(A/N): And here's chapter 14~~! Sorry for the late wait! ENJOY!

Disclaimer: no own. duh.

The game of pretense continued on. To Sakura, it seemed almost as easy as breathing to act like a true Akatsuki. Mostly, though, it was due to the fact that Pein was sending the others out to try and capture the tailed beasts whilst all she had to do was stay at 'home' and make sure there are no intruders. Often, she'd had to heal those who came back wounded. She was mildly surprised that, somehow, Tobi never seemed to get hurt. But the sight of Deidara with wounds ranging from mild to fatal was nothing new.

And just like most days all of them—Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, and Tobi—were gone, and she was left to roam around. However, Sakura was positive that Itachi and Kisame would be back soon. Pein had only sent them out to do a simple mission that was probably—in Akatsuki standards—C-ranked. The Sharingan wielder and the Mist nin had been gone for three days already. But how soon was what Sakura did not know. Possibly just another day at most.

Speaking of Itachi, Sakura still couldn't get over what had happened that afternoon in his room. Sure she knew that Uchiha Itachi was about the most unfathomable man in the world, but as time passed by she'd realized that he was actually quite predictable if one knew how to observe. And she considered herself one of those who could read him.

But what he had done….was really confusing. Scenes replaying, Sakura suddenly remembered what Madara had said.

"He will come as you have planned."

Who? What plan? Did it have anything to do with Akatsuki, or was it personal? And since when did Uchiha Itachi have anything personal?!

Maybe she just didn't know of them. But that was apart from the current topic.

Sighing in frustration, Sakura rubbed her head fervently. The more she thought of it, the more she wanted answers. She hated being in the shadows!

Mind made up, the rosette stood and left her room. Standing in the hall, she stared at the door of the room directly across from hers.

Taking a deep breath, the kunoichi crossed the floor and made a grab for the door. The instant her hand made contact with the knob, a chakra shield blocked her hand and Sakura jerked her hand back, rubbing it and checking for any signs of harm. Apparently, there were none. So she tried again, this time kicking the door with her leg. Once again, the chakra shield came up and blocked her.

Becoming frustrated, Sakura decided to just use a chakra-enhanced punch. It's not like it wouldn't work, right?

Still, it might not, considering this was Uchiha Itachi's room she was about to trespass into.

But she could always give it a try.

Right hand fisted and glowing, Sakura raised her arm back, then shot it forward.

The door opened, shocking Sakura that the door hadn't completely fallen off. As she walked in, she made a mental note of examining the door later—if she had the time.

Looking around, Sakura took in how neat the room was and how little possessions Itachi had that weren't shinobi tools. Apart from numerous kunai and shuriken, there were no other shinobi tools seen. Instead, scrolls met Sakura eyes as she settled her gaze on a bookshelf by Itachi's desk. Curiosity led her to walk towards it, and immediately one scroll caught her gaze.

It had the Konoha symbol on it.

Her hands needed no order—they reached for the scroll and pulled it out. Sakura sat down in Itachi's chair and placed the scroll on the desk.

What could Itachi possibly still keep a Konoha scroll for? And why is it a mission scroll? It—it—I don't get it. This….

With shaky fingers, Sakura unrolled the scroll, and gasped at its contents.

Rank: S

Date of Initiation: October 7

Purpose: Eliminate the Uchiha Clan

Details: On this night of initiation, there will be a provided time period of 2 hours at most, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. All Uchiha members will be in the compound. There must be no survivors.

No……..

No…..

Not possible…….this …….

Cannot be……he….Itachi…..

I….don't understand….mission?.......

Sakura stared at the scroll, and stayed there as time passed by. Her thoughts were in a whirlpool, and she was in shock.

Mission…..

Sasuke….

"…to kill a certain man…."

….Itachi….

…traitor…

…Massacre…

…Sarutobi…

…Hokage…

….reluctant…

…pretense…

It must've been thirty or so minutes before Sakura was able to move again. Taking a deep and ragged breath, she rolled up the scroll and returned it to its rightful position. Now standing in the middle of Itachi's room, she couldn't help but stay there, not moving. This is the room of the man who gave up all he had to stay loyal to Konoha, even if it meant becoming a traitor to the people of the place he so loved. How could she….how could everyone…anyone….?

The tears came unannounced, but Sakura held them back. This was not the time nor place. Itachi and Kisame would be back soon, and what would they think if they were to be greeted by a medic with a tear-streaked face? Blinking a few times to reassure herself that the tears wouldn't fall, Sakura gave the room a last full-circle glance before vacating it. She did not notice the strand of pink hair that had fallen off and was now lying on the tabletop.

Silently, the loyal Konoha nin left the room of the ex-Konoha-yet-not-entirely-nin.

When the sound of the front door being opened reached Sakura's ear, she peered out of her room in time to see Itachi and Kisame climbing the stairs.

"Well, if it isn't our little medic?"

"How was the mission? Any wounds for me to waste my chakra on?" Sakura asked, smiling. She had to act as if nothing had happened. As if she had never went into Itachi's room and saw the scroll.

But still she couldn't help but go blank as the supposedly traitor of Konoha laid his eyes on her.

"Itachi-san might want to check his eyes," Kisame supplied, "he used the Mangekyou three times in a row."

And Sakura was at a loss as to what to do. How could she possibly act as if nothing had happened and heal Itachi when deep inside her mind was in chaos?

So she stiffened as Itachi opened his mouth.

"I don't think it is necessary, Kisame."

And relaxed.

Feeling somewhat relieved, as if a huge burden had been lifted off of her, Sakura sighed and her smile became bigger.

"Ok, then. Don't tire your bodies too much. I'll—"

She was interrupted by a loud growling. The blue man chuckled, unabashed by such an un-Akatsuki like behavior. Sakura's smile gentled.

"I'll prepare something for you, Kisame-san." She said. Anything to get away from the Uchiha. Anything. Even if it meant cooking. As she walked past the two Akatsuki, Itachi turned his head and said, "You don't seem yourself."

Sakura's mind froze.

Itachi turned slightly to look at her, and both remained as they were; silent and still.

"Oops," Kisame chuckled as his stomach protested once again. "Better get food quick, pinky. Bring something for Itachi-san too." He added, oblivious of the tension between the kunoichi and the Sharingan weilder.

It was only when Itachi broke his gaze that Sakura was able to think again. "Hai," she said, and proceeded down the stairs.

If Kisame was that hungry, then she was going to prepare something that would satisfy his stomach to the fullest.

The longer she could stay away from Itachi, the better.

The moment he touched the doorknob to his room, Itachi felt strange. Someone had broken the chakra shield he placed over his door. Someone had trespassed in. On his guard, Itachi entered and closed the door quietly behind him. Looking around, he noted that everything seemed normal. Whoever was in here had either touched nothing or had remembered to place them all back to where they should be.

As he placed his Akatsuki cloak on his chair and set his kunai pouch down on the table, Itachi noticed something.

Something that didn't belong.

A strand of pink hair.

What was Sakura doing in his room? More importantly, why was she in his room? Brooding, Itachi sat on his bed. Was she spying on him? Prying? Spying for who? Konoha? Madara? Pein? Or was she possibly doing this for her own reason? And what could that be? What could she have possibly found out? Was she trying to find out why she was important to Madara?

This only seemed to him that the prior idea that he had thought of would not work. If she was someone he couldn't rely on…he doesn't have to entirely trust her….but rely…

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock.

"Itachi-san, I brought food." Sakura called out from the other side.

"Aa," he said, and when he made no move to open the door, the knob slowly turned and in she came.

She was nervous, the way she trembled slightly and tried unsuccessfully to hide it. Her eyes looked at everything but him, even when she placed the plate of onigiri on his table. Itachi noted that her eyes widened slightly and her hands clenched in fists when she noticed what she'd left behind when she came in here before.

"Why were you in here, Sakura-san?"

"Eh?!" she jerked, whipping her head to look at him, then quickly averting her eyes.

"What did you find out?"

Her jaw tightened and she gritted her teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about, Itachi-san."

"Then explain why a strand of your hair is lying on my table."

"Really, Itachi-san," she forced out a laugh, "you must be really tired, to think that I'd sneak around in your room."

"Don't lie to me, Sakura-san."

"I'm not, Itachi-san."

"Sakura-san."

"Really….I have no idea what you mean, Itachi-san."

He'd had enough. If she wasn't going to give up that easily, then he would have to force it out of her.

Standing up, Itachi slowly advanced on the kunoichi.

"W-what are you doing, Itachi-sa--!" Sakura's breath escaped her when Itachi forced her into the wall behind her. Before she had time to react, he'd place both of his hands on either side of her head, assuring that she couldn't escape.

And he was very, very close.

Their foreheads were almost touching, noses slightly brushing each other's, mouths so close their breaths were mingling together. Strands of Itachi's silky black hair fell across his eyes, a slightly see-through curtain covering his blaring Sharingan.

Itachi could see Sakura's face, all the little details, so clearly. Her eyelashes, her captivating jade orbs, her enticingly soft lips, her silky skin, her. Her. All of her. She was also panting from shock, and it didn't help situations that her body was pressed against his. He searched her eyes, finding shock, fright.

"I…Itachi-san…"

"Tell me the truth." He breathed out. He will get his answer, and she would leave. The sooner the better.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sakura answered back, trying hard not to look at the Uchiha. His face was too close, and Inner Sakura was ranting about his looks again. Sakura shut her eyes tightly, and her lips pursed from concentration.

That was when Itachi's voice whispered right beside her ear.

"Tell me, Sakura."

Don't tell him! Don't tell him! Sakura mentally chanted.

"I…don't know…"

Itachi frowned. She was really tempting him now. He hadn't been given any other option but to force it out of her like this. Yet, standing so close, he felt that alien feeling again. This time, it was strong. Of course it wasn't lust; Itachi knew the feeling of lust. It wasn't lust, but by the way things seemed, he was physically attracted to Sakura. Immensely attracted, so to say. But there was also something else….

Besides, his self control was coming close to an end. He had to think of something. He had to think quick.

"…Tell me why you were in here, and I'll tell you about Madara and my conversation."

Suddenly, the kunoichi was looking at him with wide eyes, and Itachi knew this was going smoothly.

"Sakura."

He watched with satisfaction as she took in a deep breathe and tried to exhale calmly, but failed. Then his eyes narrowed as she still did not reply.

"I will not hurt you."

Still there was silence.

But then she spoke.

"You……hadn't done it….. on purpose."

Itachi raised a brow. What hadn't he done on purpose? Pulling slightly back, he opened his mouth, but was cut off.

"The Uchiha Massacre…..Sasuke….you didn't…."

And Itachi's eyes widened a fraction, but then he regained his composure and questioned her.

"…..How did you know of this?"

A small and sad smile crept up the corners of her mouth.

"The scroll. The Konoha mission scroll."

Sakura hadn't known why. From the moment she discovered the mission scroll, she'd decided that she was going to keep her knowledge of such a scroll a secret.

And yet, here she was, willingly telling Itachi that she found it.

Willingly trusting him.

She knew it was foolish and absurdly childish to believe the words of an Akatsuki, even though she was now formally one as well. But they were Akatsuki, each and every one an elite shinobi who are working together—for one gain, but each with their own purposes. Who knew what would become of them if their goal were obtained? Even she herself had no idea what would happen. It seemed—to her—that capturing all nine tails would take an entire lifetime. After all, the days that she'd spent with them—with Itachi, Deidara, Kisame—were nothing unlike the days she'd spent in Konoha, with Rookie Nine.

There was only one difference. And that was that she wasn't in Konoha. She was an Akatsuki, and in a country that she had yet to know the name of from Deidara.

During her first few days, she'd come to realize that the Akatsuki members were painfully similar to her own friends. Deidara not only looked like Naruto, but also had similar personality traits. Such as his ambition, his stubbornness, and his always-present need to show others what he is capable of doing. Kisame was easily the oldest of the three she was living with, and he was none too shy to share his inappropriate thoughts. Yet, more often than not, he would visit Deidara and her to make sure that they did not end up killing each other during their intense sparring. As for Itachi….well…he does have the same blood as Sasuke, so she shouldn't find it weird that they would behave alike. But there were still variations to each and every action that linked the siblings as brothers. For one, Sasuke's sentences were short, and during rare times when he felt the need, he wouldn't hesitate to speak out his mind—which often resulted in a rude statement. Itachi, on the other hand, spoke more often than not, if only to answer questions or give out a comment. Whatever he said had the air of a gentleman, and it was always polite.

Unfortunately for her, Deidara had no demon inside him, Kisame had no mask on his face, and Itachi's eyes held no hunger for revenge.

But surely they held great sadness.

Sakura wondered why she never saw that emotion in his eyes before? Or was it just because his bangs shadowed his eyes so often that it was hard to tell? Perhaps it was because she'd never really—really—looked at him.

Now she was, though. And she saw it as clearly as seeing through a glass window.

And it made her feel so, so, so sad as well.

To think that this man had resisted his emotions to carry out a mission involving massacring his clan was extraordinary. To know that he also fled the place he loved the most just to protect its people was extremely heartbreaking, in her opinion.

The tears were coming, and she felt that—maybe, maybe—it was the appropriate time to let them go. For her. And for him. Maybe…

Without thinking, Sakura reached out both of her hands—

—and hugged Itachi.

He had not been prepared. When he felt her delicate arms and warm body pressed against his, he had been caught off guard. For a split of a second, his brain had been wiped of any thought, before he gradually regained his sense.

She was crying. Crying softly into his shoulder, her sniffs muffled by his clothes. He could feel her shudders, and unconsciously, he wrapped one arm lightly around her shoulders, holding her to him.

He hadn't known why he did it, he just did. It felt…needed, almost necessary, to perform such a task. And it wasn't as if he wasn't uncomfortable with the close proximity, either. Somehow, holding the kunoichi—or even being near her—brought a sudden sense of harmony.

And he knew what the feeling was.

Love. Unlike the love he held for Sasuke, or his family. This was the love shared only between a man and a woman.

And to say that Itachi was surprised would be an understatement.

Could it truly be, though? That he loved her?

There was too much to think about, so Itachi settled for simply holding Sakura close to him.

If this was the only moment where they would be able to be like this, then he wouldn't mind. He'd make the most of this.

Therefore, he'll simply stay. Comforting her.

That was the least he could do.

(A/N): YAY~~~! ITACHI FIGURED IT OUT! But Sakura still hasn't. sigh And my word document is blank after this chapter, so...it's gonna take some time before chp.15 is out. But no worries!!! It'll be out before this year ends! (no duh).

Also, thx to all of you who read and review!! I'm really grateful, cuz the more reviews, the better I write and the MORE I write. I was hoping that this chapter might get me a couple reviews, so...

Read and Review!!!

Your loyal writer,

sizuka chan