10.

The chirps of birds woke Sakura up. Her face was practically stuck to the plastic bottom of a tent. She sat up. Her arms stretched out. The figure outside the tent was difficult to distinguish. With a crack of her neck, she cursed. Pein had come for her, or maybe even Deidara. Either way, she wasn't as heartbroken as she should be. They may kill her but at least she'd get some answers. The too-small tent did not allow her to stand up, so she rose to her knees and crept out.

She was surprised to see the sleek dark ponytail of Itachi Uchia. He turned to her, looking almost…approachable. His feet were bare. The soles dirty. His dark pants were rolled up to his knees to allow his feet to dangle in the nearby stream. He sat up against a tree. The sunlight brought out the depth in his dark hair. It made his eyes seem happier.

"Good morning, Miss Haruno."He spoke quietly. Sakura realized he held a book in his grip. He turned the page as she examined the cover. It was a book of poetry, she knew because she had the same copy squished between medical texts on her bookshelf.

"Well… it seems more like an afternoon." She retorted. Marveling at the fact that Itachi was a poetry man. That was actually her favorite author, though. Some of the most beautiful poems she'd ever seen were written in that book. Most were about love, lies, and death.

"Have you heard of him, Haruno?" he gestured to the text. "He's one of my favorites. There is a piece I'm reading entitled loathing. Its very beautiful." Had he just read her mind? "They were gone forever. Those hated people, and yet my heart yearned for them. It had been by my blood soaked hands. Iyt had been by my crooked knife; My unyielding smile. I had taken their lives in such horrible ways. Guilt now over shadows my existence. The ticking clock rattles through my brain-"

"And my pain comes with the sounds of rain." She finished the verse off for him. Itachi imitated a smile.

"So, you do know of him." He licked his thumb and flipped a page.

"I've read it a hundred times over." Admitting is the first step of the problem.

"I only read it when I have spare time. I haven't even finished the whole thing yet." The book looked old and tattered, which caused her to wonder how busy he really was. This was possibly the most she'd ever heard him speak. Most definitely the nicest he'd been to her. Maybe it was because he was at peace today?

"I enjoyed your onigiri last night. I didn't get the chance to try any of that festival food, so I appreciated it." Sakura's jaw almost dropped.

"The festival? How long have you been trailing me?" Had he really been following her around all day without her even noticing? What kind of pathetic excuse of a kunoichi was she?

"Since you left the Suna base." A blush spread across her cheeks. So it hadn't just been the whole day but the entire time. She felt ashamed of herself for not noticing. Kiba's kiss entered her mind and suddenly she felt sick.

"Why didn't you just take me back to the base, then? Why let me escape?"Ignoring the fact that he must've seen it she tried to continue their conversation.

"I was curious to see what you'd do. I wonder why you didn't give the location of our base up?" A small smirk actually touched his lips. She blinked just to ensure she wasn't hallucinating.

"I mostly just didn't remember it. My friends didn't need to go hunting after you, anyway." That was, after all, the truth. Naruto would have ran head first into a fight with them.

"Why not, Haruno? Is it because I'm the nicest one?" Her eyes went wide. Had he heard that? Oh no. Sakura could not believe she even said that about him let alone that he had been eavesdropping. She was now, without a doubt, one hundred percent humiliated.

Sakura turned to hide her embarrassment, watching the stream. Itachi took the moment to look at her. Her legs were bare, and he couldn't help but wonder how the milky white, smooth skin was not freezing. He noticed the little wisps of strawberry strands that escaped her bun's grasp. He was very disappointed after he realized just how much he liked the sight of her in the deep blue Uchiha top.

"You know, Haruno, it certainly wasn't the same at the base without you. Without your presence I noticed everyone seems a bit upset. It was dull. Deidara isn't trying to hide his little crush. Kisame doesn't have anyone to speak too so he annoys me. I li-"He paused, looking a bit disgusted with himself. "The others enjoyed having you around so much they decided it was time to bring you back. Also, Pein is very upset you didn't hold up your end of the deal."

Sakura realized she'd probably be under lock and key for the rest of her duration at the Akatsuki base. She kissed her freedom goodbye. Maybe they'd let her leave once her job was done?

"You just missed me for my cooking." She finally looked back at him. She almost fainted when this threatening man actually chuckled.

"Yes, Miss Haruno, I kidnapped you because I simply could not live without your rice balls."The sarcasm was so strong it almost took her down. The wind blue hard, causing Sakura to shiver. She cursed herself for ever putting pajamas on in the first place.

Itachi noticed she was shivering. Letting his frown fade, he picked up his cloak next to him. Despite his instincts, he threw it at her.

"Put it on before you catch a cold." He barked. Sakura looked over the red cloud pattern. She honestly wondered if it really bothered her that much anymore. Yes, it was the symbol of her enemies, but it was damn cold outside too. She obeyed him, sliding it over her shoulders.

"We'll find you something proper to wear in the next town over." Itachi began to become less and less talkative and storm clouds rolled over the horizon. After about what seemed like a half hour thunder cracked in the sky. Then the rain began. Sakura went straight into the tent as it poured outside. She didn't even bother to think about Itachi while he gathered up the things outside. Once he joined her they both found out really how small the tent was. She and The Uchiha were, of all unspeakable things, touching. It made her shudder. Even if it was just their shoulders it was absolutely disturbing.

If he had been in a good mood then the rain combined with close proximity ruined it completely. Itachi had returned to his usual grimace and frightening attitude.

"AS soon as the rain passes-"His voice was once again emotionless. Not even slight hints of the pleasant man she had been speaking too. "We will continue on the path. There is a civilian town about an hour north; we'll stop there if it gets too bad."

Unfortunately, got too bad it did.

Uchiha towered over a hotel front desk. His Akatsuki cloak had been turned inside out and thrown over trembling Sakura. He pulled his coin purse from his pocket and began counting out.

"One room please." Well that was just freaking great. Now she was going to either have to share a bed with him or sleep on the floor. "Preferably one with a couch." Phew. Well, she as going to be sore fromm the couch but it was better than risking touching Itachi again. He exchanged the money for a key. Itachi turned to her, pocketing the key and setting some money into her palm.

"I have some business to attend too. Keep yourself occupied and go get those clothes we discussed."

Wow, did he really trust her to go off on her own?

"And remember I am not Deidara." Itachi deadpanned. The Sharingan flashed in his eyes for only a millisecond but it was enough. He was right. Even if she had a day's head start he'd catch her before she could reach Konoha. They were a day's trip away from the land of lighting.

So, once again, she found herself shopping. Unfortunately this time was much less fun. She was alone, wondering what was so important Itachi had to send her away. Ninja clothes…. She browsed around. He had given her enough money for two outfits. For some reason, while inside the shops, she kept browsing through the blacks and blues. If she was going to be traveling around with a missing nin she felt it would be better to blend in. Her bright color hair and wardrobe had never allowed her to be concealed in a crowd. Her hands drifted across the softest pair of pants she had ever touched. Upon further inspection she found the black material fell to mid-calf, and though they were soft and flexible they were skin tight. She deiced her legs would look very good in these and purchased them along with a similar pair of shorts. She found an extraordinary pair of knee high sandals on sale. The rest of her outfit came easy, a new pair of gloves, a new kunai holster. Except she couldn't find a top she liked nearly as much as her red vest, or even that gorgeous blue one she had stolen from the Akatsuki base.

Was that-?

As she was browsing a rack outside, she sore she saw a silver haired man amongst the overpopulated street. But, Kakashi had just come home from an assignment. He would not be on another already. She felt herself becoming apprehensive. If Kakashi were to find her she would have to go back home, and she didn't want to just quite yet.

Sakura shook it off and went back to shopping. Finally, a fitted grey top caught her eye. It barley exposed her midriff, and the entire back was made from mesh. She decided since it was sleeveless she would also purchase a fitted black jacket from the winter and rainy days like today. By the time the shop closed, she hurried to get back to the hotel, as the darkness was setting in. The rain had stopped, but the sun was barley visible over the horizon. After a few wrong turns Sakura had returned to their room, where she found Itachi laying on the bed, eyes closed, head stretched back and resting on the head board. He said no words, or even greeted her, so she assumed he was asleep.

After setting his cloak on the couch, she went directly to the bathroom. As quiet as possible the door was shut and thoroughly locked. She turned the sink on cold, stripping down and throwing her pajamas into it, along with a little bit of shampoo. From all the rain her clothes had become muddy and filthy, she didn't even want to think about how gross the bottom of Itachi's cloak had become. Sakura, herself, felt repulsive. She turned the shower on hot; the water came out dark brown for a few seconds but changed to a slightly less disturbing green. She let the water pour over her, letting her thoughts wander. She thought about all the stupid things she had done while being watched; complementing Itachi; dreaming about him; kissing Kiba- oh, god, why did she do that? Because she was miserable? Because she had waited so long and all her friends were falling in love? She had just wanted something normal- Kiba was normal. Unfortunately, now, even if that's what she really desired she couldn't have it. She was some freak with a Rinnegan and a knack for getting kidnapped, she was apparently kin to the biggest criminal in the universe, and around every corner she went she couldn't stop thinking about the depth in Itachi's eyes or how good his fucking chakra felt.

She burst into tears, resting on the shower floor. Was there something wrong with her? She was a proud and loyal kunoichi. She had always set her mind out to protect Konoha and her friends. But, when she thought she'd seen Kakashi today, she had prayed he hadn't spotted her. She had wanted to stay on her adventure. She hadn't realized she missed Itachi's presence before, but now, upon doing so, she hyperventilated. What did that mean? She had only a total of three conversations with the man. Why did it matter?

Konoha first.
She reminded herself. Find out about this Kekkai Genkai, find out how to control it, and use it for good. Go home, afterwards, don't even look at him. She promised herself over and over again. Go straight home.

She calmed down, washed herself, and stepped into the foggy air outside of the shower. Sakura drained and rinsed the soap out of her clothes, using the hair dryer for both her head and them. Once her clothes were dry she raked her hair out with her fingers. She dressed in her still a little damp sleeping garments. She gave herself one good look in the mirror, calming herself down, putting on a strong face, and then left the bathroom.

Itachi sat by the window, his attention captivated by something far off. He turned and glanced at her, and then walked straight passed her without a word and locked himself in the bathroom as well.

What a jerk.

The shower turned on. Good thing she'd used all the hot water (not that there was much to begin with).

Sakura snuggled under the rough covers of the bed. She tried so hard not to sleep, knowing Itachi would kick her onto the couch soon. Yet, She couldn't keep from it, and the miasma drew her in. she dreamt for the first time in many nights.

She was in a room with black walls, black ceiling, and black floors. It was like a complete void. Grey rings began to appear. The rings encircled her, spinning rapidly around her as they got too close with every turn. She became ensnared in them, unable to duck underneath or move away. The first one shrunk around her. Until it was so tight her arms were useless. The second one came up and made the first's grip only tighter. Every ring repeated this, but they never stopped coming.. It was an endless cycle. They ensnared her, constricting like a snake. Her breath left her. Her head became light.

A man appeared, with long black hair and scared pale skin. She did not recognize him. He spoke her name, and opened his eyes. A shiver ran through her at the sight of his unusual Sharingan. The rings tightened.

"Sakura, " The man spoke "I need you to do something for me-"

The dream faded away before he could finish.