Author's note: Thanks to Takara Makoto, Hentai Goddess, and sleeping itasaku fangirl, all of whom reviewed the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this next chapter as it will answer many of your questions. As always, R&R. ;)

"And you will stay the hell out of my head." Sakura returned.

In an instant Itachi's eyes narrowed chillingly. "You want me out? Then make me, kunoichi." Instantly he used the connection to pull up the worst memories of her life and display them in plain horrific detail adding his own memories to the mix but putting her in his shoes. He could feel her resistance fighting him as her eyes stayed on his. But she was slowly losing to the nightmares, he could read it in her eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sakura grit her teeth as her muscles tightened under the Uchiha's gaze. Yet as she lunged for him, the Uchiha merely increased the intensity of fear in her mind, freezing her.

"Itachi. Stop." Yichi's frozen voice reached his ears as the angel stared at him with ice like eyes from the doorway. The silver halo shone nearly a storm gray, reflecting the darkness in her eyes. Two chakra bands twined off her back pulsing with energy.

Turning to the Yakamichi, Itachi's dark gaze was challengingly sadistic. Sakura began to shake as the mental torture continued inside her mind, but he seemed to no notice. "Do not interfere."

"This is not what Leader condoned, Uchiha. Leave the girl alone," Yichi returned, her gaze meeting Itachi's with equal ice. She shook with a barely controlled fury her hands forming lashes out of the cords of chakra. "Torturing her like this will break her."

"Since when have you cared," Itachi snapped, his low voice no more than a growl as Sakura fell to her knees, now whimpering softly. "The weak deserve to break."

Immediately the girl shot forward, murder in her gaze.

Sasori suddenly appeared before her, blocking her way with his puppets. "Does it bring up memories, Yichi? Tch. You never let go of your own nightmares…" the puppet master scorned. "How pathetic…"

The temper she had been holding back exploded as her bright halo became the darkest midnight. Her wings exploded from her back as her gaze became pure red. Lashing out with her bands at the puppets, Yichi shifted silently as the chakra wrapped around them. Pulling sharply up and then down, the angel attempted to smash the first two puppets. As they snapped, she threw out another band for Itachi, sharpening her chakra to the point where it would be like a blade.

Sasori's eyes narrowed as he pulled sharply back on his chakra strings. Throwing them out to catch one of the chakra lashes, he neatly jumped to avoid a low swipe for his ankles as Yichi summoned her other bands. Whirling her arms like a windmill, she kept the slashes coming at a record speed, neatly dodging the poison bombs that he threw for her.

Twirling sharply in a tight turn, she jerked the strings back to her as they wound around her arms. Her lilac eyes were nearly violet with rage, her body pulsed as a black aura surrounded her. Her hands were open palmed, like a hyuuga, but they glowed. Dropping into a taijutsu combination as puppets suddenly seemed to flood the room, Yichi eyed them warily as everyone in the room remained still. Then the silence was broken as the hundreds of puppets swarmed for her.

Jumping neatly, the Yakamichi slammed her heel into the bodies of thos nearest as she used her palms to create balance on the floor. Righting herself, she ducked a sword, to turn a low sweeping kick that struck out the majority of legs around her. Pulling her wings around her, she exploded them out as puppets pressed against the barrier, sending many flying as she fought her way closer to Sakura.

Itachi's gaze remained on the kunoichi as the puppet master and angel faced off. He could feel the numb panic in her, the perfectly submissive child instinct that was taking over her. He was unsurprised about Yichi's reaction. The relationship between the two had become that of friends because of similar experience. Staring at the furious Yakamichi as he recognized signs of Angellic Rage beginning to appear, he slowly released his hold over Sakura. It would take a while for her to recover to battle physique. And he wanted her to watch this, to see what her resistance would cost her. This is what it will cost you, kunoichi…. She will fall to the ground and you will be unable to save her. Just like you couldn't save Naruto.

Standing before Sakura as he watched the Yakamichi's darting movements, he selected a special kunai from his pouch. This was going to end now, before she could fire off her ultimate jutsu. Taking careful aim, he waited until the seal glowed. And then he threw it with expert aim as he formed handsigns.

Sasori reacted accordingly, keeping the Akatsuki girl's attention occupied to one side as the Uchia worked. Watching the kunai fly through through the air towards the girls unprotected back, he shifted slightly as he threw four kunai, one to each side except for middle, purposedly made to miss so that it would force her to hover for a split second.

As her wings spread wide for another beat, Yichi paused as she felt something strike her back… and then her wings shattered. It was as though glass rained through the air as she fell, her lilac eyes staring in horror as the ground grew closer and closer.

Sakura's heart broke into shards as she watched as though in slow motion. A single thought ran through her mind, a statement the Yakamichi had made.

"You and I are the same." Yichi said softly. "We have both lost that which is dearest to us."

Itachi watched as the girl fell with satisfaction but then a soft, shimmering red appeared in the air around her, forming around her to slowly halt her fall. Turning in surprise, Itachi stared at Sakura's tear stained face. The green eyes were closed as liquid crystals poured out of them, yet her face showed her anger.

The petals hung around her in a pulsing red that seemed almost the color of blood as she slowly opened her emerald eyes to reveal their dark hate. "I thought you were different," she whispered. "I thought maybe you had some decency…but I was wrong. You are no different than Sasuke."

Itachi froze, staring at her as she slowly rose to her feet. He could feel the rage she pulsed, it rivaled what he had felt in her dream. Yet as she closed her eyes again, he sensed something more. Something that he had missed while he was asleep, a memory of the Yakamichi. "Stop Sasori" Itachi commanded coldly as the puppet master's finger's twitched. "There's something more to this than either or them have told us."

The puppet master halted. "Please… enlighten us."

Eyes boring into her, Itachi glared at them each. It made sense now, their protectiveness of the other, the easy friendship between such frozen kunoichi who were such opposites. As the silence hung, Itachi glanced between them.

"It would seem that these two are sisters."