((A.N. Ahah I hath returneth with a new waaaaaay voerdue chapter... yet again. lol sorry I'm trying to keep up with updates for my story on ficpress and i keep on finding myself neglecting my fanfiction lol well ejooooy and pleaseee reviewwww xx))

She blocked the next sword attack with one sword and stabbed the next sword through the leaves, she slashed him somewhere. Her sword came back covered with blood and leaves. Sakura shook it off then spun quickly to dodge the next attack, she stabbed her other sword outwards again but this time she jumped with it. She leaped upwards and jumped on him pinning him to the ground, at the same time she felt a sharp pain to her side. She coughed something warm up in her mouth; she spat out the blood on the floor next to her as she held the blade to his throat.

"End the technique!" She ordered harshly. She could barely see him through the leaves; she was working her chakra to her wound to stop it from bleeding.

The wind died down and the leaves fell around them. Sakura glared angrily at the assassin, he was as seriously injured as she was. He was bleeding everywhere; there was a scrape on the side of his face where the kunai had sliced through his cheek. He'd also coughed up blood, which was clear from the line that ran down the side of his mouth. They were both breathing heavily. Sakura's vision was fading slightly she shook the feeling away.

His sword was still lodged right through her side and was bleeding slowly, not enough blood was lost for her to start worrying yet. "Who are you working for?" she demanded, too gruffly for a girl, but she didn't care. Being lady-like wasn't exactly her top priority at that moment.

He laughed, "You think I'll tell you princess?" he asked. Sakura tightened the blade on his neck, "If you like having blood in your body you will." She replied. He twisted the sword in her side slightly. Sakura gasped from pain, he used her slight twitch to hook his leg behind her and turn them both over, now he pinned her. Sakura held the short sword to his throat, a trickle of blood tickled down his neck from where the blade had rubbed his skin, "Looks like I'm in charge now." He said with a smile.

He pushed the sword further into her to the hilt. The sword lodged into the ground beneath her and pinned her there. Sakura glared up at him. He smiled again, "Ok princess, you're going to remove that sword from my throat, then I'm going to remove my sword."

"Not a chance."

"Do you have to do things the difficult way?"

"There is no other way of doing things." Sakura channelled chakra into her hand and punched him on the side of the face. He went flying off her, not expecting her to be able to hit him so hard. He lay still for a while on the ground, he groaned then shook his head. Sakura stared at him; his jaw was broken. Good she thought.

Sakura moved her shaking hands to the sword and tried to pull it out of her stomach, she managed to lift it up a little bit, agonising pain swept through her, she couldn't stop the cry before it exited her mouth. "You'll pay for that." Came his hoarse and slightly slurred voice from his slowly moving form on the ground. He pulled out a kunai and glared at her, there was no playfulness, or arrogance in his eyes now, only rage and murderous intent. He crawled towards her; he was probably concussed, and too ill to stand.

Sakura had little time to save herself before he did something to really hurt her. She tightened both hands on the hilt of the sword. She screwed her eyes shut and braced herself for pain.

Bracing herself didn't help much. She screamed with the first tug, the sword moved quite a fair bit out of the wound, two more tugs and she'd be free. He was getting closer, she took a deep breath and tightened her shaking hands, she tugged again, another scream rang out through the trees and tears streamed from her eyes.

She sobbed and realised she was holding her breath, she started taking deep breaths then tugged at the sword again, she freed herself easily and threw it away from her. She spun onto her front and crawled on her stomach towards a tree trunk.

He quickly caught up to her and grasped her ankle. Sakura tried to shake him off but she felt a kunai stab into the top of her calf, she ignored it and dragged herself forwards. She reached for something glinting through the grass and curled her fingers around it tightly. She felt him crawl over her legs and pick up the kunai above his head ready to stab through her back. Sakura quickly spun around, ignoring the agonising pull to her stab wound and stabbed the senbon needle at his face, she didn't see where she hit him she just pulled it back and stabbed him again, and again. She stabbed him until he fell to the ground and dropped the kunai; he lay across her legs, completely still.

Sakura fell onto her back and stared up at the clouds, barely able to breath. "Who are you working for?" she asked weakly. He let out a part laugh part croak. He was dying, she was dying; it was ok for them to share secrets now. "A red haired man, I didn't catch his name, he paid me to k-kill the target you were sent here to get. He looks a little like you, same green eyes. Oh and a scar across his neck." He took a shaky breath, "You know him?"

Sakura closed her eyes, "Yeah I know him." The two were talking like they hadn't just tried to kill each other, but there was no point in arguing until they died, "He's my brother." She explained moving uncomfortably as she forced chakra to her wound to heal her wound and numb the pain a little. "You're family's messed up." He coughed a spurt of blood into the air. Sakura laughed bitterly, "You think so?" she asked. He didn't reply, Sakura craned her head to look at him; he was dead, still. She didn't sympathise with him, they were both assassins, they were both good assassins at that. He would have been prepared to die on a job just like she was, Sakura shifted backwards, but she wasn't going to die yet, she was better than that. But why would Hiroshi pay for a good assassin to go after her? That was a question she wanted answered, he cant be that crazy…

You're dying.

Sakura paused at the voice as her back hit a tree.

You again? You wont get rid of me… You're getting weaker and weaker, when your weak enough I'll save us from dying, and then I'll save us from emotions altogether. I wont let you. Ha… you don't have a choice Sakura-chan. I've been festering here like a fungus for too damn long. Feeling everything you've felt but not being able to do anything about it. But it's ok… I'll stop us feeling anything; you'll stop hearing the voices then. Just let me take over you for a few hours. No! As if I'd let a crazy little voice take me over, what do you think I am? A dying girl… that's what you are. Not for long.

Sakura ignored the voice and it eventually faded away, she had no chakra left to hide the body, she left him there. She managed to slide herself up into a standing position up the trunk of the tree. She lurched forwards and only just managed to regain balance as she coughed up some dark red blood. Ok this has nothing to do with my lungs at least. She stumbled to the next tree leaving a trail of blood behind her, her leg with the kunai wound in it shook. She wanted a break and a chance to close her eyes and rest, but she knew that if she did that then she'd never open her eyes again.

She heard a rustle near her, she was so sure he was dead, but who else would it be? Someone was walking steadily towards her. Sakura spun around and doubled over at the pain to her stomach. The noise got closer it was definitely feet crunching against leaves. Sakura looked to the 'borrowed' kimono, well that wasn't going back to its owner… She shook her head, her mind was wondering, blood loss is a bitch.

The footsteps got closer and closer. Sakura was fighting to keep her eyes open now. Someone kneeled in front of her, "She's hurt." Came a familiar voice, Sakura couldn't quite put it to a face though, she felt bad for not knowing whose voice it was. "It's a good thing we followed her." Through her fading vision she saw a flash of red hair. "H-Hiroshi?" she questioned groggily. She got no reply, "She's delusional." Said the voice, it was booming inside her mind like a base drum. Sakura gasped, it must be Hiroshi; she started struggling. "Stop moving." Ordered the booming voice, "You'll make things worse." Sakura shook her head and carried on struggling. "No, no, no!" she shouted like an angry child beating her fists outwards with no chakra. Strong hands seized her wrists. "You're in so much trouble," breathed the voice. Sakura coughed up a spurt of blood and fell forwards. Protective arms wrapped around her, not her brother's arms, she was lifted into the air bridal style. "S-Sasori?" she breathed. "Now she gets it." Replied the booming voice softly. "Come on we need to get you back before you die." He said as though he were talking about leading her out of the rain to stop her catching a cold. "You're a mess."

"I still wan." She replied almost inaudibly.

Sasori sighed at her, he didn't have time to get a puppet when Konan dragged him into the destroyed bathroom and ordered him to check the outside of the city for her to make sure she was ok. "Konan-sama's going to kill you for getting in such a mess." He explained stepping out of the forest casually. Sakura sighed contently, "If this wound doesn't do the job for her." She replied sleepily. Sasori frowned, "Was he that tough? Who sent him?"

"He isn't that tough… he's dead now… Hiroshi sent him."

"What?"

"I don't get it either." She was curled into him eyes closed tightly and her fist gripping a handful of his cloak as though it would rid her of the pain. "I think I'm getting a bit delusional… I thought you were Hiroshi!" She giggled. Sasori sighed in annoyance, "I noticed." He mused her, she was in a lot of pain it was the least he could do. "You make a much better brother Sasori-san." Sasori paused and stared down at her strangely, she'd passed out. "You really are delusional aren't you Sakura-chan?" he said before zipping through the village so fast it was as though he was disappearing and reappearing all over the place.

Sakura woke up in a cosy room. Her head lay upon a fluffed pillow. Her eyes fluttered open slowly. She moved into a sitting position and felt a pain sweep over her body; she slumped backwards on the bed and muttered something inaudible.

"Yes, yes lazing is all well and good but we have to report to leader-sama." Came a voice from next to her. Sakura re-opened one eye and saw Konan sitting next to her folding paper carefully between her fingers. "You bleed a lot, you've wrecked some of my favourite bed sheets." Sakura shut her eyes and turned away from Konan, "Gomen, Gomen… How did I survive that wound anyway?" Konan didn't look up from the paper, Sakura knew this without looking, Konan was already well into making an origami project, nothing would stop her now. "Sasori found one of your medical books and he used it to keep you alive until we found some old doctor to look at you."

"Some old doctor?"

"He's dead now so it's ok." Sakura guessed what had happened; Konan had killed him to keep their identities a secret.

"Anyway enough idle chit-chat Pein-kun is waiting for you to report everything,"

"Can't I report it tomorrow?"

"He's been waiting for a week." Sakura's eyes widened and she shot bolt upright in the bed. She coughed sputtered then nearly fell off the bed. If it weren't for Konan dragging her back whilst she was in between folding the paper, Sakura would've been flat on her face.

"Oh yeah you're in stitches so don't move around too much." Sakura sighed, "I was out for a week?"

"And a half of a day." Added Konan, "But it's ok, you were beat up badly. That guy was ranked just under Orochimaru in the new bingo book."

"There's a new bingo book?"

"Didn't Kisame give you the copy?" Sakura sighed, "Obviously he forgot." She mumbled infuriated. "Where are we again?"

"Akatsuki base, Sasori carried you back in his puppet. Said something about you staining the wood."

"Gomen…"

"It's ok… between me and you I think he was worried." Sakura frowned, "Why?"

"Well… you started hallucinating and thought he was your brother… and then you thought I was Orochimaru… thank you by the way." Sakura closed her eyes, "Gomen…" she yawned.

Konan picked up a roll of papers and whacked her over the head with it, waking Sakura up straight away, "Ok… ok I'm up!" she groaned holding her head in pain.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pushed herself to stand up, she fell straight onto the floor. Konan quickly stood up, "Well if you felt that bad you could've said." she said. She walked around to help her up. Sakura got up on her own accord and brushed down her clothes, which is when she realised that she was wearing one of Konan's nightdresses, "Konan-sama… why have you dressed me in this?" She was in an Aqua silk nightdress, which barely fit her. Konan shrugged, "That colour suits you." Sakura sighed and sat backwards on the bed, "I'm not going out to meet leader-sama dressed like this." She said.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Konan getting a little pissed off; "I wear it when I see him." Sakura nodded, "And what do the two of you do when you see him wearing this?" Konan opened her mouth to answer; then she thought a little, "Point taken." She said finally, "I'll go and find something for you to wear… most of you clothes were destroyed along with your room… which means we need to go shopping." Konan moved to her walk in wardrobe and opened the door. Sakura sighed, "How is my room looking?" she asked. "The wall's fixed." Replied Konan hidden within the depths of her wardrobe. The door was open but due to the lack of an inside handle the door couldn't open from the inside if it closed on her.

"And the rest?" prompted Sakura. Konan sighed from her place in the wardrobe, "The floor's so weak it's impossible to walk on, but that's being fixed, you're furniture is… well… you don't want to know." Sakura sighed, "So I'm bunking on the couch?"

"We've come up with a router. You're with me tonight, Kisame tomorrow, Sasori the next day, then Itachi, then me again."

"I think I'll stay on the couch." Konan sighed, "But the couch is lumpy it'll give you a really bad back and disrupt your work."

"Then I'll buy a futon and put it on the floor."

"Hey, what's so wrong with sleeping in everyone else's rooms anyway?"

"Kisame snores, Sasori rarely sleeps, and you… have late night visits from Leader-sama." She heard the giggle from the wardrobe and shuddered at the mental image floating through her mind. The giggling stopped as there was the sound of leather rubbing against itself,

At that moment the main door entering the room flew open. Knocking Konan's wardrobe door closed. "Konan-sama!" called Sakura wincing. She paused when she saw who was in the doorway.

Kisame, Sasori and Itachi were in the doorway. Kisame was in a state of shock, Itachi was staring at Sakura as though she'd grown a new head and Sasori was standing there as usual waiting for someone to speak.

"What?" She asked, oblivious to what they were staring at, "Oh no… he didn't permanently scar my face, did he?" She got no reply and found her fingers searching for the scar. "Oh it's not something they regret looking at I can tell you that." Came Sasori's bored voice. "That's a very revealing dress you have on." Sakura looked down at her attire then found herself going red with embarrassment, but that almost cute embarrassed face quickly moulded into one of anger. She clutched the quilt next to her and dragged it up to cover herself, "Perverts!" she shouted. She started throwing all of Konan's cushions at them. Kisame took one to the face and barely managed to catch it, "Sorry Sakura-chan." He called running out of the room.

Itachi dodged the pillows until Sakura ran out of projectiles. "It's your own fault for wearing it." He said. Sakura clutched the sheet tighter, "I didn't choose this; Konan did!" Sasori nodded slowly, "That explains everything." He said.

Sakura sighed and let her rage subside, "What do you want anyway, other than getting a gander at me in a nightdress."

"That's not what we're here for." Drifted Kisame's voice from the corridor.

Sakura huffed, "What is it then?" Itachi and Sasori shared a glance, "You know," said Sasori, "Maybe we should tell you later." Sakura glared and dropped the quilt, "Don't just make a big thing about needing to tell me about something and then not bothering!" she shouted. She got off the bed and managed to keep standing purely because of her rage.

Itachi immediately noticed how injured she was but hesitated in forcing her to lye down, she might hit him for it. "So answer me, what is it?" Demanded Sakura.

"Maybe it is best if we…" started Itachi but before he could finish, and before Sakura could scold him further a voice could be heard ringing down the hallway. "Just let us see her already!" A blonde person, who Sakura hadn't long said goodbye to, shoved himself into the room by squeezing between Itachi and Kisame. He stumbled into the room then regained his balance. "Sakura-" he paused mid greeting when he noticed what she was wearing. Both were in complete shock and unable to speak.

"Hey I'm here too!" called a voice that sounded fake. A boy pushed his way through Itachi and Sasori the same way Naruto had. He paused when his dark eyes fell upon her, he whistled in admiration, "Wow Sakura-chan." He said, "You've changed a lot since I last saw you."

"You?" questioned Sakura in absolute shock.

((A.N. le gasp!! can anyone work out who this person iiissss? I dedicate the next chappy to the first two people who guess correctly XD. pleeeaaasssee reviewwww

oh and although I hate people who promote their fictionpress on theri fanfics... incase anyone was wodering my name is the same on fictionpress ok toodlesss))