'thoughts'

"talking"

'inner Ryuu talking'

Sakura woke up early the next morning, still feeling a little tired.

'Are you feeling any better?' Ryuu asked worriedly.

'Hai, I'm feeling much better now arigato, I'll just have to take it a little easy today.' Sakura replayed.

'I see. I'm glad you're feeling better.' Ryuu said. Sakura gave him a smile before she opened her eyes and met Itachi's gaze.

"Are you feeling better?" Itachi asked. Sakura nodded and blushed a faint pink when she noticed that they were holding each other. Sakura let go of Itachi, but he kept his firm grip on her waist.

"Uh, could let go of me?" Sakura asked although she'd much rather stay in his embrace. Itachi slowly let go of her.

"Arigato." Sakura said before she got up and jumped down to the fire where Deidara was seated.

"Sakura, I'm so glad to see you're up! How are you feeling, yeah?" Deidara asked as he enveloped her in a friendly hug. Sakura couldn't help but smile at her dear friend and wrapped her arms around him in response.

"I'm okay now. I was just exhausted."

Deidara pulled away slightly to look at her with a serious expression.

"What happened, yeah?" He asked. Sakura's smile disappeared and she shifted her gaze to his chest.

"Sasuke came and when I dodged one of his attacks I moved to far away from Itachi and the Tsukikage seal activated." She explained. Deidara's face darkened.

"Did he hurt you, yeah?" Sakura looked back up at him as she spoke:

"No, no he didn't."

"He better not have! I'd kill him if he did, yeah!" Deidara said, wringing his hand in front of him for emphasis. Sakura smiled sadly before she turned her face away.

Deidara noticed this and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong, yeah?" Deidara asked concern evident in his voice. Sakura gave a heavy sigh and placed her own hand over Deidara's and looked up at him and flashed him the biggest smile she could muster.

"I'll tell you all when we get back, k'?" Deidara nodded slowly before smiling back. They both looked to their left when Itachi appeared beside them.

"We leave now." He informed shortly. He had seen everything and could feel that same sinking feeling in his stomach that he felt when Sakura had kissed Yamato (A/N: The one who they assassinated in ch. 9) and he didn't like it, at all.

Deidara and Sakura nodded and they all started to pack what little they had brought and put out the fire. Soon they were ready to leave.

A small gasp escaped Sakura's lips when she was suddenly hoisted up into a pair of strong arms. She looked up and saw Itachi.

"You know I'm fully capable of walking by myself." Sakura said, but Itachi just ignored her and sprinted off into the woods, Deidara beside him.

Sakura relaxed in Itachi's arms, enjoying the closeness while Itachi discreetly tightened his hold on her. Deidara noticed their behaviour and inwardly smirked.

'They are obviously made for each other.' He mused as they continued on their way back to the Akatsuki HQ.

∞Later that day∞

When they finally entered Akatsuki territory after half a day of none-stop running, or carried in Sakura's case, they decided to go freshen up before they met with Leader to give their mission report.

"I think I'll go eat something first, I'm starving, yeah!" Deidara said as they walked down the hallways of the HQ. Sakura and Deidara were walking side by side, as Itachi followed closely. Deidara rubbed his stomach as a low rumble emitted from it. Sakura smiled.

"Better hurry, who knows, maybe Kisame has eaten everything while we were gone." Sakura teased.

"Nah, if he has then I'll eat him. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've had fish, yeah." Deidara replayed in a thinking pose. Sakura gave a heart-filled laugh. Deidara smiled warmly at her.

'Finally I go her to laugh, yeah!'

"Want to join me, yeah?" He asked, but instantly regretted it when he felt the Uchiha's burning gaze on the back of his head.

"No, I have to take a bath first, maybe later." She replayed.

"Okay, see you later then, yeah." Deidara said waving slightly as he made a left and disappeared down another hallway. Sakura waved back slightly before she and Itachi continued towards their room in a comfortable silence.

"You can shower first." Itachi said as they got into their room.

"Arigato." Sakura said before she removed her cloak and moved over to the closet and took out her forest green kimono that had yellow, orange and light green leaves painted onto it and a yellow obi and some other things needed for a bath. She then removed her weapons and placed them in the closet before she disappeared into the bathroom where she drew a hot bath and added some lavender scented bubble bath. She shredded her damp and dirty clothes and stepped into the steaming water.

As she lied in the warm water her thoughts drifted to Sasuke and to what he had said yesterday:

∞Flashback∞

…"I'll come for you and take you to Sound where I'll make you mine body, mind and soul…" He whispered. He nibbled slightly at her earlobe before he moved his mouth to hers and gave her one last rough kiss before he disappeared without a trace…

∞End of flashback∞

'How's he going to find me? I mean there it's not like he knows where the Akatsuki HQ is.' Sakura thought while she unconsciously rubbed the bite mark on her shoulder. Suddenly she stopped.

'Could it be?' She wondered.

'What is it?' Ryuu asked curiously.

'Ryuu, who was it that had offered money for me? And from where did the roughs get those snake summonings?' Realisation dawned on Ryuu.

'It was Sasuke all along.' Sakura nodded.

'He must've somehow found the HQ, probably from when he was searching for Itachi, he then hired the roughs to get me, although how'd he know I was kidnapped by the Akatsuki and that I hadn't just ran away when I escaped the prison mansion?'

'Maybe he has a spy in the Akatsuki who told him.' Ryuu suggested.

'Let's assume he has; the spy told Sasuke that we went on a mission, giving him and opportunity to catch me…' Sakura started to clean her milky pale skin.

'… but he didn't expect me to have the Tsukikage seal and that somehow changed his plans…' She applied some shampoo to her hair and rinsed it before she stepped out of the tub and dried herself off with one of the towels that hung on the wall. She then put on her kimono before she placed her hair in a long braid that hung over her shoulder. When she entered the room again Itachi walked past her into the bathroom while Sakura went over to the window and sat down on the windowsill.

'…but how did me having the Tsukikage seal affect his plans? Could it only be for the fact that if he would've tried to take me to Sound, Itachi would've felt it?' Sakura wondered as she stared out the window.

'Maybe, it would be a logical explanation.'

'Maybe I'm just trying to make things more complicated then what they already are.' Sakura thought as she sighed in frustration.

'It's nothing wrong with being cautious.' Sakura smiled a little.

'No, I guess there isn't.'

A couple of minutes later Itachi emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes and with slightly damp hair. Sakura noticed that he wasn't having his sharingan on. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, rubbing his temples.

'His eyes must hurt.' She thought as she made her way over to him and sat down beside him.

∞Itachi∞

Itachi's eyes had started burning again as he was in the shower.

'I had them healed only three month's ago and they're burning again already.' He thought as he got dressed and walked out of the bathroom. He went over to the bed and sat down and started to rub his temples, trying to lessen the pain.

'The pain is much worse than what it has been before.' He suddenly felt the bed shift slightly so he opened his eyes.

∞Normal POV∞

Itachi opened his eyes and saw Sakura look at him with concern in her eyes.

"Do your eyes hurt?" She asked. He nodded. He watched her perform some seals.

"Close your eyes please." Sakura said placing her hands on his temples. Itachi complied and could soon feel her cool healing chakra make the burning disappear. Itachi almost sighed, keyword almost.

"Have you had your eyes fixed?" Sakura asked as she continued to check his eyes.

"Hai, three month's ago." Sakura nodded.

"When did the pain start again?"

"Just now when I was taking a shower." Itachi opened his eyes when she removed her hands.

"I can fully heal your eyes, but you'll have to refrain from using the sharingan for two days." Itachi nodded.

"Very well." Sakura nodded and shifted her position to a more comfortable one.

"Now close your eyes again, the process will take two-three hours depending on the damage." She explained. Itachi closed his eyes and moments later her healing chakra started working on his eyes. After 30 minutes she asked him to turn on the sharingan. He did and 40 minutes later the mangekyou (sp?). In a total of two hours and 27 minutes later Sakura was finished. She removed her hands.

"Now open your eyes." Itachi did.

"How does it feel?" She asked. Itachi turned on his sharingan and then his mangekyou and was surprised by the difference from before.

"Better." He said after a while of testing his 'new' sharingan before turning it off.

"Good." Sakura said getting up.

"Just remember, do not use the sharingan for two days or the pain will return and your sharingan will be damaged and I'm not sure if I can heal it then anymore." Sakura said while she went to drink some water but stopped when she heard Itachi speak:
"Arigato." Sakura was taken aback. THE Uchiha Itachi had just thanked her. She quickly composed herself and turned around and gave him a small smile.

"You're welcome."

When she had gotten her water she turned to Itachi.

"Shall we go to Leader now?" She asked. Itachi's replay was to get up from the bed and go out the door, Sakura followed close by. They walked to the kitchen where Deidara was sitting by the table with Kisame and Sasori, eating some onigiri and drinking some tea.

"Ohayo (Hello) Kisame, Sasori." Sakura said.

"Ohayo Sakura, Itachi-san." Kisame said while Sasori just nodded his head.

"Deidara we're going to Leader now." Itachi said.

"Coming, yeah. He said before he ate one more onigiri and drank the last of his tea.

"Where's Zetsu?" Sakura asked looking around, while they waited for Deidara.

"He's on a mission with Koichi." Sakura looked at Sasori who had spoken.

"When'd he wake up?" She asked, referring to Koichi. (A/N: remember he got poisoned in ch. 8…)

"At noon yesterday, he was pretty pissed." Kisame replayed. Sakura nodded and turned her attention to Deidara who now stood beside them.

"Do you have the scroll?" Itachi asked. Deidara put a hand inside his cloak and took out the black scroll.

"Yeah, un." Itachi nodded and walked out of the kitchen, Deidara following. Sakura looked at Kisame and Sasori once more.

"Do you think you could come to Leader's office in about 5 minutes?"

"Sure, but why?" Kisame asked.

"I'll tell you when you get there, oh and could you tell Leader's partner to come too?" Sakura asked

"Yuki (A/N: means snow I think xP)? Sure "

Sakura nodded before she left the kitchen to catch up with Deidara and Itachi

When they stood in front of Leader's office Deidara raised a fist and knocked three times on the door.

"Enter." They heard Leader's voice from the inside. Deidara opened the door and the trio stepped inside. Deidara walked up to Leader's desk and placed the scroll in front of him before he stepped back.

"Finished already?" Leader asked, looking a little surprised.

"Hai." They answered in unison.

"Excellent work." Leader said before he got up and walked over to a closet with a seal on it. He did some hand seals and the closet opened to revile numerous scrolls and papers. He placed the scroll on one of the shelves before he performed the same seals again and the doors closed. He sat back down by his desk and started shuffling through a stack of papers.

"There are no missions for you at the moment so you may take some time off.

"Hai." The three said in unison. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." Leader said. Kisame, Sasori and Yuki stepped inside.

"What is it? I do not recall asking for your presences." Leader said. Sasori opened his mouth to speak but Sakura beat him to it:

"I apologize Leader-sama; it was I who asked them to attend this meeting."

Leader shifted his gaze to Sakura.

"Why?"

"I have some important information that I think everybody should know."

"What kind of information?" Everybody looked at Sakura with a curios gaze. She took a deep breath before she spoke:

"Sasuke Uchiha has taken over Sound and will come here."

Leader was quiet for a while.

"You know this? How?"

"I met him on our mission." Sakura explained.

"Why is he coming here? Itachi?" Leader asked, mostly himself.

"Partially maybe, but the main reason I believe is to retrieve… me"

Everybody looked shocked, except Itachi who already knew this. Sakura pulled down her kimono so that you could see the mating mark that Sasuke had placed on her.

"He marked me, because he wants me to become his wife and bare his children." Sakura pulled her kimono back up. Deidara now understood her behaviour this morning.

"But there's no way for him to find the HQ." Yuki said. Sakura shook her head.

"He already has. It was Sasuke who sent those roughs."

"How'd he find it?" Sasori asked.

"I'm not sure but I believe he has a spy in the Akatsuki." Sakura told them.

"A spy? Who?" Leader asked.

"I have my suspicions." Sakura said.

"If he knows the location of the HQ, why hasn't he attacked?" Kisame asked.

"He's waiting, waiting for the best time to strike, when we will least expect it." Sakura said in a low voice. Everybody was quiet, thinking about the things Sakura had just told them. After a while Leader spoke:

"Arigato Sakura for the information, you've been a big help. You may all leave now." Everybody bowed and left

When they were outside the office Sasori voiced a question that had been bothering them all:

"Sakura, is there not a way to remove the mark?" Sakura was quiet for a while.

"There are two ways: one is that Sasuke would die, the other is that I'd sleep with another man, who would then put his mark on me." Sasori nodded.

"How does the seal affect you, un?" Deidara now asked.

"It makes my body yearn for his presence and touch." Sakura explained. Itachi could feel that same sinking feeling in his stomach again.

'My desire to kill my ototou (little brother) seems to increase every passing moment.' Itachi thought.

"Well let' all go get some rest. It's already late." Sakura said with a small smile when they reached the hall with everyone's bedrooms. Everybody nodded.

"Good night everybody." She said as she and Itachi continued down the hall to their bedroom.

"Night, yeah" Deidara said before he disappeared into his bedroom.

"Night." Kisame said, yawning.

"Likewise." Sasori said.

When Sakura and Itachi reached their bedroom Itachi started to remove his clothes so that he only had his pants on while Sakura took her sleeping yukata and went into the bathroom to change, before putting her kimono back into the closet. She then picked up her brush and walked over to the bed, where Itachi was already lying, and started brushing her hair.

'I didn't tell them that my body may also react, not only to Sasuke, but also to Itachi due to them being brothers, but then again, that is only a theory.'

Sakura thought as she put the brush away and climbed into the bed and pulled the covers to her chin. As she lied there she couldn't help but start to worry:

'What if I can't fight the desires of the mark? What if I'll be forced to be Sasuke's wife and bare his children?' She wondered, she had come to like the Akatsuki and the people in it were like her family. She didn't jump when she felt Itachi pull her into his embrace. She turned around and looked into his obsidian eyes.

"Something is bothering you." He stated. Sakura closed her eyes and leaned her head on his chest.

"I can't stop thinking that what if Sasuke succeeds? What if he succeeds in taking me to Sound and…" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because she was silenced by Itachi's lips. She closed her eyes and responded to his kiss. When they broke apart Itachi looked into Sakura's eyes.

"Don't ever think such things again. I would never allow that to happen." He said holding Sakura protectively.

"Why? Why do you do so much for me?" She asked. Itachi was silent trying to understand his feelings.

'I hate it when other men touch her or just look at her, when she's sad or cries I just want to make her smile again, I love everything about her, I'd go through hell just to see her smile.' He came to the conclusion that…

"I love you." He said looking her in the eyes. Sakura was shocked to say the least, but when his confession sunk in she smiled the most beautiful smile Itachi had ever seen and took Itachi's face in her hands and whispered:

"I love you too." Before she kissed him. Itachi pulled her even closer, if possible, and buried his one hand in her pink locks while he with the other held her waist possessively. Sakura placed her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his black hair. Itachi ran his tongue over her lower lip, asking for entrance which Sakura happily obliged to, and Itachi started to explore every corner of her mouth. During those blissful moments they forgot about all their problems and worries, only thing they thought about was each other.

When they parted for air Sakura looked into Itachi's eyes and saw many emotions: protectiveness, determination, possessiveness but most of all, love. Itachi lied onto his back and pulled Sakura with him so that she lied on his chest, his hands on her waist, his nose buried in the crook of her neck, inhaling her wonderful sent while she had her arms around his torso. Never before had neither of them felt happier and more content than at that moment.

"I love you Itachi, now and forever." Sakura whispered in his ear.

"And I you." Itachi said into her hair, before they sealed it with another kiss

A/N: Chapter 11 is up! Finally Itachi and Sakura confessed their feelings for each other and got together! I hope you like this chappie X)….

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