OH MY GOD! You poor readers! You've waited way too long for this! I'm so sorry! Life got in the way of writing... so much has happened this year. But go now; read... enjoy!
29. The Return.
Sakura woke to the feeling of being pulled to something warm. At first, it freaked her out because she had yet to grow used to it, but after the moment of realisation, she let herself mould against the warmth she knew to be her lover.
"Good morning, Sakura," the raven-haired man behind her spoke in his sleep-course voice by her ear.
The pinkette spun in her position to face the older man and kissed him square on the lips, resulting in him tightening his arms around her waist and returning the kiss.
She moaned into his mouth at his return, though the sounds she made turned to a dissatisfied grumble when he pulled away.
"Should we leave soon," he kissed her once again, enticing her to her next option, "or continue on from last night?"
She pressed her lips to his once more, allowing this last kiss to linger longer than their previous morning-kisses, though she did pull away.
"You know we have to get back to Konoha. Our potential treaty depends on it."
Itachi lay back on his side of the sorry excuse for a bed and let out a huff of breath.
"Yes, I guess that is so," he turned his head to look at her, "I believe Leader-sama already sent an animal messenger to inform your Godaime."
"What is his animal summons, anyway?"
Itachi looked back to the ceiling in thought.
"You know, I don't even know. I'm not even sure Konan-san knows."
Sakura turned to her side to rest her head on the palm of her hand.
"Really?"
He turned back to her, though he could not bring himself to look her in the eyes, as he noticed her breast slightly uncovered.
He, too, rolled to his side, mirroring her position, and brought his arm to her cheek, smoothing his thumb across it.
The action brought a smile to her features.
Her eyes closed at the sensual feel of his fingers lightly tracing down her neck, then her chest, to her breast, enjoying the feel of her soft flesh.
She allowed a near-silent moan to leave her lips, enticing him all the more to roll closer and take her lips in his.
She was his. There was no questioning it.
He would make sure she did would not regret choosing to spend the morning with him, instead of on the road with the two remaining Uchihas.
When they finally made their way down the stairs, they found Sasuke still in the cage they had left him in the night before, but he appeared to be bleeding from a wound on his head. It looked to the pair as though he had hit his head against the bars repeatedly.
Sakura looked to her lover and said, "he's your family."
Under his breath at such a quite volume, she, who was right beside him, barely even heard him mumbled, "unfortunately."
With that, he was on his way back down the stairs and to his foolish otouto.
"Come. It is as you said, we must leave."
"Yeah, it's time to go."
She stopped before the metallic bars holding her ex-crush and pushed her fingers through her damp hair, lengthening her body as she did so, knowing it was doing wonders to her dark-haired companion.
She knew because, as dark as his eyes usually were, they had darkened that much more.
Arms dropped by her sides once more, she picked up the handles to Sasuke's cage.
"But you're definitely right, we should head out," she teased, halfway out the door.
She could've sworn she had heard her lover growl.
She would enjoy teasing him.
His footsteps were heard trailing after her own.
"So, where to?"
Arms encircled her waist, and down past her hips.
"Back to that bedroom for more of you. I'm starving for more," his voice was low, and his teeth were at her neck, taking her in.
She moaned for him, but kept on all the same.
"I'm hungry for something a little… different."
After discreetly readjusting his pants, Itachi followed after his petite lover, watching her behind as she moved, knowing full-well she could feel his dark eyes on her the entire time.
Dear God. What had he created?
After several hours of travel, Itachi was ready for a break. He was quite worn from the pair's constant travel, and he was used to the hours of movement. God only knew how Sakura was coping; and she was also pulling his brother along, further hastening the exhaustion of her chakra levels.
Knowing there was a adequately sized pool of water awaiting them ahead, he would have them hold out until then.
"Sakura-chan, I feel it is best we make a stop here," his eyes silently gestured to the body of water they were currently passing.
Their pace had slowed dramatically since the beginning of their journey, and they both knew it had to do with their unwanted baggage, though neither was willing to admit it.
"No. We can keep going," she urged.
He had heard the exhaustion in her voice and he knew that she was trying to impress him with her endurance.
He didn't understand her need to do so though. He knew her limits were nowhere near his own, and that she should not have to push herself as she was.
He raced toward her and caught her by the arm.
"Sakura," her name alone said all he needed to.
Taking a closer look at her now, he could really see just how exhausted she truly was. She may even be on the brink of collapsing.
He made towards the other two members of their party.
"I will take him from here," he said, raising his hand gently to her cheek and the other to the hand still grasping the handle to his brother's retainer. "You must rest."
"Itachi, I can't let…"
"You have no choice in the matter. I have taken ownership of my otouto's… pen, and you will sit atop it."
Sakura just stared at him in disbelief.
"Much like a queen. I shall be your palanquin bearer," he knelt before her, taking her other hand in his and pressing his lips to her soft skin, "Ohime-sama."
The actions brought a giggle to her lips.
Her laughing condition was made all the more worse when he pulled her to the metal contraption holding the young Uchiha and offered his leg as a step for her so she could lift herself above the cage.
Once above the unconscious Uchiha, Sakura made herself comfortable to ('to' doesn't sound right) enjoy the slow ride her lover provided through Konoha's territory, on their way to the aforementioned body of water.
"You're quite the strange man, Uchiha Itachi," she giggled.
It even brought out a rare chuckle from the dark-haired man.
"This comes as no surprise to me, Ohime-sama."
At that, Sakura shot up to grab a passing twig to throw at the man pulling her through Konoha's forest, but, being the talented nuke-nin he was, he dodged it as easily as he breathed, causing further laughter.
"You'll have to try much harder than that, Ohime-sama," the new nickname only brought out an eyeroll from the pink-haired female.
"How much further until our destination, Servant-san?"
"It shouldn't be too far ahead, Ohime-sama," her beautiful lover said through a gorgeous smile; one of many more to come.
"Hasten yourself, Servant-san!" she ordered.
"Hai, Ohime-sama!"
At that, the two were speeding over grassy paths, between mossy trees, towards their watery resting place.
They continued on like this until the large body of water was right before them. Unfortunately for Sakura, Itachi was going at such a speed, that when he came to a violent halt she flew forward, as did Sasuke, though no one noticed.
Itachi had predicted his lover flying forward, and moved to catch her, though her momentum pushed him forward as well, and they both fell to the water, soaking them instantly.
The stoic man leant forward to claim his lover's lips, earning him a moan.
His arms encircled her waist and brought her closer to him; he wished to feel her once more, and she knew it.
"'tachi…" another moan followed, though she pulled away.
He looked to her, his facial expression one of questioning.
She rose to her feet but she made her way further into the water.
"Just watch," she called over her shoulder, though he could clearly see and hear her zip making its way down the red fabric of her shirt.
"Gladly," he growled, making his way towards the now-topless woman de-clothing herself just for him, not daring to touch her as she let the show play on.
She continued undressing the further she waded out into the water, until she was completely bare and ready for him in the middle of the body.
Continuing further still, she leant her head to the side so it rested on her shoulder and did not look directly at the dark-haired man just within the shore of the water as she called to him.
"I'm waiting, Itachi-kun," she teased.
He didn't have to be told twice.
"Hey, Sakura-chan! I think Teme might finally be awake."
Oh God! Anything but that buffoon!
A grunt came as the exotic pinkette's answer.
"Kill… me…" came their prisoner's hoarse voice.
"He's doing that thing, Sakura," came a new voice.
"Which thing?" came the petite young woman's voice.
"The one where he talks?" he knew that voice all too well; his brother.
"Shut it, Uchiha!" he liked this new voice.
"Of course, Hokage-sama."
Kami, what an ass! Trying to kiss up to the… the Hokage?
"Konoha?"
That one word was all Sasuke had to ask for those surrounding him to understand what he meant.
"Use your words, Sasuke-chan."
He would kill him.
"Uchiha Sasuke, you are now under custody of Konohagakure."
Fuck!
"And as the Hokage, it is my duty to decide who it is that should be your carer."
At this, the young Uchiha's eyes shot wide open and he was fully alert, taking in all his surrounding within moments.
Oh God! Everyone there would be a horrible carer… not that he needed one anyway, but putting up little to no fight would possibly allow him slack security, and a better chance to escape and kill the monster that called himself 'brother'.
"Baa-chan! Baa-chan! Let me have him!"
The woman he remembered to be Hokage rolled her eyes at the idiotic blonde.
"No, Naruto."
Her voice was like a siren's; at even the barest sound, his eyes were drawn to her figure; sitting up straight in a metallic chair before him, legs crossed. She seemed so professional.
…until he caught the marks showing just above the neckline of that red shirt he remembered her wearing.
Eyes full of rage and hate once more, he turned to the only other dark-haired man of the room.
"I'll kill you!"
"Honestly, if you're trying to make it so everyone remembers you by something, I would go for something a little less… crazy."
This only caused Sasuke to scream in fury, though he wasn't able to do very much more, as the next thing anyone was able to hear was a deafening "SHANAROOO!" before the prisoner was knocked out once more.
It really was much easier when he didn't have a say about his future.
The furious pinkette turned to her lover and raised her fist at him in warning, to which he brought his arms before him in silent gesture of surrender.
The Hokage was first to speak up.
"Now that that's over with, I believe it's time we return to our discussion, Uchiha."
Itachi looked to his pinkette, as though asking permission to speak.
After rolling her eyes she gestured to the Hokage, as though to tell him to speak as he wished. She would not harm him… for now.
"Leader-sama wishes to form a peace treaty between the members of the Akatsuki and those of the Leaf Village."
"Yes, yes. We all heard that. What I don't quite understand is why."
"The point of the matter is simple, Hokage-sama. During her captivity, the members of the Akatsuki have grown rather… fond of your pupil."
"Especially you?" Ino just had to get her two cents in, and she made it that much worse by motioning to the line of marks that were barely visible past her clothing.
A violent "Shanaro!" was screamed as Sakura went to knock Ino out, best friend or not.
It seemed Itachi was the only one worried for the young blonde's safety, as all others watched on on as though it were a daily occurrence.
Dear Kami... What awaited him in Konoha?
"What of Naruto?" Konoha's Godaime Kage's voice cut through his thoughts.
Sakura was drawn from her attempt on Ino's consciousness.
"That is on me, Hokage-sama," this caused a raised brow from the honey-blonde. "I promised the Akatsuki I would find a way to give them Kurama in exchange for Naruto's life."
A moment of silence.
"And how do you plan to extract Kurama without killing this buffoon," Tsunade raised her thumb in Naruto's direction.
"I have yet to figure that much out, though I will try my best to find a way."
Itachi just stared on. There was nothing more for him to say; Sakura would speak now.
"You know I will always protect Naruto; that's why I made this deal with the Akatsuki's leader; because I plan on keeping up my end of the bargain."
The look on Sakura Haruno's face at that moment was one of pure determination, and everyone believed she would do just as promised.
Tsunade turned to their new Akatsuki-ally, and spoke with no trace of doubt, "tell your leader that we accept."
A moment of silence as the decision settled in then, "so what do we do with Sasuke?"
All occupants of the room looked to one another, hoping someone else would speak up first.
sorry guys, if you were wanting more, but that's the last chapter of this one. If you'd like, I do have other stories up and more on the way (they're just being edited)... OR you could put in a request for a certain story if you'd like me to have a go at it...
I had so much fun with this chapter. A good way to finish up. And on that note, I read through the first couple of chapters and oh my God! I will rewrite them for you.
But I do hope you've enjoyed the story :D
