(A/N) Sorry it's a bit late. This verse is so small; I don't even think it's a verse. I was going to include the chorus, but I felt otherwise. Not worth it. The last chapter was my favorite verse (even though when I posted it, the structure was messed up), so I enjoyed writing it. I actually love every single one. There are about four chapters left (I'm including the very end, which is pretty garbled).

Disclaimer: It's pretty obvious I don't own Naruto or Painted.

Painted

Where the Blame Lies

Well I hate

Pouring my heart out

When it's fading fast

And streaming down your leg.

The weeks walked past nonchalantly, stopping here and there to watch a broken girl struggle. She was mourning in a way, and she was trying not to let anything in. Her bed was her home and refuge, and the killer never left her side. In his mind he was telling her to stand, go up to Naruto, and knock him out with the power of her master. Whoever said anything was possible, never met Sakura Haruno.

"Why did you stay?"

Her hands were reaching up, searching for something neither of them saw. They soon fell, and she turned over in the sheets. The sun glared through the window, and she squinted.

"You told me to."

He studied her form, memorizing its curves and its lines, every intricate detail that his eyes traced. He would remember this because it would soon disappear like everything before. No moment lasts, and no life is perfect.

"Why did you listen?"

She turned to him, her tears acting as glue for her hair to stick to her face. Her eyes were jaded and tired, and all he wanted to do was to make her pure again. He wanted her to return, and he knew he was being selfish.

"I don't have a choice."

He did, but she didn't have to know. It was a secret he kept between himself, a pretty lie that comforted him. If he ever let himself believe it, he could sever all of the worthless bonds he created. But he chose the truth and people that he hated for the sake of this girl and village.

"Where did you put everything you stole from me?"

Sakura was very inquisitive, and Itachi didn't mind. "I hid them."

"Where?"

"Do you really expect me to tell you?"

She sighed. The breath was empty and forlorn. "I guess not."

There was an empty silence. Itachi couldn't stand it. Whenever he was around her, he wanted to tell her everything. Whenever he saw her frail body, he wanted to speak the truth. It was dangerous for him to be with her, but she was a magnet that pulled sadness, hurt, and a killer into her.

"I won't always be here."

Those words could kill. He didn't need a knife, or any sort of blade. All he needed was that simple admission. Itachi knew how much that sentence tore her apart. Sakura could feel the words burn any hope that was struggling to grow.

"Again," she said hollowly. "Like everyone else."

Yes, he thought. Like everyone else. He was no better than her team. Worse, in fact. Naruto would stay, and there was a chance Sasuke would come back. He, however, would never remain.

"Trust in Naruto," Itachi said.

Sakura, with her broken eyes and broken body, stared at him with a broken gaze. "Never again."

He let himself smile, but only a bit. And it was not a true smile. "Then how do you expect to survive?"

"Are you forgetting, Itachi?" Her voice was broken. "I don't want to survive. The only thing keeping me here is you."

Itachi needed to stay. He was foolish for getting himself in this predicament. Foolish for showing up in her room that night. He was not foolish, however, for stopping her. That was the smartest thing he had done. However, he was going to do something much more foolish than any of those. Something stupid, wonderful, and all around complicated.

He was going to make her feel.

He kissed her.

Pushing her down into the tear-ridden sheets, his lips touched hers in an unbefitting way of a killer. He wasn't supposed to be gentle. His hands weren't supposed to be so soft. But they were, and it was all Sakura could do not to shatter under his touch. Feel, he thought, hoping his words could reach her through his lips. If only this once, feel me. And she did, even though she didn't want to. It wasn't only his physical touch, but his very being. She felt him, and everything that made and molded him.

Sakura let herself respond to Itachi, let her fingers crawl to his scalp. She felt him, and he tasted her. It was a horrible, beautiful union. They betrayed everything they came to be, and let themselves become what they wanted. And in breathing, free of the other's grasp, they knew that life could only be so perfect.

-

"Has she…been like this for a while?"

Naruto sat with the Hokage in her office. He was brooding, and the woman laughed at his severe expression. He looked like the Third, with his face all wrinkled.

"I'm afraid so," Tsunade responded. "She looks okay for a normal girl, but for her…she's too weak. She stopped training a while ago and only got weaker. That's not the only noticeable difference."

They looked at each other in understanding. Their Sakura was fading. Just like her namesake, she blossomed for a short time, and withered away. They couldn't bring her back. They couldn't have their kunoici in their eyes again. This angered Naruto to the point of destruction.

"What the hell happened?" he asked himself in a hoarse voice. "Where did we go wrong?"

"You didn't go anywhere wrong," Tsunade said, pouring her beloved sake into a cup. The liquid was her favorite companion. "It's the fact that you went."

He blamed himself. Everything that happened to Sakura, he blamed it on all his mistakes. It was his way of thinking. He had a tendency to push the blame onto his shoulders, even when it was only partly his fault. The rest of the fault belonged to time and its slow burn.

-

"He's out there again."

Sakura sat at the window, staring at her old friend. Naruto stood on the stoop, looking at the door awkwardly.

"Do you think he'll actually open the door this time?" she asked, looking at Itachi.

"Do you want him to?"

Looking at Naruto, she saw it clearly. He wanted her to open the door. He wanted her to show him it's alright and she's ready to let him in. She walked over and touched the knob, looking at Itachi for reassurance. He said nothing and she opened the door. The blonde looked up, shocked that the thing he had his eyes fixated on moved. He was hesitant. She walked away, leaving the door open.

Itachi didn't bother hiding as Naruto entered. There was no need to. They both gave a nod of acknowledgment.

The aspirant hokage bent his head, realizing he hadn't prepared a fantastic speech to sway his friend. "What do I say?" he asked the Akatsuki.

"Anything," Itachi replied. "As long as you say something."

Naruto nodded again, taking a deep breath as if he was preparing to dunk his head underwater. He walked into the kitchen and saw Sakura sitting on the counter. Neither said anything. He tried to look anywhere but at her gaunt face.

"Are you going to try and help me?" she asked, a tinge of resentment in her voice.

"No," Naruto said, remembering Itachi's words. "I'm just going to stand by you…like I should have. I promise."

She smiled bitterly. "How can I know you won't leave?"

"It's my nindo. I never go back-"

"On your word," she finished.

He smiled, and she caught a glimpse of his former self. His signature gesture of putting his thumb up as reassurance. His bright eyes and smile that inspired so many hearts.

"All of these years," Naruto said, his smile slowly fading. "I've been looking for Sasuke. And I won't give up."

He found himself in a dilemma. This was when his nindo backfired. If he stayed with Sakura, he couldn't search for Sasuke. He knew, no matter how selfish it was, he was more concerned with finding Sasuke for himself. However, the one friend he could locate needed him and the Uchiha didn't.

"For now, I'll just take a break," Naruto said.

-

Naruto did not anticipate how hard taking a break would be. He was itching to go back and continue his search for his long lost friend, who left behind his village and headband.

"You know, you don't have to stay in the house," Sakura said, looking at him fidgeting on the couch. "Go train or something."

"No," he replied, turning on the broken television and grimacing. "I'm staying-"

"I said get the hell out!"

Naruto's teeth chattered, but he smiled. Sakura's old personality was beginning to shine through. He ran out of the apartment for show, and laughed along the way. She laughed along with him, and felt better. After closing the door, she looked around for Itachi. He was nowhere to be found, but she didn't worry. He often disappeared and she was used to it.

Besides, she had someone else to stand by her.

-

Itachi didn't regret many things. He didn't regret killing his clan (he had good reasons), he didn't regret leaving his brother (he would become strong), and he didn't regret joining the Akatsuki (no matter how despicable they were). However, one girl made him regret so many things. And all he wanted to do was heal her and feel the strength she used to have. He knew he couldn't, though. He knew that if he went back to her, he'd surrender everything he built.

"Where have you been, Itachi?" Kisame asked him.

Itachi didn't acknowledge him and didn't need to. They were preparing to go to Konoha. The kyuubi was their target, and oddly, Itachi felt like he was betraying some form of trust. He was a fool. Even as they entered the village, the feeling didn't subside. When they found the blonde, he still couldn't shake that sentiment.

"I knew you were coming," Naruto said.

So did the ANBU. The battle began.

-

Sakura swallowed, standing in front of the door. A wooden plank never looked so intimidating. She was half praying he wasn't there, and half hoping he was. She knocked. Naruto didn't answer. She breathed out in relief. He was gone and she decided to wander. It was twilight, the stars peaking out shyly from behind clouds. She found herself at team seven's old training ground. Discarded shuriken and kunai lay forlornly. She picked one up and for once, didn't want to place it against her skin.

Dropping it she walked over to the dummies, stroking the marks made by enthusiastic rookies and trained ninja. Her heart ached as she saw the memories on the ground. They surfaced and seemed to happen anew right in front of her. It turned out to be another battle, occurring some ways off. She ran over to the clanging noise of metal, knowing she should be heading in the opposite direction.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed as she saw him. Her hands moved to her mouth when she saw Itachi.

She wasn't surprised. She couldn't be, but the girl knew she couldn't lie to herself. She never accepted that he was the enemy. She trusted him and the fact that he'd stay. She let herself slowly come together, and seeing him made her want to tear herself apart again. She deserved it. She was foolish for letting herself be deceived again. Itachi never said he'd stay forever; he would never always be in that chair, watching over her with wounded eyes.

Itachi saw her balk, and he did the same. The ANBU was coming at him with a katana. The Akatsuki dropped his own. The sound of metal piercing his flesh made him unfathomably happy. The last thing he saw was her face, slowly fading to a dismal black. It was a pleasant sight to die to.

-

(A/N) Cliffy! YAYZ! MUAHAHA!

Deidara: Clyde-chan didn't take her meds today, did she, un?

Kisame: -Holds up bottle- Crap. She needs a refill.

WOOT, I'm back in action! I hope you enjoyed this, even though it's short. The next chapter may be longer. I dunno yet. So…I really don't have anything to say. Review for…a flag! I just joined color guard.