A/N: Ah. Finally, school is over, and I can breathe. Also, it means that I can update my many stories! Dog Days is in its final few chapters. I originally, if anyone recalls, wanted to get it done in six, but I realized quickly that it wasn't going to happen. So, this is the real turning point of the story. I will issue a few warnings here. Sakura is not the cute and cuddly little girl we all know and love. Not anymore. That whole "let him die happy thing" snapped her freaking brain. She's pretty warped. There's a lemon in this chapter, with Sakura (sort of) and Naruto, and it's pretty crazy stuff. So, all in all, I think that this chapter's the most insane.

Legal Stuffiness: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.

Time: 3 years after Sasuke's departure, six months after Gaara's retrieval mission

Place: Uchiha residence

Dog Days
Last time...

"You mean to tell me that it was you doing those things to Naruto, and not me?" The Uchiha walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, his hand reaching out to touch her face. He moved faster than she could see, and had ripped off her towel before throwing her down onto the bed. All she could do was lay there as he plied her body with sensations she did not want from him. Then, he was gone from the room, but the feelings of pleasure still echoed in her body, bouncing from nerve to nerve and back again. She wanted him out of her head. Especially when she rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Most especially when her hand reached for the shower curtain and pulled it aside.

"He's going to die, Sakura. He'll die soon. Let him die happy."

Chapter 7: Betrayed

Sasuke looked out of the window, wondering why he did the things he did. Sure, he was still going through something of an identity crisis, but it was utterly ridiculous what he had allowed himself to do today. He could still remember the look in Naruto's eyes when Sasuke had looked him in the face and lied. He lied. Sasuke had lied to his best friend, and it was making him feel like complete and utter shit.

They had been sitting there, at the table in his kitchen, sipping tea like civilized people, not the idiot and the arrogant ass that they were. Naruto had asked him, with all of the seriousness that he could muster, one of the most important questions a person could ask. And he lied. What would have happened if he had told the truth? Probably nothing. Naruto would have seemed disappointed, of course, but he wouldn't have given up. It just went against the over-active boy's nature to do so.

"Do you love her?" "Not that way, dobe. Never in that way…" Sasuke threw his head back and laughed at himself. The irony of his situation was rather amusing, once he took a step away from it to see it objectively. Did he love her? Yes, he did. But, that was beside the point. She didn't seem to love him anymore, if she ever really had. In fact, her feelings seemed to have transferred to Naruto. He bore his friend no ill will in the matter, but it didn't lessen the pain he was feeling at the moment. He had come to the realization that he had not really become that much stronger when he was with Orochimaru. The "snake-bastard", as Naruto liked to call him, had taught him techniques, but real strength doesn't come from that. Sasuke laughed again at his all-too-late realizations. Sakura, and his need to protect her, was what gave him strength. Now that he sat alone in a room filled with nothing but musty books and dusty carpet, he was slapped hard in the face by his situation. He was completely, utterly, disgustingly in love, and he had no ability to deal with it, because it might set her off. Sasuke couldn't even be near her.

Feeling restless, he stood up and began to pace, eyes on the floor. All he wanted was to be happy, and to have those around him be happy, too. He didn't even need to be a shinobi anymore. That part of his life seemed more simple habit than anything else. Of course, he wouldn't stop his work. He'd even help track down Orochimaru and the rest of his bastard henchmen if necessary. But when he thought of how his life would once again center around strife and blood, he stopped dead in his tracks. Did he want that for himself? Did he really, truly want to go back to the warpath?

His old mission in life, being the cause of Itachi's untimely demise, was finished. Sasuke looked around him, at his father's library. He needed a new mission. It might take his mind off of what he had done to himself. If he could find something to occupy his mind, to help him through the days, he could possibly ignore the fact that he was killing himself slowly, just by being away from the one person who had made him stronger than anything else.

Oh, he made a good show when he had talked to Naruto. Sasuke had even been able to keep the pain from his face when he saw Sakura walk into the room, and when he announced that he would be in the library. He was supposed to stay away. If this was how it felt after a mere hour, then how would the rest of his life be? Yes, he most certainly needed a new mission in life.

His eyes searched his surroundings almost desperately, scouring the place for something, anything that could serve as an anchoring point. Finally, Sasuke walked to a very dusty bookcase, and opened the glass front. The hinges creaked from lack of use. He pulled out a yellowed scroll, and unfurled it carefully. It was the last listing of the ranks of the Konohagakure Police Department that his father had ever written. One hundred members, fifty-three trainees. All dead. Sasuke shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head.

There wasn't really a police force anymore. The shinobi just watched out for everyone, and the ANBU were overworked, because of the recent rise in murders that needed investigation along with their usual mission requirements. That in and of itself was a problem. Sasuke smiled. He had just found his mission.

Naruto's face was still slightly pink from having Sakura practically jump him, and he held it under the cold water, letting it rush over his closed eyes and mouth, and into his ears, finally dulling his hearing. The water was why he did not hear the shower curtain opening, then slide closed again. It was also why he was distracted enough not to realize what was happening as the water suddenly began to get warmer. Confused, Naruto looked down. A pale and slender arm was withdrawing to its source behind him.

Praying that he was seeing things, he looked over his shoulder. When he did, he saw exactly what he had thought he would. Sakura was standing behind him, stark naked. Oh, please. Make this a dream. Please. I can't handle this…Indeed he couldn't…because Sakura wasn't just standing still behind him. She pushed him back under the spray of the showerhead, and joined him, her body pressed against him. "Sakura-chan…w-what are you doing?"

In a low, almost masculine voice, she said, "Letting you die happy."

This cryptic remark was left unexplained as she pushed him against the wall and used the faucet as a step before wrapping her legs around his waist. "Sakura, please. Don't—" He barely got those words out when she shut him up by kissing him roughly. This couldn't possibly be Sakura. It couldn't be. Was it some kind of demon masquerading in her skin? That was the only conclusion he could come up with. He tried to push her off of him, but found his arms clamped to his sides, and they would not budge, as hard as he tried. Sakura's strength more than lived up to that of her teacher. Sakura began to attack his throat, using her teeth more than he would have expected. Not that he was complaining. Naruto was, after all, a hormonal fifteen-year-old boy, and he wasn't about to complain about a wet and naked girl nipping at the extremely sensitive areas of his neck.

His breathing sped up as she began moving against him, causing him to make a strange half-growl, half-whimper at the shockwaves that raced through him. "Sakura…please…" He wasn't sure what he was going to ask, but he knew it was urgent, whatever it was.

In that same low voice, Sakura breathed next to his ear, "Please what? Stop? Continue?" This question was accompanied by a sharp tightening of her legs, and another exceedingly pleasant sensation that made his entire body shake. Was it just his imagination, or was she chuckling? That thought was shoved off to one side, and he concentrated on how it felt to have Sakura against him. It felt wonderful, and he let the feeling wash over him. Then, she repeated the question. "Should I stop, Naruto?"

"Hn…No. D-don't stop, please." It took a moment for him to realize what he had said, but by then it was far too late.

Her quiet laughter seemed more of a threat than any indication of mirth. "Mm. That's good." She let go of his arms, but only so that she could use her hands for other things. Naruto could feel them sliding over his skin, warm and small, and his eyes began to close. Then, he felt a sharp pain on the side of his neck, just where it met his shoulder. He gasped, and his eyes flew open to see Sakura smirking at him. "Tsk, tsk, Naruto. I want your eyes open. I want you to look at me when we do this." Her eyes seemed to be a very dark shade of green, and they were not a little frightening just then. But any thought of fear was quickly discarded when she demonstrated all that her hands and mouth could do.

Suddenly, Sakura's weight shifted, and Naruto's breath caught. He was…he could feel…Sakura had moved slightly upward, and had positioned herself in exactly the right place so that all she had to do was allow her weight to drop, and Naruto would be inside her.

"Naruto," Her voice said next to his ear, "I want you." Sakura's voice was now a low growl, and only made him more aware of the position they were in. Finally, the straw that broke the camel's back… "Take me, Naruto…Now." That last was said in a commanding sort of tone that he had never heard come from her. When he did not respond, she simply relaxed the hold her legs had on his waist, and he could not even protest as he found himself doing as she wanted, even without his permission.

Sasuke was walking past Sakura's room to his when he heard it. Coming from behind the door were moans, loud and long, and then he heard Sakura scream Naruto's name. His eyes shut tightly. Sasuke clenched his fists, and walked past the door, to his room, to get a sheet of paper and a pen, just as he had been intending. He could hear Sakura's voice better in his room, which meant that the two of them were in the bathroom. In the shower, he thought absently. The images that conjured were less than welcome.

Then, suddenly, all was quiet. Sasuke shrugged. Then, he heard something that made his eyes turn the red of the Sharingan. There was a thumping, along with a muffled kind of groaning sound that reminded him of a gagged prisoner screaming for help. He dropped the pen and paper, and ran for Sakura's room. Throwing the door open, he could feel a cold wave of fear as he heard a very familiar laugh. He was completely unarmed. That was easily fixed. Sasuke reached the nearest closet, and opened the door silently. Inside, he knew, was a stash of weapons, including smoke bombs, kunai, and a wakizashi. He took the short sword and a kunai, holding the one in his hands, and the other in his teeth.

The bathroom door was ajar, steam pouring out of it, and all he could hear now was the shower. Approaching the room cautiously, he peeked into the doorway. Before he could react, he heard Sakura say in a voice that wasn't all hers, "Come in, Sasuke-kun. You can join us." He positioned himself in the doorway, holding the wakizashi out with one hand, and taking the kunai in the other.

"Leave him be." Sasuke said, his eyes flicking from her face to a bloody Naruto on the floor, and finally to her arm, which was slick with Naruto's blood, up to her elbow.

"And what are you going to do? Are you going to kill me, Sasuke? No, I don't think you will." Sakura had begun walking toward him, her eyes locked on his face. Soon, she was standing only two centimeters from the tip of his blade. The gleaming metal was within a finger's width of slicing open her chest. "If you're going to hurt me, you'd better do it now. But I know you won't. Because it would be hurting her."

Sasuke could feel Naruto's chakra, still alive, but waning. He had to resolve this quickly. "Get out of her head, asshole."

A smirk set itself delicately onto Sakura's features. "Oh, but I like it in here, brother. She's so…innocent." Green eyes glanced down at Naruto. "Well…not that innocent. Not anymore." Her hand reached out, and took the kunai, placing it at her throat. "Move." Sasuke did not budge. "Move, or I kill her."

"But you'll die, too."

That made Sakura's lips curl into a very unpleasant smile. "Yes, that is true. But I would have the absolute pleasure of seeing your face twisted in grief, one more time. I could see it when everything is taken away from you. Again." Sasuke felt the struggle inside himself. He could simply move, and allow his brother (albeit inside Sakura's head) to get away again, or, he could stay put, and watch Sakura die. He moved. "Thanks, chibi." Sasuke turned to see Sakura grab her clothes, and disappear in a cloud of smoke.

"Fuck!" He yelled hoarsely, dropping his weapon and running over to where Naruto lay. The boy's chest had a gaping hole in it, as if someone had put their hand through it. He knew for a fact that was exactly what Sakura had done. Or, what Itachi had done…it was all too much for him right now. Shaking it off, he concentrated on Naruto. Sasuke took a deep breath and employed the tiny bit of medical knowledge he had in a jutsu to stop the blood from flowing outward. He then scooped up the blonde's body, and brought it out into the bedroom. Gently wrapping him in the bed sheet, Sasuke held Naruto to his chest and made the trip to Konoha hospital in one teleportation jutsu. "Medic!" He screamed so hoarsely that it barely made any sound. His jutsu was starting to fail, and the blood began to flow once again as he kicked his way through the doors into the emergency room.

Three medics ran forward, taking Naruto from him, and another began asking him questions. "Who did this?"

At first, when he didn't answer, the man eyed him suspiciously. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Haruno Sakura."

"How long ago?" The man asked after a slight start.

"No more than five minutes." Sasuke said numbly. He felt his knees give out, and his rump bounced slightly as he hit the floor. Naruto was dying. He could tell. He knew it while he had been holding him. Everything was slipping away from him again. He felt like he was falling, like in the dream he'd always had as a little boy. Falling forever, never really hitting bottom. Well, he could see the bottom now. It was rising fast.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up. Why was Tsunade there? She grasped his shirt collar, and hauled him onto his feet. "Suck it up, Uchiha." Her words, though rough, seemed to help him clear his head. "I take it that you failed in the first mission I gave you?" He simply nodded. There was no sense in denying that. "Well, tell me what happened." He did. "Damn it. You are to stay here. Keep watch over Naruto. She may come back to finish the job."

He nodded again. "Hai, Hokage-sama. But what about finding her?"

A wry smile crossed her features. "She won't be found unless she wants to be. With the combined knowledge she and Itachi have, I don't think that any of us will be able to contain her, let alone take her out." Sasuke started. Tsunade looked him in the eyes, devoid of emotion. "Sakura is now a missing-nin, Sasuke. There is nothing we can do about that. As of now, I'm going to be sending the hunters after her." Sasuke clenched his jaw. There didn't seem to be another way. Itachi was in control of her body, and perhaps even her mind. What was she capable of now that he had taken over? Did he have access to her medical jutsu knowledge? All of the questions that swirled around his head started to make him dizzy. He swayed on his feet, then steadied himself.

He was not going to be able to do anything. Or was it that they wouldn't allow him to? To hell with it all. Sasuke thought this to himself. If it really was Itachi in her head, Sakura would come back. She would come back, and she would try to kill him. Until that happened, he would wait. He could bide his time. Sasuke would not betray the trust that Sakura used to have in him, and he certainly wasn't going to abandon Naruto. He drew himself up to his full height, and looked down at the blonde woman staring at him.

"Hokage-sama, I will submit to whatever judgment you render. Please, I will watch over him, but I need my weapons." She nodded, and gestured to one of the medics, giving orders that Sasuke was to be given weapons and stationed at the door of the operating room, then at Naruto's bedside as he recovered. She also left orders that Naruto would not, under any circumstances, be allowed to die. That was definitely something that only she would say.

Naruto heard a rasping sound. It seemed to be that whenever he would breathe, he heard it. He opened his eyes to see the white of a hospital-room ceiling. He groaned. That color was far too familiar for his liking. "Oi, dobe." Sasuke. He turned toward the voice, and saw his friend. The boy looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Have a nice nap?" The Uchiha asked. Naruto didn't have the energy to laugh.

He suddenly remembered what had happened. "Where is she?"

Sasuke shook his head. "We don't know. All we know is that Itachi took over her mind, and now she's gone." Naruto looked back up at the ceiling.

"Hunters?" he asked in a dull voice.

"Hai." Sasuke said, in a voice just as devoid of life. Naruto looked at him. On Sasuke's face, he actually saw pain. The realization of what had caused that pain hit him like a ton of bricks.

"You lied to me." He said, and Sasuke looked away from him. "Why?"

"Because I thought she would be better off with you." He seemed to be honest, and Naruto still couldn't believe him. If Sasuke did love her, then why had he honestly thought that Naruto would be better for her? As it was, he wasn't altogether sure she actually loved either of them.

Neither of them looked at the other, for a very long time. "How long have I been out?"

"Four days." Sasuke said, and Naruto sighed. He looked down at himself, and noticed that there was a small tube coming out of his chest. Naruto's eyes grew wide, and looked to Sasuke for an explanation. "You developed an infection yesterday. It's a tube for delivery of your antibiotics. Don't touch it."

"Yes, mother." Naruto snapped. He was more than irritable. He was irate. More at himself than anyone else, though Sasuke came in a close second. It wasn't fair to blame anyone. None of them knew that this would happen, because nothing like this had ever happened before. Now, there was a mass-murderer with a really cute face running around. And Naruto had nearly become one of the bastard's victims, as well. "So what do we do now?" He asked as he sat up just enough to lessen the raspy quality of his breathing. Sasuke looked down at him, a very faint smile on his face.

"Up for a challenge once you get out of here?"

Naruto looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

A/N: Okay. So it was uber-short. Hey, the next chapter (which I have written, and is in editing) will be mega-long, so I suppose we'll all just have to get over it. Oh, and I HATE Sakura now.