Hey guys sorry for the late update (I guess you are probably getting tired of reading those words) but the reason (this time) was my parents were lost without me, meaning they didn't do anything with the house so I came back with like days of chores to do and my parents just told me this like the day I posted my last chapter, but any way here is the chapter I was supposed to upload two days ago, hope you like it.

Sakura was taking a walk around the area, it has been a couple days since she met back up with kakashi and they have been talking with each other and kakashi has also trained her a lost jutsu that was passed down the hatake family just in case a haruno ever came into their powers.

Sakura sighed 'Suna gets attacked tomorrow' she thought as she slowly made her way by a playground where little children laughed as they played.

'We will protect them child, don't worry' Miyu's comforting voice echoed in her head.

'And if we can't, we tear the heads off of those who hurt anyone' Toshi said

'Bring them on, they don't stand a chance against our power' inner sakura cheered as she couldn't wait till the upcoming battle.

Sakura gave a small smile at all the mindful support she was getting. Then she decided to head back to the hotel to talk with Itachi.

'Itachi I am coming back now' she sent a mind message to Itachi so he knew she was coming. She gave a small smile, she could talk to Itachi through her mind but he still didn't know how to talk back.

Sakura finally reached the hotel and saw Itachi sitting by the window waiting for her, she gave him a smile and sat on the bed.

"So what are the plans for tomorrow, where are they going to send their main forces to?" She asked Itachi.

"Sakura, Sasuke knows I can read his mind now, leader doesn't know how he found out but all that we do know is that he did, so this whole thing could be a trap" He said while still looking out the window.

Sakura looked at him in surprise and then she slowly relaxed "we will just have to have suna take their villagers somewhere safe and hopefully Gaara will send his shinobi with us, even if it is a trap, just as long as there are no innocent villagers around, we will be the ones setting the trap"

Itachi looked at her and shook his head "I think he plans to attack the Akatsuki base tonight"

Sakura instantly stiffened "Tonight? That doesn't give us any time to make it back in time to help them, even if we did push ourselves to get their we would be completely worn out and be of no use"

Itachi shook his head "You can make it, you have two extra sources of energy, you could make it back in time"

"But what about you?" she asked

"I must stay here, just in case he truly was going to attack here, just so we can be ready if he attacks at either place" he said as he looked back out the window

"No" she said shaking her head "This wouldn't be right, even with all of suna and yourself, the opposing forces will be too much" she said with worry.

Itachi looked at her with a smirk "Did you forget what Akatsuki member he will be dealing with?"

Sakura turned away "I wouldn't be too cocky Itachi-kun, ever since you got me as a partner you've been slacking off" she turned back to him with a smirk "You rely too much on me, plus It's the Akatsuki we are talking about, those shinobi can take care of themselves" she said turning back around

Itachi came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist "It was leader's orders for you to go aid them"

"I don't care" she said folding her arms and looking at Itachi from the corner of her eyes "Im not leaving you, I don't want to loose you" she said with a hitch in her voice

"leader won't be too happy about your decision" He replied burying his nose in her neck

"I don't care, I don't even know why he is still the leader, I mean I could easily kill him if it wasn't that you stupid men respect him too much, plus he is leader, without leader I wouldn't be able to play pranks on him and bruise his big ego"

Itachi smirked against her skin and then suddenly they both froze.

"No" sakura whispered as she knew it was true by Itachi's reaction as well.

"It seems Deidara has been defeated by sasuke" Itachi said (I decided to add this even though I already knew he was dead in the latest chapters I only decided to add his death my own way)

Sakura felt her chakra in her swirl with anger as she tried to contain herself, tears left her eyes "B-But…" she didn't even know what to say.

Itachi turned sakura around in his arms and held her close to let her cry on his shoulder.

"Im such a failure at keeping friends alive" she cried out "they always leave me"

Itachi just stroked her back as she cried out.

Suddenly the anger returned as she could easily think of the person who took deidara out, the only living being who always takes her close ones away from her "Im going to kill him, Im going to rip that fucker apart piece by piece" she said with so much hate and venom for a second there it almost sounded like Toshi's angered voice.

And then they felt the feeling again and it only fueled Sakura as she felt another Akatsuki member fall "God if I knew they would die without me I would have gone" she burst out regretting her decision to stay with Itachi.

Sakura only gripped Itachi and wished away the pain of losing more friends.

After about half an hour they could tell whatever battle happened was over now, only six Akatsuki member remain total, Sakura, Itachi, Zetsu, Pien, Leader, and that blue haired girl with the flower Sakura never got along with because they fought each other the very first time they met (and plus I forgot her name).

Sakura fell asleep in Itachi's arms after awhile.

Itachi laid Sakura down and got up and walked to the window again.

"I have been slacking?" he asks himself.

Next morning

'GET UP YOU BRAT ITACHI IS NOT HERE, HE LEFT YOU BECAUSE YOU ACT WORTHLESS IN THE MORNING!!!' Inner screamed trying anything to wake her outer self.

Inner sighed and did the only thing she could think of, take over.

Sakura's body slowly sat up and she rubbed her head and gave a lazy yawn and then smirked.

"Now to have some fun" Inner said but as soon as she stood up the was a force and made her lay back down.

'You will not take over sakura's body unless sakura wants you to, let the child sleep, she just lost a couple more close friends yesterday, let Itachi wake her up, he is just out training, I think what sakura said to him yesterday made him realize something' miyu forced Inner back inside sakura's mind.

Inner sakura sighed and sat down in her our little space and waited impatiently.

After a half hour later Itachi came back to the room and stared down at the sleeping form of sakura, he decided to take a shower before he woke her up.

After ten minutes Itachi finished his shower and walked into the room with only pants on and the towel hung around his neck and his long hair was still damp.

He walked over to sakura and gently woke up, she slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a male chest next to her on the same bed as her.

Sakura quickly sat up and finally realized it was Itachi and by the smell of it, he just got out of the shower.

"Hey Itachi, so what's the plans for today?" She asked groggily.

"Leader wants to have a meeting, he wasn't too happy that you never came to their aid" Itachi replied while standing up and getting the rest of his clothes on. "We will leave after your done with you shower"

Sakura nodded and made her way to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Sakura leaned against the door and slowly sat down as tears started to form In her eyes as she remembered what had happened yesterday.

After a couple minutes she knew Itachi wanted to go soon and she still needed to take her shower, she stood back up and made her way to the shower and started to the water.

Itachi sat by the window and stared out at the village, he knew leader would be upset, but he also knew that if leader pushed the subject Sakura would snap and probably kill leader. Itachi let out a sigh as he finally heard the shower start, he knew sakura would be very emotional today, especially since the news of deidara hit her.

He gave a small smirk, at one point he was even jealous at how close deidara and sakura were, but he knew that she was easily attached to him since he reminded her of Naruto, even though she won't admit it.

Itachi gave a small frown, this whole event meant that they would need to find new members to replace the ones that died, he didn't feel like putting up with them, but he also knew sakura wouldn't be able to handle Deidara's replacement, to her nobody could replace him, and for that he was sorta jealous.

'Even in death I still get jealous over you Deidara' He thought.

Just then the bathroom door opened and sakura walked in and got ready to leave the hotel and head back to base.

Outside Suna

Sakura and Itachi made their way towards base in silence. Sakura stayed quiet and to herself, she even kept a certain distance away from Itachi which he had no idea as to why.

After spending all day traveling without speaking one word Itachi broke it.

"We are almost there" he said

Sakura nodded but didn't say anything.

They finally reached base at around midnight and sakura and Itachi still had not spoken yet.

Sakura went straight to her room, she knew the meeting starts at 3am so she had a coupld hours to herself she was going to take.

Itachi just looked at the direction Sakura had took off to, he knew she didn't want him to follow so he decided to see what kisame was doing.

'Probably already drunk the stupid fish' Inner Itachi spoke loudly.

Itachi could sense Kisame in the garden.

'Kisame never goes to the garden' he thought as he went out.

Kisame sat under a tree with two cups of sake witting in front of him, one was meant for him while the other for his invisible guest.

He downed the drink and poured himself another cup.

Itachi came up and leaned against the tree. Kisame looked up at him, instantly Itachi could tell Kisame was in whatever battle happened here by all the bruises and cuts on him and also from the looks of it, he was already drunk more then usual.

Itachi didn't stop him from drinking like he usually would since this was a different case, Kisame lost a temporary partner since they were partners and sakura was really partnered with Deidara.

"You should have been there Itachi, you would have had fun fighting that bastard of a brother" Kisame spoke hoarsely.

Itachi didn't say anything because he knew Kisame didn't meant for him to, he just wanted to let the pain of loosing a friend lighten.

"Why didn't she come" Kisame spoke quietly

"She chose to stay with me, she wanted to protect Suna just in case sasuke planned to attack them instead." Itachi replied

"How" Kisame started "How did she take it when the connection to Deidara broke"

Itachi looked down at Kisame "worse then you, she felt it was her fault"

Kisame nodded knowing that Sakura wouldn't be able to smile like she used to, that made him want to drink more sake, which he did.

With Sakura

Sakura sat by the window and watched Kisame drink in the garden, but from her view she couldn't see Itachi next to him, she only saw Kisame and his cup of sake and thelone cup in front of him that was meant for someone else.

Sakura turned away, she couldn't even look out the window till Kisame left, it broke her heart every time.

Sakura sat on the edge of her back and looked in the corner of her room where there was a two foot tall clay bird.

She gave a small sad smile at the memory.

Flashback:

Sakura coughed as she sat up in bed, she got the flu from her last mission and she was drained from her chakra and Miyu's chakra since she had to stay up late healing everyone.

She leaned back down in her bed, and she heard a small knock.

"Come in at your own risk" she called out.

She heard the door slowly open and she saw Deidara standing there with a goofy grin on his face while holding something behind him.

"Deidara if you catch this flu I don't have enough chakra to heal you" she said quietly.

Deidara nodded "I made you something for your room to say thanks for healing my broken ribs, leg, and wrist"

Sakura looked at him funny as he suddenly held out a two foot tall clay bird that looked almost like a phoenix.

Sakura smiled and pointed to the furthest corner of the room "Place it there so you don't come any closer and catch the flu" And he did so and then suddenly ran up and gave her a hug.

"Idiot" was all sakura could mumble into deidara's shoulder.

He let go and left sakura to get her rest.

"I swear he acts like a 3 year old" she mumbled before falling asleep.

End Flashback

She then remembered that Deidara had the flu the very next day, but luckily she had regained her chakra by then and was able to heal both of them.

She looked at the bird that still lay in the corner Deidara placed it. She got up and walked over to it, she gently place a hand on it and tears started to fall.

"I never did get to say thank you" She said with a sad smile "Idiot, I would have rather you to say thanks by not dieing on me"

Well there you go, when I first started this story I was never going to have deidara die because he was such a cool character, but then I felt my story was falling behind because he was supposed to be dead and my wishful thinking was the only thing keeping him alive.

Hope you guys liked the chapter and review and tell me what you think.

Ja ne, Hanami