WARNING: Itachi may have been hanging out with Zetsu a little too much…also may contain spoilers….

Also I DO NOT HATE Sasuke. I actually don't hate anybody except Orochimaru (and I don't hate him that much.) I just needed this voice for Sakura.

I don't really understand Sasuke though; doesn't he understand strength is only relative…?

THANKS for all the wonderful reviews, I was really motivated since I leave for two weeks (no internet but I'll be able to work on my chapters) on Thursday and decided to update. Enjoy!

Sorry 'bout the long ANs.

TO NEVER LOSE
By Reverse

Chapter 6 - Red Sky

The lair of the akatsuki twisted in my mind, the blood and coal pinwheels contorting the surroundings. In inverted sky was my first console; that I had been right. Once again Itachi had felt the need to enforce his dominance through the means of the sharingan, the terror and curse of his family.

I stood on a field of white, tall grass. It reminded me almost of the white flowers I had seen harvested for drugs in Waterfall on a mission to catch the criminals growing them.

I had made a promise to complete my mission. That was my greatest strength; to complete my promises. My determination was unwavering.

Then it occurred to me that it was a funny thought to have in such a horrendous place. The spiteful part of my mind argued back that since Itachi had complete control here, it wasn't wrong to find nostalgic comfort. It would soothe the pain.

I looked across the field. Here were Itachi and Sasuke; somehow I knew it would be this. Sasuke was screaming at Itachi not to hurt me, and how he hated him. Itachi was looking calm and strong.

This didn't hurt me. Not as they ran to clash each other, he was trying too hard to tear me up, but I knew this wasn't real. There was only one small sane part that rationalized this scene in my mind. This Sasuke was older, with a summoning for snakes on his arm; I could see it as the battle seemed to drift closer to me. I had broken ties to Sasuke and he considered me a betrayer.

And worse, a betrayer of my promise, my sworn word! I had not waited; I had sought and I had not preserved anything for him, there was nothing left for him! I had destroyed myself. If this were real; he should be screaming at how he was going to kill Itachi, and then kill me.

But what if he didn't know what you had become? My own mind taunted me, but this voice seemed dissimilar, however, I couldn't help but listen. I was charmed like a snake in a basket is tantalized by the flute.

And it only needed to speak one last time before I couldn't hold back the pain any longer.

What if he thought Itachi had forced you into this? I couldn't help but ponder; forced how? It had meant to be sarcastic but not curious.

I stared at the scene where Itachi finally appeared bored, he removed Sasuke's thin blade and ran the edge over his brother's neck. With a final arc of the weapon, he thrust it through Sauke's heart, letting the blood flow. Did the lifeblood ever flow from anybody else like this? This silent, sick waterfall of Itachi's imagination?

Like cool rain it ran in drops from his mouth, a crimson river flowing from his chest, carried downwards as if it was being forced to move.

A single tear rolled down my cheek, but I didn't feel as if I were crying; I could scarcely understand this scene. More tears, more crying and pain. I felt vaguely empty and mildly disgusted. Disgusted at my own sense of relief; my promise not in vain. I looked up at the sky here; I had shed no tears over Sasuke and his brother. It was raining.

When I brought my eyes back to level, I was staring at Itachi, and he was holding Sasuke's blade to my throat, he caught my chin in his hands; forcing my gaze to his exact level. I didn't really fight.

I expected I appeared to gaze at him with a broken stare. But I was far less than broken; I was searing with rage and was struggling to contain it until I at least escaped this world of this monster.

Itachi's breath swirled hot an alluring in my face, his eyes considering. Almost as if he was battling within himself. His eyes were locked over mine with an icy edge to their fire.

"I wonder if you will feel it when I cut you up. I wonder what you will feel…" He vaguely spoke. He lifted my hand only to slice off my four fingers, a stump and a thumb was all that was left.

With a smaller, more delicate knife, he traced the remaining thumb, I watched with horror and helplessness as he decided what he was going to do with it.

A slit from the nail to the bottom sheered away the skin. Two of his fingers reached inside and tore the bone out.

So there he was, holding my thumb bone, the one without the ring. He traced the bloody bone across my lips, ordering me to suck it clean.

I was forced to eat my own blood and raw flesh. There was something completely sadistic and sexually charged in this action. I nearly growled at him; hating how I felt violated.

As the bone fell to his feet and he fixed me against a cross; restrained completely, I found one action left.

I screamed.

And like a growl of a wounded animal, or a clap of thunder, my words were angry and filled with suffering. "Fuck you, Itachi!"

He smirked and proceeded to cut open my shirt, ignoring my tattered bra and letting the fabric of my shirt nearly melt apart with the pressure, thread fel; to ground of oblivion.

And with Sasuke's blade spattered with Sasuke's blood, he cut out my stomach and made me suck my ribs, each cracked from their cage, dry of the flesh and blood.

At the end of the genjutsu, where I felt sleep teetering on my personal ledge, I stood. I still stood facing Itachi. My heart was irregular and my mind was desolate. But I was still standing.

Bleeding, with my ribs and thumb in a genjustsu necklace around my neck, finer pieces as my crown, I was still standing.

A rare, fleeting look of emotion graced Itachi's face. He whispered his verdict to what I felt had been a personal test. "You passed."

My eyes seemed to protest as I fought to open them. I won, but only barely. My entire body screamed bloody murder in protest when I tried to sit up.

Strong and efficient hands caught my back as I started to slide back down. I looked towards the person who was holding me up and wasn't too surprised to see an exotic face half hidden by blonde hair.

"You look like shit," was the first comment he gave me. I coughed and ignored it. "So did he torture with pain, or the inescapable past?"

"Sadistic torture and the inevitable future." I groaned. Deidara looked at me with consideration.

His tone matched his expression. "Itachi is never that creative. Maybe he likes you…"

I tried to hide my contempt, but bitterness was evident in my tone. "Somehow, I doubt that."

Without consideration of Deidara, I wrenched my shirt over my head and plainly inspected my ribs, counting them to make sure they were all intact. "So what did he do? Cut open your stomach?" he joked.

I inspected the room with a critical eye, pain, barely furnished and with a tray of food on the table. I was distracted from my observation when Deidara spoke again.

"When I came…" His eyes were haunted for a second reflecting his hollow word, it seemed so out of place for this creature I was used to acting cocky and comically. "He just made me relive my family life; or parts of it."

He closed his eyes to shut out the pain, momentarily depressed. I figure he wanted me to tell him what had happened to me.

I obliged, mostly because I wanted to see his reaction when I deadpanned it. It promised amusement, and that would singularly force me to just forget it. "You tell me why he does it and I'll give you details from my little initiation."

"Deal." That 'un' sound he made had become less annoying as it became easier to ignore. "Basically, he refuses to work with somebody who is so weak they can't function after the Tsukuyomi. The only person he hasn't managed to get is leader…" He seemed a little confused. "Oh and the other girl, and Tobi-I wonder why not him."

"Oh," I stated, this made complete sense, a test or worth, I contemplated whether or not he had any clues to my ultimate weakness from this encounter. He was naïve though, so I figured not. He wouldn't be able to use it against me; not at the current time.

"Sakura?" Deidara urged.

I figured I might as well humor him. "Well, when I was young, I was in love with somebody. His goal in life was to kill Itachi."

I kept it as simple and blunt as possible, so there was no chance in lying. "He left, and I was broken, but I got darker, I knew one day he would kill Itachi and come home. And I would hate him when he did. Because he made me. Made me what I was. And I couldn't help but feel relieved when I saw Itachi kill him in the genjutsu."

And that scared me, a little. I left unspoken; though not denied.

"So then he sliced up my hand with the blade that killed Sasuke; and proceeded to remove my thumb bone. And made me eat the flesh and blood and wear it as a necklace and crown." I appeared to think. "…And my ribs too," Was my afterthought, perfectly timed for the reaction I wanted.

Deidara looked like he was impressed and a little scared. "Wow. Maybe Itachi really doesn't like you."

I almost joked but shook my head. "It's better that way."

He sighed. "No, it's not."

"Huh?" I questioned. Here alone in plain room with only a chair, bed and table and no Itachi, I couldn't understand why it would be a problem. Besides Deidara was my partner.

"Leader says that you have a new mission. In two days or whenever you're better—" I interjected with my opinion; "I'll be fine tomorrow."

He glared and continued. "Well, Itachi has the details, but from what I know you're going to survey the likelihood of getting kyuubi and what resources will be needed when you do." He smirked. "And I don't really appreciate my new partner dead."

"So why me and Itachi? Why not me and you, or Itachi and Kisame?" I asked, not really thinking beyond curiosity. Logic was fleeting at the moment; I really did need a bath and something to eat. That certainly wasn't helping.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "I don't know Konoha."

I inwardly groaned, and so soon too. It echoed in my brain, a little teasing and a little tantalizing.

Konoha.

I smirked, at least the little ANBU medic wasn't a complete failure, and she was actually rather interesting to torture. I could hear her only words in my head almost like a consol. Fuck you, Itachi. I still couldn't break that spirit. For the moment I waved it by. I had a mission, and bringing out more of her spirit would only humiliate her more when she broke.

And unlike that first possessor of her ring, I was more patient than any Suna redhead.

I was also smarter. Aside from Zetsu and Leader, I probably knew the most about this organization. Kisame was too dense and easily distracted, Deidara was ignorant. Sakura would delve deeper and lodge herself into the foundation of Akatsuki if she hung around, and Tobi, nobody knew what he knew. But I thought it was more than he let on.

For one, Sakura should never have been near close to punching him, and if it hadn't been planned, Leader would surely have killed the strange ninja by now.

He seemed to have a great enough knowledge of Konoha, since he had spoken such once when I overheard. His voice then had sounded composed; I had only begun to consider it could be him. At first I figured it was the girl who always hung around leader, his partner in a way. She was a mystery and more of a diplomat than a fighter.

But if Tobi had let Sakura find his ring and told her indirectly the way in to this place, what else was he hiding. Was he a spy for somebody, or maybe even one of our superiors?

The last thought disturbed me the most, and though I knew I had promised to send the Little Red ANBU after Tsunade, I would have to decide which was more pressing.

I would choose an obsession to quench my desperate thirst for a project; and stick with it.

But with one being pressing and the other satisfactory, I couldn't decide between either. So I chose both, I was smart enough to organize this, and I had a suspicion the two were interconnected anyway. I set my mind on this discovery and turn of events.

And I knew that there was only one thing that would haunt and drive me, the only burden I couldn't kill with my family.

My name.

Because an Uchiha never loses.

Ok. Kudos to the person who can guess Sakura's greatest weakness, since the clues were all there.

At least try and maybe I'll grant you a present. Also I sent Deidara out scouting for the reviewers who wanted him.

…

Itachi was otherwise occupied.