Thank you maxridelover, DeeBee, and SectumSemprae for reviewing!

Merry late Christmas! I'm sorry this is so late. I'm off and have been since Christmas, but I'm house sitting for my NP and she's got three dogs, two kittens, and six cats. I brought my dog to who reverted back to acting like an 8 week old. Also apparently nobody is potty trained since every morning I wake up to messes all over the house -_-.

WARNING: There is a lemon in this chapter, but it is linked to my Tumblr page as usual. Link is on my profile.

Sasuke sat on the balcony listening to the rain. He and Itachi had just finished sparring for the third time that day. With every battle, Sasuke felt himself not only able to better read his brother's moves, but also growing closer to being able to beat him. He hadn't been able to yet and even though they were on semi good terms again, that was still a goal for the younger Uchiha. That wasn't a priority now. His job was to defeat the Akatsuki from the inside and keep the Hidden Leaf village safe. Sasuke never would have imagined that the situation he was currently in. He was supposed to take revenge for his clan, but that was impossible when he found out his clan was in the wrong.

The brunette dragged his right leg to him and placed his arm over his knee. That was still one other thing that bothered him: was there any other way than killing the whole family? What if Itachi had simply taken out the ones responsible for the coup? That wouldn't have worked. If he did kill them, it would have created hatred among those who were close to them and they would come after Itachi. The more he thought about it, the more Sasuke realized that what Itachi did was the only way. Any other way would have created more hatred and violence.

Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed. Honestly, he was tired. At this point, he just wanted peace. He found himself wishing for the better days, but Sasuke shoved them aside. They had more important things to worry about at the moment. Itachi had pulled Sasuke into the Sharingan during one of their sparring sessions earlier and told him what was going on with Nagato. Sakura healing Nagato would make things more difficult, but his power was already immense as it was.

This was going to take all of their strength. The plan for now was to wait until the Akatsuki was ready to go to the Hidden Leaf Village in order to retrieve the Fifth, Seventh…and Naruto. Familiar blonde hair invaded his mind along with that dopey bright smile. Sasuke wondered just how strong Naruto had gotten. After all, Naruto's rapid increase in strength was what drove him to go to Orochimaru in the first place. That was something he barely even admitted to himself.

Still, he may have to face him in battle and that thought seemed to make his heart triple. He would get to battle his "sworn enemy" again in order to continue to play the part that he was on the side of the Akatsuki. Oddly, that didn't sound bad at all.

Sasuke. Come to my chambers.

He stood up and headed towards Pein's quarters. He was met by Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin when he was a few steps from Pein's hallway. His lackeys didn't know anything about the plan and Sasuke was going to keep it that way until it was in motion. He couldn't trust them to keep quiet, mainly Suigetsu and Karin. He frowned when he felt her draping her arms around his waist. She was so damn clingy and irritating. He shook himself from her grasp and entered the dark hallway.

"What's this about?" Suigetsu asked, his tone showing that he was bored.

"We'll find out when we get there," Juugo answered.

Juugo really was the only sane one in the group ironically. He was constantly stopping the other two idiots from fighting. On numerous occasions, Sasuke had been ready to kill them both when Juugo stepped in just in time to save their miserable lives. Honestly, with Sakura on their side, Sasuke didn't have a use for Karin at all, but if he cut her off now, there was no telling how she would act. He would wait and then probably kill her during the raid on the Hidden Leaf Village. Good riddance.

They opened the door and Pein along with his right hand were standing in front of a large window. Sasuke stood in front of him. "What is it you want?"

"I want you and your team to go fetch the Eight Tails," Pein said simply. "You must prove your worth and that you are truly with the Akatsuki."

"When do we leave?" Sasuke questioned.

"This evening," Pein said. "The Eight Tails name is Killer Bee and he's located in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. He is a large man with white hair braided back. He rhymes his words instead speaking normally."

"Sounds like he'll be easy to find huh Sasuke?" Suigetsu questioned with a sly grin.

Sasuke didn't respond to him. "We will prepare to leave now."

He turned without another word and headed back towards his bedroom. He informed his team that they would leave just as the sun was going down. That would give him time to get something to eat and rest beforehand. He was still a bit sore and banged up from his fights with his older brother. Sasuke decided to seek out his old teammate for healing first. Reaching out, he realized she was in the library. Sasuke followed her chakra until he was in the dank library. Walking along the many rows of books, the Uchiha ran his hand along the crooked spines of the books, the faint stale smell of a library entering his nostrils.

His path brought him to what had to be the middle of the library and there was familiar pink hair bent over a scroll. She was so engrossed that she hadn't noticed his presence. Sakura wasn't sitting, she was standing over the open scroll, thumb up to her mouth as she bit the nail, lost deep in thought.

"Yes Sasuke?" she called.

He blinked. Perhaps she wasn't as unaware as he thought. "I would like you to heal me before my mission tonight."

"Itachi rough you up?" she teased while standing up straight and stretching her arms over her head.

"He's in just as bad of shape," Sasuke countered.

Sakura walked towards him. "Right. So what am I healing?"

Sasuke shed his Akatsuki robe. He had gashes and scratches covering his body. "My muscles are also pretty sore."

Sakura didn't answer. She simply set to work on healing Sasuke. He closed his eyes and almost leaned into her warm chakra as it healed his skin to look like nothing had ever happened. Sakura really had come a long way from the damsel in distress he knew. Sasuke had heard she had trained underneath the current Hokage Tsunade, who was known for her monstrous strength. Sasuke was curious to see her in action.

"You're staring at me," Sakura pointed out casually while she moved to his left side and started healing the small scratches on his arm.

"You've changed," Sasuke responded.

"Is that a bad thing?" Sakura questioned.

"No." Sasuke turned his eyes down to her. "Has everything changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you love my brother now?"

Sakura blinked. She would have never thought such a question would come from Sasuke. Why would he care if she was in love with Itachi? After all, he didn't care before what her feelings were. What did it matter now? She voiced that question.

"It's not like I care," Sasuke shot back. "I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Sakura answered back smartly. "If you didn't care, you wouldn't have asked."

Before the younger Uchiha could respond, Sakura informed him he was good to go and sat back down at her spot in front of the scrolls. Sasuke stood there, a bit of shock making him stay rooted in his spot. She really had gotten over her crush for him. Honestly, he thought that she would end up being his wife once all of the dust if avenging his clan had settled down. Her ability to stand by him no matter what he did pushed him to finish his goals. Sasuke shook his head. That was utter bullshit. Sakura was easily replaceable. Still, his pride had been wounded a bit.

Sasuke turned and left. Sakura looked up to watch him go before turning her attention nonchalantly back to her studies. Clearly Sasuke was feeling something, maybe not jealousy, but something when he realized that Sakura was no longer his loyal follower. That was not her concern. That was something he would have to figure out and get over on his own. Sakura's heart was two seconds from belonging solely to Itachi. A smile tugged at her lips just thinking about him. He was probably taking a nap at the moment.

Standing back up, Sakura could no longer concentrate on the scrolls she was studying. A good spar would do her some justice. Last time when she sparred with Kisame, he utterly and thoroughly kicked her ass. She was so sore and beat up; it made the medic feel like she was still a gennin taking a pounding from her teacher Lady Tsunade. The Mist nin showed no mercy, and nearly brought her to the brink of death, but that was what Sakura needed. She may well end up battling him in the end so she might as well get familiar with his attacks.

Sakura padded out of the library and headed to see who was available for a spar. When she reached the kitchen, she saw that Deidara was there fixing himself a glass of water. He looked over his shoulder before irritably turning his back to her, blonde hair flitting sharply to the right to show just how pissed he was at her. Sakura giggled.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Shut up," he snapped.

"Oh come on," Sakura said while moving to his side. "It was just a little prank. I won't do it again…as long as you don't eat food clearly labeled as mine. I didn't even want it. All you had to do was ask for it."

Deidara whirled around. "So you did all that when you didn't even want that sushi anymore?! You're a brat!"

Sakura gave him an innocent look before shrugging her shoulders. "I'm a bit vindictive. I can admit that. Why don't we spar for a bit? You can get all your frustrations out that way."

Deidara smiled. "Sounds good yeah. I'm going to blow you up."

"We'll see."

Later that evening, she and Deidara stumbled into the hideout. They were beaten up pretty well. Their clothes were torn and injuries lined their bodies, but they were both smiling. It seemed a fight was just what they needed to get Deidara out of his "You were mean to me" funk.

"Are you cooking, hmm?" Deidara questioned.

Sakura shook her head, wincing at the pain she felt in her neck. "Definitely not. You guys will have to eat what's here or go into town."

"Tch," Deidara scoffed. "Lazy."

Sakura frowned. "Says the asshole trying to get someone else to fix him something to eat!"

Deidara simply stuck his tongue out at her…all of them. Sakura shook her head. Childish brat. Right now, Sakura was needing a nice soak in a medicinal bath. Luckily during her extensive time spent in the library, she had found a recipe for a bath that would help heal injuries Justas quickly as having a medical ninja heal them. First, she would have to pay Zetsu a visit.

"Hey Zetsu!" she called out. "I need some things from your greenhouse!"

Deidara looked at her curiously. "Do you think he will just come when you call him?"

"I don't know. Worth a try."

At first, Zetsu didn't come, but then she heard his familiar voice. "You rang Sakura?"

Sakura turned around and smiled. "I did. Do you mind if I get some herbs from your greenhouse?"

Zetsu held his hand out to her. "Come."

Sakura walked forward and grasped his hand. Deidara looked on with curiosity. "Aren't you worried he's going to eat you, yeah?"

Sakura shook her head before looking up into Zetsu's mismatched eyes. "I don't think he will just yet."

The kunoichi saw a smile curve up the white side of his face. "Not just yet."

The pinkette closed her eyes as they slipped through the floor and the roller coaster ride began. Seriously, it was so much fun that Sakura didn't know how he didn't just travel like this for fun. It took only a few moments to arrive and Zetsu told her she could open her eyes.

"What are you making?" Zetsu questioned as the two walked side by side.

"A healing remedy you can put in bath water," Sakura explained. "I wanted to give it a shot to see if it works well. It may come in handy."

"Well let's get what you need."

Sakura had her herbs in a bowl sitting on her bathroom counter while her bath water filled. She slowly peeled out of her damp clothes. Her teeth clattered and she shivered at the feel of the cool air hitting her body. Luckily her bath was almost ready. She timed it perfect so she wouldn't be sitting frozen on the toilet like a popsicle. The medic hooked pink strands behind her ear while she poured the crushed contents into the warm water. A sweet aroma emitted, something like wild berries. Sakura smiled, realizing this was going to be the most relaxing thing she had done since she'd been kidnapped.

Finishing her quick strip, Sakura stepped her foot into the water. She immediately pulled back and hissed. It stung so bad! She had abrasions on her ankles and holy hell did it feel like she poured vinegar in them. That was unfortunate. She would still have to get all the way in to see if it at least healed the wounds. Biting her lip, she quickly moved in, but not fast enough to splash water everywhere.

"Damn it!" she cursed.

The stinging increased to wear it was nearly unbearable. Sakura almost cried out, but at that moment, the stinging started to fade. Sakura eased the rest of her body in and sighed. The stinging had subsided and was replaced with a tingling sensation, then soothing. Sakura felt her muscles relaxing and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was so nice after the initial horrible pain. Lifting her arm, Sakura looked at a deeper cut and it had closed up. She couldn't even tell there had been an injury. So it did work. Sakura began wonder if she could make it into a potion to use immediately and if so, how long would it be good for? Would it be able to heal indefinitely, or would the healing effects wear off after a while? That was something she could look into.

Turning her attention back to cleaning up, Sakura washed her hair and scrubbed all the grime from the day away. Even when she got out of the tub and drained the water, the smell of wild berries was still permeating the small bathroom. Drying off, the young girl pulled on cotton panties and a black tank top. It was late and although Sakura hadn't eaten yet, she was tempted just to go to bed. She was bone tired. Her spar with Deidara had really drained her. The blonde also seemed like he was trying to kill her and with him being a long range fighter, it made things much harder for her. He was also very good with evasion. Sakura was starting to realize just how powerful the members of the Akatsuki were.

Speaking of the members, Sakura hadn't checked on Nagato that day. Konan had told her a few days ago that she didn't need to check on him as often. Konan was planning on taking over his care and that rubbed Sakura the wrong way. After all, she was the one with all the medical training, but then again, maybe Konan taking over would mess something up and Nagato wouldn't become as healthy as he could be. She'd go down there probably tomorrow and see how he was faring.

Sakura jumped on her bed face down. It was so soft. Who needed food anyway? Sakura's stomach rumbled loudly to protest just who needed food. As a medic, Sakura knew her body needed to replenish after such a hard work out and muscle tear down. There was no hope; she was going to have to temporarily end her relationship with her bed. Sakura groaned and turned over on her back. She paused when she felt Itachi's familiar chakra on the other side of her door. She turned on her side to see him open the door and shut it silently behind him.

Sakura drank in his handsome face and watched curiously as he shed his Akatsuki robe. Sakura sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed just as Itachi moved to stand in front of her. He too had cuts lining his body so Sakura immediately set to healing them without a word. When she was finished, he grasped her chin roughly, but at the same time it was gentle. Sakura closed her eyes when his lips met hers. She melted into his touch and reached up to twist her fingers through his raven locks. It was amazing how far their relationship had come. Before, she would have never imagined anything like this, but here so was, actually happy despite her situation.

He pulled away and pushed her back on the bed. Sakura looked into the Sharingan, this time not worried about what was going to happen. This was their safe place, but there still was the question on if Pein could sense that the Sharingan was being used. If it had, the leader either wasn't worried about it, or would confront them at some other time.

Sakura got her wits about her when they arrived. This trip wasn't as hard as the last one. Sakura looked down at herself and laughed at the fact that she was in her underwear. Her laughter falter. She was in her underwear and Itachi was somewhere nearby. Her cheeks flushed red as she tried to pull her obviously short tank down in vain.

"What is the purpose of that Sakura?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Itachi standing behind her. "I'm trying to cover myself! Couldn't you have let me put some pants or Sharingan-ed me so at least I think I'm wearing them?!"

Itachi's expression didn't change. He closed the distance between them, his chest pressing gently against her back. Sakura's heart sped up at his closeness and she thought it would burst when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You won't need them," he said softly in her ear.

Those words immediately set her core aflame for him. She had an idea of where this was going. After all, little brother Sasuke should be gone by now so no one would interrupt them this time. Sakura breathed deeply. This was it; there was no doubt in her mind that they were going to go all the way. She was about to give her virginity to the famed mass Uchiha murderer. What would her friends and loved ones think about this? There was no way to get around it: Sakura would be considered a traitor. The thought had ran through her mind before, but she didn't think much of it. This act that they were going to commit, at least in Sakura's mind, proved just how serious they were.

When Itachi's warm hands moved down to her hips, all worries escaped her mind. She turned around and looked up at him. Her small hands reached up to cup his face and he lowered his mouth to hers. At first, their kiss was slow and gentle. Sakura could almost feel longing radiating from him. Bodies moved close together and Itachi's arms pulled her closer. His tongue invaded her mouth, causing a gentle moan to escape her lips.

They pulled apart and the older Uchiha grasped her hand and pulled her underneath that unique tree she remembered from last time. Sakura laid down on the soft grass and he followed, situating himself between her parted thighs. The feel of his weight on top of her was comforting and strangely made her feel like a woman. Feather like kisses were planted along her collar bone and she sighed, her legs unconsciously parted further.

"I will have you Sakura. All of you."

Sakura smiled at those words. "Show me."

LEMON TIME!

IF YOU WANT TO READ IT, YOU MUST GO TO THE TUMBLR LINK ON MY PROFILE

"What if I end up pregnant?!" she pointed out. "We don't have time for a baby!"

"Learning medical jutsu that suits as a contraceptive may be a good thing," Itachi responded, not bothered at all by those thoughts. He saw Sakura about to protest, but he stopped her. "You forget. You're in the world of the Sharingan."

Sakura paused. "So all of this was an illusion?"

The pinkette felt the familiar yanking of breaking free of the Sharingan. When she blinked, they were back in her room. She looked down at herself and could see her panties were completely soaked through.

"That felt so real," she commented. "I need another shower."

I had a hard time trying not to drag the ending on lol. Hope you enjoyed it!