru sighed," Troublesome woman, you and your assumptions- you know what forget it. We will talk about it later. Why are you here?".

"I was looking for you to eat for lunch when I found you with this skank right here!" Ino growled out. "Plus you said you were going to take me out today!".

"I never said I was going to take you out. Didn't I tell you I was going to meet a friend today?" Shikamaru argued with Ino. Sakura was finally fed up with the arguing so she decided to leave.

"Well, since I'm forgotten, I'm going to go now. I'll contact you, okay?" Sakura said and left with the food while Ino grinned triumphantly at her retreating back.

"Let's just go home, Ino," Shikamaru mentally groaned as Ino squealed and dragged him home. It was getting late so Sakura just went back to the hotel. She entered her room and cancelled the henge.

"You're back early," Kisame looked up from sharpening his weapons.

"Yeah, I had a little problem so I decided to leave early," She said while looking at the time. It was 6:20 right now. She went to change into her ninja attire and came back out.

"Did you bring me back some food?" Kisame asked.

"If I didn't, you would keep begging me for food. It's is on the bed," Sakura answered as she saw Kisame give a toothy smile.

"Hallelujah!" Kisame cheered.

"Save the dango for Itachi."

"It would be wise if you would save that for the travel," Itachi said. They were all
ready to depart back to the Akatsuki's base since yesterday, at 12:42pm.

"Fine," Kisame grumbled in a dissapointed tone.

"Let's go, the sooner we leave, the sooner we get back. Also, we could try to find out what the seal does," Itachi replied and they left the bill of the room and started running. It was pitch black and the guards were obviously asleep so they slipped out of Konoha gates easily. They ran nonstop for three days with little breaks. The base came into view and Sakura dropped to the ground next to it.

"Finally! I was getting hungry!" Sakura exclaimed as they walked through the halls.

"We just ate an hour ago," Kisame sweatdropped.

"I'm a growing woman, okay?" Sakura pouted.

"Or a growing man," Kisame muttered. Luckily, she didn't hear for she was singing.

"Hi! Girl, you just caught my eye. Thought I should give it a try and get your name and your number. Go grab some lunch and eat some cucumbers-"

"Sakura, why would you be eating cucumbers at lunch, yeah?" Deidara popped out of nowhere.

"I don't know it just came to my head." Sakura shrugged.

"You two go get some rest. I'll report back to Leader-sama." Itachi said and vanished right there.

"I'm going to my room. I'lll see you guys tomorrow." Sakura walked to her room and closed the door after her. She took a long, hot shower to soother her aching muscles. She came out of the shower and changed into basketball shorts and a tank top. Sakura turned off the lights, tripped over something while walking, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow on the bed.

Itachi and Pein were staring at each other with no words spoken yet. Finally, Itachi broke the silence between them. "Leader-sama," Itachi bowed in respect to Pein.

"Itachi, do you have a full report on the mission?" Pein asked with clasped hands and elbows propped onto the desk.

"Yes, but I'll give you a summary: Sakura found out that Konoha is planning to annihilate the Akatsuki. They are deciding when to take action. On that same day, Kisame and Sakura went to a club. Sakura went for fresh air when someone attacked her and put a seal on her abdomen. We have no information on what the seal does," Itachi told Pein in a monotone voice, but there was seriousness in his eyes.

"I see," Pein was staring at the desk with a thoughtful expression, "Well, in that case, it is the Akatsuki's job to find out what the seal does or prevents. We only have limited time for we don't know for sure when Konoha will attack." Pein stated and looked at him with his rinnegan.

"Hai." Itachi bowed before leaving Pein's office.

"Why do you always assume that I'm cheating on you, Ino?" Shikamaru questioned the blonde who was sitting on the bed painting her nails. It was the day of the clearing/lunch incident.

"Well, everyone will assume you are when they see you with any skank, who dresses like a prostitute, that you call a friend," Ino stated in a 'matter-of-fact' tone. He glared at the blonde.

"Don't you dare call my friends "sluts". Akira,(A/N: Sakura told him her name ahead of time) the one I had lunch awhile ago, is not one. You think that what my friends are wearing, you have the right to judge them!" Shikamaru raised his voice a little higher. Ino just looked at him with an arched eyebrow and continued what she was doing earlier.

"What I 'assume' or 'judge' is the truth, always." Ino didn't notice the death glare that Shikamaru was giving her.

'Inhale...Exhale...Inhale...Exhale...' He thought as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ino, I think we need a break from each other for a while." Ino stared up at him and he was sure she had whiplash.

"What did you just say?" Ino asked slowly as she slowly got off the bed. Shikamaru opened his eyes frustrated.

"Troublesome woman, you heard me," he muttered.

"Fine, but don't be running back to me later knowing you made a mistake!" Ino yelled while she threw sleeping supplies at Shikamaru, which he caught, and pushed him out of their room. She slammed the door behind him and he let out an exasperated sigh. 'Troublesome woman' he thought while setting the things down so he could sleep on the couch.

The sun's rays shined on the pinkette's face. Birds were chirping happily as a few clouds flew by slowly. Sakura opened one eyes before closing it and turning the other way with a pillow covering her face. She was about to go to sleep when-

"Pinky, get up and stop being a lazy ass! It is time to train!" Kisame burst through the door effectively ripping it off its hinges. His answer was a pillow thrown to his face.

"Leave me alone," Sakura mumbled and pulled the covers over her head.

"Get up! We are going to train because it's a nice day today so go get ready, or I will drag you out of bed, literally." Kisame said and purposely let his footsteps cause vibrations and sound. "One..Two.."

"Fine, I'm up! I'll train today. Just get out so I can shower!" She yelled and in an instant Kisame left her room with her door fixed magically. Sakura stretched until she heard her bones pop.

"Looking good, pinky." Kisame whistled as Sakura approached in the training grounds. Kisame was sitting on a flat rock next to a lake that was connected to a beautiful waterfall. The morning sun made the calm lake water shimmer. The clearing was large with a few jagged rocks sticking out from the ground. The soft wind blew, rustling the leaves on the tree branches.

Kisame had watched the wind tousle Sakura's pink locks. She wore a pair of blue capris with a black tank top. A kunai pouch was strapped to her right thigh while her medical pouch was on her left thigh. A katana was on her back diagonally. Sakura's hair was in a low ponytail that left her bangs framing her face.

"Ready?" Kisame asked while standing up. Sakura nodded and got into a fighting position. Kisame too got in a fighting position.

"Taijutsu first, ninjutsu and gengutsu second, and then all out last." Sakura stated and charged. She sent a right punch which Kisame blocked. He didn't suspect the kick to the side which he grunted. He sent a roundhouse kick to her. She put both her arm in front of her in instinct and braced for the impact. Even though she had blocked the kick with both arms, the force sent her skidding a few feet. They did taijutsu for a while and then proceeded to ninjutsu and gengutsu. While they were training, they didn't notice Itachi sitting at the base of a tree- at a safe distance of course- watching the duo train. Kisame had taught her a few water jutsus that would be mastered quickly by chakra control, which Sakura possessed.

Training was almost completed so they went all out in their fighting. Sakura punched the training ground with a chakra-enhanced fist. Cracks were spreading, zig-zagging throughout the ground before huge shards flew up. A crater was formed and Kisame had to jump up for safety. This gave her an advantage. Her hands flew quickly in a series of hand seals. Her eyes were changing to the ryakugan when a sharp pain went throughout her. She had thought it was not a problem and continued. More pain came and she deactivated her bloodline, but the pain still continued.

It was like volts of electricity was surging through her body. She fell to a flat ground and her body shook uncontrollably. Sakura let out a pained scream and the seal on her abdomen was burning. Kisame saw what was occuring and was horrified. "Sakura!" Kisame yelled in a panicked voice and in an instant was next to her. Itachi appeared kneeling next to her shaking body. When Kisame tried to hold her down a bolt of electricity shocked his whole arm. He abruptly pulled his arm back in pain. A bright light took over Sakura's body and then spread throughout the area. Kisame and Itachi instinctively put their arms in front of their face to block the light.

The light vanished after a few seconds leaving and unconscious Sakura with huge burns all over her body. Itachi checked her breathing and her pulse. "She's breathing, but unconscious." Itachi answered with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Now we know what that seal does," Kisame said in a dark and angered tone.

"Let's get her medical attention," Itachi said and Kisame nodded while Itachi picked her up bridal style. They both ran off inside to get help.

"Hokage-sama." a voice said in respect.

"Ah, what brings you here?" Tsunade asked.

"We found he.," The person, obviously a male, replied.

"Godd job. Now we can proceed in our plan to annihilate the Akatsuki once and for all." Tsunade smirked at the thought.

"Hn." he grunted.

"Go tell the other to prepare. Thank you, Sasuke."

"Ah," said person smirked and left the room.

A/N:

So tired. Thanks to my beta reader for checking my story. I'll try to post again, if I don't get lazy that is. Itachi is in the lead guys. I'm going to end the poll when I feel like it. SO better vote and review please!