The sounds of vomiting could be heard in the bathroom. The great Sharingan master, an immensely feared Itachi Uchiha, knelt over a porcelain toilet with crimson liquid spewing from his lips and dripping down his chin. He heard the door open which he was sure of that he locked and spoke his thoughts on this.

"I thought I locked that"

"You did lock it, you're not going crazy" a feminine voice reassured.

"Not yet" he responded bitterly.

"Itachi come here let me stop the bleeding, I can do that much" Sakura stretched her arms out towards him as he stood crossing over to her

"I know"

"Then why didn't you come and wake me" she asked, her hands healing him taking him temporarily from his pain.

"Do you really think I want to be a burden until the day I am no longer here" he removed her hands from him when she finished. He wiped the remainder of blood from his mouth. Before he exited out the door she grabbed him by the face and turned him towards her.

"You can't burden the person who loves you Itachi"

"The one who's in love is usually the one who's burdened with their lover" she sighed in exasperation it was useless trying to reassure him at his worst. It's amazing how the smartest man she knew could be such a fool.

Her other hand met his cheek and pulled his head down so that her lips could reach his. He raised his hand to the back of her head in order to deepen the lip lock they shared.

She took the initiative of entering her tongue into his mouth. She experienced the unpleasant metallic taste of blood but it was over shadowed by the passion of the kiss. Sakura was the one to pull away their hot breaths fanning against each other's face. She unexpectedly walked into the bedroom. Her broad feminine hips swaying as she sauntered. His eyes roamed her figure until she was out of sight.

"Coming?"

He hoped from the beginning of his plan that it would get easier the closer it came to his conclusion. But now with her he knew it would be physical although emotionally he didn't how he was supposed to handle it.

Xxx's & Ooo's

I strolled out into the hallway it was down and I left Itachi sleeping peacefully. Even though my future goal was to be a strong Kunoichi, I never imagined my life to be so complicated. I honestly didn't know how I was going to get through. The love triangle really didn't help either. That's another thing I didn't expect as well. Having Sasuke approach me sexually, not even as an infatuated pre-teen when I was star struck by him. What I wanted was romance even though I didn't know what that was.

But I'm sure, as sure as I was naïve at that time that if a thirteen year old Sasuke Uchiha came to me with the proposal of making love, I just might've said yes.

As of now I'm still unsure.

I stopped walking after realizing that I've lost myself in corridors of the base. I heard faint talking going on. It was obviously more than one person considering the voices. The first thing that came to mind was why someone would be up so early.

The second was why were there two of them. I masked my chakra as quickly as I could. This wasn't upon a few rogue Nin. It was a base filled of elite S-class Shinobi. The slightest fault and I would be detected.

I performed the hand signs necessary for the jutsu I had in mind.

"Blossoming Henge jutsu!" a flutter of cherry blossoms now in the place of Sakura flowed to the ceiling and crept under the crack to the next room.

"Do you think she's ready to handle it?"

"I have my doubts and that's why I'm going to send you out early and privately"

From on top of the ceiling Sakura watched the brother she has learned to love and trust over the few years and one of the men she has grew accustomed to living and fighting with.

"As soon as the previous group returns I want you and Itachi to go" Pein spoke out clearly enough to be heard. Itachi's longtime partner soaked in the information given to him.

He raised his eyebrow in questioning, his blue forehead creasing forming wrinkles.

"Are you sure" he asked. He seemed reluctant in the task that was given to him.

"Yes she will accept it. I'm doing this for her benefit as well as the rest of the world" his voice beamed in the confidence of the leader he was. The words that came from his mouth, he undoubtedly believed were true.

"Sooner or later we will need the nine tails and I've decided on sooner" my eyes could have popped out of my socket right then and there. He was stepping up his plans faster than I anticipated. I wasn't ready, it wasn't time yet. Everything has been such a mess that I had no time to concentrate to perfect my own ace under my sleeve.

"Alright then as soon as the younger Uchiha returns we'll set off" Pein nodded in acknowledgement of Kisame's understanding.

Xxx's & Ooo's

Kisame exited the room since are discussion was over. I was dead set on my decision, the war I witnessed that orphaned me as a child did that for me. It destroyed my normalcy and since then I've had a goal that I am determined to succeed. World peace and the measures I'm taking to achieve are required. As I was walking out my eye caught something, a thing so miniscule that I almost missed.

There was a single fallen cherry blossom petal at my feet. I stared at it and I certainly didn't know for how long. I raised one of my feet and brought it back down crushing the petal under the ball of my foot, then moved on.

Xxx's & Ooo's

The wind blew gently clouds moved by slowly in the blue sky. A naturally pleasant fragrance was spread throughout the open air. Grass, flowers and herbs teased my skin and cushioned my body upon the hard ground. My eyes lazily kept open. Cloud watching was a habit picked up from Shikamaru in my days back in Konoha but it wasn't a habit to him. It was a hobby, a stress reliever. My body naturally directed me to a lovely open field like the one Ino and I picked flowers in, Ino, more memories. The life style of a thousand secrets and twice the amount of problem started to take its toll on my mind and body.

My barely open eyes then became half lidded but then they closed. I didn't have the energy to keep them up. I told myself I was resting. Only resting for a minute, Naruto could wait a minute; he probably wouldn't even need me. It was me who savings so I was going to rest for just a minute passed. After that minute passed I wondered when I became such a good liar that I was even able to deceive myself.

Well I guess that was the way of the ninja.

Xxx's & Ooo's

I rushed through the halls of the base headed for my shared room. It was empty when I entered it. My rate quickened. They weren't supposed to leave until Sasuke arrived. They couldn't have left for Naruto yet. They just couldn't have, there was one way to know for sure so that hopefully I could rest my mind in ease.

I ran as fast as I could, I needed a confirmation. I yanked open the door to the room I so desperately speeded off too.

I felt like dropping to my knees and crying my eyes out. I never felt this weak like when I was a genin than in the last few seconds.

"Sakura" Sasuke weakly called out my name in his bed.

"Oh Naruto" I replied softly back