A/N: Okay so chapter 10 is here and we are almost to the end of the story! *Devious smile* I'M JOKING! ^_^

Enjoy.

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Chapter Ten: My Time

Sakura squinted as she walked into the lit runway.

The lights were flashing, blinding. Pink and purple illuminated the stage, and cheering erupted from the huge crowd.

She blinked and tried to match the beat with the pace of her steps. She didn't know what she was going to do when she got to the end of the runway, but she hoped that it would come to her soon.

She raked her eyes over the crowd watching the people move with the music. Most of them could care less that she was up there, but there were a handful of men pushing closer to the stage, wads of money in their hands.

She began to panic when she saw what awaited her at the end of the walkway.

Shiny, sliver stripper poles.

Each woman strutting next to her grabbed one without hesitation, including Karin. She stopped, unable to make herself move forward. She knew that everyone must be looking at her.

She took a step back, wanting to run. She shouldn't have to do this.

"Hey baby, c'mon! Do something!" One of the men standing near her shouted. He waved his money up. "C'mon!" He and his friends urged.

Disgusted, she walked forward. She had already embarrassed herself, and if she didn't do something quick it would be worse. And she didn't want to risk ruining the mission.

Reaching the pole, she took it in her hands and did a small twirl around it. She could hear the pervert from before cheering.

Letting the fast-paced music fill her ears, she slowly started to sway her hips to the beat. She gazed out into the crowd, and her eyes fell upon a man surrounded by women.

It was Sasuke.

He was sitting leisurely at a table, sipping a drink, watching her. A horde of women surrounded him, touching his shoulder, trying anything to get his attention. But his eyes were locked onto hers. His eyes were black, seemingly filled with anger.

But Sakura knew it as lust; it was exactly how his eyes looked in the hotel room.

Forgetting all about everyone else, forgetting about her dignity and her morals, Sakura began to grind the cold metal enjoying the way Sasuke's eyes widened slightly when she did so. Even the tiniest bit of emotion from him made her feel wild. She knew that she could do that to him now.

And she loved it.

Her eyes closed and she let the music take her. She let her hand move up her exposed skin and over her breasts, dreaming that it was Sasuke's touch. She brushed her finger tips up and down her legs savoring the small gasps from the men in the audience. Moving her hand to her hair, she ripped the pins out, letting the short pink locks fall loose. She flipped her head back and let out a sigh. She was enjoying this much more than she thought she would.

She didn't know how long she had been dancing, but at some point in time she was dancing with another girl on the stage. She had even made some contact with Karin at one time, but it was very brief. Either way, she didn't care. She was loving all of the attention. She was loving the stares now too. She loved it all. Her side of the dance area was covered with money and the men's eyes followed her every move.

Slowly she slid to her knees, and leaned into the crowd to face her onlookers. She gave them her most dazzling smile, and they smiled back.

Turning her head, she froze.

A familiar face was only inches away from hers.

It was Sasuke.

She blinked. But how did Sasuke get over to where she was so quickly?

She realized by now the crowd thought something was wrong.

Because something was wrong.

She raised her head slightly. Sasuke, in all his perfection, still sat at the table where she had first spotted him.

A light bulb suddenly went off, and she looked down to the man's face that was inches away from her own.

Itachi Uchiha.

Frozen by fear, she stared into his endless charcoal eyes. He looked so ordinary, his Akastuki outfit gone, replaced with normal, everyday clothing. The side of his mouth curled up ever so slightly, into a small smirk. She shivered.

He had some money in between his fingers, and he slid it towards her. She watched carefully as he halfway turned, his eyes still on hers, beckoning her to follow.

She rose from her position and looked around. Sasuke had noticed her long pause, and raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say, "What's the problem?"

Sakura smiled at him and shook her head quickly before turning to Karin and grabbing her.

"Hey-" She started to protest before Sakura put a finger on her lips. She danced with her for a moment, and while doing so she whispered in her ear:

"You need to go off-stage like its part of the show."

Karin scoffed and twirled around. "No way." She hissed.

Sakura pulled her closer hating the whooping from the crowd. "I found Itachi." She growled.

Karin stared at her for a moment. Her eyes were wide with fear. "What do you need me to do?"

Sakura sighed. Good. She was cooperating.

"Dance off-stage and so will I. I don't care how you do it, just get to Sasuke and let him know. I'm going after Itachi."

She didn't give Karin the chance to protest because she released her grip on her, and strutted down the stairs and into the crowd.

People parted for her, which was good. She had no clue what she would've done if they all mobbed her. Whistles were heard from the other side of the stage, so Sakura assumed that Karin was doing her part. She looked around, unable to find where the older Uchiha had gone.

She continued going through the crowd looking, but still trying to act like she was still in the show.

Finally there was a point where the crowds ended, and lead into a darkened hallway. She followed it picking her pace up to a run, knowing that she was far enough away so the people wouldn't see.

Forgetting that she was in five inch heels, she tripped over herself and collapsed to the ground.

"Shit..." She muttered, ripping the death shoes off of her feet as she struggled to get up.

A hand extended towards her, and she gasped.

Itachi Uchiha hovered over her, hand outstretched.

---

Sasuke sat at the table surprised at what Karin and Sakura had just did. He had been getting into the show, more or less, and then suddenly they both left the stage. Karin was headed towards him, Sakura, the opposite direction.

He hadn't been able to spot his brother, so what the hell? He thought he might as well enjoy the show. But he didn't understand what was going on now.

Had something gone wrong?

Karin eyed the men around her as she made her way over to his table, as if she were trying to choose. And then her eyes met his.

He stood immediately, noting the fear in her expression.

She twirled over to him, obviously trying to look like the dancer she was portraying, and pushed him back into his seat. She climbed onto his lap and bent her head down to his ear.

"Itachi. We've spotted him." She whispered, so low, he almost didn't catch it.

He tried not to concentrate on the fact that she was giving him a lap dance and more on what had just came out of her mouth.

"Where's Sakura then?" He asked just as quietly, giving Jugo and Suigetsu a signal with his eyes to get ready. He seethed inside, wondering how in the hell he wasn't able to sense his brother's presence. Itachi had been right under his nose.

"She went after him."

He stopped breathing.

"What?"

He leapt to his feet, sending the small table next to him flying and almost knocking Karin over. The women surrounding him screeched and jumped back. "And you just let her go?!" He screamed, not caring that half of the people in the club were staring at him. By this time, Suigetsu and Jugo had rushed up.

"What's the deal?" Suigetsu asked.

Sasuke glared at Karin. He couldn't believe she had just let Sakura walk right off with Itachi. He blinked as he tried to put the pieces together.

Was that why she froze? When she was on stage...

"Guard the outside. Nobody leaves until we find him. Call it a hold-up, threaten their lives, I don't care! But nobody leaves, is that clear?" He growled.

They all nodded and turned to go outside. He reached out and grabbed Karin's arm, pulling her back. "Not you. You need to locate Itachi's chakra."

She nodded still looking frightened by his outburst. She closed her eyes for a moment and then gasped. "It's so powerful."

He shook her roughly. "Where, Karin?!"

She pointed towards a deserted hallway. "In there."

Sasuke smiled and activated his Sharingan.

"Let's go."

It's my time now.

---

He didn't wait for her to place her hand in his. As if she would have anyway. Itachi lurched Sakura up to her feet with one hand.

"Let go of me!" She cried as pain grew in her arm.

She couldn't believe that he could look so charming one second, and the next moment, he was back to the evil killer. What was with this guy?

His face was even more emotionless than Sasuke's as he pulled her close to his body. His face was inches away from hers as he studied her expressions.

"I thought you were in the show?" He murmured quietly. "You could get in trouble."

She struggled. "That doesn't matter."

A smirk. "Does it?"

Using her free hand she swung a chakra powered punch towards his face, only to have it blocked two seconds before impact.

"Mmm-mm-mmn." He said shaking his head. "You shouldn't have done that."

Sakura gasped to see his eyes change. They were no longer the Sharingan she knew, but more of a different shaped kind. Still as red as the blood he spilt, but a strange black design filled the center of it now.

"I knew when I saw you that you were a ninja, but you shouldn't blow your cover so easily." He scolded sounding like an upset parent.

Sakura was silent as he continued to stare at her. "Why are you here?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"That is none of your concern."

She scowled. Yep, this guy was definitely related to Sasuke.

"This is a dangerous place for shinobi," he continued. "And there are dangerous people here."

She held back a growl. "Like you?"

He chuckled softly. "Precisely."

---

Sasuke ran his katanna through the man that destroyed his family. With a puff of smoke, he was gone.

Shadow clone.

Itachi appeared behind him. "Little brother." His voice taunted.

Sasuke lobbed off his head only to see more smoke instead of the blood his eyes longed to see.

Shadow clone.

Karin rushed around the corner. "Mine was a shadow clone too!" She yelled.

Sasuke growled and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Dammit, Karin! Where is he?!"

She shoved him away. "I don't know Sasuke! I'm trying!"

He took her chin in his hand roughly and pulled her face up towards his.

"Karin. This is not a game. This is the day I kill my brother and get my revenge!" He pushed her away. "So try harder, god dammit!"

She turned away from him. "Then shut up and let me think!"

He slammed his fist against the wall. How come he couldn't find his brother? Where the hell could he be?! He knew that he probably missed his chance and it was killing him inside. For all he knew, Itachi could've walked right by him and out the door. And he couldn't keep his mind off of the fact that Sakura was yet to be found. If anything had happened to her...

"Sasuke!" Came Karin's voice.

He spun her around. "What?"

"I figured it out; those weren't shadow clones. We're in a genjutsu!" She exclaimed.

He growled in frustration. "Release." He seethed.

The world seemed to melt around them, and they were back where they started; in the front of the club.

Karin closed her eyes once more.

"I found him."

---

"It seems as if my little brother has broken out of the genjutsu I set up." Itachi said in monotone. "It's almost time...Sakura..." He whispered.

The sound of him speaking her name caused her eyes to widen.

"How do you know my-"

"It seems," he explained, "you are a very important part in my baby brother's life. You were on his team when he was twelve after all."

Her breath hitched. "You were watching him?"

He cocked his head. "Why of course."

She tried to lurch away from his iron grip. "You're sick!"

He leaned in closer, causing her to flinch. "I know about you Sakura Haruno. I've seen you." He touched her neck, gently fingering the jewelry she was still wearing.

"Don't touch me!" She hissed.

His hand did not move; he merely stared at her. She tried to show her hatred through her gaze. She wanted him to die. She wished that he would drop dead right here and right now. She couldn't get it out of her head that this was the man that ruined Sasuke's life. This was the man that set Sasuke on the path of evil that he still walked, the same man who brought Sasuke the thoughts of revenge that still ran rampant through his mind. This man, who doesn't even deserve such a title as "man".

"You were there," he said finally moving his hand from her neck, "it was you that trained with him and the fox beast."

She could almost feel the tears well up in her eyes. How dare he.

"Naruto!" She yelled trying to kick him. He blocked her easily, watching as her face contorted with pain and anger. "His name is Naruto!"

All his life Naruto wanted to be accepted, and it was assholes like Itachi that brought him down. She held back the tears wondering what her best friend was doing right now. She hadn't realized how much she had begun to miss the dork.

"Naruto." She repeated. "He has a name, and he is not a beast."

Itachi said nothing, just continued to stare at her with some strange look upon his face. "And I do believe it was you that was holding my brother when he received that mark he now bears."

She swallowed. "You were there?"

He nodded. "I saw how in pain he was, and how you brought him into your arms as if in an act to sooth his discomfort."

She scoffed remembering the memory. "Well it isn't like that anymore. So I don't see why you care so much."

"I don't."

She grit her teeth. "I didn't expect you too. You ruined your little brother's life, why would you care about anything?"

He sustained the same emotionless expression. "What do you care? Sasuke doesn't care about you. You are nothing to him."

It hurt hearing the truth from a crazy psychopath, but the truth is the truth.

"I know." She answered softly.

If Itachi could look surprised, he did at the moment.

"Then why do you-"

He was cut off by an angry growl.

"Itachi." The name was spat with such disgust and disdain that it could only belong to one person.

Sakura turned to see Sasuke and Karin walking towards them. Sasuke looked like a mad dog, anger stricken across all of his features, his Sharingan blazing as it made contact with his brother's. Sakura could practically feel the dark aura that was now consuming him; Karin was even staying a few steps behind, seemingly afraid.

Suddenly she was pulled backwards into Itachi. A sharp metal was placed against her throat.

The older Uchiha spoke. "If you take one more step, my dear baby brother, I will kill her."

A/N: Okay so this chapter makes up for ALL of the short chapters cause this one is freaking long! Thank you to my fans, and please read and review! It's not that hard to review and it makes me very very happy! ^_^