Chapter 13: Getting Ready

Hope you like it…

Konan took Sakura's hand and lead her to her room. "Konan-san," Sakura said, "What are we doing here?"

"Sit down, Sakura," Konan said. So Sakura did as Konan searched her side table. "Here, take this," she said as she handed Sakura a string necklace with a black cross with a diamond in the middle as the pendant.

"Wow…" Sakura muttered, "But Konan-san, I can't take this. It's yours."

"Oh no… never mind that, I am giving this to you as a charm for your love life. This necklace has given me everything I needed. And I think it would be well if I shared it with you. I know your love life has been bad since you were a child."

"How would you know?"

"I just know… I have a hunch."

"Thanks…" Sakura said, "Uh… I better go look for Itachi's room now. Good night."

"Goodnight," Konan bid, "Oh, and Itachi's room is three doors from mine to the left. Good luck!"

Sakura closed the door behind her and headed to the left very quietly, counting doors. She hid her chakra signature as she made quiet seals. But she had just passed the second door when she saw that what was in front of her was total darkness. 'The wind probably took out the lights in this part… but there can be no wind here, it is a cave with only one opening, one secret opening with a maze inside that the wind might not even find its way here.' Sakura thought as she continued slowly, touching the walls for support.

"Sakura," a voice said behind her, "You came."

"Itachi?" Sakura asked as she turned around. She saw a pair of crimson red Sharingan eyes and came a bit closer to the body that shadowed in the light behind her. "Itachi…"

"Sakura… Come, let's go to my room." Itachi said, he took her hand in his warm one and led her towards the darkness that filled the rest of the corridor. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience; I guess the lamps just went out." He said as he opened his door that lead to his room which was filled with dim light.

"Itachi…" Sakura said as she stood at the doorway while Itachi brightened up his room. He stopped when she said his name and stared at her. "Itachi…" Sakura muttered again, then she walked towards him, her eyes never leaving his. But then she started hitting him on the chest. "Do you know the pain I've been suffering all this time?!" She screamed as she hit him.

Itachi winced at the small pain but he just stood there, listening to her as she flushed out the anger and pain she felt. "I had to sleep chaotically at night. I never got to eat very well and I had to feel longing whenever I heard you name!"

"Sakura," Itachi said, he was trying to calm her down. But she was persistent, "I had to train without you and I had to live the past weeks alone! I tried not to think of you but I couldn't do it. My world was too cold without you around to warm me."

"Sakura," Itachi said when he finally got hold of her wrists, "Do you think I didn't feel the same?"

Sakura had a sharp intake of breath, 'He… he felt the same thing?' She thought.

"Sakura, I always woke up in the middle of the night to watch the stars… but I didn't wake because it was a hobby, it was because I had nightmares about you getting in trouble or worse. I also missed training with you. I missed your scent and most of all… I missed seeing your one-in-a-million hair color."

Sakura had to admit that she also missed his scent most but she had to have him… even just through a kiss. Luckily, his grip on her loosened so she slid off her hands from his and hugged him.

Sakura felt his warm body once again and she finally smelt his scent once again, and she loved it. She loved the feeling of being hugged back, and she loved his scent, his warmth, his body that gave his warmth and scent. She loved everything about him. It was just too bad they wouldn't be able to live a happy ending together. But she didn't care. She is happy now, happy that he is with her once again. Actually, Sakura was so happy that she could almost cry.

Sakura let go of him. She looked up at his onyx eyes once more and leaned onto him. They kissed for the third time (or was it fourth?). So Itachi broke the kiss. "I've got to have you…" He said with a voice full of longing and wanting and missing and finding strength to say that.

"Itachi…" Sakura said as she brought her hand down to his arm, "Don't force yourself. You've done too much already and soon, (sigh) I've got to fight. Would you like to train?"

Itachi looked amused, "Train? At a time like this?"

"Yeah," Sakura said flatly, she waited for his reaction. "I haven't been having enough sleep just because I missed you, you know. I also train for 18 hours a day (with a really bad concentration on what I was doing—at least it helped my conscious body) and for the rest of the day, I either sleep or eat."

"Gee… that's a pretty tough schedule to follow, huh?" Itachi spoke, "Do you think I can do that?"

"Well… thanks to you, I learned tough training and… thanks to Deidara-sama, I learned to not sleep."

"You did?" Itachi said, he tried to sound playfully jealous. "Aw…, and I thought you'd never get along with him."

"Why? Sakura asked, "Was he supposed to be as annoying as you?"

"Yeah, he's annoying all right… to men, that is."

"Whatever, it's time for us to sleep," Sakura said, "Itachi-kun?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"I… would you mind if… I sleep with you tonight? I kind of get lonely when I sleep in an empty room."

At first, Itachi was all quiet. Then he finally spoke, "What do you mean by that?" He asked. Sakura could tell he was suspecting that Deidara had been doing something with her, his voice tells it all.

"I mean nothing like there are other men than you, okay, but what I mean is… I left a cute little puppy back at the old hideout and I kind of miss him… His name is Itasuke"

"So you're saying that this puppy is a male and Deidara never did anything to you and—"

"Yes… all that is what I mean." Sakura said. She was guilty but she was careful not to let any of that guilt meddle with her apologetic and innocent voice. Sakura was guilty because she didn't really have a puppy. Actually, she did have a puppy, a doll puppy. And she named it Itasuke because she missed the two Uchiha men in her life. And she always imagined that that dolly became Itachi at night when she slept, she imagined that that Itachi would kiss her on the cheek as she slept and whisper goodnight.

Sakura also tried to look Itachi in the eye so she wouldn't be suspected much. And she knew his Sharingan can't see all. But she was really guilty now because, now that she remembered, it was little lies that mostly made a pair break up, severely.

And there is another question she knew was coming. Itachi said, "My name… and my brother's? Why?"

"Well… it's just that… I miss home and he was my childhood crush… and before you took me, he was my boyfriend."

Itachi stared at her for a moment. He knew that, but she didn't have to mention it, not a time like this. Itachi can't imagine a certain girl asking if she could sleep beside him then telling him something he didn't entirely wanted to hear or accept yet—but now it was possible for him to do it. And how would he answer her? And how does she expect him to answer her?

Itachi opened his mouth to speak but Sakura said, "Itachi, I know it's not proper to have said all that now. But it's just that… I want to be true to you. I really miss Konoha and I know you do, too. After all these years, you have to miss your own home, right?"

"Sakura, I do but not as much as you do. Maybe I did miss it like you do now but that yearning had passed a long, long time ago." Itachi said, "And please, let's just leave the past behind. I'm a little tired now."

"So… can I sleep beside you tonight?"

"Yeah, you can." Itachi said as he and Sakura went to bed together. Itachi pulled the covers over him and Sakura then he hugged her close. Then they slept in peace.

MEANWHILE, A COUPLE HOURS BACK,

Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi were discussing back in the forest while Sai made the reports which were to be travel back to Konoha itself near the fire. "I can't see why you won't let me go in place of Sakura," Naruto said. He has been arguing with them for the past few hours since they last met the Akatsuki.

"You can't go in place for Sakura because you are our friend! And who knows, they might not bring her with them. They could use a jutsu to make us think she were Sakura!" Sasuke yelled at him, "And remember they are Akatsuki! Those people are probably the most powerful group! They could possibly beat all those guys from all the missions we had in a flash!"

"This is Sakura we're talking about! She's our friend as well and she could be in real danger by now and for the past weeks!" Naruto argued, "We have to move into the danger zone, maybe even farther than that, just to save her!"

"Haven't we done that enough?!" Sasuke bickered back, "I know we have been. And it's hard for me, too because my own brother took her and most likely gave her away to another Akatsuki carelessly just like a prisoner!"

"She is their prisoner and she'll still be if we don't do anything!" Naruto said. He really felt bad because Sakura got dragged into this mess. He really felt guilty because she had to be the hostage. But he'd just feel worse if something bad really had happened to Sakura.

"Then we'll go and kill them for good! Isn't that what ninja do, isn't that what we've been doing all our lives—to kill bad people and bring an end to their evil schemes!?"

"Guys, guys, cool out for a minute and listen to what I have to say," Kakashi said. Then Sasuke went to a fallen tree trunk and sat there while Naruto just stood there. "So here's my plan, Naruto, you will make 4 shadow clones as us. Then we will all hide around the place, scattered. We should all keep our chakra signatures very, very low as to not be noticed by the enemy. Then after your clone has made trade, we will attack and beat them to dust."

"Are you kidding?" Sasuke said before Kakashi could say anymore, "It's not easy to make trade with Akatsuki and we won't get away with it that easily, they'll kill us. And it isn't easy to hide ourselves. And what if there will be more than just two of them tomorrow? And maybe they'll also have others hiding around, surrounding us as well!?"

"Ok, ok, it isn't the best plan… but at least we have a plan, right?" Kakashi said then he suddenly turned serious. "Ok, that was just to cool you down, so here's my real plan…"

Sasuke and Naruto and Sai went closer so Kakashi could only whisper as the fire cackled.