A small rustling of fabric brought a silver-haired man to wake. He rubbed his eyes and cursed, he looked down, finding a weight on his chest. He smirked at the brunette that lay there. He gently moved her down until she lay fully on the futon. He covered her with the covers and sat up. He walked to the table in the corner of the room and sat down, he scratched at his unruly hair. He didn't have to wonder where everyone else was. Money-man was at the bar with the Hag. Fishy-Chan was at the brothel down the road, and Puppet-boy was out in the forest, doing god knows what with all the trees that were out there.

Stretching he found that a sudden urge caused him to reach down his pants. Thinking he found that they were truly wasting their time. Kakuzu had warned them not but almost a week ago about what wrath their leader would unleash on them. Yet he himself was still here and so was everyone else. They hadn't moved, because if they moved, then that meant they'd have to move the Uchiha bastard too.

He looked at the form of Itachi Uchiha, still and silent. He looked pale with the contrast the room was giving off, and through the blanket, you couldn't see his ribs so that was a plus.

Sighing he moved closer, examining the Uchiha's face. He frowned and thought about all the times he had been reprimanded by the bastard. "You know Uchiha," he started, feeling only minimally stupid for talking to a basical corpse. "I don't like you very much, you're a pompous bastard." He felt agitated by the lack of response even though he knew he wouldn't get one. "You think you're better than everyone. I remember you made fun of me because I slouched. You were all like 'Hidan stop slouching it makes you look old'. Well, let me tell you, the only reason you stand straight is because of that stick that's all the way up your ass!" Hidan huffed and turned away.

He felt down, still not receiving a response, or the customary slap to the head. Sighing he turned away and leaned his side against the wall. "But..." He shook his head, and knowing that the bastard would not hear his next words, he had no embarrassment saying them. "but that doesn't mean that I don't miss you, you bastard..." Silence met him and he shook his head. What kind of fucking retard was he talking to someone who was in a coma-

"I don't know whether to feel flattered or bemused Hidan." A voice, raspy and dry from lack of use said behind him.

He stopped making his way back to the bed. No, it can't be, he thought frantically. Hidan felt himself freeze. His head slowly turning to meet greyish-black eyes that had a glassy look. He blanched and fell backward falling loudly on his ass, making the people below them hit the roof of their floor. He was frozen, watching as Itachi coughed and turned to look at him, trying to blink away the glassy look in his eyes.

"I-I-Itachi?!" He screamed, he saw Shizune wake with a startle in the corner and as her own eyes adjusted, she too took in the appearance of the now awake Itachi. "U-Uchiha-San?!" She said disbelievingly. She was quicker to react than he was, making her way over to him quickly and feeling his forehead. She hummed and grabbed a towel from the table and wetted it. Placing it on his forehead she turned on the lamp next to the bed, she reached for Tsunade's medical bag just as the door slammed open. With it revealed a hammered Kakuzu and a less wasted Tsunade, behind them waded in a dazed-faced Kisame.

"Shizune! How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my-!" Tsunade's eyes clearly took in the conscious Uchiha as well and she immediately sobered up, dropping Kakuzu to the floor she rushed to Itachi's side, throwing her glass bottle on the floor as she did so, uncaring for the broken glass that littered the floor. She grabbed his face in her hands and turned it from side to side, checking for any strange behavior.

"When did he wake?" Her voice demanded an answer, and she grabbed her medical bag as she awaited one.

"Not even three minutes ago Tsunade-Sama," Shizune answered immediately, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Where is Sakura." Itachi stated, sitting up straight, his eyes boring into them. They all froze, the unexpected question had them halting. What were they supposed to tell him? That they couldn't find her? That she was lost, and they didn't even know if she was alive? They all kept quiet and watched as his expression grew agitated.

"Where is Sakura." He stated again, a scowl forming on his features. His eyes trailed across every person in the room, watching them shrink just the slightest and turn their heads away from him. They all kept quiet, not wanting to be the one who told him the truth. That they had yet to find her and that their time was almost up.

Itachi's gaze was cruel and unrelenting. Finally, he cast his gaze down and sighed, closing his eyes he shook his head. "You have yet to find her I presume?" He said still not looking at them, his fists clenching the bedsheets below him.

Kisame was the first to speak. "Itachi, we've been looking all over Frost, which is where we assumed you'd send her. But her chakra isn't here, there is not a trace of her anywh-" Yet once again the door slammed open and in walked a panicked looking Sasori. His eyes were wide and he had two letters in his hands. One had the symbol of Konoha on it, the other was pure black with red lining. From where everyone stood, they could see the frantic look in his eyes. He had opened the black scroll with red lining already as they could see. But the Konoha one remained untouched.

Silently he threw the scroll at Hidan who opened it and began to read, he more politely handed the Konoha-symboled one to Tsunade.

Perhaps letting Hidan read it first hadn't been the best idea."Oi! What the fuck is this shit?! What does he mean tomorrow?! It's supposed to happen three days from now!" Hidan screamed indignantly. He threw the scroll at Itachi who didn't manage to catch it, unfortunately, it hit the poor man square in the face when he swiped his arm to catch it. No one laughed but they were surprised at the disorienting state in which Itachi was.

"Still adjusting." He said quietly holding the scroll in his hands. As he read his eyes got wide, his breathing halted and he threw himself over the side of the bed, desperate to get out to go, to get her.

A scroll rolled onto the floor as Itachi leaned on the wall for help.

Akatsuki members, it's been a while, the letter started.

As you know, I work as what you can say, a double agent. I do believe that I have something that you may want to know. Itachi-Kun, do you remember that beautiful little flower that I had the pleasure of meeting? Itachi narrowed his eyes at the mention of that nickname.

Well, I do believe that you will want to know that she is on her way to that village you hold so dearly. She has every intention of destroying it, all for you, she is hellbent on avenging you. She is so soulless now I almost want to take her for myself.

Itachi didn't move and he re-read the passage several times just to assure himself that his eyes weren't fooling him.

Besides the point, I need you to do me a little favor. She will be in Konoha tomorrow morning, and I need you to be there, you must stop her ploy. I have some business that I must attend to while I am there, so I need you to be an easy and convenient distraction for me Itachi-Kun.

Clearly this letter was directed wholely at Itachi.

She is out for blood, and she will stop at nothing to get it. At her last known location, she was in Mist, she has one of the Seven Swords in her possession. Danzo is her target, and while I'm not exactly adverse to him dying, I have something more important to attend to.

See you at dawn Itachi-Kun.

-Orochimaru

For once in his life, Itachi didn't know what to feel. The people in this room looked at him with such expectancy, with such high standards and for once he also wished he was someone else, someone who didn't matter. Someone who wasn't held on a crumbling pedestal, someone who could jump and have no repercussions come from it.

Every eye was like a dagger into his head, he couldn't do anything this time. He was stuck and he couldn't move-he was the one under Danzo's thumb, and he could do nothing but struggle as he watched the dawn rise through the large window, the sun reflecting off of the snow.

It was almost peaceful really, watching the slow sunrise over a rainy and dark village. If it weren't for her fast-beating heart she was sure she could fool herself into thinking so. Every raindrop felt like a piece of metal cutting into her skin-piercing and annoying.

She took this one moment, right here, to take in the view. She let tears fall from her eyes as she watched the monument fall and explode right before her eyes, lord second's face being taken down and part of lord third's as well. A lump appeared in her throat and she shoved it down, hurting her throat in the process

Why was she crying? She didn't deserve that privilege really. She clenched her fists at her side and felt anger and at the same time numbness flow through her. HEr emotions clashed with an unrivaled fury.

She couldn't seem to hear the screaming above everything else; everything in her head. She snarled at the screaming people and somewhere she thought that they deserved it. They were always depending on good people, people like Itachi, and they took them for granted. She wanted to scream at them, to grab them by the fronts of their shirts and ask them if they were happy now. Happy now that their savior lay somewhere cold, and no longer breathing, alone forever trapped by the shadows.

Let's just get this over with, She clenched her teeth until they ground together. Before we die... She thought in relative quietness inside her head. She went straight for the streets and ran through the people running away from the crash, she was mildly overwhelmed at the number of people that crashed into her, and the people who were hopping from roof to roof.

"Move out of my way!" She yelled at these intolerable people, they didn't listen and they continued to scream and run, unbelievable. How could they be so ignorant and panicky?!

Fine then, if you want to play this game, be my guest, She clenched at the Kiba who were in her grasp. She thought of Gaara's sad seafoam eyes as she told him her plan. And the underlying need to help her that lay in them. I hope you like dying. She threw off her cloak-now uncaring if she was seen. She'd be dead soon anyway so what did it matter?

With a roar of anger she hit the ground and watched as Shinobi and civilians alike grabbed people out of the way from the forming crater.

All eyes were on her, and she basked in the fresh looks of disbelief; when would she get to any other time? She stood her ground, the layer of fear that had once completely drowned this girl now was gone, and was replaced with a determination to avenge.

She met the eyes of everyone, her own pair glowing bright green with her chakra fluctuations. She found the shocked and hurt eyes of people who once knew her, but found that she didn't care at all.

Anger threatened to consume her, but when she found a pair of light-green eyes she idly wondered if the jolt that went down her spine was guilt, and she held her breath still as she met green eyes.

Mother.

Her mother.

Her mother was staring at her with those same eyes, but they were hurt and they looked aged, she looked nearly as dead inside as Sakura, and the younger wondered if her mother had known of what her father had planned to do. If he'd cracked finally and revealed to her what he was assigned to do. She highly doubted the possibility, but the thought of her mother seeing her alive now, after thinking she'd been dead for so long, sent a long hard pang through her heart.

She stood in the crowd, and self-satisfaction was not a thing that Sakura felt as she watched her once caregiver, drop to her knees and let out an unbelieving wail. Aged hands came to cover her mouth as a soundless scream tried to rip through her throat.

She found her feet moving, but not towards her mother, rather away from her, and she walked past all the people that she once knew, as a different person. Her lip began to tremble and for just a moment she found her resolve breaking, but she had come too far now, and turning back was not an option.

She began to run and she threw herself towards the Hokage Tower in one jump, she gathered everything in her and screamed, it helped with the anger and felt the concrete crumble under her. She felt the self-satisfying crunch ripple throughout her body, and she let herself fall amidst the debris for just a second.

What was a better way to take down this Village Hidden in the Leaves by insulting them first?

I'm just getting started...

She needed to find Danzo and the ANBU first, they were her main priority and they needed to be dealt with, instantaneously. She didn't smile as she saw the flames, and the rain that was trying, and failing to put it out. The screams fueled her to go deeper, to find more things to smash, and that one person she needed to kill. Seeing her once home like this never made her happy, no, but this was all necessary and she knew that Itachi would be disappointed in her. She pushed those traitorous thoughts of him away, and prayed like hell she'd be dead by the end of the day.

She hadn't expected to be surrounded by a hoard of ANBU half-way down the street that she was busy ransacking-you never know where the new secret entrance might be. They all had their weapons drawn, but they had yet to attack. Sakura's eyes were stuck on an arm that was drawn back in the position for 'Halt' She readied herself and slid into her offensive stance, she wouldn't be taking any chances today.

Not until it was over.

"What the?" The ANBU with the drawn arm said quietly but it was enough to draw the attention of his men and Sakura. She didn't want her mind to be clouded with useless bullshit so she tried to block out his incessant rambling. It was hard when that same voice resounded within her head and she felt her pulse jump at the possibility that the person standing in front of her was the one person she didn't want to see.

When he dropped his arm she fully expected to be assaulted, but his hand fell to the side fo his mask, and the mask fell to the ground below, a loud clattering noise echoing after it.

Her eyes, she swore, could not be any wider. and the person across from her, she was sure, was crying, like his eyes were leaking water onto the skin above his heart and onto the cherry-blossom necklace he wore over it.

That one discolored petal.

"Wrong." He said quietly. "This is wrong." He clenched his fists. "Sakura," Her name had never sounded so sour. "Sakura is that you?" This...this wasn't supposed to be what happened. This wasn't supposed to happen. This whole situation was supposed to go differently!

He wasn't supposed to be here!

She still refused to speak, to actually say something to him that could possibly ruin this for her. To crumble and crack under the force of his disbelieving words. She didn't trust herself not to cave, so she kept her mouth closed, her eyes focused, and her heart void. With an unbalanced head and shaking hands she stepped forward and towards the man she once called 'Father'.

He didn't move, and she had only now just noticed the differences from when she'd last seen him. She was taller now, still not as tall as him, but the difference was still there. His face looked darker now, older and heavy with images no one should see. She grabbed the twin blades from her sides and held them firmly, using them as her anchor to the present instead of getting swept up in the past.

She shoved forward and gave her father enough time to roll out of the way. Although he might have had the gall to try and kill her, she would not be the same with him-she was better than him.

She took off down the street with only one intention in mind.

Death, and possible agony, would look good on Danzo Shimura.

"Stop this nonsense Uchiha!" Tsunade screamed at Itachi, who had absolutely refused to listen to her. Saying that there was nothing he could do to stop her now, and that she would not listen to him.

"You are dead to her! Don't you get it?!" She screamed louder and by now he had made it to the front door of the cheap hotel that he'd been in for the past month. SHaking hands and lungs that screamed ta him to stop, to rest, to return.

"Why do you keep saying that?!" He said back furiously. His legs shook with the force he used to get out of this cheap-ass hotel, and gripped tightly to the door as he shoved it open. While he was still unclear on one thing, he did know one thing above everything else.

He had to stop her, and he had to save her.

"This is all your fault!" She screamed at him and the snow bit into his knees as he fell down, again. "If you had just left her where you found her, then this whole shit show would never have happened!" She screamed and her eyes were wide, sweat forming on her brow, she looked so angry and frustrated. He coughed and blood pooled onto the white beneath him.

"This is all YOUR FAULT!" She screamed again and he understood just a little where she was coming from. The girl she had wanted to make her apprentice had betrayed her, and now was on her way to destroy the village that she, as the Hokage had sworn to protect. He clenched his teeth and hot-white anger flooded through him. Did she think he was a fucking idiot?

"I know that Tsunade!" He screamed back, his frustration was larger than life. He couldn't move, he couldn't even walk. He couldn't save her. "I know! Why do you think I'm out here you-you-!" He screamed in frustration and he wasn't even able to bring himself to insult her, his lineage kicking him in the ass as he even thought about it. He doubled over again and strained to keep his vision from showing those familiar black dots.

He coughed into his hand and he shook fiercely, he knew that by the warmth that now lie there his hand was covered in blood. He choose to ignore the red that stood out around him and instead thought of pink pastel hair, and glowing crying green eyes.

"But I have to try." Everyone was outside now, and he saw all their feet as he gripped snow in-between his hands, feeling them burn. "I have to try to save her, I failed last time, and-and-" He fell forward slightly, his incompetence and his incompatible state hitting him the sternum. "And I won't let it happen again."

The area around them was quiet and he barely breathed, afraid of the crunching of snow around him and the harsh reality that he had failed.

Utterly failed.

The soothing feeling that overtook him was one that sent his contempt away and replaced it with hope. Minimal as it was it glowed and thrived and sought to grow larger.

"This is a one time thing, so don't expect more." Those words were all he needed to hear, and a hand on his shoulder caused him to look up, meeting the face of Hidan surprised him.

"Hold onto your ass Uchiha, for this might hurt just a bit." Hidan laughed as his skin turned stark black with white highlights, and suddenly the background next to Hidan's head changed immediately and he knew that they'd been transported. Instead of a slightly rainy background, he saw one with smoke in its stead.

He turned away and emptied his stomach acids onto the familiar forest floor next to him. He heard similar sounds come from around to him and from above he heard Hidan laugh.

"Ah, Jashin owed me one anyway." he laughed but it came to a sudden stop as he turned to walk away. "Your body will be fine for three hours minimum, so you owe me big time Uchiha-bastard."

"Oh shit." Itachi looked up and suddenly he felt like throwing up again.

Flames, and screams, and a ruined mountain that reminded him that this village was not the one he'd left all those years ago.

People went rushing past them, but excited calls of 'Tsunade-Sama!' Had them stopping. Itachi didn't stop, he flew forward, his strength regained thanks to Hidan and Tsunade, and he fell into that village, thoughts of his misguided love pushing him forward.

She could feel him. He was here, and he was angry. Power and hatred radiating from him, from where she was, and it pulsated and resonated with her own blood. Death was on her lips and she follwed, knowing that this is where she was supposed to be. Watching as purple enveloped a boy that she had once loved, and blood dripping from eyes that were both a blessing and a curse.

This, she thought, is where I shall die.

No bother, and she jumped closer, hiding, because she wanted to kill that bastard right now, and she was so close, so absolutely close to the redemption that had been calling to her. His yukata was ripped and she saw the face of a man, discolored and clearly a source of power.

"Sasuke! His arm! Look at his arm!" A voice screamed, and she knew that she wanted to kill, blood looked so good on Danzo, so just wonderful and fuck this was it. Anticipation flushed through her, white and hot and she drew from her back, she shushined and she could've sworn she was falling. One second away and she hit dirt, but he had been right in front of her! Whisps pulled right from behind her and she shot forward, away from his hands, and she threw her sword back, hoping and hitting something. She charged right after, rage building as Danzo scowled at her.

"You!" He spoke heatedly "You meddling little girl!" She glared and the hatred flared under her skin, bubbling and wishing to come to the surface. "How are you still alive!?" He screamed and she shot forward, uncaring for his mindless words, they only infuriated her more, and she ignored Sasuke's presence altogether.

Danzo shot away and she smirked, looking at the familiar design of a tag that stood out next to him. "Wind Style-!" Chocked sounds and a scream.

"SHANARRO!" Rage and pent up frustration sent Danzo breaking through concrete and his arm spazzing. His flesh molded and began to move until it completely detached from his body, Sakura ran forward, her last weapon drawn and a whisper of death on her lips. Dark eyes flashed in her mind, and she knew that this was the end. Of everything.

Does it even matter?

"Please," That wasn't her voice. She opened her eyes and found her sword lodged in Danzo's shoulder, right above his heart, but that wasn't what made her tears well. Because she had finally done it. She had won, but...

"Don't do this anymore, love."

Dark eyes and pale skin.

No

"No..." A deaf whisper and it carried to him as Danzo hit the ground with a thud that was dull to their ears. This was a lie, her life was a lie, a long scary line of lies.

Hands, those hands, worked years beyond what any person should, reached for her, and they were so real. So real, and they weren't a dream, or a nightmare. And in her moment of weakness, she fell, and she fell hard, into those arms, those awaiting arms that would always catch her when she fell. Tears welled and her throat clenched painfully, words dead, but answers left unchecked.

"H-how..." she sobbed as she fell, her knees uncomfortably digging into Danzo's back, and his hands smoothing out her hair, and his face buried in her neck, and it felt so right and real and fuck this, please let this be real, for if it wasn't she had been killed and she had made it to him, and she was fine with that too. But he wasn't gone, and she had him and she was confused, but at this point even if she were in hell, she wouldn't care, because he was here with her.

"It doesn't matter," The crackling behind her was left unchecked and she grabbed him, groping and squeezing because god! He was here! He was alive! Her heart swelled and beat with fervor, and tears streamed down at a constant rate.

"I'm here now," She cried harder because yes, he was here, and she had won, she had avenged her love that wasn't dead.

"And-"

"I know!" She said and she smiled, so bright, and beautiful, and only for him. "Just please!" She laughed a sound that he hadn't heard in too long. "Fucking kiss me damnit, because I've missed you so much and I love you so-"

"Be quiet Sakura." And if her name falling from those lips wasn't the sweetest sound, she didn't know what was.

Heated, passionate, impatient lips met and it was sweet, gentle and tears gathered in Itachi's eyes, because he wasn't too late, he was here, and he had made it. He saved them both, and a future rested in his hands, because he held her right now, and she tasted just like she had before, of life and beauty and everything that he loved.

It was them against the world, and as their lips caressed each other they knew, that they had won, and they could take anything.

As long as they were together.

OMG, I hate myself so much right now. This chapter is the absolute worst. The fight scene was awful and wildly underrated and just so bad. And so was the reunion, like holy shit I think my mind just threw up. This is so bad and NO THIS IS NOT THE ENDING if I had an ending that bad to a story I was this proud of I might go jump off a bridge. This is so bad and I won't be offended If I don't get any reviews.

I hope you at least enjoyed it, I know I didn't.

-lovesnaruto7