HELLO EVERYONE SORRY THAT THERE HAS BEEN AWHILE BETWEEN UPDATES FOR THIS STORY, I HAVE NO EXCUSE JUST BEEN LASY, ANYWAY I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Chapter eleven

"We need to do something" whispered a deep voice from far away

"I know that, but what?" came the hushed response

"She needs to be taken back to the leaf village, only one person can help her now" said the first voice "she has been unconscious for over a week now, and although her wounds have healed she still hasn't woken up, we are going to need to move her"

"That will be suicide for both of you" said a third voice much louder than the others

"I am aware of that, but it is our only option, do you agree?"

"Yes… I agree," said the first voice with a hint of agitation

"Don't worry sasuke as soon as we know she is going to be ok, I will uphold my promise and you will get your fight" said the voice she now recognised as itachi's

"Let's just get her to the leaf" said sasuke irritated

Sakura tried to focus on the far away voices but it was hard, very hard. Her mind was full of a deep fog that was trying to drag her under, she didn't know if it was a dream or reality, surely it must be the former sasuke wouldn't be here concerned about her. Perhaps she should stop fighting the fog and go back to sleep, after all dreaming about sasuke wasn't such a bad idea, but all her experience as a medical ninja told her she had to fight it, she needed to wake up, sasuke or no sasuke she needed to wake up now or she would never be able to.

She could still here the voices, (only two now the third was gone), and they were getting louder, more heated.

"Are you suggesting that all I care about is fighting you!" she heard the voice that sounded like sasuke say.

"That is what it sounds like to me!" said the second voice

Itachi was calmer than sasuke but sakura knew it wouldn't last long; she needed to wake up and stop them, if she didn't then they were going to kill each other she knew they would! Fighting the fog, this thought drove her onwards, she had to stop them otherwise she would lose them both.

"We have unfinished business that is all" said sasuke cold as ice "or did you forget that you murdered everyone in our clan!"

Itachi looked at his brother, the past week had taken its toll on both of them and they were now both, on the knife's edge. After a week of worrying, waiting and tip toeing around each other it had been a great show of discipline on both their parts to still be alive. But it was getting too much; sakura hadn't improved at all since her wounds had healed and neither of them knew what to do, like kisame had said going to the leaf village was suicide, but itachi knew that if it came down to it he would risk it do what needed to be done to save sakura.
"Not now sasuke! Focus on saving sakura!" he said impatiently

"You think that you love her more than I do!" said sasuke, yelling now

"Love! You talk to me about love! I saw what your, so called love did to her sasuke, you're a complete idiot! You finally had the chance to be with her, to be happy but all you did was make her life miserable!" said itachi his anger causing his voice to waver slightly.

"You think I don't know all this already!" yelled sasuke "you think that I don't regret it! Why do you think I came after her?"

"I don't know sasuke; did you come because you feared for her life? Or was it because It was me that had taken her?" asked itachi calmly once more in control

Sasuke didn't know what to say, it had been the very question he had been asking himself ever since he had got here. But there was one thing he knew for sure, when he had seen sakura lying there all covered in blood, when he had thought she was dead, half of him had wanted to blame itachi to hate him for it, but there was only one person he could blame if sakura died and that was himself, his brother was right, and if sakura ever woke up he wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to see him again.

The voices had stopped now and it was very quiet but sakura was now almost certain that sasuke's voice was not a dream, that it was real, and with that knowledge her urgency to wake up grew even stronger, if sasuke was there with itachi it was bound to be a disaster.

"Itachi…" said sasuke quietly, but just at that moment a slow movement caught both their eyes, sakura was waking up.

Rushing to the bed they both looked down at the woman lying on the bed, sasuke grabbed her hand and held his breath, please let her be waking up, please let her be alright, he begged silently.

Watching closely they saw the slight flutter of her eyes as she tried to pry them open, quickly shutting her lids she waited for them to adjust to the light that was streaming down upon her, and slowly she was able to focus on her surroundings, and as the fog cleared finally from her mind the first thing she saw was those familiar dark eyes that could only belongs to one person.

"Sasuke!" she said sitting up quickly and throwing her arms around him "you're here; I thought your voice was just a dream, I couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it!"

Shifting slightly itachi let out a sigh of relief, catching the movement out of the corner of her eyes sakura turned and notice itachi standing there his face devoid of any emotions but sakura could see the worry lines at the corners of his eyes. "Itachi…"she whispered letting go of sasuke, she wanted to go to itachi but the realisation of her situation was suddenly made very clear, and the images of her last moments before now came rushing into her mind. What had happened? Where was Madara? Why was sasuke here? The last thing she could remember was the pain of the kunai slicing into her chest how was she still alive?

"Itachi!" she repeated more urgently, momentarily forgetting sasuke.

"It's ok sakura, I will explain everything later when you are fully recovered." He said knowing she wanted to know what had happened to Madara.

"But…are you going to?" she asked slowly looking at sasuke

It stung sasuke to realise that the first question she was asking him was if he was going to attack itachi, did she really care that much for his brother? "It's alright sakura, we have agreed to a kind of truce for the moment"

His answer didn't please her but it was the best she could hope for at the moment

"I'm going to let kisame know our plans have changed" said itachi "I'm glad you are awake sakura" he said softly before walking out of the room.

Sakura wanted him to smile at her, to give her one of his cheeky grins she loved so much, to reassure her that everything would be ok, but it seemed that itachi was gone for good now that sasuke was here. She watched as the door closed behind him and realised that she was once more alone with sasuke. Sitting up in the bed she made a show of adjusting the pillows behind her back, as the awkward silence drew out between them.

Sasuke sat in the chair beside the bed not knowing what to say, where to start. How many times had he been sitting where sakura was now, in hospital, ignoring her as she prattled on about how happy she was that he was ok. How selfish he had been, all those time she had cared for him and he had ignored her completely, never once thanking her. But now there roles were reversed, where should he start?

"Sakura I…"he mumbled slowly "I'm glad you are awake" was the best he could manage

Sakura looked at him sceptically "what are you doing here?" she asked quietly

Sasuke knew what she was asking, she wanted to know if he was here for itachi or for her "I don't know sakura…I honestly don't know, I didn't think about it I just followed after itachi as soon as I was free of his genjutzu"

"I see" she responded, then turned to look out the window

Sasuke didn't know what to do he wasn't used to feeling so pathetic, he was so relieved that sakura was ok that his emotions were all over the place, he wanted to tell her that he loved her and that everything would work out but he couldn't. How could he tell her that everything would be fine when he still yearned to rip itachi's throat out, and what right did he have to tell her he loved her after the way he had treated her, she would never believe him. So instead he just sat there, not knowing what to say.

Sakura sat there in the uncomfortable silence looking outside at the forest surrounding the house, the sun was setting and the trees were mostly in shadow but she could still see some small animals moving around preparing for night. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked turning back around to look at sasuke

"Just over a week" he answered meeting her gaze

Shocked sakura sat up straighter in bed "that long! But what's been happening? Who healed me?"

"Kisame did, it would seem that he has some small skills in medical ninjutzu"

Sakura examined herself and found that the wound in her chest was completely healed, she couldn't have done a better job if she done it herself "yes, skills indeed" she agree, making a mental note to ask itachi more about it later.

"Sakura I really am glad that you are alive, when I saw you lying there covered in all that blood I… well I'm just happy your ok" he said sincerely

Sakura gave him a small smile "thank you."

Standing up sasuke moved towards the bed, sitting down on the edge he took sakura's hand in his own "I'm sorry for the things I did to you sakura." He said quietly "I know it's not enough, that they are just words but I am sorry"

Sakura looked at the man sitting beside her and her heart quickly skipped a beat, she had never seen this side of sasuke, he looked genuinely remorseful. She watched as he reached out and smoothed a strand of hair away from her face, the touch of his fingers sent tingles down her spine.

"I want to make things right between us sakura" he said softly as he looked into her deep emerald eyes.

Reaching out he slowly pulled her towards him, mesmerised sakura moved into him she knew what was coming and she wanted it just as much as sasuke. The moment his lips touched her own, her body seemed to ripple into life, she felt the heat of desire spread throughout her body like wildfire causing all her senses to come alive. This was unlike anything sakura had ever experienced from sasuke, whenever he had kissed her before she had always felt the underlining desire for revenge; he had wanted to hurt her. But this time it was different, this time he was kissing her as if he might never get to kiss her again. Letting everything slip from her mind sakura gave him everything she had.

And sasuke was savouring every last second of it, this was how it should have been, how he should have treaded her. Sakura might never let him kiss her again and if that was the case then he was going to make damn sure that he made the most of this opportunity.

Finally he pulled away from her; both slightly out of breath they just looked at each other, smiling shyly sakura didn't know what to say.

"sakura I lo…" but at that moment there was a loud knock on the door interrupting what he had been about to say.

Cursing beneath his breath sasuke looked towards the door, where his brother was standing and behind him was Karin!