Author's Notes: Review, review. xD You have no idea how much it bothers me that I have so many hits and almost no reviews. I've got a friend who has over four thousand hits on a story of hers, and still has almost no reviews. Lets just say I don't want mine like that, shall we?

I know, I've got like seven hundred hits…but still. It bothers me so much!

Disclaimer: Must I?

How long had it been, a week, a month? Too long. Or not long enough? No, she couldn't start thinking like that. She had to go home. She wanted to go home. She needed to go home…just, not yet.

The healing for Kisame would continue. Although she had already tried healing him a few times during her visit here, it was to no avail. Naruto was just too good. But that left her to wonder what 'other things' she was needed for. Rather creepy, actually.

Sakura stared across the room at the ugly cloak that had been set aside for her. It was like the ones everyone else here wore, but it had no clouds on it. Hers was blank…just as dark as the others, but blank. She wondered what the clouds meant anyway. Some days, Itachi would wear one without clouds. On others, the little ornate designs covered almost every inch of his cloak.

Now she had two—more like two hundred—questions that she needed answers for. The list went on…she needed to know everything about the Uchiha brothers or she would never be satisfied. Curiosity killed the cat, but nobody ever said it had an effect on humans, now did they? Maybe she'd ask that question, just to see what kind of an answer she would receive.

As the hours rushed past, the pink haired girl couldn't believe how utterly boring the Akatsuki was. Itachi and Kisame couldn't possibly be the only people here, right? Sakura sighed; maybe she'd add that to her list of unanswered questions.

It wasn't until quite a while later that Sakura finally realized her torso had been wrapped in heavy bandaging. As she began to pick at it and try to get it off, something stopped her—Itachi's voice was flooding throughout the room.

"You may want to wait to do that." He said coolly.

His voice seemed to fill the entire room, as if everything in it were a part of his being. Sakura looked up, spotting that he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall next to the cell door. His cloak was open and Sakura saw a mesh shirt underneath it. Again, she found herself staring, looking at the way his loose dark hair framed his face, and the part held in his ponytail swept over his back. He was pale, handsome. So much like Sasuke it irked her…but so different too. It was like looking at a double-sided coin and finding something you hadn't expected.

Itachi's Sharingan were different, though. They held a certain sense of femininity about them, their deep color matching the 'sometimes-clouds' on his cloak. His eyelashes seemed long too, longer than Sasuke's, or any other man's, for that matter. His thin, yet muscular frame looked so fragile as it was slouched against that wall. He looked younger; and actually, if you ignored the lines on either side of his face, he didn't seem all that old.

"Kunoichi,"

Sakura's eyes darted to his face quickly, her cheeks flushing at having been caught. She really hadn't meant to stare again…and you couldn't blame her.

"…I'm sorry." Sakura said. She felt it necessary, being the kind of person she was. Besides, her actions represented Konoha; the least she could do was act politely.

Itachi ignored her apology.

"You should wait a few hours before unwrapping that." He said, his crimson gaze focused on her torso. If Sakura hadn't known better, she might have thought he was looking at more than just the bandages…

With his presence no longer needed, Itachi stood up and took a few measured steps to the door, his back to Sakura. But he stopped short, for some reason.

"Seven o'clock, Kunoichi." He said, his voice just above a whisper.

Sakura wondered what he meant, but as if reading her mind, he continued. "We need to discuss the details of this arraignment. If you are late, I will send Kisame for you, and he shall deal with you as he sees fit."

Of course. How could she not have seen this coming? It'd taken long enough for it to happen…

Sakura inwardly shuddered. Maybe telling the Uchiha prodigy that she didn't exactly trust Kisame's judgment wasn't the best idea. Hell, she was sure that if Kisame were a child, he'd run around changing all of the clocks' times for an excuse to beat her. If Itachi hadn't still been standing there, she would have laughed. But when she looked up again, she saw that he was already gone.

'Fast…' she thought.

Everyone was leaving him. Sasuke had been the first to go, and now Sakura was gone too. But…he still didn't know just how she had been captured. His old sempai obviously knew something about it, as his attention always turned to something else whenever the subject of Sakura was brought up. Maybe Kakashi had seen something he hadn't? He doubted it, but there was no other explanation.

Naruto sighed as he shoved varied weapons into his leg holster. Being a ninja just wasn't as fun as it used to be…but things would get better. When he became Hokage, they would. Definitely.

Naruto looked up when he heard soft tapping on his window. It was Kakashi, who seemed to visit him a lot now. The blonde stood up and went to unlatch the window, stepping aside as Kakashi's eyes curved into a fake upward smile and he jumped in.

"Sensei," The blonde sighed quietly.

"Hm?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing." Naruto said.

The silver haired Jounin raised his visible eyebrow before glancing out the window again. "Lets go for sake," He offered.

Now it was Naruto's turn to raise an eyebrow. Kakashi never offered things like this unless he thought he could get something from it in return. That was just the way his sensei was.

Naruto nodded slowly, at the same time wondering what kind of trick he was playing into this time. He grabbed his coat (not that he needed it), and then leaped out the window, knowing Kakashi would follow.

When the pair of them got to the nearest bar, Kakashi ordered the first round of drinks, which was extremely unusual. When he handed a glass to Naruto, his student eyed it wearily.

"There's nothing in that drink, Naruto." Kakashi assured him.

Naruto nodded and took a sip. Indeed, there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary in it. It was just the classics this time.

"So uh, Sensei…" Naruto began, "How come you dragged me here?"

"Dragged? I prefer the term 'convinced', myself." Kakashi said, taking a drink of his sake too.

"Yeah, but…that's not what I meant!" Naruto said.

Funny…when Naruto was a Genin, the thought of being corrected could start the biggest fight ever. Why? Because he had been stubborn when he was younger. Kakashi shrugged; maybe Naruto had grown.

"There's something important I'd like to discuss with you, Naruto. So relax, and have a few more drinks." He knew he'd have to pay for this later, but it would probably be best for Naruto to hear what was coming next if he was drunk.

Naruto still eyed his drink wearily, but was less suspicious than before. Nodding, he finished off his sake in one big gulp. "Can I get more?" He asked. It was like when he went for ramen with Iruka, only it left you with a hangover instead of a full stomach.

Kakashi ordered for him, yet again. Now he was beginning to freak out a little…was Kakashi gay? Oh no! He had to be! Why else would he offer him sake and say there was something important he needed to tell him!

"SesneiIHaveToGoNowThanks." Naruto said in one breath. He rose from his seat, but Kakashi pulled him down again.

"Relax, have a few more drinks." Kakashi said again.

Naruto gave a half smile and nodded his head slowly. "S-sure."

When Naruto was plenty intoxicated, Kakashi figured the time was right. He took a deep breath and then looked at the drunken student before him. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Naruto," He began quietly, "Please don't take this too hard."

The inebriated Naruto looked up from his drink. How many had he hah, again? Oh well; enough to earn him a very unpleasant headache in the morning.

"Yyyyyeah, surrre." The blonde slurred.

Kakashi took a deep sigh before continuing. "The title 'Team Seven' has been sent back into circulation." He said, looking down at the table.

"Huhhhhh?"

Kakashi shook his head. At least it was best this way, with Naruto too drunk to understand. Lets just say the silver haired Jounin was never the best with handling situations like this, or complicated things like feelings.

"With the coming year, three of the new Genin at the academy will be placed into team seven, Naruto."

"Wha? Thatsss great! Five more memberrrs."

Kakashi closed his eyes, although only one was visible. "No," He said. Honestly, this was like trying to teach a cat to read. Naruto just didn't understand… But, realization did dawn on his face, eventually.

"WHAT THE HELLLLLLLLLLL?" He yelled.

"Naruto, we are no longer team seven." Kakashi sighed.

Naruto's face held a faraway look now. "Why did the monkeyy steaal my candy?"

"Sasuke left a long time ago, and Sakura's been declared a missing nin now too, until we find her. With me doing missions all the time now too, and you joining ANBU…"

Naruto snapped back to attention before shaking his head from side to side furiously. "NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo!" He yelled, causing several people to turn and stare.

"Naruto, calm down." Kakashi tried.

Naruto kept yelling until his face went blank and sank down to meet the table. Seventeen shots of sake was just too much for the guy, not to mention all of the rum.

As seven o'clock finally seemed to roll around, it seemed Sakura was having a little bit of difficulty dragging herself out of bed and getting dressed, but she managed.

She slipped into the black cap sleeve shirt that had been provided, and some black pants that seemed to fit rather loosely. They were probably Itachi's, Sakura thought as she mentally cringed.

She pulled on her regular black boots, the ones that she was wearing when she 'arrived'. After tying her hair up into a quick ponytail, she groaned and walked out of the room.

She didn't even know where she was supposed to go yet, and the thought of ripping those bandages off now was just begging her at the back of her mind. They were starting to itch…

She found Kisame after only a few steps, and again he appeared to be angry about something.

"Kis...Kisame?" The pink haired girl asked.

The large, gray shark-like man let out a low, gravelly growl and began to walk away, expecting her to follow.

'He looks funny when he walks…' Sakura mused silently. Kisame growled again, as if on cue.

Sakura stopped when she felt a thud noise in front of her. She had bumped into Kisame as he stopped…bad idea. The shark spun his head around, glaring. Oh how he itched for Samehada right now…

"S…sorry." Why did she always stutter when in his presence? Oh yeah, he was a giant monster. That's right. Duh.

Apparently satisfied with her weak apology for now, Kisame shrugged and opened the door in front of them, knowing he would have more than just payback in store for that little bitch later. During training.

Sakura looked around curiously when they walked inside. This room, was much more high-class than the others. Red carpeting, velvet curtains, regal oak chairs and table…the works. And with Itachi completing this picture she had just walked into, it was perfect.

The mighty Uchiha sat in the largest chair, the one at the head of the table. However, his eyes were closed and his head tilted in the direction of his lap. Was he asleep? Kisame 'nudged' (Okay, pushed) Sakura forward, causing her to stumble closer to the table.

"Leave us," The Uchiha's cool voice instructed. Well, maybe he was awake now.

Kisame growled and left the room, but the action was more so directed at Sakura than it was at his superior.

Itachi opened his crimson eyes, focusing their gaze on one of the chairs near him. Someone had prepared food, which consisted of what appeared to be steak, sliced apples, and something in very tall drink glasses. The steak was most likely take-out from somewhere, as Sakura doubted anyone in the Akatsuki actually cooked.

Sakura nervously took a seat and looked up at him.

"Kunoichi,"

"It's Sakura." She interrupted.

"I apologize. Sakura then, have you taken the bandaging off yet?" The dark haired one asked, tilting his head so slightly she almost hadn't seen it.

"No…why? What's under it?" Sakura asked, even more nervous now.

"A tracking device of the sort," He paused, seeing the skeptical look on the female's face. "Forgive me if I don't trust you, Sakura-san."

"What? But, how? Nevermind that…why can't you trust me? Its not like I'm going to run away. I mean…not with Kisame and his big flashy fishy sword thing!" She exclaimed.

Itachi seemed amused by her, judging by the smirk on his face. "While it may be true that we are both wanted ninja, you are not of the Akatsuki."

"Missing. Nin. How?" Sakura gasped, unconsciously grabbing her chest.

Itachi's smirk spread more widely. "How long do you think you've been gone, Sakura-san?" He asked coolly.

Of course…after six days, one is officially labeled as a deserter to their village. "So I'm…wow." Sakura said quietly, suddenly finding the table very interesting.

"There are rules," Itachi continued.

Sakura looked up again. "What?"

"Rules, Sakura. You are not permitted to go into any closed doors, and you are to wear the Akatsuki cloak at all times."

"Why...with the cloak?" Sakura asked.

"We don't like traitors." He said, putting it simply.

"So…you'd kill anyone not wearing a cloak? Without any hesitation at all!" She asked, raising her voice slightly.

"Yes,"

Sakura's eyes narrowed as one of Itachi's hands reached into his own cloak. Was he grabbing for a weapon? No…he pulled out something shiny. Metal. It gleamed when it caught the light, and Sakura was sure that she saw the Konoha symbol on it, scratched through.

"Whose is…" She began.

Itachi held it so she could see better, and then slipped it across the table to her.

"Kuso…whose is it?" She demanded, thinking of her friends.

The Uchiha's face remained impassive. "Its yours."

"Mine? Why did you…what did…" She was having trouble finding words.

"It's a symbol." Sakura stared at the Hitai-ate as he said this.

'Mine…' She thought.

"Why not do that sooner? Its what you want, to have control, isn't it?" She asked, just as coolly as he.

"I was busy." He said, smirking.

"Busy with…damn it, what did you do!" She yelled.

"You can't expect me to sit back and relax while the best tracker in your pathetic village is on my trail, Sakura-san." He said, smirking again.

Sakura wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face. She stood from her chair, it landing with a thud behind her. She wasn't entirely sure what happened next, but her fist connected with the wall where Itachi's face should have been. Her eyes widened as some of the paint began to chip away in the spot she had hit.

…But where did Itachi go? Her right arm was being pulled behind her, twisting as the Uchiha turned it. Sakura winced.

"Let go," She warned venomously.

"I hadn't been planning on killing anyone today." Sakura felt her other arm being twisted now too, but his grip on her was gentle.

She kicked backwards with one of her legs, aiming for his shins, but the kick never landed. Instead, she was flipped around so she was facing him now, her back pressed against the wall. His face was too close… His arms boxed her in on either side.

"You're a murderer." Sakura said coldly, hoping to break him down. Uh, yeah right.

"Aren't we all?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura was at a loss for words, until she saw that blood again, raining down from the darkness. It made another trail for her to follow, but where it led, she never got to find out.

(A/N) Its official…I'm a lost cause. Sigh…I think I'm getting better at least. More of Itachi in this one, but I think I may have gone a little bit OOC for him. When I was finished, I went back and added in Kakashi and Naruto, just for length's cause.

Anyway, please drop a review if you've got the time, and I'm sorry this one took so long.

Oh yeah. Like Itachi said, underneath the bandages is a tracking device of 'some sort', but I'd rather not say anything else about it until the next chapter, because...well...why don't we /all/ be surprised? xD

-Love Kad