Yea so im just gonna go ahead and throw it out there. Its no secret, there is some Uchiha love making in this chapter! Finally right? A WHHOOOLLEE LOTTA LOTAA happened in this chapter. Let me know if it was everything you anticipated lol. I am assuming from lack of reviews with the last chapter you guys werent happy about that whole Saku Deidera thing. Oopsies! : )

Nope. Dont own Naruto.

"Damn you!" Kabuto yelled as I fell face first onto the floor.

I rolled over to my side spitting up blood. I had missed my target, I felt the kunai grazing the side of my heart.

"Resorting to suicide? Clever girl." Aoi sounded intrigued by my actions.

Kabuto grabbed me by the hair pulling me to my knees.

"You bitch! Now I have to heal you." He ripped the kunai out of my chest.

I was pleased to know that I had thrown a wrench in their plans, but If I didn't finish what I intended Kabuto would simply heal me.

Somehow I managed to muster up enough strength to lean forward and bite his wrist, causing him to drop the kunai.

He cursed my name and I didn't waste any time seizing my opportunity. I picked the knife off of the floor and plunged it into my heart, making sure I didn't miss this time.

I cried out it agony as I ripped the kunai back out of my chest.

I could tell Aoi began to panic.

"Kabuto! Heal her now!" he ordered.

"No!" I coughed up blood.

Dammit, I wasn't dying fast enough.

Kabuto approached me, hands glowing green. "If I would have known you we're going to be this much trouble I would have never un-cuffed you." He grimaced.

I looked up at him wanting to scream for him to back away but I kept choking on my own blood. I was about to try muster any strength I had left inside of me to attack, when the air started to shift behind him.

Looking past him I stared wide eyed and confused.

Kabuto pinched his eye brows together in confusion and looked over his shoulder.

The air began to spin faster creating a spiral warp, from within the warp out came a masked man and….Itachi! Followed by Deidera, Sasori and Kisame.

Itachi's back was turned to me, catching glance of Aoi first.

Deidera was the first to notice me kneeling on the floor.

"Sakura-chan!" he gasped.

"Deidera Kabuto is—"I gasped at a sudden white hot pain in my chest. I involuntarily coughed up more blood into my hand.

With every breath, every cough, it felt as if someone were stabbing my heart with a hot iron rod.

My coughing fit subsided and I glanced back up to see Itachi turned around, facing me, with a look I'd never seen on his face before.

Itachi looked…..afraid.

The pain in my chest grew hotter, and my blood loss was increasing by the minute. Unable hold myself up in a kneeling position my body swayed left to right before I collapsed on my side.

"Kabuto you are foolish to break our deal." The masked man spoke.

"You we're the fool to believe I was ever on your side in the first place." He smirked.

"What is it that he's persuading you with? I'm curious to know what the proposition that lead to your death was." He spoke again.

"Aoi has offered me nothing, I am merely here on Orochimaru's behalf. Oh and by the way just in case you haven't figured it out, Orochimaru knows everything about your plan to stop the absorption of Sasuke. The deal is void." He smiled.

"And how does he plan to take over Sasuke's body with no hands to perform the jutsu?" the masked man asked.

"He has dozens of snakes inside of him, all he has to do is transform and slither on right into Sasuke."

"Do you honestly think Sasuke will go down that easily? You're more foolish than I originally thought, Kabuto."

"Of course not, that is why we wait for the opportunity when he is most vulnerable and unaware." Kabuto turned his attention to me. "Although Sakura would have been the easiest and more preferred solution, she's decide to commit suicide to prevent Orochimaru from using her as leverage as well as well as healing his arms. Truly an inconvenience."

Deidera looked at me in disbelief.

"So the little cherry blossom sacrificed herself? She's tougher than I thought." For once Kisame didn't sound irritated when he spoke of me.

"Enough of this talking. You both will die." Itachi's spoke so low I had to strain my ears to hear what he said.

"Now there, Itachi. We needn't be so hasty." Aoi stood from his chair.

"You two are outnumbered, it would be foolish to try anything." Sasori warned him.

I felt myself growing weaker the further the conversation went on. If I didn't get medical assistance soon I was going to die.

"Deidera…" my voice was barely a whisper and he was the one standing closest to me.

He whipped his head around and came running, kneeing at my side.

"Sakura-chan how bad are you hurt?" he asked frantically.

"My…..heart…" I coughed.

"You stabbed yourself in the heart!?" he shouted causing everyone to look our way.

"I'm dying….soon ….If …I don't-" he cut me off.

"Stop. Don't speak I understand what you're saying. Save your energy and stop talking."

I nodded.

"Sasori! She needs medical attention now." Deidera touched my face. "Hang in there Sakura-chan, yeah?"

"Attend to the girl, Sasori. Itachi and I will handle this." The masked man glanced at Itachi and they simultaneously began weaving hand signs.

"Ametrasu! The masked man commanded.

"Firestyle, fireball Jutsu!" Itachi chanted.

Itachi's flames forced Kabuto to jump out of the way towards the direction of a curtain of black flames the masked man produced. They had him cornered.

Panicking he weaved a hand sign began to dry heave. A few moments later a snake regurgitated from his mouth and slithered away into a crack in the wall.

"So orochimaru has taught him that disgusting snake like jutsu." The masked man sighed. "Very well then, we will just have to kill Aoi and catch up with Kabuto later."

My view of the battle was blurred as I felt my heart beat start to speed up rapidly and pound uncontrollably. I was going into cardiac arrest. I clutched my chest and began to cry uncontrollably. The pain was beyond me. It left me too breathless scream aloud like I wanted to.

"Sasori!" Deidera yelled impatiently.

"Shut up, I'm here." He knelt beside me.

"She going into cardiac arrest." He said.

"Do something!" Deidera panicked.

Without warning Sasori rammed his fist into my chest breaking past my flesh and ribcage. I felt him literally grab my heart with his hand and the pain was so great my vison temporarily left me. A horrific blood curdling scream escaped my lips. I wish they'd just let me die instead of enduring this pain.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Deidera sounded as if he was just as shocked as I was.

"I'm saving her life you idiot." Sasori growled. "She's in cardiac arrest, if I don't send my healing chakra directly to her heart she will die. It's too late for proper procedure, her life is literally in the palm of my hand."

"Madara Uchiha?! No! That's impossible!" I heard Aoi scream before the sound of his screams filled the air.

"My eyes began to feel heavy and I knew that it wasn't because I was sleepy. I was dying. Momentarily I began to regret that I had so foolishly stabbed myself, only because now I was being rescued. If I had known Itachi and the others were coming for me I would have fought to hold out just a little longer. Then I realized that maybe my death wouldn't be in vain, and that made it no so bad. My death would prevent Orochimaru from having his arms healed, thus delaying the possession of Sauske's body, which would give the Akatskui enough time to find him and kill him. Then the sharigan would be out of his reach and the Leaf village would be safe from his threat. As long as the Leaf and Sauske were safe that made my death honorable enough for me.

Content with dying I shut my eyes and was prepared to let myself drift off to a peaceful sleep.

"Don't you dare." His voice broke through the darkness.

"Open your eyes. Now." He demanded.

Itachi?

I felt so content and peaceful I didn't want to open my eyes. An intense sleep was pulling me away and I didn't want to fight it.

"Sakura! I said open your eyes!" his voice was so distant but I could tell it was full of anger.

It felt so much better his way. I'm sorry Itachi.

"Sakura! Please!" he pleaded.

Everything stopped.

Did Itachi just ask me instead of telling me? And did I hear the word, please?"

I pulled myself away from the darkness.

My eyes snapped open and I gasped, inhaling a large breath of air.

A wide eyed Deidera, a concentrated Sasori, serious faced Kisame, and expressionless Itachi all stared down at me.

"Did….I just….die?" I asked.

"Almost." Sasori responded.

"Bring the girl." The masked man ordered.

Itachi scooped me up into his arms while at the same time Sasori's hand remained in my chest; carefully gripping my heart, he continued streaming chakra to prevent me from going into cardiac arrest again.

With one arm under my knees and the other arm supporting my back, I relaxed my head against his chest. He felt so warm and familiar and after being held hostage here for two days, I found myself wanting to stay here, in his arms forever. I wanted so badly to close my eyes, I was so tired. As if he read my mind Itachi looked down at me frowning.

"Not yet. Stay awake."

I felt the air begin to shift again and I opened my eyes to the masked man standing in the mists of the air warp.
"Itachi and Sasori bring the girl. Deidera and Kisame go after Kabuto." He ordered as we disappeared into thin air.

I awoke in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. The bed was large with soft red cotton sheets, and many pillows. I felt a waves of warmth flowing in my direction; my eyes discovered a fireplace at the other end of the room was the source of the warm air.

I tried to sit up and winced at the pain tugging at my chest. Looking down I realized I was bare chested with a line of stitches running from in between my breasts down to my diaphragm. I placed a hand upon my chest remembering the events leading up to the stitched up wound.

I had really tried to kill myself and almost succeeded. If it weren't for Sasori and his quick thinking I'd be dead right now.

"Don't you dare."

I recalled the words that pulled me out of the darkness.

"Open your eyes. Now"

"Itachi…." I whispered aloud.

The look on his face when he first arrived to save me, he looked so scared. It was only for a split second, and anyone who wasn't observing him closely wouldn't have noticed but I saw the look in his eyes. It was fear.

"Sakura! Please!"

Itachi had never asked me to do anything. Ever. He always demanded, and ordered that I do things. But this time he was asking me to live. A smile formed on my lips. He does have heart.

A light knock on the door startled me.

Lying back down and pulling the sheets over my bare chest I called for whoever was on the other side to come in.

The door slowly opened and Itachi walked in.

"Hi." I greeted him first.

Without returning my greeting he walked over and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Aoi is dead, he isn't a threat to you anymore. Deidera and Kisame went after Kabuto. You are safe now." He reassured me.

"Kabuto is still loyal to Orochimaru?" I asked.

"Hn."

"So what will you do now? Hang me out as bait for Orochimaru? Hand me over?" I looked at him seriously.

"If I was going to hand you over to Orochimaru I would have let Kabuto take you, Sakura." He sighed.

"So what is the point to all of this? What was the point of taking me away from the leaf? You said it would be an even trade for me and Sasuke and that would be it. Now you're telling me you're no longer using me for the trade."

"That's' exactly what I'm saying." He responded.

"Then what am I still doing here?"

"Sakura...our leader wants you to join the Akatskui."

"WHAT?!" my eyes bulged out of my head.

"It's the best option for you." He said.

"Itachi that would make me an official traitor to the leaf!" I was in disbelief.

"Join the Akatskui and accompany us in infiltrating Orochimaru's layer and retrieving Saskue."

Sauske….he didn't have much time left before Orochimaru would be ready to take the perfect opportunity to seize his body and obtain the sharigan. Then the leaf and all the major nations would be in danger. Perhaps this was the only way I could protect my village and loved ones right now. If they labeled me a traitor then so be it, as long as Sauske and the village were safe from harm I would deal with the rest.

"And what about Sauske. What will happen to him?" I asked.

"We will fight." He made it sosund so simple.

"Will you kill him?"

"Hn."

"What does that mean?" I was becoming irritated.

"Don't concern yourself with such things."

"Itachi!"

"You love him."

His question caught me off guard.

"I…well…I used to…I mean I still do….I think…why?"

"Then let him go. It will never be mutual." He sounded so mean.

"You don't know that." I frowned.

'I know my little brother." He replied.

"Why do you care about the feelings I have for him?" I was so over his cool kid act at the moment.

"I don't."

I rolled my eyes "Yea, right. Of course you don't. Just like you weren't scared out of your mind when you thought I was dead."

He went silent.

"You may think it's foolish of me to love Sauske, but at least I know him returning that love isn't completely impossible. Sauske is lost right now but he has feelings, and a heart, and he loves his friends. But you Itachi, I'm not sure if you're capable of any of that."

"Hn" he grunted.

"That's exactly what I mean. Maybe if you showed me that you had the slightest potential of feeling anything besides anger, I could understand."

We sat in silence for a long while before Itachi stood to leave.

I couldn't hold back the anger his denial was causing to breed inside of me.

"Coward!" I spat.

Saying nothing he walked towards the door.

I was furious. Never in my life had I met anyone as stubborn, and cold, and arrogant as Itachi. How could anyone like he be capable of being loved? They would go insane! He made it nearly impossible to tolerate a few moments with him!

And yet somehow, I had still found myself wanting to love him. But I couldn't. He kidnapped me, hurt me, raped me, and mistreated me. I could never love someone like that It would be insanity.

You're leaving out an entire part of the story. Stop making excuses.

My eyes widened as my fluttered in the midst of my realization.

"I have no desire to harm you."

"I'm sorry. You can sleep in my bed."

"The clothes I lent you were bloodied and torn. I found this in a nearby village while picking up supplies and Deidera kept pestering me to buy it. I don't need you destroying anymore of my clothes so take these."

"Sakura! Please!"

I can. I can love Itachi Uchiha.

Tears welled in my eyes. "I could love you, if you didn't make it impossible, and if you wanted to. I could if only you were capable of allowing me to!" I blurted out.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

All of my loud talking and sudden movement caused a pain in my chest to make me cough. I whimpered as the force from the cough put pressure on my stiches.

Itachi was at my side instantly.

"I'm alright" I reassured him.

He reached a hand out and went to grab the sheets that covered up my bare chest, stopping before he pulled the sheet back.

"It's alright." I watched him gently pull back the sheets, exposing my chest.

He stared at the line of stiches that decorated my respiratory, and lightly laid a hand upon my wound.

"Can you forgive me?" he asked.

"Forgive you for what, Itachi?"

"Leaving you, and causing this to happen." His voice was barely audible.

"Itachi…what happened that day wasn't your fault. Sleeping with Deidera was a mistake that I made because I was careless. Just because we weren't on speaking terms at the time you left for your mission doesn't mean it was your fault this happened."

"There was no mission."

Did I just hear that correctly?

"No mission? Then what were—"

"When I saw you in bed together. I wanted to kill him, so I had to leave in order to prevent that from happening."

For the first time Itachi was being completely honest and open.

I laid my hand over his.

"Can you forgive me?" I asked.

"After all I've done, and you ask for my forgiveness. Foolish girl."

That made me laugh.

My laughter was interrupted by the touch of his lips. For the first time, I returned his kiss. His fingers intertwined themselves in my hair pushing my head forward, deepening the kiss.

It was my natural response to reach for him and cup the back of his neck with my hand. My fingers played in his hair. It was so silky and soft.

He pulled away so that we were nose to nose; staring intently at each other unsure what the other was thinking.

I was irritated that he had ended the kiss and found myself staring at his lips, hungry for more.

This time I leaned in for the kiss and I felt the jolt of surprise pass through Itachi's body.

"Tell me when you wish for me to stop." he momentarily pulled away to speak.

Kissing him for a few moments longer I pulled away.

"I don't want you to stop."

As if I had spoken some magic words giving him the green light , Itachi's lips came crashing down on mine desperately. He climbed atop me careful not to bare his weight atop my chest. I grabbed his arms, feeling his muscular build. He hastily removed my pants and rid himself of his within seconds. Positioning himself over me he hesitated.

I knew what he was thinking about.

"It's okay. I want this." I reassured him.

A shiver of eagerness and anticipation ran through my body as he lowered himself. Kissing my neck repeatedly as he slowly slipped inside of me.

Wrapping my legs around him, my heart fluttered at the sensation of him moving inside of me.

Why have I waited so long to do this?

Dear god….Itachi…..

He had both arms braced on either side of me head as he steadied himself, thrusting deeper and faster.

"Itachi…." I moaned into his ear.

"I felt a shiver run through him at the sound of his name slipping from my lips. He sped up making his strokes longer and harder.

I kept reminding myself that this was real. After all I had been through this was by far worth every moment of hell I had endured. Although it was not Sasuke…I had found my Uchiha and for once in my life Sauske was not the only one I was capable of loving.

Our bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, intertwining together as Itachi paid careful attention not to touch my wound.

I yelled out his names a few times over as he released into me, staying like that for a few moments before finding a spot next to me.

Instinctively I grabbed his hands observing his purple painted fingernails, and looked into his eyes. Instinctively he pulled back and I smiled letting go. Perhaps hand holding was too affectionate for him still.

It wasn't until a few moments passed that I realized Itachi had not left the bed and he had no intentions to do so.

A heavy sleepiness came over me causing my eyes to droop. Fighting sleep, I reached over and tucked a few strands of Itachi's long hair that had escaped his ponytail, back behind his ear.

Staring back at me intensely with his crimson eyes he frowned and said "stop fighting your sleep. I'm not going anywhere."

Closing my eyes I let out a content sigh.

"I love you."

And drifted off into a peaceful sleep.