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Chapter 11

"Intrud…!" The guard was cut off before he finished his sentence, but a kunai to the neck. Itachi came upon a locked door with a chakra barrier surrounding it.

"Sakura… stand back." Itachi said quietly. He closed his eyes and focused the chakra into his right hand, just like he had seen Sakura do in the past. With one hit, the door and chakra bind was destroyed and through the dust, he saw his Sakura.

"Itachi, I didn't think…" Sakura started, but was cut off by Itachi.

"We must move quickly." He said coming into the room. "Can you move?" He asked with a slightly darker undertone to his brother. Sasuke nodded and used the wall to help himself up.

"Lets go then." Itachi in the lead with Sakura and Sasuke following closely behind, they made their way through the maze Orochimaru called home. The Genjutsu Itachi kept around them was strong enough to slip past the unsuspecting genin ninja and to sneak up for an attack on the older wiser chunin and jounin ninja.

"Well I must say, I am impressed. I didn't think you would come for her, I guess that was a mistake on my part." The slimy voice of Orochimaru said with humor. The group turned around to face the Sound leader. "Sasuke, you too have disappointed me."

Sasuke dropped to the ground in pain, the curse mark blazing on his shoulder.

"Stop it!" Sakura screamed and rushed to Sasuke's side.

"How touching, the little pink haired girl loves both of the Uchiha boys, well little girl, lets see how you like this." Orochimaru smirked. Seven guards attacked from behind, Itachi deflected all of the kunai but he realized too late what was going on. Orochimaru's neck shot away from his body at a lightning fast speed towards Itachi. Itachi's eyes widened, and he knew he didn't have the momentum to move.

"NO!" Sakura's scream rang in his ear, and then there was silence.

Itachi looked on in horror at Sakura standing in front of him, with a bite mark in her neck. She had jumped in front of him with the last ounce of chakra she had, and taken the bite meant for him. Sasuke looked up and saw that it was Sakura bitten, not Itachi and cursed darkly. Sasuke tried to stand and went at a charge toward Orochimaru, who kicked him in the face as soon as he was close enough.

"Sakura, why?" Itachi forced out, catching the girl before she fell. She smiled through the pain and looked up at him.

"You always save me, it was my turn." She whispered, and promptly passed out.

Itachi stared at the young woman in his arms, and slowly looked up to the man who had hurt her.

"Now, you will die." Itachi growled.


Sakura was all alone in a dark place she didn't know. She searched around with her eyes franticly, trying to find Itachi and Sasuke.

"Where is everyone?" she yelled. "What is going on?" But it was of no use, no one answered. Then she heard something faint, as if it was playing on a radio in another room. It was a fight, screams, clash of metal, and bodies hitting the floor. She was really scared now, because she didn't know where it was coming from. It seemed to be all around her.

The sounds stopped and then she heard voices, two of them. Her eyes brightened in recognition. It was Itachi and Sasuke! She strained her ears to hear what they were saying.

"It doesn't look good, her body might reject the mark and if it does, she will die."

"She will not die, she is strong."

"Why do you care anyway?"

"She is mine now, you decided that when you threw her away."

"She will never be yours Itachi! She loves her village too much, she has too many precious people there. She will choose them over you in the end."

"I know."

"Then why…"

"I am going to let her go home. I may have her loyalty, and perhaps her heart, but I cannot have all of her."

"We need to find a safe place for the night."

"Hn."

Sakura listened to the conversation between her former love, and her current love. She gasped at the thought.

"Do I love him?" She asked out loud.

"Of course you do!" said a voice, that defiantly did not belong to her. She looked around for the source of the voice, but could find no one.

"Hello? Where are you?" Sakura called out.

"Right here, silly!" the voice called again and then a figure started to appear before Sakura. A little girl with jet black hair and coal eyes stood before her. She was about six or seven and she was wearing a beautiful blue kimono.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked the little girl, stunned.

"Oh that's easy! My name is Yuki! And you are Sakura." The little girl said with a smile. Sakura watched the little girl closely.

"Are you related to the Uchiha clan? You look a lot like Sasuke and Itachi." Sakura moved closer to the girl for further examination.

"Now you are catching on! I am here to help you survive the curse mark. Right now, you are dying because you are not strong enough to beat it on your own." Yuki said at last, letting Sakura move in a circle around her.

"How will you help me?" Sakura asked slowly.

"By lending you my chakra of course!" She said to the dumbstruck Sakura. Yuki sighed and took Sakura's hand in her own. Sakura noticed how small and warm the little girl's hand was in her own.

"Ready? Oh and this will hurt." Yuki said.


Sakura sat up in the cave screaming. Itachi and Sasuke were at her side instantly, saying soothing words and forcing her to lay back down. Her eyes brimmed with tears and the pain, but she looked at the two men above her with pure trust and love.

"I am okay." She whispered. Itachi gently caressed her face with his hand on impulse. This lulled her back into a dreamless sleep.

"She survived the first eight hours, she will live." Sasuke said with relief. Itachi nodded and brought the blanket that was around Sakura, further up to her chin. She had had a high fever, and now that it was breaking, she was likely to get very cold.

"Sasuke, in the morning I want you to bring her back to Konoha. She will be able to get the right medical treatment there." Itachi said, looking at his little brother.

"But what about you?" Sasuke asked untrustingly.

"I have another battle to fight. One that does not concern either of you. Sakura is too weak to fight if the ones after me catch up with us. It is better this way." He said with finality.

"So you are just going to leave her…" Sasuke started, the words "like you left me" hanging in the air.

Itachi stood and moved to the edge of the cave. He looked on into the darkness, seeing nothing but midnight hunters and unmoving wildlife.

"Sometimes, things are anything like they seem. We will meet again one day Sasuke, and then perhaps you will be able to defeat me. As for Sakura, you and I both know that it is best that she is kept far away from me. You are right in saying that she loves and needs her village, and being with me will take her away from that. I cannot be what she needs me to be, I cannot feel like she needs me to feel. For someone like me, love is out of reach. I have done terrible things in my life, but I have never regretted them until I met her. Take care of her little brother, keep her safe in her village and help her to live to old age. Don't let her come searching for me, ever." Itachi didn't wait for an answer, he leapt into the darkness, towards the Akatsuki strong hold for what promises to be his last battle with them.

Sasuke sat stunned in the darkness. He had never imagined that his brother was as human as he just portrayed himself just then. He nodded to the darkness, he accepted the mission given to him from his brother. He had once thought that his brother was the coolest, best brother in the whole world, and that faith was crushed when he killed their family. In those moments he said his goodbye, he proved that he could be that brother again. That for, if only and instant, he could be the strong, loyal brother Sasuke once knew.

Sasuke looked down on the young woman laying in front of him. He would do as Itachi asked, he would make sure she was happy, and that she lived to old age. Perhaps not as a lover or husband, like she once thought many years before; but as a friend, a brother.

Sakura shifted in her sleep and whispered Itachi's name. Sasuke brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and gave a small smile.


Sakura was asleep though most of the travel to Konoha, she would wake up here and there, but was never fully conscious to know what was going on. Sasuke finally reached the gates of his old village, where he was greeted by ANBU.

Sakura was rushed to the infirmary and Sasuke was taken to the Hokage's tower for questioning.

Tsunade walked in and sat behind her desk with a sigh, looking on at the young Uchiha that had made her life hell for years.

"Okay, get on with it." She said after a long pause.

Sasuke told the whole story, not leaving a single detail out. He told about his plan to get to Naruto through Sakura, and how Sakura was saved by Itachi. He went on to tell how Itachi had come for Sakura when she was captured by Orochimaru, and told how she jumped in front of Itachi to save him from being struck by the curse mark. He went into the battle between Orochimaru and Itachi, describing how Itachi had become unstoppable when Sakura was injured, and how Orochimaru was finally killed and ripped to pieces from Itachi's attacks.

Then Sasuke told Tsunade what Itachi had told him before he left him and Sakura in the cave. Tsunade sat quietly; listening in awe of everything she was being told. Sasuke finished his report and was taken away by ANBU to his old compound where he was to be kept under guard until she decided what to do with him.

Tsunade collected her thoughts and went down to the room where Sakura was being kept. She opened the door quietly and let herself in. She noticed that Sakura was finally awake and that she was staring out the window, not even noticing her old sensei come in.

"There are some things we have to talk about." Tsunade said, breaking the silence. Sakura didn't respond, but nodded her head and turned her eyes to her Hokage.

"Sakura, what were you thinking getting into a… a… relationship with Itachi Uchiha? You had to have known that it wouldn't have ended well, that he could have killed you at any moment, and that it was considered treason to this village…" Tsunade stopped upon seeing the tears in Sakura's eyes. Tsunade sighed and took a seat at the side of Sakura's bed.

"I was so worried, not knowing if you were alive or dead. You are like a daughter to me Sakura." She said softly, taking Sakura's hand.

"I am sorry, its just… he isn't what I thought he was. He is so smart, and strong, and he even made a joke for me! He protected me, rescued me, and made me feel stronger that I really am. Tsunade- sama, I love him. I know its wrong and its treason, but I cant help what I feel." She whispered. Tsunade nodded in understanding.

"I cant let you go after him, nor can I allow him back into this village. But I wont fault you for your feelings." Tsunade said standing up. She moved to the door and then stopped.

"Sakura… there is something I need to tell you." She turned to face her student. Sakura looked up and nodded.

"You're pregnant."


A/N: We are getting closer to the end, a cookie for the ones that picked up that she was pregnant before I said it! Please read and review!