Chapter 9 – I Might Love You But I Can't Love You

Sakura picked up the flower hairpin from the centre of the devastated ballroom, along with a piece of note it was attached to.

Ask Fuu to go to the abandoned training ground at the Eastern Street of Suisen two days from now before dawn breaks. She must come alone, or Yuu is as good as dead.

"What should we do now, Kurenai-sensei? Do we have to go after them?" Ino whinged as Sakura passed over the note to Yuuya, a.k.a. Leader and the person with the highest authority next to Yuu. Her brows knitted together at the conditions of exchange.

"They're after Fuu-sama? Could it be…?" Mizuki asked quietly behind her purple mask. Leader crumpled the note and dumped it to the ground.

"So they're here at least…" Yuuya sighed heavily as she crossed her arms and turned away in vexation.

Kurenai was the only one who picked up the underlying message of their exchange while Sakura and Ino exchanged puzzled glances.

"You know the kidnappers?"

"We've heard rumours of a highly dangerous organisation that takes on mercenary jobs and targets a certain group of people…"

"The Akatsuki," Kurenai supplied with a knowing expression, remembering the last time something similar like this happened in Konoha and was certain they were here for the same reason.

"Yes that's the name. Could it be that they're after the seven tails inside of Fuu?" Yuuya asked bluntly, surprising her subordinates.

"Leader!"

"It's okay, Mizuki. I'm sure the Leaf shinobi did their research before they came to attack us, am I right… Kurenai-san? Is it okay if I call you that?" She smiled politely in a way that was meant to call truce between the two villages.

"Yes that'll be fine. And yes…we have heard that Fuu is the host of Choumei but as far as we know she's currently missing?" Kurenai pointed out.

"You wouldn't think Yuu would be keeping tabs on her own sister's whereabouts would you? Shin!"

"Yes Leader?"

"Go get Fuu, and tell her that her sister's...bringing some friends." Shin nodded gravelly and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kurenai frowned at the peculiar and vague message but did not comment, deciding it might be Yuuya's way of not letting Fuu be worried over her sister's plight.

"It's strange how they could break in so easily, going as far as to replace our protective barrier with one that prevents people from escaping the room…" Mizuki commented next to Yuuya, who was also the one who casted the barrier. Ino slammed her fist onto her palm in realisation.

"Besides the burly guy in the black cloak there's another lady who's dressed in a yukata – she might have snuck in to pinpoint Yuu's location first then deactivated the barrier to let her partner in," Ino explained but Yuuya shook her head.

"On top of the barrier, only guests who possess the invitation card can get passed the chakra scanner and enter. There's no way she could have just 'snuck in.'"

"Not unless someone gave her the invitation card," Ino countered with a shrug.

Beside Ino, Sakura was staring hard at the ground and clenching her fists in guilt and self-reproach.

"I wonder where she got it from…" Sakura found the words stuck in her throat; she could not find the courage to admit that she was the sole cause of this disaster. This is my fault, since I was the one stupid enough to give him that invitation card

"Not 'her,' that's Uchiha Itachi, Ino," Kurenai corrected quietly next to her. Ino froze for a second before erupting into bubbles of laughter.

"What? You're kidding right sensei?" She was surprised that she could come up with such a joke at this tensed situation, but Kurenai's face remained solemn. She felt her wide grin slipping and heart sinking. "Eh… EHHH? You're kidding right sensei? HE LOOKS LIKE A FRIGGING WOMAN!" She threw her hands out in disbelief. What had the Akatsuki done to him?

"Even I was fooled when I first saw him… And he was just standing by the table right next to Sakura."

"Y-Yea, I was so shocked when I found that out!" Sakura remarked with a nervous laughter, shaking her head to hide her troubled frown.

"He was huh…" Ino reflected with a thoughtful glance in Sakura's direction, but she was too lost in her thoughts to heed her curious stare.

"So here's the plan. When Shin returns with Fuu…"

Sakura…and Itachi huh…


While they were sitting quietly by the campfire waiting for their fishes (credits to Kisame) to be cooked, a messenger pigeon dove through the woods towards the gentle flame. Itachi extended his arm and it circled around him before landing elegantly on his index finger.

"Is that bills from the hotel?" Kisame quipped next to him.

"I don't do bad debts," He retorted like he had the nerve to even suggest that as he removed the scroll from the pigeon's back, and unrolled it before sending the bird on its way.

Follow up on case #3043, type 3 – Request of information on "kunoichi with short pink hair and a foul temper:"

Name: Haruno Sakura

Country of birth: Land of the Fire, Hidden Village of the Leaf

Current rank: Chuunin

Family status: Only child, both parents alive

Remarks: Lady Tsunade / Godaime's apprentice; possibly inherited foul temper from her master

Payment: Cash, received in full

We look forward to serving you again!

"A bit late with the information huh…" Itachi mumbled with a rueful smile to himself. Guess that explained some things

"'Haruno Sakura…' You checking up on someone, Itachi-san?" Kisame chimed in over his shoulder, peering nosily at the scroll. With one breath he reduced the scroll into ashes, eliciting a pout from his partner.

"You're too close." At the disgusted look in Itachi's face, Kisame blinked before promptly bursting into snorts of laughter and clapping merrily at his thigh.

"Hey, just because I said you looked beautiful doesn't mean I'm crushing on you alright? I only have the hots for women, bona fide women," He added rather unnecessarily just to spite him. Itachi felt his eyes twitched in irritation, especially so by that smug look on his blue face. What was the crime in looking more (urgh) feminine than the average chad?

"Kisame."

"Yes, my man?"

"Your fish's on fire," He noted with an apathetic nod to his stick. The grin was gone in a second as he released a loud squeak and hurriedly fanned at the fire, growing wilder in tandem to Itachi's displeasure.

"Damn it, Itachi-san! You did that on purpose didn't you?" Itachi shrugged, feeling silly but nevertheless pleased. He might have failed to mention that since he set up the fire, he had full control over its intensity. An Uchiha would not stand to be humiliated so easily!

"Do you need some help? I can use my Amaterasu to put out that fire…" Itachi offered innocently, going as far as to put on a concerned look.

"Are you kidding me…wait you're serious?" He turned in time to catch that rare and creepy smile spreading across his face as the chakra around him shifted. "Hey I really appreciate it but I think I can manage… Wait you're getting too close!" Kisame exclaimed as he crawled backwards from the sinister Mangekyou Sharingan spinning in his sight.

"I've always wondered how the food will taste when cooked with black flames… Shall I try it out?" He would never admit this but he really loved teasing Kisame occasionally, just to create an illusion that they were simply ordinary friends on an adventure and not some wanted man everyone wanted dead. It was silly but nevertheless necessary to stay sane. Be shrouded in darkness long enough and one would eventually grow blind to light.

"I get it Itachi-san I'll stop with the you-look-like-woman jokes! You can also have the rest of the fish and that smooth spot next to the fire! Just leave me with one blanket…"

"Amate…"

"FINE! You can have both the blankets!" Itachi pretended to think for a while Kisame panted away in misery.

"Now if you insist…" A chilly blast of wind swept by the clearing just then, and Kisame wondered if he should have just accepted food cooked by those black flames instead of shivering in the cold for the entire night.

"Don't mention it, Itachi-san," He mumbled reluctantly at last.


Two days later

Fuu skipped through the inky forest, humming blithely amidst the silent and still landscape while skilfully darting the overhead branches and bumpy ground.

She was told that there would be skilled shinobi watching her back and to only attack if she found her safety threatened. She was fine with anything as long as she could see her sister again; she was always busy with her women's club to make time for her and she was feeling lonely. If she was lucky she might even get to meet those shinobi bodyguards. She heard they were from another village and she could not wait to make friends with them. One could never have too many friends was after all her Ninja Way.

At the exact moment where dawn broke, she segued from pitch-black to an empty field, with hints of rays peeking over the canopy and mountains far away. She was disappointed to find that there was no one at the designated location. She felt it such a waste; imagine how many people could fit in such an airy space and how many friends she could make!

"Ahhhhh! The air smells great; it's going to be a good day ahead!" She exclaimed towards the cloudless grey sky, making Kisame chuckle from their hiding spot on the tree branch next to Itachi.

"So that's supposed to be the Jinchuuriki huh? She doesn't look too pessimistic to me either. Why is Leader always giving us these weirdos?"

"I wonder. Maybe he thinks we're not any better," He replied with a half-smile, prompting a raised brow from Kisame.

"You seemed to be in a good mood today, Itachi-san." What he really meant was 'Did you just crack a joke in the middle of our mission?' With the way he was behaving these days, Kisame was starting to get crept out and increasingly worried about his mental welfare. Maybe those excessive murders and the break up with the woman were finally catching up to him.

"Am I? I'm always like that," He answered in a way that indicated he really believed what he said. Kisame wondered just how Itachi saw and thought of himself as a person (probably not the same way as he did). Maybe he should ask him that some time in the future.

They leapt off from their shady spot and landed at the foot of the tree, some distance away from where Fuu was crouched by the grassy terrain cheerfully picking at wild flowers.

"We've come to get you, Fuu," Itachi started in his dead serious tone. Fuu glanced up and her face immediately lit up as though he just announced they were going to be best friends. She got up and began running towards them.

"She's coming, shall I take care of her this time?" At Itachi's approving nod, Kisame reached behind his back for Samehada and charged maniacally towards his new prey. It had been too long since he faced off someone with nearly as much chakra as him. Even Samehada seemed fired up as he brought the living sword down, and missed…?

Fuu sprang off the ground before the sword could make contact and landed on the sword's body, before hopping over Kisame's head and dashing towards Itachi. It was like Kisame was just a boulder standing in her way.

"What the…?" Itachi took a cautious step back as she screeched to a halt in front of him. She beamed before flourishing something behind her as he extracted three shuriken. Staring in his face was a bouquet of small white flowers in her small hands. It felt rude to just fling shuriken at someone who was giving you flowers and Itachi awkwardly lowered his weapons. Both men were unsure of what to do and could only stare on dumbly (when in doubt, let the lady take the lead?).

"Hi there! Yuuya told me my sister's here. Are you Yuu's friend? Can you be my friend too?" Fuu quizzed with a goofy grin, cocking her head left and right while waiting for his response. Itachi turned to make eye contact with his partner, but his equally befogged eyes mirrored his. Finally, he looked down into her eager eyes and gingerly accepted her flowers.

"Shall we go elsewhere to play? I know of a place with lots of flowers like this," Itachi asked politely, a sure work method (that only applied to him) when capturing a Jinchuuriki that was both fuss-free and blood-free.

"Really? Alright!" Once again, they exchanged an incredulous glance over Fuu's head.

"That was… Easy?" Kisame commented meekly behind her. "Maybe we should use this chance to get a pay rise."

"You just want to see Kakuzu suffer." Whenever Leader ordered Kakuzu to increase a team's fund, the penny-pincher would put on a disturbingly miserable expression in an attempt to gain sympathy, and it never failed to set Kisame off.

"Was it that obvious? Heh, you know me well." Skipping past a skeptical Itachi, she whirled around and pointed towards the tree where they were hiding a while ago.

"Is my sister over there? How can she sleep through such a beautiful landscape? I'm going to bring her back and give her a peace of my mind… Maybe we'll play some other time~" She declared with an apologetic grin and made a run towards the tree.

"Kisame." They nodded and began dashing towards Fuu.

"Looks like we'll have to bring her back by force-"

"Shannaro!" Sakura's leg went slamming through the earth from heaven between the men, breaking up the ground into two and causing nearby trees to topple. The outburst sent everyone on ground jumping to avoid being hit, and in the midst of distraction, Kurenai was able to rescue the tied up unconscious Yuu before Kisame could stop her.

"Damn it, what's the Leaf shinobi doing here?"

"Where chu looking at?" Sakura yelled as she drew back a chakra-packed punch and aimed for his face, only to be stopped by his gigantic sword. The impact sent him flying a couple of feet towards Ino, who had three kunai flung in his direction.

"Kisame, behind you!" The Substitution Technique kicked in at the last second and he reappeared next to Itachi. Itachi turned to look at Fuu, who looked torn between whom to befriend after him.

"Fuu." At his command, she twisted around, only to find herself getting lost in his Sharingan and was soon unconscious.

"You take Fuu and go to the base, I'll stay here and fend off these nuisances," Kisame said as Itachi propped her body into his arms.

"Don't kill them; it might cause us unnecessary trouble if you were to kill off three of Leaf's ninjas."

"That's a shame, but I'll see what I can do." With an affirmative nod, Itachi sped off towards the forest.

"Oh no you don't!" Sakura declared as she gave chase after him. Before either Kurenai or Ino could stop her, Kisame stepped in their way and flashed them a menacing smile that showed off his impressive rows of sharp teeth.

"Shall we get started, ladies?"


For Sakura, these two days was possibly the worst time she had to go through next to the memory of the day Sasuke defected from their village. The determined faces of her comrades and the ill-hidden anxiety among the Waterfall ninjas only served to fuel the guilt consuming her inside out. She felt irresponsible, incompetent, and a complete failure as a ninja.

The worst? She could not even summon the courage to own up to her negligence.

If only she had not met him, she thought resentfully, her fists tightening as she pushed herself harder against the tree branch. She must have lost a screw when she hit her head, because why in the world would she come to associate with that traitor and even developed feelings for him?

Wait, what feelings? The only feeling she harboured towards him was anger, and why the hell could he move so fast while carrying another person?

"Uchiha Itachi stop right there!" Gosh, just saying his name was making her blood boil. "I know you're after the Choumei inside her!" At the mention of the mystic Bijuu, he slowed down and turned around to face her.

"You know, I really don't want to fight you, Sakura." The easy way he said her name made her heart skipped an involuntary beat and she quickly averted his eyes. She hated the way he could affect her without trying; she hated herself even more to fall for it.

"And I know that you were only using me to get into the mansion to capture Yuu… Did you know from the start that I was after her?"

"Believe or not, I have no idea, at least not until the day you passed me the invitation card." She could feel the usually tamed chakra within her surging out of control, because of the blatant truth of the situation. "And it would be dumb of me to turn down such an opportunity, don't you think?"

"You asshole… I'm going to kill you now!" Grabbing a tagged kunai she flung it towards him. The resulting explosion sent frightened birds and creatures scrambling for dear life as the duo engaged in a clash of fists.

"Why did you rescue me that day in the forest? This wouldn't have happened if you just left me alone!" She vented as she bent to deliver a roundhouse kick, missing him and breaking through the tree trunk instead.

"Sakura…" He raised his arms in an 'X' to block her punch and went crashing through the foliage. Sakura hopped over the branches with the poisoned kunai in hand to finish him off, only to find the broken body dissolving into flocks of crows. Before she could react, a sudden force slammed against her back, making her lost her balance and flying over the tree edge.

Itachi snatched over the kunai from her loosened grip, drawing his arm back and gazing sullenly down into her perturbed eyes. She instinctively knew she was doomed then, and squeezed her eyes shut to block out the image of Itachi killing her. At least then she could deceive herself that it was a rogue ninja who had finished her off.

Before the kunai could cut through her heart, he released his hold on the weapon at the last second, letting the poison drenched blade fell soundlessly through the quiet morning air. Before she realised what he was doing, his hand reached around her head and he brought his lips down to meet hers.

For a moment time stood still and gravity ceased to exist as they remained suspended mid-air. He could feel her struggling to break free but it was a half-hearted attempt. Interlocked like this made issues like identity and circumstances seemed irrelevant.

Why are you doing this to me? She wanted to shout. What does this mean to you?

He thought her lips tasted salty. She was surprised by how tender his kisses were against his firm grip. He thought this might be the biggest mistake he had ever made. She knew she would never have the courage to kill him.

The clattering sound of the fallen kunai against the forest ground pulled them out of the dreamscape. Finally, time started moving and they crashed onto the floor, sending up a cloud of dust.

He had shifted her body around at the last minute, Sakura thought to herself as she peeled her body off his chest. Even after taking the brunt of the fall, he did not reveal any signs of pain but was quietly gazing into her desolate eyes.

"Why…?" Sakura implored softly. Suddenly she felt her arms grew weak and she fell back against him, feeling an unaccounted sense of numbness travelling down her body. Carefully, he pulled himself up and leaned her body against a nearby tree. It was only then that she recalled the hint of bitterness in their kiss.

Picking up Fuu, he began his way deeper into the forest, turning back once just before he was completely swallowed up by the darkness.

"Sayonara Sakura."


"Good job on fulfilling your mission. Even though you could not save the Jinchuuriki, be glad that you're still alive after facing off the Akatsuki… So snap out of your self-pitying faces already!" Tsunade slapped her office desk, making everyone jumped. That included Shizune, who was anxiously scanning the day's old table for cracks. After receiving news of Akatsuki's intervention in Waterfall, she went into rage mode and had dumped the old table out of the window without a second's thought.

Three days had passed since they departed from the Hidden Waterfall Village and upon reaching Konoha they headed straight for Tsunade's office.

"S-Sorry Tsunade-sama…" The three bowed as one.

"Yosh, I'll be expecting your individual reports in three day's time. For now, do go back and catch up on your sleep. Sakura especially, your bags are horrible."

"Y-Yes, Shishou…" As everyone dispersed out of the room, Ino grabbed Sakura's arm before she could walk off.

"Sakura, can I talk to you for a moment?"


Sakura should have known when it came to the affairs of the heart nothing could escape her best friend's shrewd eyes.

"WHAT? So you slept with Uchiha Itachi-"

"I didn't sleep sleep with him; we only shared a bed…" They were alone in Sakura's apartment, sitting on her bed as Sakura divulged the truth of what happened during the time they were separated.

"I knew it was not a coincidence that you were standing next to him during the party… And when you said you were 'looking for Itachi,' you had me completely freaked out then." Had she really said that? Anyway, the cosy days with that man now felt like distant mountains, pretty on posters but torturous to explore.

"Like I've said-"

"Yes yes, you've lost your memory and had no idea you were chasing after the tail of a criminal who you may or may not be in love with…"

"Ino! I so am not in love with him…" She trailed off uncertainly as she stared off into the distance of Konoha's nightscape. Sakura was really glad she could finally unload some of these burdens, and right now she needed an unprejudiced person to evaluate her next course of action.

"Of course not right? I mean he did betray Konoha after all…" Even though Sakura was well aware of that harsh truth, it still felt terrible to hear it being said out loud.

"I've assumed that everything would be clearer once I got back my memory, but never in the world would I expect…"

"Shall I try to hit you in the head to make you forget everything then?"

"If only things are always so easy." She vaguely remembered he had said something similar, having finally understood his words. The girls smiled sadly at one another before falling into silence.

"It's kinda scandalous, if you think about it. Who would have imagined - you and Sasuke's older brother? Mind blown."

"Well we won't be seeing each other anymore so it doesn't matter."

"Damn… Is this the classic 'it's over before it begins love story-' Hey I was just joking! Come on don't look so down!" Ino pulled Sakura in a tight embrace, simply glad for her to be safe and sound. "But seriously, you should inform Tsunade-sama about this. Who knows, this information may prove valuable in time to come."

"I don't know about the 'valuable' part, but I guess I should… He is from Konoha after all…" Sakura smiled forcefully as Ino nodded encouragingly.

Rationally, she was more than glad to have broken off contact with him. Her heart, on the other hand, remained undecided, thinking there was more than it meets the eye behind Uchiha Itachi's choices. However, a part within her knew that this would not be the last time she would be seeing him.


Sorry this took a while; thank you fellow guests who reviewed & loyal readers (U know who U R) of this story. I would love to hear how you guys think of this story/how i can improve the story so please don't keep the comments to yourself!