Here I am!! Let's get back to the story now shall we? Just to let ya know. I'm making Sakura 19. I know Itachi is 21 and Sakura is supposed to be younger but hey! It's my story!!! Bash if you want but it won't change my mind! :p

As for those who like it so far! You're way past the highest level of awesome on a hot dog planet set on fire!!!

Rai: Don't worry readers…that's a good thing.

That's Rai-my OC if you haven't read my other story! O and Btw, I went over my plot line and as a warning, it may be a little bit slow to start off but as soon as it really starts to pick up, there is no slowing it down!

Yup you heard right! The plot line—in my opinion—is just that awesome…*giggles happily and throws confetti with a retarded pointed party hat on crooked*

Disclaimer….Ryuu! Ryuu! Yay!!!

Emerald eyes stared at the white ceiling above with a bored expression covering her features. Sakura sighed as she shifted her legs and the soft rustle of the sheets greeted her in her room that was still dark from the setting moon. With heavy eyes, she turned her head and looked to the clock on the table near her bed. 5:37am shone in bright white letters and she blinked before turning back to the ceiling.

I can't hide in my room forever…Again she sighed and pulled the covers from her as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Swinging her feet out to the side, she stepped down and gave a short shiver as her bare feet met cold hardwood floors.

But she ignored it and went to her dresser that had been filled with her clothes when she was out. Pulling open a few drawers, she picked out a few different clothes. She wasn't in her usual mood and decided that black was good enough. With heavy feet she walked to the bathroom before stopping midway through the door.

An eyebrow twitched as she stared into her reflection and examined her hair that hung in a mess around her shoulders. Picking up a lock in between two fingers, she scowled before letting it fall flat. "I guess I'll have to take a shower," she said reluctantly and started with her usual routine.

Once she was dry and clean, she looked back to the mirror and smiled approvingly. She had to admit that the black looked good on her. Instead of her usual red Haruno shirt, she was wearing her black tank top that her mother had gotten her for her birthday and black capris. A red sash wrapped around her waist where her sword was usually place when not on her back with the Haruno seal on the end. Smiling, she pulled her red forehead protector and tied it around her hair, but as her fingers tied the knot in the back, she paused.

This was the start of change…she had started to change her outfit to less…attractive colors, and she had thought about cutting her hair again. Of course she had always loved her hair long and soon after, threw that idea out.

Put it somewhere else! Cha! Then we'll be hot! Let's see what Ino says when she sees us now!

Sakura grinned and thought about it for a moment. Where would her forehead protector go now? Not around the waist or thigh like Ino and some other girls…Not the arm either. So that left around the neck… Sakura replaced it around her neck and looked back to the mirror. "Now we're ready."

With that said, she walked back into the bedroom and pulled her kunai bag and sword before strapping them onto her and walking out the door with false hope that perhaps Kisame and Itachi were still asleep….

Fat chance…inner scoffed.

Sakura ignored her, though she knew that inner was probably right. Her lungs burned against her chest as she held her breath and slowly, and as quietly, she walked down the hall and into the living room. As she turned the corner of the door way, she silently jumped for joy in her mind as an empty couch and chair came into view, but her happy mood was washed away not even a second later at the sight of Itachi sitting at the table looking out the window and Kisame in the kitchen.

"Keh, about time you came out," Kisame grinned toothily and pulled out a bottle of Sake.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched and she pointed to the blue man accusingly. "Are you drinking this early? What is wrong with you? Where did you get it?!"

"Damn you're pissy."

Sakura scowled but was interrupted before she could retort. "Calm yourself, Sakura-chan. Kisame always drinks," Itachi said quietly and sipped a cup of steaming liquid without looking up to her.

Sakura's attention turned to the Uchiha. "Don't call me that and…did you even move from that spot?"

"I won't dignify that with an answer," he said in the same emotionless voice, but Sakura's cunning green eyes caught a glimpse of the corner of his mouth turning up before he took another sip. He's mocking us…

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Hey," Kisame said to get Sakura's attention. "Are you going to train with us?"

Sakura looked back to the grinning blue man. "No."

"No? Well no offense kitten but you are going to have to step up your sword play if you're gonna be teamed with us."

"That's why I have someone to help me. Kakashi has been helping for the past few months and
I'm going to meet him in a little bit for training." Sakura decided to skip breakfast and head to the training grounds. "When I return later, I'll start your first session to heal your eyes," she said to Itachi as she slipped on her sandals and opened the door. "Outside of that, you do your thing and I'll do mine and we'll get along famously…"

And with that, she left the two men alone in the apartment. Kisame huffed to himself and grabbed his drink as he walked to the couch and lay down. "That kid's got a few issues, eh? Kinda bitchy…"

"Hn."

Kisame tipped his bottle to his lips and chugged a few mouthfuls before pulling an arm behind his head. "You're gonna have to show me around. The last time we were here, I only saw a few places."

"There isn't much to see."

"No? Well I'm sure there's something…" Again he took another swallow. "We need to get the kitten to train with us or something. I don't want to hear that Hokage bitch about how we aren't working like a team. Of course it wouldn't be like Leader-sama, but it would get old real quick…"

"We can talk to the girl when she returns…" Itachi said absentmindedly as he sipped his tea once more and stared out the window. A few other shinobi had gotten up and judging by their chakra levels, Itachi could tell that they were Anbu level.

A sudden blur of pink caught his attention and he looked across the street as Sakura made her way to the training grounds. Onyx eyes watched her from the glassy barrier of the window as he raised the cup to his lips and took another sip until she was out of sight through the trees.

She was an interesting kunoichi. One that seemed to have caught his interest. Her rebellious and fearless attitude towards them was one thing that he hadn't expected from the pink haired girl. As a first impression he would've thought her to be fearful—perhaps even distant from the S-class criminals, not a fiery spitfire.

Why hadn't he noticed her before? Yes he had ran into her team a few times, but that was on a rare enough occasion and his focus had always been on either Sasuke or the nine-tailed, Naruto.

With this in mind, he began to ponder on her skill level. Knowing the system of Konoha's laws, he was aware that each team was split to balance each member's skills and weaknesses. Mentally he began to break it down. Sasuke had the bloodline Sharringan and was one of the last Uchiha's; not to mention his potential was high. Naruto on the other hand was loud and opinionated. His skill level was low, but with the nine-tail's chakra, and hard work--on both his part and his teachers'—he had improved and was no doubt as powerful as Sasuke. But where did the girl fit in? Just based on the team arrangements, he would guess that she was unbelievably weak, but he knew that was false.

She had been trained under Tsunade and that wasn't an easy task to do, that much he knew. From what he had seen at the bridge of Heaven and Earth, her healing abilities were advanced and it was only confirmed by her being in charge to heal his eyes. But what about her actual skill?

Orochimaru was planning to put a seal on her, he reminded himself. And the snake wouldn't waste his time unless he saw potential. Perhaps she did have power? Why else would she be paired with him and Kisame?

But only a few weeks ago, when they had extracted the tailed demon from the Kage, she wasn't with her team, according to Deidara. Perhaps she was the one who fought Sasori?

That must be it. The destruction would have matched an attack like Tsunade's. Interesting…She seemed to have more power then he had realized, but Kisame was right. She still wasn't in the same level as himself or the Mist-nin for that matter. She still had a ways to go…

This made him curious. A strong pull seemed to touch his senses. He wanted to see for himself her skills and perhaps more.

Again he raised his cup to his lips. Perhaps it wouldn't be as boring here in Konoha with this kunoichi around…

*********************************************************************

Sakura huffed to herself as she thought bitterly on her new team mates. The nerve of them. They were taking this all in as if it was just another day and here Sakura was having a hard enough time getting out of bed to start her training!

The sun began to peer over the forest trees and wake the village as she walked towards team 7 training grounds. A welcoming wind wrapped around her, bringing her attention to a silhouette of a man walking towards her, making her stop and blink at the new arrival.

"Kakashi?" she asked incredulously.

The white haired man looked up from his faithful blue book and gave an eye crinkle as he brought up a gloved hand. "Yo."

"What?—You're actually early…"

"Uh, yeah, I am…." He said as he came to a stop in front of her, while scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Why are you early? Not that I mind at all," she defended, "but it's just weird."

"Uh…I just figured that I could help you before you train with your new team."

Sakura scowled. "Oh…well I'm not going to train with them."

Kakashi blinked. "Well you are going to have to at some point…"

Sakura sighed reluctantly and folded her arms over her chest. "I know. It's just going to be a pain in the ass." Sakura looked up to Kakashi and then around the empty training grounds. "Where's Tobi? Aren't you guys going to train?"

"…………………………………………………Uh, Tobi is still in bed and I figured he could take the day off so we could start tomorrow………………..or next week," he grinned.

Sakura sweat dropped. "Riiiight. You're going to get in trouble too Kaka-kun."

"You're not going to tell on your sensei now, are you?"

Sakura grinned. "…I won't tell if you get me into the next test for Anbu, like you promised…"

Kakashi returned the grin and held out a hand. "Deal." They walked to the center of the grounds and Kakashi pulled out his katana and set his book safely into his pocket. "Your genjutsu is already high enough for the required Anbu tests and your medic skills will only increase your chances but Ninjutsu and sword play will have to be brought up to cord," he analyzed as Sakura stretched.

"Alright…"

"Have you asked Kisame to help you? Even Itachi could give you advise seeing as he was Anbu, too," Kakashi mused.

Sakura paused and glared at Kakashi. "Yeah and I think you should loosen up a little…Maybe Tobi can help you with that."

Kakashi sweat dropped and forced a grin. "Eh, Sakura. You don't have to take it personal…"

"Well you know how I feel about Itachi." She turned back to her stretching.

"Yeah, I know." Kakashi looked around until Sakura finished and he turned back to her. "Alright are you ready?"

"Are you?"

"When have I not been?"

Sakura grinned and pulled her katana out of its sheath with a shing. Both waited for the other to make a move, but Sakura knew that Kakashi wouldn't. Then again, who said that she would be the first to charge? One thing that training with Kakashi had taught her was to read her opponent. Kakashi was an observer-just the cold fact. He would read a person's movements with our without his Sharringan.

That was his crutch that he relied on in a fight…Well let's see how well he stood on his own two feet.

With a cunning grin, she charged at the white haired nin with her sword out to her side.

"A simple attack is useless for Anbu," Kakashi stated as Sakura charged closer.

Her grin didn't falter as she reached him and swung her blade towards him. Kakashi easily jumped to the side and out of her reach, but before his feet touched the ground, a bright gleam caught his eye just as a second blade tried to tear into him from behind.

Again he spun backwards away from her clone towards a nearby tree. But no sooner did he come to a complete stop did the real Sakura throw a kunai towards his ankle. He back flipped away, landing right into the kunoichi's trap. A string caught on his heel, sending multiple senbons and shurikens hurling towards him. With his own blade, he deflected many of the weapons while dodging others, missing two that skimmed across his left arm.

This time, he leapt into the safety of the branches and looked down to Sakura and her clone.

"That was impressive," he breathed with a grin. "But you let your guard down."

Pink brows furrowed. "What?" But before he could explain, she was suddenly pulled into the ground by her ankle until only her head was out.

Damn it! First Sasuke then Naruto! Now us!

Sakura pouted and wiggled around, trying to free her arms so she could pull herself out. But she found that it was futile. Kakashi jumped from the tree and tossed a shuriken to the clone, making it disappear in a poof.

Casually he walked over to Sakura who continued to wiggle around hopelessly.

"It looks like you could use a hand."

"I'm fine," she retorted angrily and continued her struggles.

Kakashi watched for a moment before walking to her to get her out. "No, you're stuck."

He reached down to pull her out but stopped as soon as he touched her……why? Well let's just say you can't pull something that's not there…

"Genjutsu," Kakashi whispered just as a tree was thrown at him from behind. He didn't waste anytime as his hands were sent into a flurry of signals and he crashed his palms to the ground as a large wall shot forward, blocking the tree from its target.

Sakura appeared behind the crouching Kakashi and released a hand signal before facing her palm towards him. "Yuumei No Mai!"

Two strips of chakra surged from her palm to the shocked shinobi, but he was too slow on dodging the attack. The first white strip folded around his ankle in a vice grip before the second black chakra swallowed him from his ankle up, immobilizing him to the spot until black and white was twisted all around him.

"Release!" Sakura ordered and suddenly, Kakashi found himself freed from the chakra as it dissolved into nothing. Crimson eyes blinked and looked around until the realization set in.

He couldn't move.

"What should I have you do now?" Sakura questioned.

Kakashi said nothing as he activated his Sharringan to try and dispel the jutsu. Suddenly Sakura got an idea and her grin stretched.

With a flick of her fingers, chakra strings attached themselves to Kakashi who paused to look questioningly to the kunoichi. "Sakura? When did you learn this?"

"Chiyo and Sasori…Oh," she said while putting a finger to her chin as a thought came to her. "And Kankuro. After I healed him I asked if he could give me a few pointers."

"Kankuro? Ok I get how you learned it but, uh…I think we should go get some breakfast-I'm hungry," he pleaded, trying to convince her not to make him do anything before she got an idea.

"I'm not Naruto," she huffed teasingly. "I won't drop whatever I'm doing whenever you mention food."

Kakashi sweat dropped nervously. This wasn't his plan at all!

"You know," Sakura dragged real slowly. "I've always wanted to see you with out your mask on…."

Sweat pulsed through Kakashi's skin. "Now Sakura…Let's not do this…"

Sakura smirked and pulled the strings tight.

Now the tables were turned on Kakashi who struggled to gain control all in futile effort. "Sakura-don't do it…"

"Are you begging?" she asked as her pinky raised his left hand to his mask.

"…Maybe…Yes. I'm begging."

Sakura said nothing and continued. Fingers reached the rim of his mask and slowly curled before pulling over his nose, then chin to reveal….

"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Sakura exclaimed. "How many masks do you wear?!"

Kakashi just grinned. "Sakura-you're not being very nice…"

"Me? You're the one that never shows us what's under your mask!...Come on Kaka-kun-pleeeeeaaaase! It's only me and I swear that I won't tell anyone. It can be like our own little secret."

Kakashi seemed to ponder it for a moment. "What about another deal? I will show only you if you train like a team with Itachi and Kisame," he grinned.

An angry crease stretched across her forehead. "That's not fair…"

"It's fair enough. So what will it be?"

Sakura stood and pondered it for a moment knowing that if she tried to take it off again then there would only be another mask. After all Kakashi seemed to be overly relaxed at the moment.

Come on! This is our chance to see before Sasuke and Naruto! Cha!

Sakura opened her mouth to say something but was suddenly interrupted by a distant shout.

"Senpai!! I found you!"

Emerald eyes shot open and she looked back to see Tobi rushing towards them. "Fine—I'll train with Kisame and Itachi! See you later!"

"No Sakura-Don't leave-" But she had already dispelled the jutsu on Kakashi and disappeared in a poof of dark grey smoke.

Kakashi stared paralyzed as Tobi reached him gasping for air. "Senpai! I thought I lost you!" he exclaimed and wrapped his arms around Kakashi in a crushing hug.

"T-tobi…Can't breathe…" Curse his luck…

**********************************************************************

Sakura wondered back to her apartment with slow strides, dreading the session with Itachi. No matter how many times she tried to push thoughts of Sasuke and the clan out of her mind, she only grew angrier. How was it that Gaara and Naruto could forgive so easily? Wait. She could and had done the same, but why couldn't she forgive Itachi?

Duh-he killed his clan and left Sasuke alone…

But Gaara had tried to kill her and all of Konoha. He even tried to kill Naruto and Sasuke. At least Itachi left Sasuke alive…But Itachi killed his own clan.

"Grrr!" she growled angrily as she walked down the hall to her apartment. Why couldn't she just forget about it?!

Sakura sighed as she came to her apartment door and opened it up to an empty living room. Emerald eyes glanced around to the table then to the kitchen. Empty.

"Looks like they're still out," she said to herself. That left only one thing for her to do… "I need a shower…"

Walking into her room, she tossed her kunai bag onto her bed and grabbed some clean clothes before walking into her bathroom. Let's face it. She had dirt in places where it should never go. Closing the door behind her, she pulled her katana out and set it safely on the counter.

Sakura turned on the faucet and pulled her shirt over her head while stepping out of her pants. It wasn't much of a long training so after she had made her proud escape from Tobi, she had ran a few extra laps around the village, followed by a detour as she followed Zetsu and Shikamaru. Surprisingly enough, her hunter skills were on edge thanks to three hard weeks with Kakashi. Neither Shikamaru, nor Zetsu, figured out that she had tracked them throughout their training together.

Sad thing was that she found it addicting. She never liked to spy on her friends, but just to see how long she could go before being noticed was surprisingly enjoyable.

She stepped into the shower and shivered, allowing her body to adjust to the change in temperature. Tomorrow she would try and talk to Kisame about training. As for Itachi, she would test her true hunter skills as she followed him. Maybe even learn more about the stoic nin. That counts as training with him, right?

But what if Kakashi asks Itachi before he shows us his face?

Easy…She could explain that if she told Itachi that she would be tracking him then it would take the element of surprise away.

Yeah right. He won't believe that.

Sadly she knew inner had a point. But she would cross that bridge when it came. As for now, she just had to heal his eyes…

"Damn it! I can't even take a shower with out thinking of him!" Sakura growled under her breath.

Maybe you have a little crush for Itachi, inner teased.

"Shut up-I didn't ask for your input. It's not like I would ever have a stupid crush over some one who kills his family."

Inner didn't say anything and Sakura didn't push the conversation as she rinsed off before stepping out and wrapping a towel around her.

After a few minutes, she finished and walked out of her shower, feeling refreshed and clean. Walking to her bed she leaned over to check her kunai bag. Opening it up, all her weapons winked at her from a gleam of a sinking sun. Emerald eyes looked to the clock. 7:23pm. Was it really that late? Her training had gone longer then she had thought.

Before she realized that she hadn't eaten, her stomach growled in complaint and she sighed. Her kunai and shuriken were sharp and still clean, but her sword needed to be taken care of. With that in mind, she tied it to her waist so she wouldn't forget after her healing session with Itachi. Quickly she grabbed a pen and notebook before walking out of her room to Itachi's.

"Maybe I'll be lucky and they're still training," she said to herself, knowing that she was putting off the inevitable.

As she walked down the hall, a door suddenly opened to reveal Itachi in a black t-shirt and pants.

"Oh," Sakura said, trying to add as much enthusiasm in her voice. The down trodden tone didn't go unnoticed to Itachi who waited to see what the curious kunoichi would do.

"So are you ready?" Let's get it over with…she added to herself.

"Hn." Itachi stepped aside to allow her in before closing the door after her. Sakura walked in while taking in the view of the room. There wasn't an attached bathroom like hers and it was considerably smaller. A bed was pushed against the wall with black sheets and a closet near a dark desk. The walls-unlike her beige-were a midnight blue with white drapes by the window. Compared to hers, it wasn't near as nice, but the design was simple and…charming at the same time.

"Did you decorate this yourself?" she asked and pulled a chair next to the bed.

"Is there a problem with it?"

"…No. I didn't think that you…you know…"

"No, I don't know."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, immediately recognizing the amusement he was getting out of making her uncomfortable.

"Look, let's just get this started. Come lay down."

The stoic man said nothing and lay on the bed with an arm behind his head. Sakura took a breath and set her notepad on her lap; opening it to a blank page. "Take off your headband," she said, trying to keep her voice level.

Itachi untied his forehead protector and let it rest near him on the bed. Again an arm pulled behind his head for support as Sakura allowed chakra to her fingertips that rested to his temples. She closed her eyes and followed her chakra through his nerves, letting the minutes tick by. The silence was uncomfortable-or at least it was to Sakura.

"So…What did you do today?" Sakura asked as she continued to focus with her eyes closed; all too aware of the piercing gaze from Itachi.

"Trained."

Sakura sweat dropped. Great-a real socialist. "Where at? I went everywhere and I didn't see you."

"…Hn."

Emerald eyes opened and she glared down at Itachi. "Why do you always say that? Sasuke did the same thing." Her temper was once again rising.

"Why must I talk as much as others?"

"You can't answer my question with another," she stated stubbornly.

The cunning Uchiha stared at her with a small smirk forming. They stared for a few seconds until Sakura lost her nerve and closed her eyes to continue on his temples. Of course she didn't need to have her eyes closed, but it made the experience that more tolerable.

"Are you going to be training again tomorrow?"

"Are you wanting to join us?"

Her temple pulsed angrily. "No. It was just a question." Well it wasn't a complete lie.

"…" Itachi relaxed as silence settled over them once more; the soft chakra searching his eyes was temporarily easing the ache. No doubt it would increase later on in the night, but that was nothing that he hasn't been able to handle before.

As he stared at the kunoichi he blinked a few times to rid of his blurry vision, but like the many times before, it was futile. All he could do was hope for a way that the kunoichi could at the least, slow down the process.

"How is Kakashi doing?" Itachi asked, knowing that it would confuse the girl. But he still wanted to figure her out.

"Kakashi? How would I know? I haven't seen him since yesterday." She lied. How did he know I went with Kakashi?

"You did say this morning that you were training with him…"

Oh…that's right. "He didn't show up. I guess he got tied up with Tobi." She replied in a neutral voice.

Itachi seemed to ponder it for a moment before giving a short nod. "That's a convincing lie, but could easily be sought out."

Sakura opened her eyes and looked to the man on the bed. "What?"

Onyx eyes looked to her calmly. "Shizune-san stopped by earlier and said that our team would be taking on higher missions then the others. I wanted to see how well your lies held up."

"You think that I can't handle myself?" Sakura's anger grew.

"Calm yourself. I was merely making an observation."

"Observation my ass! Just because I didn't kill my family doesn't mean that I'm some helpless girl."

"Perhaps you shouldn't jump to conclusions," he chided calmly.

His laid back nature began to fuel the fire to Sakura's temper. "Then why 'oh great Uchiha' did you murder your family? I'll tell you one thing, I know it wasn't to test your true skills." She sat back in her chair and scribbled down a few notes about what she had seen with her chakra.

"Is that so?" He looked back to the ceiling, loosing interest in the conversation.

"There are other ways to test your strengths. I know that you used that as an excuse to cover up the truth. And I want to know what the truth is."

"…."

After no response she continued. "Maybe I already came to the truth-that you're a fucked up murderer who saw no boundaries or integrity."

"…"

Silence was all that was heard outside of the scribbling of her pen. Finally she stopped and looked to Itachi who had closed his eyes sometime during the one-sided argument. That was the last straw for Sakura. Not bothering to contain herself, she slammed her notebook onto the bed and glared at Itachi. "You don't get it do you?! Or you don't care! You fucked up Sasuke's life! He was your little brother, damn it! Oh I bet your mother is real proud of you now, isn't she?"

Suddenly, Itachi swung to the opposite side of the bed and stood to his feet before walking past her to the door.

"Are you leaving? What-now you get to choose when we're done talking?!"

"There is no reason why I should stay."

Sakura stood up and spun on her heels while watching him walk away. "I want to know the truth!" After no reaction she narrowed her eyes until they were slits. "Go ahead! Run away-you're real good at that-"

Suddenly she stopped as she was thrown against the bed with a hand crushing her throat and another holding her hands together in a hold that Kakashi had taught her. It she moved the slightest in any direction then her fingers would be broken in a matter of a few painful snaps.

"You need to stop acting childish," he said as he leaned down to her face, with crimson eyes burning with new fire. "You act as if you understand everything, but you are naïve." He leaned forwards more and stared into frightened emerald. "You loath me because of things you don't understand. You believe the choice to kill my clan came to me on a whim and to leave Sasuke alive was a bonus point for me. To tell you the truth," he tightened his grip on her throat, robbing her of rich oxygen. "I pity you. When are you going to grow up and take everything that doesn't have to do with Sasuke and learn from it?"

Slowly he released her throat and stood to his feet before walking to the door, leaving her alone on the bed alone. Emerald eyes stared at the lone door in thought as she rubbed her painful throat. She had gone too far-that much was obvious. But she couldn't help to feel ashamed. Why? He was a killer. But so was she. The only thing that made it different was that it wasn't her family that she had killed…

She sighed and looked to her hands sadly. Was she still obsessing over Sasuke? How was that possible? On missions, she just wanted him back for Naruto, but once she was in Konoha again, she fell into the regular routine of thinking about him again.

We'll change that! We know that he won't come back again!

But he would come back…Itachi was here now and that meant that she would see him again. But deep down, she knew that she didn't want to bring him back. He had done so much to every one-especially Naruto that shouldn't be forgiven. She wouldn't be able to forgive him.

So Itachi wasn't all the way right. She was learning. After all, she was defending Sasuke's past-not Sasuke himself. The younger Uchiha had chosen his own way and he would live with those choices.

But still, that brought on many questions about Itachi. And this time, the more she thought about the eldest, the guiltier she became.

Curse her conscious.

***********************************************************************

Kisame looked over to Sakura who sat in the recliner, deep in thought. Dinner had been….awkward and the Mist-nin was just glad that it was over with. Itachi hadn't said a word, which even on his bad days he said a few things. Sakura was about the same with her gaze never leaving the meal in front of her. Did she even eat anything?

Poor Kisame had to sit in between them with only Sake for company. At least the girl did the dishes. Itachi had left shortly after to go on a walk and the only reason Kisame knew that was because it was part of the Uchiha's regular schedule. Still it was obvious something happened in the room when Sakura was checking his sight.

"So," Kisame started and brought two bottles of sake to the living room where Sakura sat, sharpening her katana. With a short huff, he sat down on the couch and handed Sakura a bottle which she eagerly took. Kami knew she needed one.

"How old are you anyway?"

Emerald eyes looked to Kisame. "19. Why?"

"Just curious."

There was a moment of silence before Sakura looked up from her katana. "How old are you?"

Kisame grinned and paused from taking a sip from his drink. At least she was starting to talk. "Well how old do I look, kitten?"

"I'd say…29?"

"32."

"Really? I thought I was a little high with 29."

Kisame chuckled and took a drink. "You flatter me, kitten."

Sakura grinned. "What about…Itachi?"

Kisame gave her a strange look that she couldn't read. "21."

"Hmm…" She turned back to working on her blade. After a moment Kisame spoke.

"So how are his eyes?"

Sakura looked up once again. "Well it should only take a five sessions to relieve the damage and then I'll have to go in and clean out his chakra current that flows to his eyes that he uses to activate his bloodline. By next month he'll be able to see better than anyone in the village," she stated proudly, knowing that Kisame was really interested in what she could do, healing wise.

"A month, huh?" He took another drink.

"I was wondering," she started, wanting to change the subject. "Would it be ok if you and I trained tomorrow after you're done with Itachi?"

Kisame blinked and looked to the kunoichi. "Uh…sure." He knew that she didn't want to be with Itachi and he would bet Kakuzu that it was vise versa. But he wouldn't push it. As far as he was concerned, they would have to work it out themselves. Still he was curious about what happened. "Itachi seemed unsettled about something at dinner."

He kept his eyes on her as he took another drink, not missing how Sakura paused in sharpening her blade. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Now that's a damn lie if I ever heard one," he scoffed.

Sakura stopped and sighed before setting her blade next to her on the couch. "I just don't understand him. From what everyone here says, he's a killer with no boundaries. All he wants is power…but when I hear these things, I always think of Sasuke and how he turned his back on us for power. The only thing is that the rumors don't fit with Itachi's actions-well not completely. I'm just confused."

Kisame seemed to ponder on it for a while. "Well, kitten, I don't know Sasuke but I know a bit about Itachi." He finished his drink and leaned back with an arm over the back of the couch. "Let me tell you something about him. Afterwards you can come up with your own opinion of him."

Sakura looked up to him curiously.

Kisame walked casually next to Itachi as they walked through a town square in Waterfall. It was a busy place, many people were bustling around and kids ran passed them, chasing each other. Neither Itachi nor Kisame paid them any attention as they walked through as if invisible. As far as the citizens were concerned, Akatsuki had been a blessing seeing as they had protected them from a few enemy nin. Funny how they could twist the facts around.

The truth was that Hidan was in need of some sacrifices and some trouble makers just happened to catch his interests. Kisame chuckled to himself. If only they knew what Hidan did to them….

They were there looking for a source that Itachi had been in contact with for a few months. The Uchiha was 15 now and just as mysterious as when he was 13. Still Kisame and the kid got along fairly well.

They made their way to a small tea shop before disappearing inside. The sweet smell of dumplings and rich jasmine tea filled the air as the two figures walked to the back booth where the source sat waiting patiently. "Ah, you came," he greeted.

Itachi said nothing and took a seat while Kisame examined the man while wrinkling his nose in disgust. The man was a tall and well built brute with unruly blonde hair that looked packed with dirt. The lingering smell of dirt was mixed with a strong smell of overly used cheap cologne. Still, Kisame took as much fresh air as he could into his lungs before taking a seat across from him.

As Itachi and the man discussed the information, Kisame looked around the empty tea shop. There wasn't much of anyone in the small room, but it still gave him a good view of the place. The walls were a dark maroon with beige booths and table cloths. Every ten feet on the wall hung a bright lamp with brass holders up to the bar that separated the tables from the kitchen.

A sudden shadow shifted as it made its was through the dim kitchen until the door opened to reveal a young blonde about the age of 23. She wasn't too tall but her long legs were no doubt from her father as for the long golden locks.

"Father…I have something I want to tell you," she said with a soft smile.

The man looked to her angrily. "Go away Hani, I'm busy." He turned back to Itachi who gave a short nod to Hani before looking to the father.

"But-it's important….I came down here to tell you myself."

Kisame looked between Hani and her father who seemed to get angrier by the second. "You aren't even supposed to be here! We agreed that you are no longer welcome in this family-"

"Foraku, go talk with her and we will discuss the rest when you are finished." Itachi ordered coldly earning a questioning look from Kisame. What's got him ticked?

Foraku's face calmed, but Kisame saw that his jaw was clenched. No doubt afraid that Itachi would kill him in a seconds time if he argued. The blonde stepped out of the booth and walked to the other side of the room to talk to his daughter.

Kisame and Itachi sat silently, waiting for them to finish, but within a moment, it appeared that they would be waiting longer then they had planned.

"What?! I told you to stay away from him, and you didn't listen!"

"But I love him-"

"And you disobeyed me!" he yelled over her pleas. Tears streaked down the girl's doll like face. "I made myself clear that if you went off with him then you were no longer welcome in this family!"

"But I want my family there for our wedding-please. It would mean so much to me-"

"What don't you understand?! He doesn't have the money that you deserve!"

"But I love him!" Smack!

Her head spun to the side and a whimper left her. There was a soft moment of silence.

Kisame watched with narrowed eyes, not liking how this was going. A sudden shift alerted him to Itachi who had started to get up, but with a firm look from the Mist-nin he stayed in his seat. Yes they were criminals, but they never asked to be this way. Even domestic issues like this brought on too many memories to even the hardest criminals. After all Kisame had yet met a man who has had a good childhood and still turned out to be a killer.

The young girl stared hard at her father, clearly tired of being pushed around and with a strong voice she said in a low whisper. "I'm pregnant with his child and I will marry him whether you want me to or not."

The air seem to thicken dangerously in the small tea shop before the father's nostrils flared and he pushed his daughter into the kitchen, out of eye and earshot of the two men.

"Who is that guy?" Kisame asked.

"He's a mole that was in Sound base for a few years. Sound-nin travel a lot and some how he had gotten captured," Itachi explained and looked to the kitchen door. "I suspect he was used for experiments before disappearing and living here. All I know is that he isn't exactly sane."

Kisame thought it over for a moment. "He must have valuable information if you're still keeping him alive."

"…It's questionable."

At this Kisame grinned at the kids joke. But suddenly his grin vanished as a bloody scream echoed through the room and a loud clash of pots followed. Kisame and Itachi instinctively stood to their feet and waited for anything in case there was an ambush, but only silence followed.

Kisame looked around then to Itachi. "You want to leave now?"

"Hn." Instead of walking away like Kisame had expected, the Uchiha walked to the kitchen before opening the door slightly.

Kisame opened his mouth to tell him to leave them until they were finished, but Itachi had suddenly disappeared into the kitchen, clearly in a hurry to something.

"Eh, what now," Kisame whined as he slung Samehada over his shoulder and followed into the kitchen where there was another clash and a yell from an angry man followed by a string of curses. Kisame blinked and his strides grew as he rushed faster until he opened the door to see Hani lying on the ground, half naked with a dark bruise forming across her cheek. Her hands held tightly to her throat that was bleeding profusely and a sick gurgle left her lips followed by a crimson bubble that popped before more blood leaked from her mouth. As he rushed to her side, he noticed that there was a gash from a knife across her bare stomach that leaked blood to pool across the floor.

Just around the corner of a table was Itachi holding the father against the wall. Foraku had a blade through his stomach and a senbon perfectly through his throat that pinned him to the wall finished with cold clouded eyes. So the bastard was spending some quality time with Itachi in his mind…

Taking of his cloak, he draped it over the woman and tried to put pressure against her wound in her stomach until Itachi stepped away from the trembling man until the blonde stopped all movement. Looking back, Kisame glared to see the dead blonde with his pants to his ankles.

"He was trying to rape her," Itachi said coldly as he kneeled next to the shivering woman on the ground.

Kisame said nothing, for once at a lost for words. It was men like that who had made Kisame who he was. Who had made Kakuzu, Itachi, Pein, and Konan who they are…

And to think that this is what Leader had wanted to rid the world of…

"P-please…I know I-won't make it…Pl-lease make it quick…" begged the woman through gurgles of blood to Itachi.

Crimson eyes stayed cold as he shifted his weight until her head rested in his lap. Slowly he placed a hand on either side of her face but pause as blood coated nails grabbed his sleeve. "F-find Ranuke and….tell him that I love…him…"

Itachi blinked and looked her one last time in the eyes before he snapped her neck, leaving her lifeless corpse where she lay.

"I hope you got the needed information," Kisame stated, not sure what to think of Itachi for a moment.

"I retrieved it before he died."

Itachi stood to his feet and walked to the back door of the kitchen, where the woman had entered. Kisame glanced down at the two bodies before following out into the bright sunlight and once again into the busy streets.

"The bastard," Sakura growled out.

Kisame blinked. "Itachi?"

"No, the fucked up guy," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh…yeah, I'd say that describes him," Kisame grinned.

"I thought it was going to be a happy story…" she pouted.

Kisame shook his head and shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it I guess. You can see him as a killer or you can see him as a man who has been down a few dark paths." He shifted his weight and leaned back again in his chair. "On thing you have to know, kitten, is that there are two types of criminals. There are those who started off bad and those like the slimy snake bastard that just have it in them."

"That makes sense…." She said quietly. "Gaara had started off bad and everyone thought of him like he was a monster…But he turned out to be one of the kindest guys I know…"

Kisame said nothing as he seemed to be lost in thought. Sakura wasn't far behind him. Guilt was a bitch as far as she was concerned…But still she knew what she had to do.

"Well, I'm gonna turn in for the night," Kisame said as stood up and walked to the hallway. "Feel free to train with both of us in the morning, kitten."

"Wait."

Kisame looked over to her. "Did you guys ever find Ranuke and tell him?"

Kisame looked down slightly. "No."

Wohoo! That was a tough one. I really don't know why I had a hard time with it. Actually I do. I got an idea that Sakura could have a secret and totally bad ass bloodline that could add to some other's interest, but then I stopped. It's up to the reviewers whether they want her to have something unique about her or not.

As for the story/flashback…It kinda shows Itachi with twisted morals. He makes good choices and bad and in the end saves the girl, but leaves the body and never tells her lover so it can go either way. I didn't want to make it too sappy and good but too bad of him either. Confused? Sorry!

Anyway please review and let me know if Sakura should get a bloodline or not. I guess I could do a poll….Ok I take that back! I'll put up a poll on my profile so let me know please!!!

Thanks again!