Chapter 11

"Oto? What… what do you mean?"

Poor Sakura was confused, of everything she had been expecting to hear, those were the last words she could have ever imagined. Her big green eyes looked glossy and she could hardly meet Sasuke's sorry expression.

He sighed and moved his hands to her shoulders, trying to comfort her massaging them lightly with his fingers.

"The anbu training grounds are situated there, along with the academy. There's a program for those who want to join. Itachi… he trained there too, and, you know how I want to be the one to finally drag him down. I need to be stronger than him"

Sakura gasped hearing that, shaking slightly at the awareness that he would soon leave her, because his goal was greater than what was blooming between them, and she would always come after it. It was something she had feared would happen, deep inside of her she knew, it would come to this.

It was always about Itachi after all. He was the invisible wall Sasuke was so desperately trying to reach and there wouldn't ever be anything else in his mind. Not until he would be finally able to overcome it, and until then, she would have to be put aside, like everything else in his life, as if she was just another obstacle, on his path of self destruction.

She hugged him, tighter than she ever had, tears rolling down her cheeks without control, as she clung to his shirt with her fists.

"Can't you just let go of your hate Sasuke! It's going to end up destroying your life! Can't you see! It has already begun!"

He wrapped his arms around her body, but not as tight as she had wished, she wanted to feel him all around her, aware that soon she wouldn't be able to do so.

"You don't understand. I need to do this" his tone now was colder, and Sakura knew that there was no reasoning with him when he got like that. But she couldn't control the emotions flowing through her like a river.

She wrapped her hands around herself, taking a few steps back, looking sternly at him from under her long lashes, trying to keep her composure.

"And what are you going to do, once you finally catch up with him? Are you going to be satisfied then Sasuke?"

He didn't answer, his eyes setting on hers, turning to their usual coldness. It was then that Sakura knew, she had already lost him to his purpose, because there was no way he would let go of all that hatred, not even for the sake of their relationship, and of everything they had built togetherz.

He tightened his hands in fists as he tried to control his emotions, that were causing a turmoil within him that he couldn't tame. It angered him, that she couldn't see his point.

"Itachi needs to pay for his sins"

His voice was almost trembling, and the green eyed girl was almost moved by the show of weakness. But it didn't last long, as he immediately caught himself and schooled his expression into a harder one. He was slowly putting walls between them, and as much as Sakura wanted to crush them down, she knew it was getting harder for her to breach through them.

She clutched her heart, in a last desperate attempt to get him to reason, to convince him that they could defeat his demons together, as they had managed to do up to that point.

"Please… I love you with all my heart, Sasuke! I will do anything to help you! Just… just let me stand beside you!"

"It's something I have to do on my own"

Sakura's breath got caught in her throat, at his words, letting out a small anguished sound a t what those words implied.

Suddenly everything turned quiet, as she tuned out all the noises that came from the city's life around them.

"So this is it then?"

The Uchiha didn't move, his eyes fixed on the ground between them. Sakura couldn't hold back tears anymore at his actions, so different from a mere minutes ago, when he had been so affectionate. She should have known that something was up then, for it was out fo character for him to show any emotion.

"I don't expect you to wait for me. The training will be long, and maybe, it's for the best that you spend some time away from me"

Sakura gaped at that, her whole body now shaking violently from his words, her heart slowly shattering at the thought of him leaving her.

In the worst case scenario she had always thought that they could have gone through his depression together, but it was something that was carved in his soul too deep for her to reach. Whatever Sasuke needed now, it wasn't her, and it was hard to accept and to understand. Ironically, the only person that could put a stop to all this, was also the one that had caused it. Itachi, his demise, was going to give Sasuke a breath of life, at least that's what he had convinced himself of.

The only thing she could do for now was to let him go.

"I will wait for you, Sasuke. I love you, you know that"

He gave her a long look, his eyes visible through his long silken bangs, were hiding so much sadness and so much despair that she couldn't stand to look at them for long, shying away from him, she covered her mouth with her hands to cover her sobs, the only other sound now, the police sirens howling in the distance, distracting her for a few seconds. When she turned her head to look back at Sasuke, she was surprised to see he wasn't there anymore. He was gone, vanished in the darkness of night.

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"Wow! I can't believe how much I ate! everything was so tasty! Did you like it Gaara?"

Naruko was softly patting her full tummy with an ecstatic expression on her bronzed face, that made the red head man smile softly at her, and he usually wasn't someone who gave out smiles that easily, but she had such a bright personality that it was just impossible to resist.

They had decided on eating at a near restaurant that Naruko had recommended, and were now seating down in one of the booths facing each other. Thankfully, it wasn't a busy night and Gaara could deem himself content.

The food was really good, and he was enjoying his time with the blonde girl, who had managed to make him feel comfortable and open up more than usual.

"Very good indeed. It reminds me of a place in Suna" he said absent mindlessly as he finished up his plate. He had revealed more of himself that he usually did with strangers, and still he didn't feel vulnerable as he usually did, he really wished he had more time to spend with her, to get to know her more and to get her to know him.

Naruko's eyes widened as she heard the name of the city that was famous for being situated in the middle of a desert, she was always excited to hear about new things, and her curiosity was sparked by his little allusions. One of her dreams was to see all the five nations after all. And she had promised herself that she would do that, once she had graduated.

"I forgot you come from there! How was it growing up in such a place? I heard it's very hot there!"

Gaara blinked in surprise.

"You've never been there?" Suna wasn't that far after all, and by the time most people were their age, had traveled back and forth a handful of times already.

The girl shook her head no, but her smile didn't falter, her bright blue eyes shining brightly as she looked out the window.

"But I will one day, believe me!" She said with enthusiasm, throwing her fist in the air as if she was challenging someone. She was so convincing that he could only nod with the hint of a smile on his lips, wondering what kind of life she had led up to that point. He had observed how protective her friends were of her, and he couldn't help but wonder the reason behind it.

"Suna is a huge metropolitan center. We nearly have everything you could ask for, and we attract a lot of outsiders who fascinated with the city, decide to stay and work and build their future there. But for me it was… well, I wouldn't say it was easy."

Gaara chuckled, his green eyes softening at the

now excited girl, he placed a hand under his chin

"I have to admit, I always felt like some sort of misfit growing up. As the son of one of the most important people in the city wasn't easy,I was expected to be more charismatic and aggressive, just like my father was. I guess I didn't live up to the expectations, because I was labeled as weird because of my shy and introverted nature. I didn't really have a lot of friends if any, to be honest"

Thinking back, he didn't really have a happy childhood.

Naruko's brows raised as she listened, feeling sympathy for the boy. There was so much she could relate to, it was almost like looking at her male counterpart.

"Yeah, People have nothing better to do than judge. But you are really a nice person Gaara, you shouldn't allow people to put you down, just because you don't meet their expectations."

Gaara felt his green eyes swell up with tears. In all these years, she was the first one to really try to understand him, and accept him for who he was. Even his brother and sister didn't, whom he loved dearly, had never really tried to understand him. They had always simply dismissed him as 'different' and had accepted that part of him, never really trying to know why he was the way he was.

"I grew up with no one you know. I never knew my parents, and the only person who cared for me at the orphanage, was old Hiruzen, who would come and check on me regularly. I don't really know why the mayor of Konoha would really care about a poor orphan, but after being placed in foster care I was finally adopted by a couple of bastards who only thought they could use me as their slave.

He disappeared after my adoption, and when I got these" her fingers ghosted over her marks for just a second, but long enough for Gaara to realize that it was still a fresh wound in her mind.

"No one was there for me, except my high school professor and the… the police officers that saved me that night. After all that trauma, the stupid judge decided that the circumstances where unclear, and I was placed with those insane bastards again. At least though, they didn't touch me again, and as soon as I could I moved out"

Gaara's mouth hanged open by hearing all this, her story, almost similar to his left him speechless and he wished he could pull her into his embrace because he could have never guessed that someone as happy and go lucky as Naruko, could hide such shadows within her.

"This guy… he was with me in the hospital…And he told me… he told me something that I will never forget" her expression was bitter now, and her smile faltered for a little bit, but Gaara didn't interrupt her, and simply listened.

"He said that I shouldn't let my past define me, and that I could become anything I wanted to be. I believed him you know, and I decided that I wanted to be like him and save lives. That's why I decided to go into the medical field"

Gaara smiled.

"I believe you will do good in whatever you choose Naruko."

He had felt so good in her company, that he wished they had time to stay a little longer, but it was already late, and he had to take her home, for he knew she had to get up early the next day.

"I'm sorry if I burdened you with my sad past, but I feel like we can relate to each other. We are similar, in the end"

"More than you think" he agreed, gifting her with a rare full smile, and her eyes twinkled as she hoped to hear more from him.

He saw the look in her eyes and gave a quiet light hearted laugh that lightened the heavy atmosphere.

"Maybe I should save the rest for another time, that way you will accept to go out with me again" he said calmly, masking his nervousness for her answer with his amused tone.

Naruko battled her eyelashes, her ocean blue eyes widening as much as possible at the red head's offer.

"You want to go out with me again?"

She asked with stupor in her voice. Nobody had ever wanted to go out with her, she was too noisy and too rough, and usually boys preferred to have her as a friend, because as Shikamaru often put it, she was "fucking scary"

Gaara chuckled at her question, and did something he usually never did, because he hated physical contact, and also because he was embarrassingly shy. He leaned a little bit over the table getting closer to the girl, who didn't move an inch, but felt her cheeks grow hot, and her palms her sweaty.

"Yes, I would really like that"

From that close, he was even more charming, she could see his big green eyes, they were perfectly oval shaped and she could see the various tones of green in them, because they were so uniquely different from any eyes she had ever seen and they were incredibly beautiful, so warm and enticing, that she almost felt lost looking into them for too long.

"I… I would like that very much too, Gaara"

He nodded, gifting her with another smile that made her feel giddy inside, even if she didn't really understand why.

"Thank you" one of his hands wandered on the table to find one of hers, and when he did he squeezed it softly. She was speechless at the simple but affectionate gesture. It was something unexpected that sparked a warm feeling to course through her body. It was new and she was relishing in the feeling of finally being accepted by someone just for who she was and not because of her troubled past. It never left her mind that people, although she knew they loved her, felt some kind of pity for her, so it was a nice change, that for once she didn't have to doubt that.

"Let's go, I will give you a ride home"

Gaara smiled at her again, and took her hand in his, and she relished at the warm contact. It felt good for once, to let someone take care of her.

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"Let's go you bastard, it's been a shitty night already"

Kisame yawned as they walked in the direction of their small apartment, where he couldn't wait to get himself in bed and relax. Especially after the earlier fluke with Konoha's police forces.

Itachi, who was walking silently behind him couldn't agree more. He was the one who had got shot in the arm, after all, the mere fact he was still walking after all that Kakuzu had done to treat his wound was impressive.

"You're alive back there? Is the blood loss affecting your brain in any way?"

Kisame said jokingly, as if the whole situation was amusing to him. Of course, he wasn't the one whose arm was hurting like a bitch, even if the Uchha managed to hold his stoic neutral expression he was still in a lot of pain.

Itachi just answered with a groan, not really in a mood to talk. The only uplifting part of that mission, had been that he had been able to get into Shisui's office and, without Kisame noticing, had been able to steal a part of his notes. He knew where to look for things, and it had been the reason why he had decided to infiltrate the district in the first place.

"Pain is going to give us a fine ass whipping, first thing tomorrow"

Itachi could only grunt at that, not really excited at the idea to face their leader, that would surely ask for explanations, and part of that would be because of stupid Deidara and his love for explosive rescue plans. He would never admit that if it wasn't for that, they might have been captured that night.

"Not very talkative, hm?"

Itachi was getting a headache, or maybe it was the painkillers that were just kicking in, but he wasn't sure he could handle another minute of Kisame's rambling.

The Hoshigaki though kept blabbering, unaware of Itachi's bad mood.

"Do you think they will be able to track us down this time, Uchiha? That grey haired dude recognized you"

He had a good point, but Itachi already knew it was impossible for various reasons. They had been able to hide for four years, and even if they had exposed themselves more than usual, it was very hard they would be captured

"You know that won't happen Kisame"

Itachi answered, not really feeling like getting into that topic, or into detail of why that was very unlikely to happen.

Kisame stopped suddenly, and turned around to face the black haired man, that simply kept walking, not really caring what had got him all worked up to make him act so dramatic all of a sudden.

"You don't happen to know who it is that is offering us protection, right Itachi"

Now, this sounded very specific to the Uchiha, who stopped to look back at his partner with unimpressed eyes. Kisame rarely questioned him, trusting him with everything and offering his loyalty in more than one occasion, so, that blunt question truly surprised him.

"No, and I don't really care to. Why do you assume I do?"

"Because Pain trusts you more than anyone else." Somehow, the black haired man, wasn't sure that was the real explanation. He resumed his walking, leaving a disgruntled Kisame behind him, still eager to find out if his doubts had any reason to exist. Not that Itachi cared to answer that for him.

"No one knows the extensions of Pain's connections. For all I know it could be anyone high up in the government"

"You really are something , Itachi" The tall man mused looking at his unimpressed companion whose only wish was to get home and forget about that night.

"Ah, if Kubikiri was open I would offer you a beer"

"I can't drink with my arm like this. Kakuzu said the medicine won't have any effect if I do"

Kisame turned around, his expression confused, and the Uchiha knew that whatever he was going to say, wouldn't be that bright.

"You got shot, do they even have medicine for that?"

Itachi just wished he could disappear. It wasn't enough that he had to walk home, because their ride, Deidara and Sasori had urgent needs they had to tend to and left them stranded at Kakuzu's place. He had to suffer the agony of dealing with Kisame's ignorance.

"Painkillers, and antibiotics so it doesn't get infected" If he had to explain it to to the fish head in front of him one more time, he wouldn't hesitate to pull out his gun and make him feel what it meant to have a wounded limb.

"Ah, they really have stuff for everything. Modern medicine really amazes me" he said it as if he had lived in the years when they didn't have all the technology they had now.

Itachi didn't bother to answer anymore after that, and apparently Kisame didn't care to dig any deeper, going back to his carefree behavior, lighting up a cigarette offering one to the Uchiha, that although could have really had one, refused, too tired and stressed to do anything, and he stopped, trying to calm his labored breathing, he was feeling fatigued and lightheaded, probably due to the blood loss, that although it hadn't been that much, still got to him.

Kisame was a little bit ahead of him, and he didn't notice his distress, and Itachi didn't do anything to make him notice it, aware that otherwise, the Hoshigaki would insist on supporting him, to help him walk, and Itachi didn't want any of that. He hated physical contact.

It was then, as his mind was a little clouded and he felt dizzy that he noticed a familiar blonde head, standing in front of what he knew was Haku and Zabuza's home, talking to a random red haired guy.

Itachi's eyes thinned as he tried to study their interaction, but his black eyes were mostly focused on the girl, who was now laughing about something the man had said. They looked rather comfortable with each other, talking closely, and by the way Naruko was touching his shoulder, he could tell they had spent some time together. He didn't know why the thought bothered him, he had spoken to the girl maybe once, if you over looked the fact they had met in the past, which he was determined to forget.

"Itachi you ok?"

He had been so concentrated on the girl, he didn't realize he was leaning against the wall of Kubikiri, breathing heavily, and that Kisame had ran back to check on him.

"Dude you look awful, even paler than usual, let's get you home"

He gathered l the Uchiha's smaller form in his arms and swung him over his shoulder, patting his back with a frown, thinking he might call Kakuzu once he put a dozed off Itachi in bed.

The two Akatsuki members, hadn't noticed the worried bright blue eyes that had followed the whole scene.

Author's note.

I'm back!

Sorry for the long wait, I had some things to settle, and I've been really busy with school, work and stuff, but I haven't abandoned this story! I promise I will try to update more often!

Let me know if you like it! So read and review people!

Darkshadows92