I do not own Naruto.

A/N-I hear Itachi was a bit ooc in the last chapter. Hehe, doesn't bother me though…

How I see it- Since it was valentines (in real life, not the story) I thought roses were called for. It made me have to struggle a bit to include it in the story but in the end I was happy with it.

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Finders Keepers Chapter Break 9

Bad…bad bunshin!

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Uchiha Itachi accepted his botchan dango from the person behind the counter and thanked them. He walked out of the tiny stall and back behind it, picking up the stick and taking a bite of the green tea dango that was first on it. He closed his eyes to savor his favorite treat.

"The only time you ever seem to enjoy yourself is when you are eating that stuff."

"Hn," Itachi didn't care for the intrusion upon his one indulgence.

"Ah well, happiness is overrated. Everything going as planned?

Itachi set the stick down. Obviously this nuisance would not leave yet.

"Things are moving at an acceptable pace. Zetsu is ahead of schedule and will be ready soon. I will collect Haruno and operations at the southern border will delay Konoha from interfering."

"What about the young Uchiha?"

"He's predictable, he will pose no problems."

"She's a fine specimen," He rubbed his hands together slowly in anticipation, "Indeed, this one will be a boon to our plans."

"You'll leave Haruno to me," he warned.

The masked ninja put his hands up, laughing lightly. "Hai, Itachi-san, I intended nothing else by my words," The ninja's voice changed to a menacing tone, "As long as you follow your orders."

"Have I ever not?"

0o0o0o0

0o0o0

Konoha:

0o0o0

Sakura was staring at the flowers on her table, finally indulging herself in the fear that Itachi was actually coming for her.

While they were certainly beautiful, it was almost as if he had brought them in person. The flowers on her table were a warning, no, they were a promise. He was coming, and no matter what she did, he was going to get her.

She completely forgot that Sasuke had just broken her front door in and was standing behind her cursing. She had unconsciously shaken his hand off her arm.

What if Itachi was outside right now watching her home?

'Thinking of you my sweet Sakura.' The note had said.

His last words to her were burned into her brain—along with the intensity of his kiss, the scent of his skin, the hardness of his body pressed against hers.

"I'll be seeing you soon, my sweet Sakura," she said softly.

Uchiha Itachi was coming for her.

Maybe he had watched her pick up the delivery outside her door, smiling softly to himself as his gift entered her home. He had as good as told her he was going to seduce her. No, it was beyond seduction, a threat, a promise. He was telling her as far as she was concerned, no one but herself was going to stop him. If she failed, she would be lost.

A threat to someone's person almost always brought out one of two responses, fight or flight.

Kakashi had urged flight, but if Itachi could get to her in the place she felt safest, then there was no safe place to run to. What was this man trying to accomplish here? Torture her, or Sasuke, both?

The knowledge that his older brother claimed her like she was one of his discarded toys pissed Sasuke off. He claimed not to care about her before, was it still true? His interest had never been more then lukewarm, and even then it was probably only because he'd been forced to be on a team with her.

'You think he's only here because it's where his brother might show up?' her Inner-self inquired.

'What else could it be?' she answered herself. 'He is obsessed with Itachi.'

It made her angry that these brothers had decided to drag her into their little fight. Really, she couldn't for the life of her figure out why Itachi would bother with her like this. Wouldn't have been better to piss off Sasuke by just killing her the first time? Naruto might have run straight for the Akatsuki then. Would Sasuke have cared if she was dead?

She didn't really think so. He had practically ignored her until this incident—choosing to spar only with Naruto or Kakashi during training and speaking to her only if he'd been hurt bad enough to need treatment—because he avoided the hospital even more then the copy nin.

She'd made mistakes during the Akatsuki fight, especially when she became angry. Surely she'd given Itachi the opening he needed to kill her. Not only that, she'd been much more vulnerable against the Sharingan then, yet he hadn't used his legendary genjutsu on her. He could have trapped her in that genjutsu and tortured, killed, or driven her insane. He'd done none of those things.

Maybe Kakashi was right, about Itachi's eyes being worn out by using the Sharingan too much. The only other person besides herself who had experience healing Sharingan damaged eyes was Tsunade. Because Shisou was the Hokage she was pretty much forced to remain in Konoha most of the time under heavy guard while Sakura went out regularly on missions.

'Look at the damage we've had to heal when Kakashi goes overboard with his,' her Inner reminded her.

No. That was a dangerously stupid assumption. Sharingan was a bloodline limit and Kakashi did not have the bloodline. If she believed things like that, she could be caught with her guard down. If that's all he wanted, why not just take her before. What's with the kiss and the warnings?

Maybe he was just playing with her to distract Sasuke.

Her head was spinning with possibilities. Kakashi wanted her to look underneath the underneath but where did it stop?

Healing was plausible, that would explain him not killing her. Did he think if he got on her good side she would heal him?

'Kami-sama, could the Uchiha be that arrogant?'

'Wait. He couldn't seduce her into doing that could he? Is that possible?' Sakura worried.

'He's very handsome,' her Inner reminded her.

'I'm sure he's got plenty of women who throw themselves at him that aren't afraid of his status,' she disputed. 'There are better looking, more experienced woman out there than me. He must know I'm not stupid enough to be flattered by his, ah, affections.'

'Ugh,' she thought wincing at the mental picture. 'Just saying Uchiha and affection in the same sentence sounded so wrong.' She shivered at the thought.

He couldn't possibly just want her because she was sexually innocent, that was crazy.

'Right?'

'His goal is the downfall of Konoha and the capture of the kyuubi. He has to know I would die, before helping him in either of those capacities.'

'Right?'

He had important missions to accomplish, there was no reason he'd want her that way. It was ridiculous.

'Right, hello?'

Her inner voice, usually so confident and outspoken, remained silent.

Was she just being naïve and stupid? The thought made her feel ill.

0o0o0

"Sakura."

Sasuke had been trying to get her attention, to no avail.

Since he'd broke her door in she'd been silent. Her attention had faded off again after he picked up the message from his aniki that fell from her fingers.

"Sakura."

She mumbled something over and over, seemingly to herself, touching her lips with a hand that shook. Her eyes widened, as if remembering something painful or frightening.

"Sakura!" he grabbed her face between his hands bringing it up close to his. "Focus!" He snapped and she blinked in surprise, her eyes becoming less glassy.

"I'll be seeing you soon, my sweet Sakura."

That's what she'd been saying, and she was still shaking like a leaf. He dragged her away from the table with the flowers and blocked her view of them.

"Is that what he told you last time?" He asked through gritted teeth.

She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go. Unconsciously she fought harder and Sasuke to access his chakra to hang on, or in her panic, she would have overpowered him to escape.

"Sakura, stop and listen to me. He's not here."

She stilled, willing to listen to his reasoning because he had cut right to the heart of her fear.

"He's not one to hide. If he was here he would have let you know."

"The flowers." Her hand pointed and she tried to look towards them again. He took her chin and turned it back to himself.

"It's just a warning, a reminder. He's trying to frighten you. You're letting him get to you."

She looked at him with wild eyes. "And you're not?" she pointed now to her busted door. "Tell me again, Sasuke, what was the point of locking my door?"

"…gomen." He had the grace to look embarrassed. "You wouldn't answer me."

The apology took her by surprise.

"Is that what Itachi said to you before?"

"Huh?"

"I'll be seeing you soon, my sweet Sakura. You've been repeating that, but it's different from the note."

"Uh…yeah. I guess."

"He's trying to dominate your mind—psyching you out."

"He's doing an good job, too. I've got to admit, that asshole has me a little freaked out now. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but, why can't he just fight like a normal Akatsuki? Sasori never made a pass at me before I killed him," she added.

'He might have said something about making a puppet out of me,' she thought, 'but that was probably to make up for the ones I broke.'

'Maybe he's trying to get Sasuke to take an interest in you.' her Inner suggested.

'So you're back now, huh?' Sakura berated the voice in her head.

'Yeah,' the voice sang, laughing cynically. 'It's the Uchiha Itachi dating service—if we can't find you the man of your dreams, we'll die trying. Itachi's got nothing better to do then chase around after his little brother's friends. First Naruto, now you, and he's probably having Kakashi over for drinks later.'

'Oh yeah, Naruto. Now there's a reason to take you away,' her Inner argued.

No. The Hokage has already made it clear to him (pounded into his head in fact) that, if that scenario took place he absolutely would not give into it. He knows they would first kill him, then everyone in Konoha and he'd end up only hurting all his friends. Naruto knows the Hokage would never just abandon one of their own, that was not the kind of person she was.

Itachi was playing some kind of game and she wanted no part of it. The missing nin was too smart to play the kidnap game with the Hokage. There had to be another element to this that she hadn't seen. Maybe Sasuke could shine some light on Itachi's thinking, but damned if she wanted to pump him for information on anything.

There were three clear choices in her eyes.

One, he wanted to hurt the Hokage. Unlike Naruto, she might trade herself for Sakura. As much as Sakura hated the idea, Tsunade was like a mother to her, and as such would give her life for Sakura.

Two, Sasuke. He wanted to goad Sasuke out of Konoha to face him. He hadn't tortured his brother enough, and now he had what he thought was an easy path. He was the master of the mindfuck.

Three, he wanted someone to heal his eyes and he was getting desperate enough to force the issue, and a cornered weasel was something you didn't want to mess with.

'FOUR,' her Inner chimed in. 'He thinks you're hot and wants your bod.'

'Yeah,' she thought. 'I get that all the time. Who needs world domination when you could have yourself a little hottie like Sakura Haruno?'

"You killed Sasori of the Akatsuki?" Sasuke interrupted her odd train of thoughts.

"With the help of a friend. Where have you been?" she demanded.

"You don't want to know," he assured her.

"Were those in here when you arrived?" He indicated the roses.

She shook her head.

"They were on the step, along with a note from Ino."

"And you brought them in?" She became more lucid with each question as fear subsided and anger took over.

'How dare Itachi think he can do this?' She rubbed at the sudden ache in her head.

Sasuke picked up the bracelet off the ground and grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" She pulled, but he wouldn't release her hand.

"Just wear it. I can tell if you need help. It's how I knew you were scared." He smirked. "Of flowers."

Green eyes flashed. "If it wasn't for you Uchiha's and your weird possessive gestures like this," she shoved the bracelet in his face, "I'd be living a peaceful life!" She tried to take it off and he stopped her.

"Don't."

She stopped…for now.

"We need to go to the Hokage with this."

"Are you crazy? She'll have me locked in a cell so Itachi can't find me."

"I see nothing wrong with that."

"You're the one who should be in a cell, mister!" She poked him in the chest hard.

"She just fired me because of you, asshole. Take your brother's flowers, and your jewelry, and go away. I'll just go see Ino and find out how the flowers got here and who ordered them. Don't you rat me out to Tsunade."

"If you won't tell her, then I'm coming with you," he insisted.

"Don't you trust me? I'm the Hokage's apprentice. Well, I was until…I know what to ask."

"No. I don't trust you. As soon as you leave my sight, you'll take that off," he indicated the bracelet, "and hide from me again."

"Of course, captain obvious. Who would want to be tagged like a pet?" she accused him, but she left the bracelet where it was—she was still a little shaken from Itachi's gift.

"At the moment you are a target. It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

"I'm not helpless you know."

"If I could, I would put a better tracking device on you." His eyes were dead serious. "In fact, maybe I will. You don't want to wear the bracelet, fine. If I put a seal on you. You'll be easier to find if you get captured."

"Get away from me! You're crazy if you think I'm gonna let you brand me like livestock."

"Come here. I'll put it where it's unnoticeable," he teased.

"Piss off! You're not touching me, you jerk. Touch me and I'll hit you so hard, you'll forget you even have a brother."

"If you don't leave that bracelet on I'll tag you permanently," Sasuke warned her.

0o0o0o0

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Sakura left her apartment and went straight to the flower shop to find Ino.

Sasuke followed her, much to her dismay.

Her broken door would no longer shut, so she left it open.

Sasuke came behind her and laid a trap over it. No one would be able to enter until either she or he returned to release it.

As they neared the flower shop, sakura noticed Ino's mother outside arranging some pots.

"Sasuke, why don't you talk to her? She probably took the order anyhow. I'll go find Ino and see what she knows. We'll get more complete information if we question them separately, and the Pig won't sit and fawn over you." She threw that last part in to feed his enormous ego.

It worked of course.

"Aa," he agreed. "Meet me at training ground eleven when you're done." She opened her open her mouth to protest. "And don't you dare try to get out of it," he added, "thirty minutes." He went over to Mrs. Yamanaka and bowed to her in greeting.

The bell tinkled over her head when she walked into the shop.

"Welcome to Yamanaka flower shop, how may I help-"

"If you took your nose out of that magazine, you'd see I'm not a customer."

"Forehead! What's up? You get my note? Want to go out tonight?"

"Sure. Not too late, though. I gotta get up early to train, now that Kakashi's out of town."

"Oh," Ino saw Sakura's dark-haired teammate outside, talking to her mother. "How's it going? You hanging with Sasuke now?

Sakura shook her head. "Not if I can help it. It feels more like I'm in training on how to avoid both Uchiha's—which brings me here. I want you to wear this for me while we are out tonight." She held shook her arm with the charm bracelet.

"What's this? Is this an Uchiha fan? Sasuke gave you jewelry?"

"Don't get excited. He loaned me jewelry. And before you say it I did not ask. He's trying to use it to keep track of me."

Ino held her arm to look at the bracelet. "With this?"

Sakura nodded. "He won't tell me much, but I think it's for tracking me down. I've been doing my best to avoid him and he's been unhappy about it."

A glint in Ino's eyes made her pause. "Woe. Before you start to make wedding plans, know that he is under orders to be around me. He doesn't want to be around me either—except to question me about his aniki. He also keeps breaking into my house."

"Spill!"

Ino was totally excited with the new developments. She also had a bet on Sasuke taking Sakura's next kiss and if she could influence the timing, she would. She had today in the pool and she planned on getting Uchiha so worked up he couldn't resist kissing Sakura.

"You first. Tell me what you know about those roses sent to me today."

"Oh yeah. Mother took the order—some rich out of towner with a big crush on you. There was no name given. That's all I know, I only delivered them. Since when do you lock your door?"

"Was there anyone around when you delivered them?"

Ino shook her head. "Do you know who sent them? Tell me."

"There's nothing to tell. I don't have a clue," she lied. Ino was a huge gossip, just like her mother. She only hoped Sasuke didn't let on to her mom about it. Ino looked disappointed. "And Sasuke, he's just trying to boss me around."

"So he finally believes his brother's got a reason to chase you."

"No thanks to you," Sakura accused. "How could you tell him I was enjoying his brother's attention?"

"I didn't actually say you were enjoying it. I told him I wished it was me," Ino explained. "He just assumed that if I would enjoy it, so would you. If you told him your version of the event he wouldn't have come back to question me about it so much."

Sakura stared at her, unforgiving.

"C'mon, Forehead, you gotta admit it's kind of nice having Sasuke pay attention to you, right?"

"Ugh. One minute he's almost normal and the next he's threatening me."

"Threatening what?"

"To kiss me…among other things." Sakura made a face.

"What's so bad about that?" Ino grinned.

Sakura scowled at her.

"So how is me wearing that going to make things better?" She pointed at the bracelet.

"I have to do something tonight and I don't want him to find out where I'm at."

"So why don't you just leave it at home or throw it in a lake?"

"Because, Pig, he'll know it's not being worn, and I don't want him to get suspicious."

"Suspicious, of what?"

Sakura's look turned crafty. She looked around to make sure no one else was listening.

"What I'm about to do."

"And what may I ask might that be?"

"I'm going to break into his house."

"Why?" Ino was stunned.

"I'll tell you later, before we go out. I'll be home in a couple hours, come by then and we'll go."

Ino grabbed her arm to stop her. "Forehead, he's gonna kill you."

"Only if he catches me." Sakura turned to leave the flower shop.

"See ya later." The little bell tinkled over the door on her way out.

0o0o0

0o0o0

Walking to the training grounds was torment, there was no way out this time, Sasuke might suspect her of making plans again if she loitered.

Even taking her time she still made it in the time he'd allotted.

'Not because he said,' she told herself, 'but because it doesn't take long to get here.'

Sasuke was sitting in the shade eating a bento.

Damn.

She'd forgotten all about eating in the craziness earlier. Seeing him now, her stomach immediately began to protest. Sasuke kept eating without pause as she sat down a little ways from him.

'Does he expect us to sit here and watch him eat?' her Inner complained, right along with her tummy.

'He's not responsible for me,' she snapped as her stomach rumbled again.

Sasuke smirked at her and she growled inwardly at him. He reached behind his back and pulled out another box lunch, setting chopsticks on top.

Her mouth fell open in surprise.

"You hungry?" he asked. "Cause if you're not, I could eat both."

She sat next to him taking the lunch.

"Arigato," she pouted.

He shrugged. "You made breakfast."

"Itadakimasu." She broke apart her chopsticks and dug in, trying to pretend he wasn't there. As she ate, the stupid charm swung near her face, reminding her who was in control. She was feeling even more like his pet, now that he'd collared her and given her treat. Next thing she knew, he'd be patting her on the head telling her she was a good girl.

If he did that, she decided she was definitely going to bite him.

0o0o0

After Sakura finished her lunch she went over to where he was throwing kunai at a target.

"So, what do you have in mind?"

"Clone training."

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When Sasuke had Sakura make the clone he hadn't expected she would make it so precisely, but he knew she had amazing control of chakra. Every aspect was the same, right down to the spelled charm he'd placed on her arm. He could barely tell the difference without his bloodline trait activated. How was it possible without her having knowledge of the exact jutsu? He wondered.

'She must have done it unconsciously,' he thought.

It was strange though, the feelings coming through the bracelet were different in the clone then Sakura. Being a clone he should have received the same feelings from both just maybe the clone to a lesser extent. But while Sakura had been shying away from fighting or even being near him, this clone was downright eager. He shrugged it off to her not knowing the bracelets powers.

Naruto was good at training with clones. The clone's training came back to the maker after being killed or released, and it was like learning twice as much in the same amount of time for each clone. Sasuke thought maybe Sakura could benefit from it too—especially if she had to face more than one enemy at the same time.

He had sent the real Sakura to a clearing a couple hundred yards off to work on the jutsu combination Kakashi had given her. She'd gladly gone off, giving her clone instructions to 'feel free to kick his ass.' They'd both laughed at that and since then the clone had sat quietly near him meditating.

"I am ready when you are, Uchiha-san," she spoke quietly as she rose.

He was surprised at the formal tone. He nodded and they bowed to each other.

Sakura's double closed her eyes and stood silently in the center of the clearing, waiting for him to attack her. Bright pink bangs brushed softly against her face in the faint breeze. He smirked as he thought how tired she was going to be today from making so many clones to battle this way, while he destroyed them continuously—but he prepared to attack her full force anyhow. Might as well start teaching her now, rather than let her think Kakashi's idea to fight blind had too much merit.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!" Sasuke breathed life into the fireball as it flew towards Sakura's bunshin.

'This was going to be boring,' he thought as the girl disappeared in the flames.

He caught a flash out of the corner of his eyes, and ducked as Sakura's kunai flashed by him and into the tree behind him.

Sakura jumped over and picked the kunai out of the trunk. She smiled without looking at him before licking it slowly and tasting his blood.

"Arigato, Uchiha-san," she said. Stomping on the ground to make it quake before hitting a large chunk of rock his way and disappearing once more in the space of the moment when he blocked it.

He looked around but couldn't find her. Feeling something warm on his cheek he reached up and wiped the blood from it.

He smirked slyly behind his hand. Perhaps this wouldn't be so annoying.

Through the bracelet he could feel her elation for drawing well deserved first blood and he could tell she hungered for more. The bracelet, much to her disadvantage, was giving him her locations now.

He thought.

She was doing something to screw with it he knew because she couldn't possibly be in three places at once with only one clone.

Could she?

Three more kunai came at him in quick succession from three different directions.

She was flash stepping. He didn't think she knew how to do that. She was much faster than any time he'd seen her fight in the past—and this was just a clone—only delegated a portion of her chakra.

He leaped to avoid the kunai and had to duck again as she came from above with a chakra filled punch.

He activated his Sharingan. It was time to show her what he could do. She had grown a lot, he could see. He was using the bracelet against her unfairly, but when did the Uchiha's ever play fair?

They only played to win.

She cussed in a very un-lady like manner when she missed him and swung her body around. She clipped him with the edge of her foot and he flew hard to the ground from the chakra enhanced hit while the ground trembled beneath him.

Not missing a beat he got up and met her move for move, in a long series of taijutsu reminiscent of fights he had had with Maito Guy's prodigy. Even with his Sharingan he was barely keeping ahead of her because she infused chakra so well into every hit, that whether she landed one or he blocked the hit, it hurt like a bitch.

The harsh sound of their breath was the only sound besides the thud of each hit—even their feet were silent as they moved across the ground. It was eerily quiet for such a long fight. She was using every sense but her vision now. She took a few well placed hits as well from him as well, but showed no signs of tiring. Kakashi's lessons (aka, beatdowns) had taken well. Now he wanted her to catch his eye, so he could bring the clone under his Sharingan and train Sakura against his genjutsu.

Kakashi had been training her well to avoid it, though. Sometimes she closed her eyes completely. She had used his blood to get his scent and there was still some of it staining her lips from when she'd licked her knife.

They broke apart slightly giving him an opening.

"Chidori!" He brought his hand around to hit her with his unique jutsu, barely missing her when she dipped, but still scorching her clothing in the process.

She came back up with a handful of sand, thrown into his face and eyes.

Where did she get that?

"You little…"

"Aaww, did wittle Sasuke-kun got dirt in his eyes?" she teased. "Come here. I'll knock it out."

No one teased him and got away with it.

"Shannaro!"

He used his knowledge of her location with the bracelet and caught her by surprise when she came to hit him.

He ducked her punch at the last possible second and flash stepped around her, kicking her knees in from behind. Flash stepping once more, he appeared back in front of her and slammed her shoulders into the ground, knocking her down and knocking the breath from her in one swoop, exacerbated by the fact that he landed on her stomach as she went down.

Oh, and she was down, hard.

It hurt.

She couldn't get air in her lungs.

And her eyes opened wide.

And now his eyes were now clear of the sand.

"Gotcha," he said, bringing her into his world of Sharingan and weaving his flawless genjutsu.

0o0o0

Sakura looked around and instead of the training grounds they were back in her house again.

"What's the meaning of this Sasuke?"

"Hn?" He stalked steadily towards her—shirtless, barefoot, wearing low slung black ninja pants—with a sultry look on his face.

Remembering the Sharingan rule Kakashi literally beat into her, Sakura looks down and sees she is wearing her red silk robe and nothing else. When she looks back at the man approaching, her eyes are a little wild.

"What did you do Sasuke?" she said irritatingly breathlessly, high spots of color flushing her cheeks. "Where are my clothes?"

The tone of his voice dropped an octave deeper, "I'm just giving you what you want, Sakura."

She put her hands up to stop his advance. They connected with the warm, solid wall of his chest.

"S-Sasuke," she stammered, "this isn't funny."

He can feel through the bracelet both her panic and on the edges, something deeper, something he thought he had felt before…desire. He leaned closer and slid the robe over off of her shoulder.

"I'm not laughing." His tongue slid across the space between her shoulder and neck, making her shiver.

Sakura moaned wantonly.

He paused in surprise. That wasn't what she was supposed to do.

Scream, cry, beg him to stop, yes, but not this. Sakura's clone was acting differently then Sakura herself normally would. Sakura would be running from him by now.

Sakura's bunshin stepped closer to him. When she dropped her hands from his chest to his waist her robe slipped further down and his breath caught. He could see the only thing holding the silky fabric from sliding off completely was her erect nipple.

He straightened back up. Watching her, and the way she was looking hungrily at him, he instantly felt hard.

He was losing control of his objective.

He'd trapped her to scare her into fighting against the Sharingan, but Sakura's clone had driven that thought far from his mind when she came onto him.

She looked up at him, with heat in her half closed, questioning eyes, and pouting lips that he wanted to taste. His hands twitched with the itch to ravage her.

"Sasuke-kun?"

'It's not her, it's her clone,' he reminded himself adamantly. His hand on her shoulder slithered across her soft, smooth skin and she closed her eyes slowly in obvious pleasure.

If he didn't stop this he knew Sakura wouldn't forgive him. No matter what his head was saying about how she looked like a woman who wanted him badly, he knew she was innocent. If he went further, it would hurt her irrevocably. This was almost as if a different person had taken over Sakura's body. He shook his head and clenched his hands into fists.

No. Something was wrong. She couldn't possibly want this.

This wasn't his Sakura.

Not at all.

He released her from his genjutsu.

"Oh my God!" Sakura's bunshin looked up at him with wide fearful eyes, before fainting over dead and releasing itself, disappearing beneath him.

Across the field Sakura, who had been in the middle working her new jutsu, screamed when the knowledge hit her of what had happened with her clone.

'That was the reaction I was expecting,' he thought wryly as he watched the cherry blossoms fall to the ground as, once again, she escaped him.

0o0o0

0o0o0

A/N-I want to thank my beta rivenmist. I was having trouble finding a good finishing point and she encouraged me to go a little further then I normally would to keep it interesting. Lucky you, it was a few days late but the chapter was twice as long as I like to make a normal one, twenty-two pages instead of ten. Now I'm tired. Need reviews to get my energy back. The next chapter is gonna be…interesting. As always, I really want to see reviews to energize me.

K&K

Things you probably already know:

Botchan dango-is dango that has three different colors/flavors. One is colored by red bean past, the second by eggs, the third by green tea.

Kami-sama-God or, in this instance—My God.

Aniki-big brother

Otouto-little brother

Teme-I know people think it's-you bastard, but I think it really means more like-you lowlife. Feel free to use either, when Naruto says it I always think 'bastard. Lol.

Kyuubi-of course you know this…nine tailed fox demon that resides in Uzamaki Naruto.

Bento-single portion boxed lunch, take-out or homemade.

Itadakimusu-I humbly receive or thanks for the meal-it's like-grace.

Bunshin-clone.

Katon Gokakyu no jutsu-giant fireball jutsu.