Well, here you all go. Tomorrow is my last day of freedom before school starts back up, unfortunately. TT^TT I am currently drinking sparkling red grape juice straight from the bottle. O3O

Yes, anyways.

Longer chapter! Happy, yes?

The next chapter will be the last one, and it will be longer as well.

Oh! I upload my first video on YouTube and it sucks, but yeah... (NOOB). Team Seven's Theme Songs. I know, right — very original.

Yeah.

So.

Another thing: you all will kill me for what I've done in this chapter. :D

Please read and review!

Sakura was not happy.

Like, at all.

She still had no clue as to how Itachi had convinced her to return to Konoha with him, his brother, and the patrol. She didn't know how it happened. It just did.

And it all started with a smirk.

That damnable smirk of his that highlighted his way-too-good-looking-to-be-legal features. The one that never failed to make her heart skip a beat or two. Or five.

Stupid Uchiha.

Then, her eyes widened ever so slightly as something struck her. Now that she thought about it, everything had started with that smirk of his.

Joining the Akatsuki. Noticing him. Going on that mission two years previous — that one during which she had fallen in love with him.

And that was when Sakura realized.

This game they had been playing during their stay at Hogwarts — it had been going on since the moment she joined the Akatsuki. She hadn't given in and admitted defeat in the Room of Requirement when he kissed her; she had already surrendered two years ago when she allowed herself to love him. She just hadn't admitted it to herself.

And Itachi had known all along.

She chanced a glance at him. He was watching her from the corner of his eye.

Smirking.

Damn him.

Sakura glared and turned her head away indignantly. Itachi was obviously amused. Sasuke's eyes were closed and narrowed in irritation, arms folded across his chest. The Konoha patrol watched the three uncertainly, still a bit weirded out by the whole situation. They were sitting in a tea shop near the Fire Country boarder, for Kami's sake.

A tea shop.

With Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, and some pink-haired former Akatsuki member none of them recognized.

What has this world come to?

Kakashi and Yamato exchanged a somewhat bewildered look. They'd been sent to bring Sasuke back, and now they had two ex-Akatsuki in tow, as well.

They had better get paid good for this, damn it.

The nine shinobi sat in silence for a very long time, occasionally sipping tea or taking a bite of dango. It was — oh, what's the word?

Ah, yes:

Awkward.

And it was pissing Sasuke off.

The quiet continued only a few moments longer before he got fed up. He opened his eyes and scowled at Sakura.

"You," he said flatly. "I don't like you. Leave."

Sakura glowered right back. "In case you forgot, buddy, I tried to." She jabbed a thumb in Itachi's direction. "Talk to my fucking parole officer."

Sasuke glared at his brother. Itachi raised an eyebrow smoothly. The younger Uchiha eyed Sakura icily.

"Tch. You're annoying."

Sakura vaguely recalled Itachi making a similar comment when they were fighting in the Great Hall.

"Yeah? Well, you're ugly, and that's not gonna change either, is it?"

Sasuke looked like he was going to strangle her. Her remark earned loud laughter from Naruto.

"You just got told, teme!" he howled hysterically. He ignored Sasuke's "I'm-gonna-beat-your-stupid-head-in" look and grinned at Sakura. "I'm Naruto!" he declared. "Uzumaki Naruto!"

Sakura looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Haruno Sakura."

He appeared surprised, turning and glancing at Kakashi for confirmation. "Kakashi-sensei, didn't some old lady on the clan leaders council with the name 'Haruno' die, like, a week ago?"

The Copy-nin gave a curt nod, watching Sakura's expression. Her fist clenched.

"What was her first name?" she asked stiffly.

Kakashi studied her closely. "Mizuna."

Sakura closed her eyes, jaw tense. She said nothing.

Haruno Mizuna was the mother of her insane father, the woman who disowned him after what he did to Sakura and her mother. (Read: after he killed her mother and tried to kill her because he was pissed that she was born a girl when he demanded a son, forcing Sakura to kill him herself and unfortunately underscoring her name to the Akatsuki. As aforementioned, her father was psycho.)

The silence resumed.

.

.

.

Sakura wasn't believing this.

Sure, Fire Country was big, but it couldn't be this big, could it?

It was already dark, and they still weren't at Konoha yet. Instead, they were in the forest; the only villages even remotely close were all civilians villages.

And they couldn't exactly stay in a village.

Because, um, hello: Infamous bad-guy ninja in tow.

Not a good idea.

So they were forced to camp out in the middle of freaking nowhere.

Joy.

.

Of course, the six Konoha-nin had sleeping bags. Sasuke, Itachi, and Sakura didn't.

Obviously.

So they were forced to make do. (Every single one of the Konoha-nin had offered their sleeping bags to Sakura, but she turned them all down; just because she was a girl didn't mean that she couldn't sleep on the ground, damn it!)

She removed her Akatsuki cloak, turned it inside-out, and used it as a blanket. Itachi and Sasuke did the same, but the latter didn't have to turn his inside-out seeing as it was solid black. Sai had started a fire, and they were all settled down around it, most already lying down. They ate nothing, deciding as a group to find food in the morning. Kakashi and Yamato made it their duty to keep the fire going as they took turns staying up to watch for enemy attacks.

Sakura remained awake for a long time, gazing at the fire, her back to Itachi — who lay right behind her — before finally falling asleep.

.

It felt like only a moment later that she jerked awake. (In all reality, a couple hours had passed, making it sometime around midnight.)

At first, Sakura wasn't sure what had woke her. Then, she noticed:

She had rolled over in her sleep.

So, she was facing Itachi.

And his eyes were open.

Staring at her.

Sakura met his searing gaze as if attracted by a magnet. She was instantly overcome.

Her stomach fluttered with imaginary butterflies and her breathing hitched, eyes unable to leave his. Darkness surrounded them, save for the warm firelight.

She received no warning. She didn't even know which one of them moved first.

All she knew was that all of a sudden, their mouths met in a heated kiss.

He hovered over her, pushing her slightly into the ground but keeping most of his weight off of her. His warm hands rested on her waist between the edges of her shirt and shorts, calloused thumbs rubbing sensuous circles on her sides and abdomen.

Her hands slid slowly up across his chest, taking in the form of his hard lean muscles before gliding over his shoulders and settling in his somewhat messy hair. Her breathing was harsh and rapid when he finally broke the kiss. His lips ghosted over her jaw, sending wonderful tingles down her spine. She tipped her head back, eyes closed in bliss (was this the infamous "Cloud Nine" she'd heard so much about?) as he kissed a hot trail down her throat.

Kami, this man was amazing. The things his mouth could do…

She shuddered to think what he could do elsewhere.

Her thoughts had taken a decidedly dirty turn when his mouth latched onto her neck, effectively blowing her mind. A pleasured gasp escaped her as he sucked on her pulse. Her fingers twisted in his hair, and her left leg lifted of its own accord to hook over his waist. He smirked against the sensitive skin of her throat, hot breath fanning out in a way that took her own away. His hips pressed into hers, pinning her against the ground almost possessively.

Sakura didn't like to lose. She despised being the weaker one.

But right now…

Well, fuck her pride. (No pun intended; Sakura almost felt ashamed for that lame thought — almost.) This felt way too damn good.

His hands slid across her stomach, gently pushing her shirt up to mid-abdomen. Her breathing quickened as his fingers tickled the sensitive skin, making her back arch as a reflex. She gave a low, breathy moan, cheek rubbing against his.

He hummed approvingly against her throat, vibrating her pulse and sending shivers throughout her body. His fingers teased the waistband of her shorts, then suddenly slipped under. Another gasp tore from her lips, and her eyes flew open.

Her gaze immediately locked onto his, his eyes darkened and smoldering. Fire induced shadows danced across his face, accenting his strikingly good looks.

But he wasn't hovering over her; he was lying at her side as he had been before that first kiss. And she was lying on her side as well. She felt slightly dizzy, as if waking suddenly from a dream.

He was smirking.

And his eyes were red.

Sharingan red.

But not quite as red as her face.

"Son of a bitch," she whispered in mortification, quickly rolling over and blatantly displaying her back to him.

She heard a quiet, smooth chuckle, and then a pair of hands snaked around her waist. Gasping for nearly the thousandth time, she was yanked back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her like a cage, and he planted a firm kiss in the hollow below her ear. He gave another low chuckle as she elbowed him, obviously still pissed and utterly embarrassed, and remained still to allow her to calm down. After a moment, Sakura gave up the struggle and relaxed against him.

He may have been a sly, egotistical bastard, but he was warm. (And pretty, but that was beside the point.)

She pressed her back more firmly against his chest and closed her eyes, determined to fall asleep and not remain awake all night, because SHE WAS NOT DISTRACTED BY HIM.

Stupid fucking Uchiha and his stupid fucking genjutsu with his stupid fucking Sharingan.

It took her over an hour to fall asleep.

Itachi knew the exact moment she passed into the dream world; her breathing slowed, and she went limp against him. He rested his head just above hers and buried his nose in her hair, closing his eyes.

He knew, however, that sleep was a long way off.

.

.

.

When Sakura woke the next morning, Itachi was already awake. She gave him a lazy, sleep-induced smile over her shoulder before drawing in a deep breath and pushing herself up. Stifling a yawn, she rubbed at her eye with the back of her fist. He sat up barely an inch behind her, using his hands to prop himself up. His lips ghosted along the back of her neck, making her shiver. When she whirled around to shove at him — and maybe smack that smirk she knew was there off his face — he was already on his feet.

Smirking down at her, of course.

Sakura shot him a withering look but couldn't help a tiny smile.

Damn that man.

.

.

.

Just as Kakashi had predicted when he first announced that they were setting up camp the night before, they arrived at Konoha sometime around noon. As soon as the two gatekeepers noticed them — both men, one with brown hair, the other with wild dark blue hair and bandages over his nose — they leapt up. Kakashi, however, assured them that there was no problem. The two men, who were apparently called Izumo and Kotetsu, knew all too well who Itachi was, but they didn't recognize Sakura. She and Itachi had dumped their Akatsuki cloaks and buried them that morning, so it was understandable.

Thankfully, they let them pass, and Kakashi took the entire group straight to the Hokage Tower. On the way, Sakura looked in every direction, taking it all in.

She had to admit: Konoha was beautiful. The buildings were made of a white stone she'd never seen in her home village of Yukigakure, and plants bloomed gorgeously at each door and window. Water features were displayed all around. Birds chirped, cats and dogs called out lively, and people were everywhere. Kids ran past in all directions, laughing and playing and actually being kids.

Sakura turned on her heel as a young red-haired girl whisked by, shrieking with joy. In that little girl, she saw herself as a child before everything went wrong.

Before her father did what he did.

She reached out faintly, not really intending to grab the girl — more to grasp the precious memories she had and would never live through again. It hurt. She had suffered through her childhood in Yukigakure despite the kindness of her mother and four friends when she could have been here — when she could have chosen to just be a child. When she could've taken the path that allowed her to cry, to laugh, to smile, to scream — to do and be anything she wanted.

It wasn't fair.

After what she'd gone through, how dare the world show her how different it all could've been.

"What?" the Hyuga demanded impatiently.

When Sakura turned back, her eyes and face were cold. Harsh. Hateful. It surprised them all — except for Itachi. He already knew what she was thinking.

"Your children here play in public," she spat out bitterly, gait angry and powerful as she walked alongside them. "They laugh and smile. Many of them are even civilians." Her eyes narrowed. "That is forbidden in my home."

They exchanged shocked looks. "Kids in your village are forced into being shinobi?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Among other things," she agreed flatly, fists clenching. "A friend of mine and myself spent seven days in a cell for playing in the street when I was five. I passed another two weeks there after crying over my mother and best friends' funerals — who all three died at the hands of my deranged father, the man I was forced to kill in order to preserve my own life." They were stuck in a shocked silence when Sakura glared at them. "I have heard Konoha shinobi complain about how showing emotions is a sign of weakness," she growled. "It makes me sick. Konoha shinobi are not locked up and delivered lashings for doing so. Konoha shinobi are not publically stripped of their honor or condemned to a lifetime of solitude. Konoha shinobi are not banished from their village." She grunted. "None of you have any right to complain about such things when others suffer for the lack of your luxuries."

No one spoke a word.

.

Tsunade was…surprised, to say the least, when she saw who all was with the patrol she sent out.

"SHIZUNE, CALL THE ANBU!" she screeched upon their arrival, jumping up from her desk and knocking many things over. "WE HAVE A SITUATION IN HERE!"

Yamato quickly opened the door and called for her to delay that thought, apologizing. Kakashi immediately went to work on calming her down.

"They're with us, Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade paused, eyeing the Copy-nin warily. She listened reluctantly for barely a second before she leapt up again, jabbing a finger wildly in Sakura's face.

"You!" she gasped. "I know you! I taught you in Yukigakure when I was an ANBU!"

While Sakura appreciated that the Hokage recognized her, she was a bit irritated.

"Does everyone in this damn village start screaming when they greet people? !" she hissed to Itachi. He didn't reply, but he seemed amused.

"Eh, ignore Baa-chan," Naruto said, waving the older woman off, much to her annoyance. "She's drunk and old and crazy and stuff."

Said drunk, old, crazy, and stuff woman scowled flames at the jinchuriki.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi spoke up, fearing this would never be over at the current rate. "Sasuke is with us."

She blinked and looked at the youngest Uchiha, seeming to notice him for the first time. She smiled. "Well, well," she murmured, crossing her arms. "I hope you don't think this will get you out of a punishment. I'm thinking six months of confinement to the village — what do you think, Kakashi?"

He obviously agreed. Sasuke was clearly pissed.

"I'm curious," she said, looking him over. "What made you come back this time? Nothing we tried worked before, so why now?"

Kakashi gestured toward Itachi.

"He won't return unless his brother is accepted, as well."

Tsunade stared at them all blankly. They could see the thought in her mind: "What the fuck?" She turned and looked at Sakura, opening her mouth to say something. But then, she stopped and stared. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"…what the hell are you wearing?"

Sakura's eye twitched. She glanced down at herself in irritation. She wore a long-sleeved off-the-shoulders top with three slits going down the side of each sleeve — which extended to her thumbs and covered up the edge of her fingerless gloves. Skin-tight shorts and knee-length boot/sandals completed the look. All in standard Akatsuki black, of course.

She glared up at the Hokage, arms crossed over her chest much like said woman. "I'd like to think what I'm wearing is not, in fact, a disgrace to my gender like many women my age in clothes intended to get men twice their size — and age — to fuck them up a wall."

Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing, and Yamato's expression clearly said, "Oh, dear lord."

Tsunade gazed at her for a moment in surprise before laughing. "Humorous as that was," she said with a smile, "I meant your headband."

Sakura looked at the woman blankly. Before she could make an idiot of herself, she reached up and felt it.

Oh.

Sakura jabbed a thumb in Itachi's direction. "He said you have to let me in if I'm wearing a Konoha hitai-ate," she stated bluntly. "So he stole mine and tied his on my head."

Tsunade turned her head and looked at Itachi for a long moment. Then, she sighed and shook her head as if to say, "I had such hopes for you. Too bad you're a moron."

"And why," she asked, glancing at Sakura, "are you here?"

She pointed at Itachi again. "He made me."

The Hokage wore a dumbfounded expression. "…are you all children?" she mumbled to herself. "Damn. Now I know why I always have to do everything around here." She fixed the three new-comers with a stern look. "So let me get this straight. You" — she pointed at Sasuke — "won't stay unless you" — she pointed at Itachi — "can stay. And you won't stay unless you" — she pointed at Sakura — "can stay. Is that right?"

"As far as I can see," Sakura agreed, looking as if she didn't want to be there.

Tsunade ran a hand down her tired face. "Great Kami," she mumbled, gazing upward in a display of exaggerated despair. "What am I getting myself into?" She sighed again, then looked at them all dryly. "Alright, fine. They can stay — under one condition."