Author's notes: OKay welll, good feedback on the last chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it ! Here's another one as promised. ) REVIEWWW. !

Chapter Four: Adjusting.

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The aroma of freshly cooked food travelled through the mansion entering each and everyone of the Akatsuki member's rooms. They all stopped what they were doing to take in the smell.

Sakura was hard at work in the kitchen. She was running back and forth from the chicken sizziling on the frying pan to the beef cooking in the oven, the rice cooking in the pot and the vegetables steaming.

She reached itno the cupboard and took out several plates. She turned off the stove and oven as she poured some vegetables and rice onto each plate. She then took beef and chicken and added it to the plates as well.

She opened the doors to the dining room and placed each plate down at on the placemats. She went back into the kitchen and re-enterd the dining room placing bowls of gravy around the table and distributing chopsticks to each plate. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed cups. She placed them in front of each plate. She palced wine bottles, water and different kinds of soda on the table as well.

She sighed in satisfaction as she walked over to the bell placed at the end of the dining room and began to ring it signaling that dinner was ready. She removed her apron and walked back into the kitchen to put it away. She double checked making sure the stove and oven were off befpre re-entering the dining room where she saw everyone sitting in their respectable seats.

Tobi and Pein were seated at each end of the table while the other members sat in their claimed seats. Sakura looked around. She didn't know where to sit. She noticed and empty seat beside Itachi as she slowly made her way over and sat down.

Everybody began to eat their food as Sakura sat and watched as they enjoyed their meal. Hidan and Kakuzu were fighting over the last of the wine as Kakuzu stabbed Hidan several times with his knife before he gave up and Hidan got the rest of the wine.

Konon was whispering into Pein's ear. Kisame scoffed down his foot as if he hadn't eaten in weeks and Itachi sat quietly eating his food in a proper manner. She glanced over at Tobi who sat staring back at her. "Are you just going to sit there and stare at me, or are you going to eat!" he said putting his elbows on the table.

Sakura nodded as she pulled apart her chopsticks and began eating her food. Several minutes passed as one by one each member finished their meal and exited the dining room. Eventually Itachi and Sakura were the only ones left. Sakura finished her meal and wiped her mouth with a napkin as she slowly stood and tucked in her chair.

She walked around the table collecting the plates. Itachi sat with his eyes closed as he finished eating his rice. He opened them and watched as Sakura exited the dining room and entered the kitchen. Sakura came back into the dining room and collected the rest of the dishes except Itachi's before entering the kitchen.

Itachi could hear the water running as he slowly stood and grabbed his plate and cup.

Sakura was in the kitchen hovering over the sink as she was hard at work washing the dishes. She cleaned them and placed them on the rack beside the sink for them to dry.

Sakura stopped as she sensed another presence in the room. She recognized the chakra and knew it was Itachi.

He came up from behind her and placed his dishes in the sink. They looked at each other for a moment longer before Itachi exited the kitchen and headed towards his room.

Sakura sighed and continued washing the dishes as she then proceeded to clean the kitchen and dining room shortly heading to each room to collect the members' laundry and headed to the basement to clean the clothes.

--

He sat at his desk near his window. He took out a scroll. He spun off the lid to the ink as he dipped his brush in it and began dragging it across the scroll gracefully.

Hours passed as it was near midnight and he noticed that she hadn't returned from dinner yet. He then shook the thought out of his head wondering why he was thinking of such pointless things such as her.

Shortly after the door to his room sqeaked open and in walked a pink haired kunoichi. She looked exhausted and Itachi could tell she was. He turned back to his scroll and continued writing.

"The bathroom's through that door, you look like you need a shower." he said in his monotono voice.

Sakura looked up at him and nodded. " Arigatou." she said before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

She began to undress and turned the water on. She stepped into the shower and let the warm water drip down her body. She closed her eyes and stood in the shower. She reached for the shampoo and began washing her hair.

She quickly finished up and dried herself off. She put on a big shirt and shorts before exiting the bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel. She saw that Itachi was still seated at his desk writing. She sighed and headed over to the bed where she sat down. She dried her hair and ran a brush through it.

She looked over at Itachi once more before turning off the lamp beside her side of the bed and laying down beneath the blankets. The only light in the room came from the lamp at Itachi's table.

She stared up at the top of the bed. A few hours passed and Sakura still hadn't fallen asleep. "Why arn't you sleeping." Itachi said dipping his brush into the black ink. Sakura's eyes travelled from the top of the bed to the back of Itachi. "Can't sleep." she said before yawning.

"Is it the light keeping you awake." he said writing on the scroll. "No." Sakura answered right after. Silence was followed shortly after and continued for another hour before Itachi spoke up once more.

"Why did you leave." he said dipping his brush into the ink once more. Sakura was surprised at this question, she didn't take Itachi as much as a talkitive one. She sighed. "i saw myself as a burden." she said pretty much summing up the whole reason she left.

"And your friends." he said continuously focusing on the scroll. "What about them?" Sakura asked not understanding the question. "You left them behind. I thought you were all about friendship and love...you quickly turned your back on what you said." Itachi explained.

Sakura remained quiet. He was right. She did turn her back on her friends, but it was for the best she tried to convince herself. "Why did you leave?" she asked, her eyes returning to the top of the bed. Itachi stopped writing momentarily. "I wanted to become stronger." he said. This reminded Sakura of Sasuke, that was the reason for him leaving. So he could become stronger.

Sakura clutched her hands into fists when she thought of him. "You killed you entire clan but Sasuke, why?" she asked. "He wasn't worth killing." Sakura now understood why Sasuke had hated his brother so much, but upon hearing this she hadn't changed how she thought about Itachi. It didn't affect her...maybe she didn't care.

"You and my brother, you were close." Itachi stated rather than asked. Sakura looked over at him once more before sighing. "I don't know..I tried to be, but everytime someone tried to become close with him, he just pushed them away." She explained.

"Do you love him." Itachi asked continuing to write on the scroll. "I did...but that was a very long time ago." she said turning on her side. "You don't anymore..why the sudden change of heart." Itachi asked, not that he was interested or even cared but he somehow forced himself to ask, like he had to know.

Sakura remained quiet for a few moments after the question. She closed her eyes tight. "Because he's not worth it." she said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. A smirk crossed Itachi's face.

Itachi closed the ink and rolled up the scroll. He removed his wrobe and placed it on the chair. He took off his shirt and slid under the covers next to Sakura. Sakura could feel his body heat beginning to warm up the bed almost immeadiatly.

She felt this kind of safe feeling wash over her and she relaxed her eyes and fell asleep. Itachi soon closed his eyes and he too fell asleep.

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Weeks passed and Sakura grew more and more accustomed to life with the Akatsuki. She was getting used to her chores and becomming quicker at getting them done. Every day for three hours she would train with Itachi and occassionaly Kisame would train with them as well.

Sakura and Itachi would have the occasional conversation each night, it wasn't long or even that interesting but it was something they shared. They grew closer with each passing day, although it didn't show much, they knew.

Itachi and Kisame taught Sakura new techniques. She learned a few water and hynosis techniques from them. They said that it was possible for her to learn these abilities due to her amazing chakra control. Even though she knew a few different attacks and had a few different abilities, she still didn't have a special trait that was her own.

Itachi and her searched files on the Haruno clan to see if there was ever a bloodline throughout the clan, so far there was no luck on finding anything.

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Sakura and Itachi walked through a forest as they neared the mist country. They were sent on a mission to retrieve hidden scrolls deep within a temple in the mist country.

Itachi stopped as did Sakura. They were standing at the gates that opened up to windoing stairs that crawled all the way up the side of a mountain, the temple was atop the mountain.

Sakura and Itachi walked forward and began climbing the steps. Itachi grunted and then moved into a sprint as Sakura soon followed.

They reached the top of the mountain several minutes later. They enetered the temple and were cautious for guards or traps.

Sakura thought about the mission. Pein had said if she completed the mission properly and with Itachi's consent that she would be recognized and respected as a full Akatsuki member with a cloak and ring of her own.

Sakura and Itachi stopped as they reached an area where it broke off into two seperate hallways. One to the right, and one to the left. Each hall was lit with burning torches on the wall. In the center of the two splitting halls was a statue of a woman holding a child as a man attacked from above.

"I'll go this way." Sakura said turning off into the left hall as Itachi nodded and headed down the right hall.

She walked through the torch lit hallway and passed more statues. Each statue told a different story. She stopped to look at a particular one that caught her eye. There was a woman standing over the bodies of two dead men. She held a baby in her arms and it resembled the woman near the entrance of the hall.

She wondered what the statue represented. She knew it meant death and that the woman had killed him, but she had no weapon. Sakura found this odd and interesting at the same time.

She continued down the hall as she passed several other statues. There was one where a kunoichi held a man by the throat and he was dead, but she was staring straight at him. Again there was no indication of a weapon of any sort.

Sakura stepped on a stone and it moved slightly. There was a clicking sound and out of instinct she leapt to the side avoiding several axes that were thrown across the hall where she was standing. She walked over the axes and continued on careful of where she was walking to avoid any other traps.

Sakura reached the end of the hallway. She stood in front of two very large doors with giant statues on either side. The door was dusty and she couldn't make out what the designs on them were. She saw a few and it looked like sakura petals.

She examined the two stone statue's beside the door. They carried large axes, twice the size of her. It seemed as though they were placed there to guard the door's. Sakura shrugged before stepping forward and pushing on the door to open it.

There was a clicking sound and iron bars appeared over the door. The walls began to shake as Sakura took a step back. She looked around and figured she activated another trap.

Suddenly a giant axe came hurdling down at her as she jumped to the side avoiding it. She looked up and saw both the one inatimate statue's were now alive. Their eyes were glowing red and they were staring directly at Sakura.

Sakura took out shurikans and kunai's and threw them at the stone giants. They bounced off of them and fell to the ground. Sakura's eyes widened as she leapt to the side avoiding yet another axe.

The stone giants began swinging violently at her and all Sakura could do was avoid their attacks. She couldn't get close enough to shatter them without risking the chance of getting hit with one of the giant axes.

Sakura ducked as one of the statues swung above her and hit the roof. It began shaking as boulders fell down ontop of Sakura. Sakura covered her head as she was burried beneath them.

The statue's stared for a moment before turning and moving slowly to return to their posts. The rubble began to shake as a fist emerged and Sakura stood in the middle of the now shattered boulders. The statue's then moved to attack again when Sakura oustretched her arm and caught the axe holding it.

The statue pulled back trying to free the axe from Sakura's grasp but couldn't. Sakura jumped onto the axe and then used it as leverage leaping into the air as she was now above one of the statue's.

She brought her fist down hard and fast. It came in contact with the statue's torso as she shattered the statue to pieces as if it was made of glass. She picked up the axe as the other statue moved to attack her. She blocked his axe with the one she now held.

They went back and forth a few times with the axes until Sakura finally cornered the statue. She threw down the axe and slid across the ground as she kicked the statue's legs shattering them almost instantly. Teh statue crumbled apart and fell to the ground.

Sakuta stood breathing heavily as the dust settled and she saw a cloaked figure. "Enjoy the show." she said with a smirk as Itachi stepped forward. She stepped through the rubble and approached the large door once more as the iron bars were gone now.

She pushed it open. Inside was an altar, and sitting on the alter were scrolls. She grabbed them as the room began to shake. She attatched them to her waist and quickly turned. "Let's get out of here." she said as Itachi nodded and they both ran through the hall as the temple began falling apart from the inside.

They finally reached outside when they turned and the whole temple collapsed in on itself. "That was close." Sakura said as she smirked and turned to head down the stairs. Her and Itatchi left the ruins of the temple behind and headed home.

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Author's notes: Welll there you go! Another chapter, sooner then i thought! Anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter. It was a more of a filler than anything. ANYWAY. review ! )