Hello, everyone! Happy Summer Classes to me! It's alright. I've got it covered. Here's the new chapter to You'll Be Safe Here! Have you listened to the song yet? Just Google "You'll Be Safe Here" by Rivermaya. I'm sorry if this chapter disappoints you but I tried my best to make it as entertaining as possible.

Tell my what you think of it! And yeah, answer the poll on my profile because I still don't know what fic I should start on next. Enjoy! Thank you all for supporting this story!

Chapter VII
Temptation

Sakura was imagining a million answers to her question regarding Itachi and Sasuke's relationship and she expected something bewildering but nothing of a sort like his answer. The breeze picked up turning into a weak but forceful wind.

Well, that kind of summed it all up. Now that she pondered upon the matter of Sasuke's parents, she never did once hear him speak of them nor did anyone other than Kakashi accompany him during parent-teacher assessments. Itachi hardly mentioned anyone else related to him other than his younger brother.

It suddenly occurred to Sakura that this man was capable of killing his own blood. He said it from the very first day—this city was no place for the likes of her who had a sense of compassion. Did he mean that he was one of the many people here who were… No. He couldn't have meant it that way, could he?

The very fact that he was able to kill his own parents sent a chill down her spine and had her heart racing. She swore if it weren't for the streets busy with activity, Itachi would have heard the pounding of her heart. However, despite the disturbed feeling she tried hard to bottle, she managed to keep her calm.

"Why? How?" Her voice was cautious as to not strike a nerve just in case he wasn't in the appropriate mood to stay and press the subject.

Itachi straightened himself and clapped his hands to remove the crumbs that had stuck on his palm and wiped his mouth with a napkin from his pack. "The story takes more time to tell than you think, Sakura," he simply said. "Are you certain you wish to spend your time on me, listening to my tale?" She merely nodded at him once. "Very well."

Sakura composed herself and allowed her body to angle at him. Her legs were crossed and her elbows were on her knees with a cinnamon roll clasped in her dainty hands.

"I shall begin at the very beginning, then," he started. "Ten years ago, I lived in Konoha with my family and most of the Uchiha clan. Other relatives resided either in Central City or in neighboring towns. Our clan, to be honest, bears a great sense of pride and tends to be rather competitive whether it be schoolmates or colleagues at work. My father used to own a powerful dojo back in Konoha and always won during matches with other dojos which is a fine example of our pride.

"I was his prized possession and he developed some obsession with, pardon me for my arrogance, my superiority among the other members of the clan. Sasuke, even, he did not pay any mind, unknowing of the child's potential.

"While father insisted on pushing my younger brother aside, mother and I did our best to make him feel like he was still family despite everything my father would say to and about him. However, because of all the work needed done in the manor, my mother usually left me to play and take care of Sasuke. The kid is, without a doubt, skilled in academics and has potential in martial arts as well. We would spend half of the week, studying and training in the dojo. There were times he asked me to teach him but I would usually be busy when he does and I greatly regret ignoring him all those times.

"My father one day decided to hold a reunion for the whole clan on a cruise ship. And so, they pushed through the plan. The night before the reunion, a man, featuring all the characteristics of an Uchiha, came to our doorstep and I was the one to answer the door. He offered me freedom and a little fun for the party that was occurring the next day. I was wary of him. I was not one easily fooled however, I went with him, just for the sake of curiosity on what he intended to do.

"The next day, all of us boarded on the cruise and surprisingly enough, the mystery man, whom I identified as Tobi that morning, had boarded as well. Sasuke and I were supposed to spend the whole cruise together with our parents but unfortunately, the man from last night watched me through the afternoon and as an attempt to protect Sasuke from him, I kept brushing him off that day.

"And then the time came. He had told me that it was merely a small prank—a practical joke if you will. He asked me to drop the lighter and cause a small commotion in the ship. He handed me a lighter and pushed me to throw it on the ground but I had no intentions of doing as he pleased. I planned to throw it out the sea and have Tobi arrested but things went horribly wrong. Just as I was about to throw it, Sasuke called out my name. I was startled and I dropped it on the floor by accident. He cried, asking me why I was doing it and ran away.

"My carelessness got the better of me. When I ran after my little brother, I had completely forgotten of the fire that started and that spread through half of the main deck in a split second. I looked for Tobi but he was nowhere in sight. And so, I continued to look for Sasuke, wanting to save him first before anyone else. I heard my mother screaming for help but when I found her, it had been too late. The doors were blocked by firing debris from the inside. I then heard Sasuke and when I finally caught a glimpse of him, he had already jumped for the water.

"There were only three of us who survived that accident and up until now, the case with the police have not yet been closed. They still have not found the true culprits of the fire and they're only lead is my brother, Sasuke, who have not disclosed with them any information about us. It is most likely because he thinks we were already killed along with everyone else.

"I sought refuge here in Central City, not knowing how in the world I should face my brother. Hatake Kakashi and I went to the same high school and though we were not at all close in any way, I asked him to look after Sasuke. There was no one else I could trust. Next to me, Kakashi was next when it came to discipline and academics. And now, the only thing I am waiting for is the right time and way to face my brother."

Her eyes remained on his after his story. The calm he forced to keep was a mere façade. She could see it clearly in his face. Behind his onyx eyes, there were tears and pain. For years, he had been keeping all this to himself and now that he had finally found a way to vent it, all his pent up emotions seeped out as well.

Several minutes passed with nothing but heavy silence weighing in between the two. It was only then when it occurred to Sakura that his answer and his explanation did not match.

"You didn't kill them," whispered Sakura, her eyes glued on his unusually different face. He did not remain calm this time, letting his eyes grow wider than usual. Realizing he'd let an emotion slip, Itachi looked away and cleared his throat.

He met her eyes again. "It's what Sasuke had been thinking all these years," he answered back. "I know my own brother."

"He's been making paper boats, Itachi," she finally confessed. "Paper boats that he never let touch water. Do you suppose there's some connection? Because I can clearly see one."

Again, silence fell upon them. It was becoming apparent to her that Itachi didn't want to talk about it anymore. And so, deciding not to press on it further, she didn't speak any longer and merely waited for him to talk to her.

Meanwhile, the image of Sasuke folding a paper boat in the middle of class inside his head was quite pleasant. Despite the boat accident, Sasuke never stopped practicing his origami skills, did he? It touched him deeply to know that his brother never dared to forget every single thing he had taught him as a kid.

"Sasuke…" Itachi let slip out as he sighed. "I forced it upon him to learn how to fold an origami. I primarily taught him how to fold a boat before anything else although he had never perfected it. His boats seldom floated atop water properly. I and my mother would…" He stopped at the mention of his mother and Sakura saw him wince a little.

He avoided her gaze and looked out into the space behind her. Noticing his withdrawal, Sakura made an effort to slowly pull him back in the same track in a different direction. "Your mother was very beautiful," Itachi then looked at her quizzically. "I saw her picture back in your place."

"Dear mother," he whispered to no one in particular before fixing his expression to a passive one. "What time is it?"

Sakura pulled out the phone she'd been keeping in her back pocket the whole night and checked her messages in the process. "It's about 8:55 on my watch. Why? Do you have to meet with your classmates or something? Because I really don't mind. You can go on ahead. I'll clean up here then I—"

Itachi cut her off with a silent shake of his head before reaching for their cups and pouring in apple juice. When he opened his pack to return the juice, the case of his flute had fallen out.

"Is that what you play?" Sakura asked only to be answered by Itachi with an obvious look. "Can you play me a short song? Right now? I don't mind if you don't want to. I just really wanted to hear you play it." She scooted closer and smiled at him when he reached for the case and opened it.

It was a long silver flute with his initials at the other end of the mouthpiece. With just one look, Sakura knew that the flute had not been bought by him. Rather, it was a gift to him, probably by his parents.

He placed it in front of his lips and started to blow gently at it, letting his fingers press the appropriate holes. Whatever he was playing had her in a trance, reminding her of an enchanting night in a park where one lonely girl sits on a bench beside a lamp post, waiting for whatever to come. As the tune grew lighter and more graceful, she had imagined a man—a tired man—walking to sit beside her because he was tired. It was then when their hands mysteriously made contact with another and without a word exchanged, the two had entwined their fingers with the other's.

Her trail of thought had ended when the music ended in a very alarming way—it just stopped. It was like a radio playing a song and someone just pulled its plug. It was very disappointing how the song ended. Sakura felt his eyes on her and she looked back at him.

"That," she whispered, watching him watch her lips move. "It was beautiful."

While Sakura expected him to say something about the song in reply, she also expected him to pull her in and just succumb to the butterflies she knew they both were feeling. And though it was more likely for the first one to happen, she suddenly found Itachi's lips pressed against hers with his hands on her neck, pulling her in.

Before she could even close her eyes to enjoy the feeling of his lips, she heard an explosion from behind her, accompanied by a flash of blue light from behind. She pulled away from Itachi and turned her head around, nearly gasping when it happened again…

Fireworks.

The sky was suddenly filled with exploding lights and Sakura could not help but smile at the sight. It had been a while since she last watched a fireworks display. How long has it been? Two? Three years? Red, blue, purple and several colored lights illuminated the night sky.

Is this the reason Itachi had brought her up here? To watch the fireworks display?

It was so unlike Itachi to do something like this but she somehow felt special to him… Or maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe he just required company while he watched the fireworks though he never struck her as the type to like such festive lights.

"Why are there fireworks?" She asked him in a voice that she forced to overpower the sounds of the explosions. She turned to him only to find his gaze fixed on her which did not surprise her for this was the third time tonight she had noticed him staring.

Itachi shrugged lightly. "It's CCC's Foundation Day today. I have never been one to join the celebration of such things."

She smirked at him. "And now?"

"I still choose to not celebrate such events," he remarked, catching her off guard. "I merely brought you up here for other reasons."

"Like?"

Again, he raised his shoulders subtly. "I sensed you were still put off by the sudden news of my brother's lack of faithfulness?" The sudden change in her expression confirmed his suspicion. "It was a mere speculation and I figured a little time away would aid in your journey to recovery."

"Thank you for this," she said after letting his words register in his head. "But I know you're only doing this because it was getting to irritating to see me moping around like I did back at the inn."

"Not at all," he answered. "For some reason, it seemed too troublesome to see you so… Off. I simply wished to make you forget. You are a beautiful lady with a soft heart, Sakura. You deserve more than Sasuke had given you."

At his statement, Sakura couldn't help but look away from him. Sure, she knew she was meant for a bigger person. She was well aware now that Sasuke had not given her enough credit for what she went through for him. There was another person out there, waiting for her. However, that was not her priority as of the moment and even if it were…

Barely over a whisper, she said to him, "There is not one person in this world who will give a girl like me what I deserve. If he's out there, I'll never find him."

For a moment, it looked as if Itachi was going to say something however; the next thing she knew was that his lips were on her forehead. They remained like that for a moment, Itachi's lips lightly touching her skin.

"You only have to stop looking," he whispered, his lips never leaving her forehead. "He will come to you soon."

The fireworks display continued while the two of them sat on the cloth he had set underneath them. When it was all over, darkness fell upon them once again along with another silence that stretched for what seemed like an eternity.

It was only then when he separated from her and looked at her for a brief moment. She was flushed and tense—her posture had said it all. She was sitting still in front of him, her gaze wavering. It was as if she didn't know if she should look at him straightly in the eye.

To break the silence, Itachi began picking up the small pieces of trash that they had set aside during the meal and threw them in a small paper bag he had pulled out of his pack. "We should leave before 10. The city's crime rate is at its highest before midnight," he spoke in a tone that was unsurprisingly calm.

"Of course," as she stood up, she picked up some of the other wrappers she had left lying around earlier. As they cleaned up the rooftop, none spoke.

Sakura refused to look him in the eye for some reason she could not comprehend. Was she feeling anxious in his presence now? How could that be? Maybe it was because of… Everything he had said and did this night? She didn't know how to feel about him. Hell, she didn't even know what she had to think.

On the other hand, Itachi was merely avoiding her to prevent questions from rising because there were still questions that he had no answer to until now. Like why the hell did he bring her up here in the first place? What was she to him? And what pushed him to trust her with his story? It was not like they were ever going to see each other again after this encounter… Not that he hoped they wouldn't. She was pleasant to have around if one knew what subjects to avoid when conversing with her.

In fact, he didn't mind having her stay in his place for a little longer. Sadly, she was only going to be around for a few more days and then they were going to part ways… Probably forever. Was he actually feeling sad because of that? Why was he even thinking about it?

It would be nice to be alone again. Feeling cold and wary during the night… Waking up in the morning with no one to talk to. Yes, that would be nice. No one to look after and no one looking after you. Yes, that is so much better than having a beautiful lady in your apartment, sleeping in your bed every night. If only she could stay a little longer.

"Would you like me to?" Sakura asked Itachi, snapping him out of his trail of thought.

He inwardly shook his head and turned his attention to her, noting how she still had not met his gaze since after the fireworks. "Pardon?"

"I said," she started. "I can carry your pack for you. You look a little pale. Would you like me to carry it for you?"

Itachi shook his head and grabbed the pack she had picked up for him and led her to the glass door. That was it. They were leaving. The night was over. It was time to get home and carry on with their lives.

As he waited for the lift, he turned to Sakura, ordering her to put her cap and hood on. "You will get off at the third floor and I will get off at the lobby," he told her. "You will take the emergency exit on the second floor and exit the building. You know the way back home, don't you?" She nodded. "We can never be too careful."

"About what?"

"Kisame," he answered. "He lives on the 2nd floor. He's my partner."

Sakura mused quietly at the new information. So maybe that was why the man in the lobby knew him so well. Did he spend a lot of time in Kisame's place? It was highly unlikely the reason was to visit. Maybe Itachi hid here at times. If so, did Kisame pay random 'visits' at Itachi's as well?

She managed to pull herself back to reality when she felt Itachi nudge her side with something cold and metallic. When she looked down, she wasn't at all surprised to find him handing her a pistol to keep.

()

As the lift landed on the third floor, Sakura didn't bother looking back on Itachi seeing in the reflection of the elevator doors that he was not paying attention to her this time. There was no reason to anyway. For all she knew, she could bid him goodbye and he would ignore her. She felt a bit half-hearted though leaving him there without a word and so she turned around.

It was too late however, the doors were already half-way closed though she swore she saw Itachi looking at her thoughtfully for a second before he changed his expression into a passive one.

She began to wonder, as she turned her head to look for any sign that would indicate the location of the emergency exit, if Itachi set aside his passive mask whenever he was alone. Did he smile when she was not home? Did he let expressions that gave away his emotions cross his face? Did he allow emotions at all?

And then the feeling of his lips against hers rushed back and before she knew it, she felt her blood rush immediately to her cheeks. Feeling like such a foolish love-struck child, she shook the feeling off. Not that she was in love with him or anything… It was just that he always seemed to know when she let her guard down.

For crying out loud, it wasn't the first time he'd done it!

But that was just it. Uchiha Itachi had kissed her before and had the nerve to do it again. She was beginning to wonder if there was something else to it. Haruno Sakura was a 17-year –old after all. She knew how to pick up on these things. It was only worrying that she might read something that wasn't there in the first place.

For real, she thought to herself. A man such as Uchiha Itachi falling for a little girl like me who can't even handle herself properly? It was next to absurd but it didn't seem impossible. A part of her wished it was so because whenever she tried pulling the feel of his thin lips on hers, she wished for more.

Finally finding the emergency exit in the end of a corridor, she pushed open the thick metal doors and descended the stairs casually as if she'd been up and down the stairs for quite a while now.

She was careful with her steps as she let herself mind bring her back to the man that was Uchiha Itachi. The story of his past was disturbing… He claimed he killed his family when in fact, it was only an accident. Surely, Itachi didn't mean his family any harm? Not his little brother and mother especially? From what Sakura gathered from their previous talks, Itachi seemed to love Sasuke very much.

And wait… He said there were three survivors? Who was the other one?

As Sakura finally reached the ground floor, she unlocked the exit and walked out of the alleyway beside the building and started for Itachi's apartment, passing by the front of the building as she did so, seeing Itachi just stepping out of the elevator.

He instructed her to walk home alone and she supposed that even though she could wait a few seconds to walk with him, there was a reason why he had her walk home first. And so, without looking at him for long, she clutched the pistol that she'd been keeping in the pocket of her hoodie.

()

Itachi fixed his pack and left the building to follow Sakura, allowing some distance between the two of them as they walked. He was quite amazed how even without instructions, Sakura was wise enough not to look back at him while walking.

If he didn't know any better, he would mistake Sakura for a man. Not that she did not have any curves at all. It was just that underneath his hoodie, her figure was well-hidden… That petite yet very shapely figure of hers.

Flashes of the incident in the bathroom at Erika's inn crossed his mind, reminding him of just how silky her flesh felt underneath his touch. He was reminded of how she tasted when she permitted him to enter her mouth and ravish it with his tongue. She was exotic. She was divine. Sakura was perfect.

Unconsciously, his eyes fell on her hips that swayed as she walked. It was such a giveaway that she was a woman underneath all that clothing and the more obvious she made her feminine moves underneath those clothes, the more suspicious she would look.

There was no helping it, was there?

With an inward groan, he advanced his paces until his chest was inches away from her back. He knew Sakura acknowledged his presence when he felt her body tense.

"Keep walking," Itachi whispered to her, placing both his hands on either side of her hips, forcing her to keep them from swaying.

The pink-haired teenager seemed to tense even more when she felt his hands still her hips. Not even Sasuke held her like this. She shifted her posture a little to prevent Itachi from feeling her stiffness but to no avail. He still managed to feel her when he whispered to her, "Relax," in a very dark but velvety voice.

And with that command, Itachi's thumbs slid up and down her hips as she walked. For some reason, this seemed to make it easier for her to comply. The longer distance they walked, the more Itachi's hands seemed to slide subtly to her pelvis but with his thumbs rubbing her in the comforting manner they did, she couldn't bring herself to care.

However, the closer they got to home, the more she seemed to want. His grip on her hips was firm but gentle. It made her wonder just how he would handle her if…

No way was she thinking about that!

Itachi stepped to her side, letting one hand release her hip, leaving the other snaked around her back, still holding her hips. This time, it was not controlling. It felt like a more protective hold on her part though she did not want to assume anything. His thumb managed to find its way underneath her hoodie and blouse. He was now caressing her bare skin and it felt even better than it should and Sakura was somehow feeling afraid about it feeling nice.

The moment they stepped into his apartment, Sakura wasted no time in changing her clothes, stripping off Itachi's hoodie to leave it on the armrest of his couch before she made a beeline for his bedroom. Behind her, she shut the door before she rummaged through her clothing.

To her surprise, the Uchiha opened the door nonchalantly, not caring whether she was dressed or not given the direction of his eyes were focused on his dresser. A creak sounded and Sakura had taken a wild guess that Itachi sat himself on the edge of the bed.

Turning to face him, she said flatly, "You know, if you wanted to change your clothes first, you could have just said so."

"It is my bedroom that you decided to rush into," mocked Itachi as he bent over his dresser to pull out a grey shirt. "Continue if you please. I will be leaving after I retrieve a change of garment."

Fine, Sakura thought. If he insisted to do so. She turned back to her bags and spent a few seconds digging through her clothes and huffed in exasperation.

"Something the matter?" asked Itachi as he shut the drawer with his foot before stepping behind her.

Almost immediately, Sakura slammed her bag shut, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "No, nothing's wrong," she chirped. "It's just that I'm out of sleeping clothes is all."

Itachi noticed her grip on the bag loosen and took advantage of the opportunity to pull the bag open from underneath her hands and found a silky garment atop of all her other clothes. Sakura managed to push him aside though and shut it back close.

That certain piece of clothing had been a birthday gift from her best frenemy, Ino. Before Sakura had arrived in Central City, she had no idea she would be remaining under the same roof as he was and so she felt no reluctance to carry it with her since she thought there was no one who was ever going to lay their eyes on her in those pyjamas.

But now, the situation was entirely different. What had she been thinking when she brought those along with her? Then again, she never saw Itachi coming into her life so soon. And why did Itachi matter in this trail of thought anyway? Setting him aside as a problem to deal with later on, she continued to push him aside as she stalled, thinking of alternative clothes to wear while sleeping.

All she had stored in her bags were jeans and stylish tops that were nothing short of impractical for sleeping.

"Interesting choice of clothing," Itachi muttered thoughtfully before he stepped behind her.

Turning her head slightly to see enough of his expression, she spoke. "You seem rather amused, Itachi." The gleam in his eye confirmed her assumption. He was surely enjoying teasing her, wasn't he? Finally, she decided to turn away from him before she saw anything else in his eyes.

She felt him lean over her shoulder, his warm breath on her earlobe before she heard him say in a low tone, "I wouldn't mind you wear it for tonight seeing as you also have no other option."

Before she could even react to his statement, he had already left the confines of his room to change in the bathroom.

Itachi was right, she thought as she pushed the door closed. She couldn't wear a see-through blouse with a pair of jeans while she slept. There was no other choice but to wear the lingerie pyjamas that Ino gifted her. Or she could jump out of the window and just get it all over with. No. That was not an option. She still had the 3-day medical mission to commence on Monday.

Monday… Hold on, what day was it anyway?! Swiftly, Sakura pulled out her phone to check. It was Saturday already, wasn't it? Only a few more days and she would be out of Central City. Her mind brought to her ideas to ponder on as she made her way to sit on the bed.

So far, no member of the gang, Akatsuki, pursued her. Excluding Itachi. But she did not exactly consider it pursuing. It was more like he was keeping an eye on her through her stay in Central City. It was most likely that the reason behind the peace of her stay was because the other members of the gang must have been convinced that Itachi would hunt her down.

That's what she heard during her first day here, after all.

However, what if Itachi had been keeping her in here and was merely waiting for the right time to kill her… To catch her off guard. If that were the case, she would have been dead weeks ago. Around him, she strangely felt safer than in danger. The reason for that was unknown and it scared her that she felt so relaxed around him. Why was that?

She admitted that despite Itachi's background, current affiliation with the Akatsukiand stoic personality, Itachi seemed like a trustworthy person. And from what she knew, he could be as protective as a father if he wished to. Or maybe it was only her opinion since she had remained with him for quite a while now.

He was damn attractive, too. Maybe that was the reason why she somehow felt a magnetic pull and was convinced that she was safer around him. What did his looks have to do with this, anyway?

And then she gave herself a mental slap. Surely, she did not just describe him as attractive?!

Damn attractive, corrected a voice in her head.

Slap!

There would be no more thinking about Itachi in that way any longer. Not that it affected her that much but it was certainly wrong to entertain the thought. If she ever did entertain it, she would just be complicating things for herself. He was Sasuke's older brother after all. She didn't want to make it look like she was hitting on Itachi after Sasuke broke up with her. And she wasn't even hitting on Itachi! She didn't even see him that way.

But damn. To have a boyfriend li—

Thankfully, the door opened before she was able to finish that thought. The person who walked in the room did not at all help in making her forget about her problem… If it even was a problem. No, it wasn't. And she would make sure that it would not become one.

Why was she so persistent in pushing it aside? It was only a small crush, when she thought about it. Unless it had developed into something more over the last week. No.

"I'm going to change now," she announced to him before pulling her pyjamas out of her bag and dashing into the bathroom.

It was truly unbelievable how that woman managed to amuse him so well by the littlest and most meaningless actions. He was growing fond of her, that he would not bother denying. She was quite pleasing to have around. Or maybe it was merely the years of lonesome living that was speaking. Whether it be or not, he was sure going to miss her company when she finally left for home again.

He shook his head. How foolish of him. The very fact that he thought of missing her only meant that he was getting attached to her. The last time he had gotten attached to a lady, she had interfered with Akatsuki's plans and got herself killed. The worst part was Itachi did not do anything to stop it. Maybe he was as heartless as he made himself to be.

No, that was not true. If he were heartless, he would have let Hidan kill Sakura the first chance he had gotten. He wouldn't have bothered keeping her in his apartment, let alone sleep in his bed, if he had no heart.

Why had he done it? It was not like he knew Sakura and he definitely did not know he would grow so fond of her. So why did he do it?

And then the answer crept to the surface. He was tired of feeling like this—guilty for all the lives Akatsuki had taken to replace those that he had lost. Two wrongs did not make a right, after all. He killed his family and had burdened the guilt for a year or two before Tobi founded the gang. Being a psychopath that he was, Tobi somehow talked him into replacing their lives, convincing Itachi that his guilt would go away. However, after years of living like this, he finally realized that it did not make a difference. It only made things worse.

It was time to end it. However, there was no escaping Tobi. Itachi was Akatsuki's priced member and Tobi would not let him away from his reach. Not until the psycho was finally satisfied with the deaths he had caused or tied down by the police. However, calling the authorities to arrest him would also lead to his capture.

But maybe, if he were to return to Konoha with Sakura. After all, she would not be here for long anymore and since he managed to let himself get attached, he might as well follow her to her home which happened to be his home too. That would be nice, wouldn't it? And easy too.

When was Sakura leaving, anyway?

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and answered the unregistered number that blinked on his screen.

"Hello?" Answered Itachi.

"Meet Pein at the junk yard tonight," said the voice. "It's an order."

Before Itachi could even reply, he had hung up already. It was Tobi. There was no mistaking it which meant he had no choice. If he did not come to Pein, Tobi would have to come to him.

Without thinking twice, he grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and shut the door behind him loud enough to let Sakura know that he had left.

The crisp evening breeze blew his hair out of his face. However, the stronger it grew, the more tedious it had become. Itachi pushed his hair in his jacket to prevent it from flying all over him. When was the last time he got a haircut, anyway?

He was quite thankful that Pein chose to meet at the junkyard tonight. It wasn't that Itachi liked going to there. It was just that the junkyard was a lot farther than the city dump was but it definitely was a better place for meeting considering it was Akatsuki's main territory in the first place.

As he crossed the street, he caught sight of a familiar man near the entrance of the junkyard. The burly man standing regarded him with a nod. Of all the members in Akatsuki, this man, Kakuzu, was one of the members he certainly did not like conversing with for too long if not at all.

It seemed to Itachi that the man was displeased. It was probably because he had been disturbed by Pein to open up the area for them. Kakuzu had a general disliking for Pein mostly because lately, Pein had been holding back from handing over Kakuzu's salary until he killed the second to the last remaining member of the other gang. And if the target were to be killed by someone else other than Kakuzu, then he would not receive what he was due.

"Leader's waiting," said Kakuzu, his voice conveying a stony edge. "Make it quick."

Itachi acknowledged him with a curt nod before proceeding into the junkyard and letting his feet take him to the trailer where they held their meetings. As he walked through the piles of scrap and metal, he had passed by another trailer, quite smaller than the one they usually met in. It must have been Kakuzu's. It was the first time he had seen it.

Kakuzu had volunteered to watch the junkyard for Akatsuki to keep him from spending money for rents and electric bills. However, this was the price—having to stay in a cramped space with the responsibility of living and guarding the junkyard from any gang who wished to take it from them.

This place was the ultimate haven for the likes of them, after all.

As he reached the other end of the place, he turned to his right to find a small passage created by Kakuzu that led to the other trailer where they kept all their weapons and stolen goods that were meant to support the gang.

The door was wide open and Pein was standing in the doorway. When Itachi had presented himself, the leader turned away from him and walked back in the trailer. Itachi followed after him and shut the door behind him.

Inside, there was only one table with 10 different chairs surrounding it. Pein took a seat in the far end of the table and made no move to have Itachi do the same.

"Have you found her?" Pein asked.

Itachi stilled. He was not surprised to discover that the meeting was going to be about their "targets" but he was rather shocked at his own reaction to Pein's question. "Not yet," he answered briefly. "But I think I've heard rumors about a certain woman coming to and fro a hotel in the Fran District," he said. "The Fran District is the tourist spot of the city and has a dozen hotels. We can start looking there if we wish to find her fast. She is, after all, a mere tourist. She must be staying there."

It was not the first time Itachi had led them away from a target and he was not scared to do so again. The problem was, after the countless times he had done it to protect innocent students and women, would Pein still be convinced?

"We have no more time for hunches and guesses," spat Pein in a very impatient tone. "We have a deadline to meet. If we do not gather the required lives, Tobi will not negotiate with the gang who has captured my cousin. It's been years since Nagato had been forced to join that gang and if we do not eliminate their enemies for them…"

"Rest assured that I have got the situation covered," Itachi said evenly.

The gang's goal was to save Nagato, their leader's beloved cousin, by eliminating the gang that posed as a threat to the gang Nagato had been initiated in by force. However, because the members of the target gang were insufficient to the number of deaths the other gang asked for, they were forced to kill civilians as well.

At least, that was what Pein and the other members had been informed.

Akatsuki's real reason for establishing was because of the accident and only he and Tobi knew it. Killing as an amendment for those he had killed in the past… Now that Itachi had thought about it, the idea made no sense. How could he have let Tobi manipulate him for so long?

Itachi was tempted to ask if they could not simply target another civilian and get it over with. It was easier, after all. But asking Pein about it would only raise suspicion. And then there was the Akatsuki code.

Sakura had interfered and now she was a target. There was no helping it.

The other target was going to be caught soon and he would have to make a choice before that time came. What was he to do to get the whole business to be done with? He was tired of it.

He had two options. One, he could talk Sakura into returning to Konoha and thus, ending his problem. If anyone were ordered to go after her, surely no one would be able to succeed in getting in Konoha considering that they required identification cards to be able to screen who comes and leaves. Any member who would come after her would fail and they were most likely to change targets. But it came to his attention that the teenager was stubborn as she could if she wished it. How was he going to talk her into leaving?

Second, he could always kill her.

The latter sounded temptingly easy.

A/N: Check out the poll on my profile and tell me what you think of this chapter. Ciao! I love you all!