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Neko Sasuke

The moon was round and red, and Sakura couldn't help but wonder what she was doing here in the middle of the night, in a place that she assumed was deserted. "Where am I?" she thought, starting to walk and look around.

Broken windows, cracked wooden doors, bloody walls and empty houses were what surrounded her, and when she caught sight of something, her feet stopped and she slowly turned her head to see the emblem imprinted on the wall, a kunai pinned on the middle of it, and dried blood smeared most of the symbol. Her eyes widened and she trembled, finally knowing where she was. "The Uchiha district…"

She didn't know why her feet suddenly broke out into a sprint, then to a quick run as she turned every corner, as if she memorized every street there is. She's never been here before, thinking that it would be an intrusion of privacy and disturbance to the dead if she were to trespass in this part of the village. However, she just let her feet keep running, taking her to where she doesn't know.

"Why am I having a bad feeling?" she asked herself, slowing down upon seeing two figures engaged in a fight up ahead. "S-Sasuke..?"

Chapter 4: Getting Close

What she was seeing before her couldn't be exactly happening. There was no way this could happen, especially since Itachi was dead, and that Sasuke is currently a cat. She looked at the older Uchiha's smirking face, then to the younger one's look of hatred and anger. "How foolish of you to attack the two of us on your own," Itachi said, approaching his little brother who was on his knees, holding onto his katana for support, blood all around his face, hair and uniform. "You're actually wishing to see death."

"No…" she whispered, then took a few steps forward, turning it to a run towards the two brothers. "NO!"

She sat up abruptly, panting and sweating as the neko on her bed looked at her with sleepy eyes. Sakura placed a hand on her forehead and recalled the nightmare she just had. "Itachi… he was going to kill Sasuke…" her eyes turned to the small hand that rested on her other hand, seeing Sasuke with a worried look plastered on his face. She forced a small smile and pulled the neko to a hug. "Don't worry, I just had a bad dream, you can go back to sleep now." She whispered, letting the neko use her lap as a pillow as he curled up into a ball and slept once more.

Her smile soon faded as she remembered the dream. Itachi was close to killing him back there, but she didn't understand why she was having this dream. "I guess I better take a closer look at Itachi's body tomorrow." She said, eyes narrowed as she continued petting Sasuke's hair.

Sakura stood at the front of the closed door, Sasuke in her arms and staring curiously at the entry of a room. With a deep breathe in, Sakura turned the knob and stepped inside, waiting for any reaction from the neko in her arms. When nothing happened, she walked in further and closed the door behind her. Next, she took a few steps forward, approaching the lifeless body that lay on the bed. "That's weird, he isn't rotting or decaying, nor does the corpse emit a bad odor." Her brows creased at this when she was only two steps away from the body.

Neko Sasuke saw Itachi's face and his onyx orbs immediately turned red as he struggled from Sakura's grip, causing her to tighten her hold on him. "Sasuke, no, cut it out!" she yelled, but he managed to break free from her grip and jumped onto the floor with an attacking stance directed at Itachi. His tail was waving from right to left and was raised, his ears pushed back and his glare intensifying further. Sakura studied his attack form, even though it was pretty much of a cat's, she concluded that even the half cat had negative reactions upon seeing Itachi. What startled her though, was when Sasuke suddenly pounced on Itachi's body.

"Sasuke!" she yelled, rushing over to pull the cat away, only to be suddenly thrown back by an unknown force. Her eyes widened as she sat up and looked at the two, Sasuke still glaring at Itachi's supposedly color-drained face. "He's… no longer pale…" she thought, walking cautiously near the body, feeling fear take over when the akatsuki member's chest rose and fell at an even pace. "What the hell?" she stretched out her arms and grabbed Sasuke, pulling him away from Itachi as she quickly stepped out of the room and locked it, earning questioning looks from doctors who passed by. "Get me an ANBU team to guard this room, now." She ordered, her brows sweating as she tried to calm down.

Tsunade shook upon receiving the report that she just got from the hospital. "Is this true..?" she asked with a shaky voice. The ANBU in front of her nodded and removed his mask to reveal the eyes of a Hyuuga. "I'm afraid so, Hokage-sama, the moment that Sasuke made contact with Itachi, the akatsuki's body suddenly-" he was cut off when the door opened as in came Naruto and Kakashi who had looks of disbelief written all over their faces. "Are the rumors about Itachi coming back to life true?" Naruto asked, Kakashi trying to remain calm after hearing from villagers about the news.

"I can't believe how news spread like wild fire here…" Tsunade murmured. "Yes, it's true. Maybe Itachi really did do a jutsu that caused his body to be preserved until he had physical contact with Sasuke once more." She sighed deeply and massaged her temples. "How, why or what, I'm not sure. All I know is that we have got to get Sasuke back to his original form, now."

"How can we?" Naruto asked with a frantic voice. "We absolutely have no idea or any clue that could help us bring him back!" The Hokage stood up immediately and slammed her hands on her desk, causing the wooden table to have cracks. "You're his best friend! Do anything that could possibly be close to getting him back! Do something what a ninja must do!"

"Like something out of the ordinary?" Kakashi asked, hoping that his suggestion may help. Tsunade gave a short nod. "I appoint his former sensei and teammates to do this job ASAP!" then she faced Neji. "And I personally request and assign your ANBU team to guard that room."

Sakura paced in her living room, clearly nervous of what will happen. "Maybe there's a reason why I'm having these weird dreams. Maybe once Itachi awakens, Sasuke will turn back to human and… be… killed…" she stopped and shook her head, dismissing the negative thought. "No," she whispered and glanced at the neko Sasuke who sat by the window and was glaring outside, at the direction of the hospital. "I won't let that happen."

A knock on the door disrupted her thoughts and she headed over to it to answer it. Once she opened it, Naruto and Kakashi came waltzing inside and slamming the door behind them, causing the female jounin to jump in surprise. The neko didn't bother though, since he didn't feel any threat, but just continued glaring outside, sharingan still activated.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked as they stared at Sasuke. "We have a mission, and that's to figure out a way to turn Sasuke back to human." Kakashi answered, turning to her.

"Why?"

"Itachi might wake up anytime, and if that happens, he'll come looking for Sasuke most probably, and in the worst case scenario, kill him." Kakashi said, missing the look Sakura threw him. "Also, Sasuke could be the only one who can actually kill Itachi."

"But how did he come back to life in the first place? Sasuke already killed him before, right?"

Naruto sighed in frustration as Kakashi analyzed everything before answering. "It would seem that Sasuke was successful in killing Kisame, but was turned to a cat before he even got the chance to eliminate Itachi completely." Naruto and Sakura raised a brow at this. "If you were unaware of it Sakura, some of the doctors took a blood sample from Sasuke when he was rushed to the hospital. They said that he was injected by some sort of fluid, and they have yet to discover what the cause is, until he turned to a cat, now they're trying to whip up a cure or antidote from it, but they keep failing."

"So what can we do?" the blonde asked, looking at Sasuke's direction. "And why is he over there?" Sakura sighed and explained the whole incident that happened earlier in the hospital.

"Damn it! That's the last time I'm suggesting an idea!" Naruto cried after Sakura bandaged his arm. "Well, it's your fault for pissing him off like that." She defended, glancing at Sasuke who still glared outside the window. "So far, we've tried telling him about his past, tomatoes, pictures of his clan… what else haven't we tried?" Sakura asked, finishing her job in bandaging Naruto's arm.

"I know." Kakashi grinned and held up three volumes of Icha Icha Paradise. "Oh Sasuke…"

The neko twitched its ears and slowly turned to Kakashi, blinking at the bright orange books on the jounin's hand. "Aren't these yours?" he asked, earning a raised brow from Sasuke. With the use of his other hand, Kakashi took out a lighter and threatened to burn the books. Sasuke stared for a while, then turned back to the window as if nothing was happening. The rest of team seven sweat dropped at the half-cat's behavior.

"Sensei, he's not that addicted or perverted. Unlike you…" muttered Sakura. She walked over to the neko and wrapped her arms around his waist, carrying him as he raised his head and gave her an innocent and confused look. She gave a small smile to him and hugged him a bit tighter as he looked back down, sensing the girl's worry over his behavior lately. Naruto grinned. "Here's an idea." He did the familiar seals, only they were a bit different than the original. "If this doesn't turn him back, I give up!" and when he finished, a cloud of smoke surrounded him, and slowly, he appeared in the form of Sakura, only… without clothes…

"P-Pervert!" Sakura yelled, attempting to hit Naruto on the head but Sasuke glared and twitched, and once more, attacked the dead-last as Naruto turned back to his normal self and tried to push Sasuke away from him. "Ow! Cut it out teme! Oi! Ouch! Ow! Sakura!"

Kakashi sighed and shrugged. "I have no more ideas left." He turned to Sakura who was just watching at the wrestling match between the best friends slash rivals. "What's been happening lately?" Sakura turned to Kakashi and then back at Sasuke. "I've been having dreams, if that's anyway to help with our situation."

"Dreams like..?"

"Like Itachi coming back to life and killing Sasuke…"

"Keep going." Kakashi said, sitting down on one of the couches and ignoring Naruto's cries of pain when Sasuke was done scratching and biting him. The neko jumped on Sakura's lap who sat adjacent to Kakashi and then curled up into a ball, closing his eyes as he tried to get some sleep and ignore Naruto's insults. Sakura stroked the neko's hair and looked down at him as she told Kakashi her nightmares.

"Not to mention that Itachi almost killed him in my dream in the Uchiha district…"

"Wait! The Uchiha district?" Kakashi almost yelled. Naruto snapped his fingers. "We've got to get there! It could be the only way to turn Sasuke back to normal!"

"How sure are you guys that that would happen?" she asked, standing up to follow the two men none the less, Sasuke instantly waking up from her sudden sprint. "Just a hunch." They both answered. She sighed and looked down at Sasuke when he meowed questioningly. She smiled softly at him and lowered her head to him a bit, giving him a light kiss on top of his head. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get you back to normal, and if Itachi does try to kill you, I'll make sure he won't be able to even lay a finger on you, nor will he hurt you, ever again."

They reached the Uchiha district and stopped to catch their breaths. Sakura looked around; recognizing the place from her dream as she slowly took a few steps forward inside the closed area. The two males gave her confused looks before following her inside. She continued leading them to the same paths she took in her dream, following and relying on her instincts. Kakashi's eyes widened all of a sudden as he came to a complete stop. Naruto did the same and felt an eerie aura around them. Sakura, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at the man that stood before them, fully aware of Sasuke's glare and sharingan-activated eyes.

"So nice of you to personally deliver my brother for me to kill." He spoke. "I appreciate it."

Kakashi and Naruto quickly stepped in front of Sakura, their fighting and defensive stances ready as Sakura remained rooted on her spot. Itachi sighed at this and ran a hand through his bangs. "I don't want to deal with any of you but my brother. We have a score to settle."

"No." Sakura firmly said.

"Hm, you're pretty stubborn as well."

"Why are you still alive?" she questioned. Itachi sighed. "It's a family secret as to how I managed to keep my body preserved. It's a forbidden skill that made me rise from the dead upon contact with the one who killed me." He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "But he wasn't able to react fast enough when I injected him the fluid that I had in a vile, the last one that our organization made, until the Sand came to destroy these, as well as a few ANBU teams from Konoha. I wanted to test the experiment, but I wasn't able to fully inject everything in him, which resulted his state right now. Otherwise, he would've been a cat or a beast."

"How do you turn him back?" she demanded another answer from him.

"That is one question I will not answer." And without warning, Itachi charged at them. Kakashi acted quickly and blocked him, earning him a hand-to-hand combat with Itachi. Naruto prepared his rasengan, finally able to do it with one hand only."You had better tell us or we'll kick your sorry ass back to hell!"

Itachi gave a smug smirk. "If you do that, all the more Sasuke won't turn back to normal."

"What?" Kakashi asked, his eyes glaring at his opponent. "Ah yes, Hatake Kakashi…" Itachi said, jumping away from the silver-haired jounin. "I do believe that my sources tell me that you favor my little brother the most in your team. Is it hard to accept him as a cat?"

"Shut up and tell us the cure Itachi!"

"Like I said earlier, that is one thing I will not answer." And Kakashi made the mistake of looking into the older Uchiha's eyes once more, as he found himself trapped in the world of Tsukiyomi. There he saw Itachi standing in front of him, holding onto a katana while he was tied to a cross, ready to be stabbed and tortured. "This is just an illusion… just an illusion… just an-"

"Get ready for another torture fest."

"AGH!!!!!"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Both Naruto and Sakura cried as they saw their teacher fall to his knees, his eyelids blocking his vision as he fainted and fell to the ground. Itachi took out his own sword and prepared himself to stab the jounin when a red-orange chakra caught his eyes. He looked at one of his wrist, seeing Naruto's hand that glowed with the Kyuubi's chakra preventing him from killing Kakashi. The once blue eyes of the ANBU now turned to red, and his facial features have also changed, turning more menacing, five tails emerging from behind, glowing a bright fiery red.

"The kyuubi's powers…" Itachi whispered, hiding his amused expression. "Interesting, but-" he kicked the blonde ANBU away as Naruto tried to struggle and attacked the Akatsuki member without thinking, all the while with Sakura telling him to control his emotions. "It's no use," he said. "If you can't control your emotions, then you can't control this great power within you." He threw Naruto towards a concrete wall, causing the blonde to hit the back of his head hard. He tried to get up, his chakra slowly fading as his eyes turned back to blue. "Emotions are a hindrance to a Shinobi, and with that power of yours, you're wasting it all on love." He said, kicking him in the ribs. "Your love for this village that only insulted you, your love for your teacher that you saved who didn't even favored you much until my brother left. My brother, who insulted you, turned his back on you, yet you still consider him your best friend, after he," Itachi spared Sakura a glance. "After he took the girl you loved in your life-the same girl who didn't notice or acknowledged your feelings. You're pathetic, as pathetic as my brother."

"Shut up…" he muttered, coughing out blood as he slowly raised his head. "These villagers, though they hated me back then, they now treat me as a person, they notice me, and they finally give me respect, after serving and protecting this village, I finally gained what I wanted from them- Acceptance." Itachi punched him on the stomach, but Naruto continued. "Even if Kakashi-sensei did prefer Sasuke over me, I still appreciate his teachings and training, and everything else. He treated me as not only a friend, but a family."

"Nonsense." The Uchiha murmured, kicking him again but still, the blonde ANBU kept talking, annoying Itachi all the more. "That traitor you're talking about is your brother, and my best friend, the only guy who shared the same loneliness I did, the only guy whom I recognized as both a friend and a brother. You failed your role to be a brother, so I'm not about to do the same." He looked up and glared at Itachi with his deep blue eyes. "And that girl you're talking about is my friend, I already have a girlfriend, and it's not her, yet I am happy about it! Because Sakura isn't really the one for me, but she is the one for my best friend! It was from her that I learned the meaning of what true love really is!"

"Ridiculous." Itachi seethed, kneeing him on the gut. "It's time someone shut you up." Naruto tried to fight the unconsciousness that threatened to conquer him, but he couldn't. Somehow, that week-long mission he just had drained most of his remaining energy, and he can't help but feel like there's no longer hope for team 7 to live and brag about their survival against Itachi. He smiled at the thought, and slowly, his world turned black.

"I tried… I'm sorry Konoha, sensei… Sasuke… Sakura… and… Hinata…"

"Two down," Itachi murmured and turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "Two more to go."

Sakura gritted her teeth and placed Sasuke down, telling him to stay put and not interfere as she charged towards Itachi head on, fist ready to punch the older Uchiha's jaw. She noticed the smirk he gave, and she immediately screeched to a halt when he disappeared from her sight, teleporting behind her and heading towards Sasuke. "Game over."

"No…" she thought, clenching her fists as she broke into a run. "No!"

And blood was spilled as soon as Itachi brought down his kunai.

To be continued…

Next on Neko Sasuke: Chapter 5: You're My Reason

"Damn it Sakura! Don't you get it?" he half-yelled half-asked, grabbing he by the shoulders as her eyes widened in utter disbelief of what he just did. "Sasuke-kun…" his grip on her tightened and he slowly looked up at her, onyx eyes staring deep into her green orbs. "Don't you ever think what will happen to us? What will to happen to me when you just act on impulse?" he questioned, eyes starting to blur and body beginning to tremble. "I don't know what I'll do if I loose you, if you die because of me…"

A/N: Sad to say, the next chapter is and will be the LAST chapter. No sequels, no requests and etc. I still have other fics I wish to accomplish, so please, don't ask me to make the story longer or do a sequel. The next will definitely be the final. Don't forget to vote on your reviews! Check my profile for more info on the poll.