WOOH! glad THAT chapter's out. not as much trouble as the last, but i did get stuck on this one small bit... one stupid little bit.

but anyway :D thank you Chocoholic princess, for betaing me and thank you to all those who follow, favourite, review and PM me on the both this story and my other one (it's a pein/saku, so if you like that and you like my writing, why not give it a go?)

ANYWAY... enjoy :D

"ITACHI!" she screamed.

"SAKURA!" a distant voice called out, causing the offending Uchiha's outstretched hand to recoil, as though burnt.

"Sakura!" the voice called out again. "Where are you?"

The youngest Uchiha turned to look at the offending voice and growled at its owner, though, due to fear, Sakura was unable to tell if it was an enemy or an ally.

However, with the followed events, she assumed they were an ally, though she still left room for fear of an enemy merely turning against Sasuke.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" the voice screamed out, catching Sasuke unprepared as he was enveloped in flames, burning almost all visible skin.

Sakura was too focused on the young Uchiha's burnt flesh to even notice the footsteps hurrying towards her position.

Only when the new presence blocked her view of her old love's body did she notice them, which caused her to flinch at fear of an attack, though she came to the conclusion of just who they were shortly afterward.

After realization hit her, she crawled from her hiding space as quickly as she possibly could and ran to this new person, the man she currently loved, and enveloped him in a near-crushing hold.

It felt like forever, but after the few moments it took for him to be relieved of his shock, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, his head breathing in the smell he craved so much.

"Don't…" only now, when Sakura tried to speak, did she realize she was crying, making it harder for her to say what she wanted to. No matter though, she tried again.

"Don't... don't leave me! Never aga…" she was cut off as she was pushed into his chest.

He pulled her away and stared straight into her eyes, showing he was dead serious about what he was about to say.

"Sakura… I swear, I will stay by your side and protect you as best I can," everything about him showed just how determined he really was, though there was a hint of sadness in his voice. It didn't seem quite true though. She knew that that was how Itachi felt, but it just… it didn't feel… right.

As though for confirmation, Sakura pulled him down to her level and brought their lips together.

Yes. It felt real. It felt like… Itachi.

There were two surprised Akatsuki members because, where Madara was involved, Itachi Uchiha was never surprised at how low he would go to cause harm to others, especially himself.

"What have you done, Sasuke?" all his words were clipped and full of rage.

Sasuke turned his head from its bowed position towards his aniki. Itachi could see the anger his ebony orbs held and, deep down, he felt sorrow for the hateful emotion that was there, but the emotion was gone as fast as it had come.

"Sasuke," Madara's voice held an aura of power, forcing the attention of his student.

Sasuke turned back to his elder, ready to follow any order given.

"Make her stop."

Sasuke stood and made his way to the screaming kunoichi laying on the table, causing Itachi to stiffen, as well as his allies, though he chose to let it go as he knew Sasuke would be stopping what sounded like Sakura in pain.

Sasuke stopped beside a screaming Sakura and, knowing Itachi was watching with those Sharingan eyes of his, recording every moment with his superior memory (should I have the bit about the memory in there?), as Sasuke spoke the jutsu reversal under his breath, he leant towards Sakura.

Itachi knew it was working as the pinkette's pained screams were dying out, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with the closeness of the two of them.

He didn't trust Sasuke, not after what he had done to his otouto throughout his nineteen years of life.

However, just as she opened her eyes, Sasuke finished the jutsu's incantation and, before she knew what was happening, his lips met hers.

Thinking it was Itachi again, Sakura merely melded into the kiss, not even noticing the change in positioning between the two, nor the different feel of this 'Itachi'.

What she did notice though, even if it were only barely, was the loud growl that came from behind 'Itachi'. However, because she thought she was still in the world in which she was still kissing Itachi, she thought it was Sasuke still alive and behind her lover, prepared for attack.

Before the man she thought to be the younger of the two Uchiha brothers had a chance to attack the man above her, she pushed him out of the way and pulled her fist back.

"SHANNARO!"

'Itachi''s attacker only heard Sakura's battle cry before flying into the wall behind him, causing dust to fly due to the incredible force of Sakura's hit.

Pain tore at Sakura's heart when the dust cleared and the now nearly unrecognizable body of the elder Uchiha was revealed.

"Oh god…" her voice was barely above a whisper.

She turned, wanting to see who it was she had thought was Itachi only to see Sasuke smirking at her; no doubt proud of what she had done to the man he hated the most.

"How could I?" tears were streaming down her face as the realization of what she had done to the man she loved sunk in. "Oh god…"

bum bum BAAAAHHHH!

find out... NEXT CHAPTER! (at least three weeks from now at the rate i'm going)