Again guys, thank you for the reviews.

I'm not sure, but I think I might be in the middle of my story now.

Hope you enjoy this chapter. At first it had over 8k words but I did some editing and managed to get it down to a little over 6k.

Hopefully you won't find it too long or boring.

Thanks

dai86

Chapter 6

Extent of betrayal

Five years ago...

The group laughed loudly in the end of the bar, hearing to a story one of the nurses had been telling them. For her part, Sakura had half her attention on Sasaki, who seemed a little down. 'Wasn't she the one to push for this farewell party?'

But she knew the brunet must be mourning Kouga's departure. But there was nothing to do about it. If the man had decided to leave… well, it couldn't be helped. Apparently, his parents had written him asking to return as soon as possible – something about family matters.

For whatever reason, Jin had decided to stay longer. No one questioned him, everyone liked to have him around.

"So Sakura-chan. Won't you give Jin even a farewell kiss?" one of the girls teased.

Sakura rolled her eyes, thankful for Jin being away at the moment. "Don't start again. He is not in love with me," she argued.

"Please, Sakura-chan, you can't be that dense. The boy must've brought you an entire field of flowers," one of the male doctors teased.

"You guys suck," Sakura grumbled.

Suddenly she saw a drink being held in front of her. Caught off guard she looked sideways to find Jin smiling. "Here you go. The bartender said you'd like this," he said dangling the glass.

At the sudden silence and the mischievous smiles from everybody, Sakura focused really hard on her drink, taking a large gulp of it. Belatedly she realized the sweet scent masked a strong punch to the drink. She chocked and coughed violently.

Jin came to her aid, patting her softly on the back. "Are you okay? Sorry, I didn't realize it was this strong."

"Geez Jin, are you trying to get her drunk or something?" one of the other guys teased.

"What? Of course not. I –"

"Lay off him. It's not that strong. I just wasn't expecting it," Sakura defended after regaining her breathing abilities.

"Hey! Aren't you seventeen? You shouldn't been drinking, should you?" one of the girls pointed out.

"You just realized that, Ami?" Sakura laughed. "It's all right. I'm emancipated as shinobi."

The people around looked curiously at her. Sasaki cocked her head at Sakura, "What do you mean?"

"Shinobi does all sort of things to accomplish missions, especially the high ranked ones. It would seem illogical to prevent them from acquiring independence in their own village, don't you think? So, once you get jounin status you're automatically emancipated," she said before continuing. "It's not that uncommon, really. Many shinobi reach jounin before eighteen, sometimes as young as twelve.""

"Even so," Jin interject, "you might wanna go easy on the alcohol a bit. Otherwise you'll end up being carried home." He moved to get the glass from her, but she swatted his hand away.

"I can hold my liquor pretty well, thank you very much, mom," she snapped at him.

At her reaction he shrugged and sent her a crooked smirk, "whatever you say, momo-chan. Don't say I didn't warn you later."

Sakura pouted and took a long swig of her drink in a childish attitude.

- 000 –

"I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, but I did warn you."

Sakura groaned something intelligible in reply.

He sat her on the couch to remove her sandals. Sakura rested her head against the back of the couch and realized she must've dozed off, because the next moment she was faced with a mug of hot black tea.

"You don't have any coffee," he offered her. True, she hadn't bothered to do groceries since she'd be leaving soon.

She thanked him and accepted the mug, taking a sip and relishing on the warm sensation. Looking to her side she realized he had a mug of his own and had sat at her side on the couch.

Feeling her eyes on him he directed his attention to her. Sakura watched as his inquisitive look turned into sudden realization. Placing his mug on the center table he made to get up. "You must be tired. I should leave."

Sakura seized his wrist.

"Don't." she said hastily. Watching his surprised eyes she drew back her hand self-conscious. "I mean… I'm not that tired. You can stay for a while."

He smiled and sat back on the couch. "Okay," he said simply, and resumed drinking his tea.

Sakura was glad. She liked his presence. She liked having Jin around and talking to him. So, they carried on talking and laughing. Her drunken haziness clearing gradually as they conversed in rushed tones.

She exhaled deeply. "It seems these last months went by so fast. Tomorrow will be my last day here,… then I'll be leaving," she said softly.

Running her eyes around the living room - her home for the last months - she felt a hint of longing tugging at her heart. Her eyes finally rested on Jin's face. There was sadness and anxiety beneath his serious expression.

"You'll be leaving…" he echoed her words. "I really would like you to stay, Saku-chan."

Instead of awkwardness, Sakura felt a warm feeling on her chest. She held the empty mug tighter between her hands. "I'd like to stay too. But I also really want to go back."

She heard a soft laugh coming from his throat, and it felt like it echoed into her chest. Since the day she met Jin, there was a pleasant quality to his voice that reached something inside her.

Without any words he took the mug from her hands and placed both his and hers on the low table before turning back to her with the same intense stare. "I'm gonna miss you."

He drew closer and Sakura stared back inquisitively. Suddenly his face was inches away from hers, and she found it harder to breath. "Sakura please," he whispered against her lips, "indulge me this one time."

Before she could catch on his meaning, he pressed his lips against hers. It was gentle and soft, but it made her mind swirl violently, making her heart quicken. She felt like she was drunk again, and couldn't understand her chaotic thoughts.

He deepened the kiss, and she let him. Jin punctuated each contacted of their lips with words Sakura couldn't quite make sense of. She just knew of his voice echoing in her head and dragging her deeper under.

Before she knew they were stumbling on a bed. Her bed.

'When had they come to her bedroom?'

All reason lost, she was eagerly responding to his kisses, his touches, his words. It was all happening so fast. One second they were talking on her couch, and the next they were rolling around on her sheets.

Only when she felt his bare chest against her she realized he had shed both his shirt and hers. "Sakura," it was the only thing she registered among his moaned words. One of his hands ran down her belly and tugged at the edge of her underwear. Next, it endeavored beyond… underneath it.

She threw her head back against the pillow and he attacked her neck. Sakura's hands were digging on the muscles on his back, and then they ran up to his scalp. Her fingers felt short slightly curly hair.

Somehow that felt unnatural. She had expected to find long silk hair there. She crooked her eyes open and looked down at the blond mane. Suddenly the image of long jet black hair invaded her mind, and along it came the sight of deep onyx eyes.

Itachi's.

Jin's words started to sound distant and she became aware of her current situation. She was in bed with other man than Itachi, tangled with him, his hand shoved inside her underwear.

What the hell was she doing?

She seized his wrist and pulled at it weakly. "Don't," she breathed out.

He didn't relinquish his hold on her, only raising his head to place his lips next to her ear. "You want this Sakura," his deep voice resonated within her.

She felt like drowning in him, and couldn't quite call it unpleasant. But she didn't want this. Amidst the sound of Jin's voice she could hear Itachi's own calling out to her.

The memory of Itachi washed over her and this time she effectively snapped out of this haze of lust. She yanked at his wrist and tried to push him off of her with her other hand, twisting her neck to face away from his kisses. "Stop it Jin," she insisted breathless.

Suddenly he seized both of her wrists and held them against the bed, next to her head. "Don't fight me Sakura," he whispered softly, but she could hear an undertone of threat. Every inch of him was now pressed intimately against her, and the weight of his body on her was starting to feel rather unpleasant.

She decided to forget gentleness and get him the fuck off of her. He was rather taller and heavier than her, but it meant nothing for a shinobi. In fact, she had to be careful not to hurt him. Summoning a little chakra she firmly pushed against his hold.

Nothing happened.

Concern started to prick at the back of her mind. Her chakra was there, and nothing was blocking it, but she just couldn't will herself to push him. It was like those moments between wakefulness and unconsciousness when you go to sleep, and your body won't respond to your commands, but you're too sleepy to care.

But Sakura wasn't sleepy, and was well of the six foot man on top of her. Forfeiting subtlety she tried again, squirming underneath him.

Jin felt her movements, her wrists twisting under his hands. She was trying to resist him and he moved to dampen her attempts. She kept her face turned away from him, exposing her neck. He planted small kisses on it, up until her ear, where he whispered to her. "You can't fight me Sakura. You don't want to resist it."

And with that she felt impossible not to obey. She relaxed under him for a second and he resumed touching her.

When he tugged at her panties however, she felt a prickle of panic edging on her. Abruptly an image of Itachi invaded her mind again. He has one of those subtle smiles that reach up to his eyes, the kind he saves only for her. She remembers the gentle way he cuddled her face whenever they met before kissing her softly on the forehead.

Suddenly her eyes stung. She didn't want this. She wanted out. Now!

Summoning all her will she pushed Jin off. Carefulness be damned.

Her sheer force throws him off of her, and off the bed. The violence should have sent him careening against the wall, but when she bolted up in bed to access the damage she's done to him, she saw him crouching on the floor in what reminded her of a fighting stance. He's staring hard at her and something in his eyes sends alarm bells going off on her head. She's gripped with the sudden urge to grab a weapon.

The standoff holds for a second until Jin appears to get a hold of himself and relaxes. He stands up and backs away. His eyes grow soft and his features turn back to the friendly man she knows, his expression is apologetic.

However, Sakura couldn't find in her to relax. Her shinobi instincts kicked in screaming at her not to lower her guard after the way he just stared at her. She wasn't crazy, was she? It had been the same feeling as when you face an enemy in battle.

He held his hands up in an appeasing way. "Sakura, I'm sorry. I –", he took a step in her direction, prompting her to rise hastily to her feet, standing on the opposite side of the bed.

She was obviously wary of him. He sighed resigned, lowering his hands. "I better leave," he said turning towards the door.

Sakura didn't relax until she heard the soft click of her front door signaling his departure. Her heart was still slamming hard against her ribcage. She was a kunoichi. She was not used to be on the underside of such situations.

She couldn't explain those few moments when her conscious mind seemed unresponsive, and she couldn't will her body to push him off. The experience of being held down on a bed against her will left her shaken, to say the least.

And the worst part was that it had been done by someone she trusted. At those brief seconds it was almost like she didn't recognize Jin. What if he didn't back off? He was a civilian, her rational mind pointed out. He would be the one to end up hurt, for sure.

Somehow, another part of her mind told her she should be glad he had backed away.

- 000 -

"You're in a rather good mood, Itachi-kun." Uchiha Mikoto said cheerfully.

The shinobi looked across the table to acknowledge his mother. Itachi was very reserved. Even people close to him wouldn't discern his good days from an ordinary one. It took a mother to pick on the telltale signs of his state of mind. "I'm just enjoying the meal, ka-chan. It's been a while since we last sat together for lunch."

Mikoto gave him a warm smile. "Yes, indeed."

Her expectant smile told him she didn't buy his non-committed answer. If he wanted to dodge her questioning, he would have to come up with a better excuse. He really wasn't inclined to tell his family he was in high spirits due to the impending return of a certain kunoichi.

He let out a soft laugh to appease his mother. "My team received a commendation from the Hokage yesterday." Well, this much was true.

Sasuke scoffed, "so, what's new? Didn't you get one last year, too?"

"A commendation from the Hokage is a great honor, Sasuke," Fugaku interjected, "despite how many times you get it."

Sasuke shut his mouth, he knew better than to contradict his father on this. He was way passed trying to constantly please the man, but it didn't mean he would pick every little argument he could. After spending his childhood trying to fit the role model left by his older brother, the younger Uchiha realized it was a stupid endeavor.

Of course, it took years of putting up with a lot of clan crap, and the threat of losing his team to get Sasuke to kick the bucket. Sasuke would be the best shinobi he could be, but on his own terms. His father and the clan were not pleased when he defied their wishes, for sure. But his team had backed him up all the way, like always.

The relationship with his father had suffered, no doubt, but eventually things settled and they were able to reach some sort of unspoken agreement. Not without some subtle interference from his mother, of course. Nowadays, Sasuke could almost say he saw some kind of grudge respect in his father's eyes.

That was a decision Sasuke could never regret. If his defiance had smudged his image within the clan, it also allowed him a certain level of freedom. He had proven to be too stubborn to abide by clan's interests; therefore, he was dismissed as a key figure, despite his obvious skills.

Itachi, on the other hand, was the key figure in the clan. He would be the next clan head after all, with everything that entailed – good and bad. Sasuke often wondered if his brother ever resented his position in the clan, having his every action judged and scrutinized, his every step bound by the clan's agenda.

He looked sideways and contemplated his older brother for a second.

His aniki was such a hard person to read. If he had any objections towards the meddling in his life he would never demonstrate. Itachi was more likely to manipulate things stealthily so matters would go his way. Hn, Sasuke should rest assured that his brother was no clan pawn – more likely the player.

For his part Itachi was not bothered by his mother's assessments. He was indeed in a good mood and had no desire to suppress it. When Shizune came by the ANBU headquarters this morning to get the shift roster for the Hokage, he asked nonchalantly about Sakura, and the assistant shared a very interesting piece of information.

Sakura had left Suna yesterday morning – meaning she should be arriving in Konoha the day after tomorrow, at the latest.

Excited with the news, Itachi tried to collect further information without raising the kunoichi's suspicion. "Hn, I don't see ANBU operatives assigned for the escort here. Did the Hokage send regular shinobi?"

"Ah, Sakura-chan forwent an escort," she informed him.

"She's crossing borders with medical research, isn't she? That's considered confidential information. Escort is standard protocol in this case," he said in an even tone.

Shizune smiled sheepishly, it was very Itachi like to scold the Hokage's assistant. "Sakura traveled this route more times than I can remember; and she's a capable jounin. Don't worry Itachi-san."

Itachi wasn't worried at all. If anything he was anxious. After the conversation with Shizune he rearranged his team's schedule to ascertain that he would be free in the next few days.

Taking a bite of his fish, he decided to take the time to train while waiting for her arrival. His mind drifted to the ring resting in his drawer. Indulging his imaginations, Itachi tried to picture her face when he gave it to her.

"You're smiling," he heard his mother comment.

"This fish is really tasty, ka-chan," he humored her with his faint smile. Mikoto could only laugh at her son's antics. Despite the reason, Mikoto enjoyed seeing Itachi in such good humor.

Strangely, from his spot at the table, Fugaku eyed his older son with a reproachful disdain.

- 000 –

Sakura landed on the branch and propelled herself up to the next one. She was glad her backpack wasn't that heavy, otherwise she'd have trouble to keep up with her two ANBU escorts. Apparently they weren't used to travel at a regular shinobi pace. No, they just kept speeding at what she guessed was ANBU regular pace.

Not that she was incapable of keeping up with them, she just didn't see the urgency. And in her defense, they were not carrying a backpack worth three months of medical research.

Well, on the bright side, they should arrive at Konoha faster. It was barely their second day of traveling and they were already in the middle of the River Country. At this rhythm they'd be reaching Fire Country's border by nightfall, and then it would be less than a day till Konoha.

She felt her chest swell at the thought of finally coming home. Her home, her work, her friends… but above all, Itachi. She was giddy with the prospect of reuniting with him. This anxiety was also due to the incident a few days earlier with Jin.

Even though nothing happened, she still felt a bit guilty about it. Sakura wasn't sure if this was something to mention to Itachi or not. Perhaps some things were better left unsaid.

The next day after the incident with Jin she packed and went by the hospital to collect the research scrolls and bid her friends farewell. She was hoping to run into him to clear the air – he was still her friend, despite it all. Nobody seemed to know where he was, thought. Maybe it was for the best that they didn't meet. They probably wouldn't see each other again anyway. But Sakura still felt odd leaving things like this.

She sighed and looked ahead to the shinobi running in front of her. These guys didn't take much to conversation, she realized – typical ANBU.

Sakura had cleared her apartment and notified Gaara of her departure yesterday morning, only to find these two ANBU waiting for her at the village entrance. They simply handed her the scroll with their orders to escort her back to Konoha.

"I've told the Tsunade-sama an escort was unnecessary," she had protested.

"Standard protocol. We're just following orders, Haruno-san," was the short answer.

And that was the longest they talked since they began their trip. Last night they arranged guard duty shifts with a few words, and after the brief eye shut – because that's what four hours of sleep represented to Sakura – they resumed traveling without exchanging any verbal communication.

She looked back to the other man speeding behind her. If possible, he talked even less than his companion. Sakura couldn't really get anything out of him, not even a name. Traveling with a masked shinobi tailing you had proven to be quite uncomfortable. She got the constant feeling like his eyes were boring into her back.

'Maybe he was staring at her ass.'

Sakura laughed to herself. That's what her teammates would say. Yeah, right. As far as she knows, a naked woman wouldn't distract an ANBU on mission. Naruto had learned this the hard way.

The funny memory reminded her of her blond friend. She should talk to him soon. Things were left awkward between them a few weeks ago. At the time she was caught off guard by the kiss and the confession, but she'd been thinking about it and had time to find the right words to explain things to Naruto. Luckily, their friendship would come off unscathed.

Suddenly a sense of warning pulled her from her thoughts. She scanned their surrounding and found nothing. Her escorts hadn't hint at any impending danger. Surely they'd be more apt at sensing trouble than her…

But it was more than shinobi instincts. It was an intuition, a gut feeling that something was off. She sent her senses on high alert and prepared herself for something – she just didn't know what.

After tree-hoping for another five minutes without any incidents, Sakura was beginning to think that she might be a little paranoid. If there were any enemies around, they would have already attacked them by now. But if she learned anything from Kakashi was not to ignore her gut feeling, however slightly it may tickle you.

Almost on cue, a sudden feeling shouted danger in her mind and as she heard a sharp whizz, she twisted her head left on reflex. By the corner of her eye she saw a dart fly by her, inches away from her neck. Instead of landing on the next tree branch she folded her knees and went swiftly by it, using the next branch on her trajectory to flip backwards and land at one of the lowest branches.

Adrenaline was high on her system now, but she gave no outwards signs, remaining calm and trying to sense the chakras around her. Where were her two companions? Certainly ANBU weren't caught off guard that easily.

She heard another whizz and jumped to dodge a rain of darts. Tracing the base of its trajectory she saw a blur of black and white, and recognized the ANBU outfit.

'What the fuck? Her escorts were attacking her?' In a split of second she recalled their meeting just outside Suna's entrance. They hadn't bothered to inform the Kazekage's office or even approach the gate keepers. Back then Sakura only assumed they didn't wanna bother with bureaucracy.

But what about the scroll they had handed her, the one with the Hokage seal? If it wasn't authentic it was a pretty damn good forgery.

'Shit!' She thought while shedding her backpack and letting it fall to the forest floor to improve her maneuverability. She didn't have time to analyze what's and why's. Obviously she had been stupid enough to fall in a trap.

Forming the seals, she produced a shadow clone. Then both ran in opposite directions. She had two foes, the first thing she should do was force them to split. At least it would increase her chances.

Running through the forest canopy she could feel one of the men chasing after her, assuming the other one went for her clone. He was fast, and would catch up with her any moment now. Taking the initiative, she drew her kunai and did a back flip on the next branch, surprising her pursuer in midair.

He was skilled enough to avoid her slash, but the unexpected move sent him off balance and he had to bounce on the tree trunk to reach another branch. Still he managed to throw another dart at her with precision. She avoided it by a hair thread, and watched it bury itself on the trunk by her head.

That's when she noticed – those where drugged darts. They were not trying to kill her. They wanted to capture her.

She ignored the inquisitive thoughts in her head in favor of escaping now. If they needed her alive, she'd use it as leverage in battle. She had the advantage, not having any qualms about killing them and all.

Lunging forward, she deflected another dart with her kunai and landed on the same branch as the man in ANBU uniform. "Who are you?" she snarled.

Impassive behind the mask, Kouga simply drew his tanto and attacked her. She blocked it with her kunai and kicked at his legs, which he avoided easily with a jump backwards.

After a few minutes filled with the sounds of clashing blades, they ended up fighting on the forest ground. She was more skilled at evasion and fighting than Kouga had anticipated. But if he kept the battle leveled for a little longer, Jin would return to assist him. It wouldn't take long to get rid of her clone, because this one was obviously the original kunoichi. And she would have no chance against the two of them.

Following the same line of thought, Sakura was growing worried by the second. She had to neutralize this one soon to have any chance of escaping. Putting together a plan, she decided to try her luck and see how adept this shinobi was at genjutsu.

She rushed, drawing them further away from the other man and her clone. Her current opponent was hot on her heels, and behind her he couldn't see her hands forming the seals.

Kouga was inches away from her, and with a final lunge he reached her, pushing against her back with enough force to throw her off balance face first on the ground. But his hand found no resistance, and instead, went through her, suddenly lost amidst an explosion of leaves.

What the… a clone? He whirled around searching for her chakra signature, only to find a fist coming towards his face. Deftly he avoided it and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him and jamming the handle of his tanto into her gut.

She doubled over and for a second he believed he had her. Until he felt the body vanish under pressure, exploding again in leaves. Damn girl!

But she couldn't keep it forever. Clones demanded a lot of chakra, and according to her profile, stamina wasn't one of her strong features. If she believed she could get a lucky shot in, he would prove her mistaken.

Anticipating a punch from above, he twisted out of the way and stabbed his weapon through his attacker as he waited for the clone to disperse itself. However, this time there was no explosion of leaves. Instead, he found he had stabbed through a log.

Body replacement technique.

Belatedly he saw her kick coming towards him and evaded quickly, forfeiting the blade jammed in the log to escape the blow. He knew better than to let her land any hits on him. Now, he was facing the pink haired kunoichi without his tanto. She had put away her kunai too, he realized.

He understood. That's what she had wanted – to force him in a hand-to-hand combat. Idiot. She may be good at it, but he was better. Despite her ability to draw brute force from chakra, Kouga was faster than her. Way faster.

Sakura faced the shinobi in front of her steadfast. She had to put an end to it now. Not seconds ago she felt her clone being dispelled. The other ANBU was coming this way. He should be here in few minutes.

They lunged at each other and the dance began. She kicked and punched at him, but he managed to evade her. Somehow though, Kouga noted, her movements were barely a fraction of second behind his own. Usually, in battle, he was deathly fast – there was no speed to match his own. That's why he always had the upper hand in taijutsu.

But the kunoichi proved to be equally fast, something at odds with what he got from her official profile.

Unless…He realized she wasn't as fast as he. Actually, he's the one who seemed to be slower. His moves were lacking the usual speed, slowed by a fraction of second only, but enough to even their speed. It wasn't fatigue, the fight had just begun. Maybe…

Genjutsu.

Flipping backwards he gained enough distance from her to be able to dispel the illusion. Kai.

Predictably, the world twirled and twisted around him, pulling off the veil of her genjutsu. It took only a second for reality to set in, but when it did a kick came from behind him. Sensing it, he twisted away and avoided it, but not entirely.

With barely a graze of her heel, her chakra laden kick managed to send him skidding on the ground and crashing against a tree. He tried to raise and found himself unable to do so. The damage had been bad.

Kouga didn't have time to dwell on it, for the next second the kunoichi was charging at him with a chakra scalpel forming in her hand. Survival instincts kicking in, he drew three senbon, ready to use deathly means to defend himself. But before he could shoot them, a body slammed against her, intercepting her attack.

Jin had arrived.

Sakura felt the shinobi crash against her side and used the momentum to row their bodies and throw him against a tree. But the man merely bounced on it, and, with cat like grace, landed in front of her.

By the corner of her eye she saw her first opponent still on the ground. He seemed more or less done for. Good. But now she had to focus on her new problem – the masked man standing in front of her.

Thinking that she had traveled over a day with her unprotected back turned to him sent chills up her spine. Only now she realized why they waited so long to strike. They were right in the middle of River Country, away from both Wind and Fire Country borders. The chance of drawing the attention of any shinobi patrol was slight to none.

She really had been ambushed. And now she was on her own.

Taking a step forward she noticed how her left arm felt strangely heavy and numb. She glanced down to find a long scratch on her inner forearm. Panicking, she scanned the forest ground until she found it. A dart laying on the floor where he had clashed against her.

He had tried to stab her with the drugged dart. And even though he failed, the graze from the needle managed to numb the area around the wound. If she did nothing, the drug would knock her out in a few minutes.

Hurriedly, Sakura directed healing chakra to the scratch to halt the spread of the drug. It helped, but it would only buy her a little while. She had to wrap this fight up and extract the drug properly.

Facing her adversary, she noticed his unwillingness in advancing at her with his tanto. Of course, they wanted her alive – he was waiting to see if the drug would kick in. At this point, lucky would be the only thing that could help Sakura, so she bet all her chips on her acting skills.

She swayed on her feet like a drunk, faking haziness through a glazed expression. She blinked as if struggling to stay awake, but her mind was cunningly assessing the man's reactions.

On his part, Jin assumed the drug was taking effect, and advanced calmly but cautiously towards her. She looked like tumbling any second now. The girl tried vainly to run away, only managing to trip on her own legs and come down in an inelegant thump.

Predictably, by the time he reached her she was lying unconscious on her side.

Jin took a second to contemplate the woman sprawled on the floor with a tinge of worry, and then bent down to assess her condition.

Faster than he could react, she turned and swung her elbow into his mask. He flew back with a resounding crack and before he could regain his balance her foot connected with his chest. Even as he gasped for air he flipped away from her awkwardly.

Sakura had not loaded the first blows with chakra, as to prevent him from detecting her ruse before she could hit him. But now she lunged at the man with killing intent. She had to take advantage of his brief disorientation if she wanted any chance of bringing him down.

He managed to dodge her flying kick. And felt extremely luck for it after realizing the thick tree trunk that received the blow had cracked in two under the sheer force, splinters flying everywhere. Sakura barely landed on the ground and spun around to charge at him again.

But then she froze.

Her initial blow to his face had broken his mask, but only now she got the first clear view of his face.

"Jin?"

From the moment he felt his mask crack he knew she would recognize him. And when he heard her whisper his name, Jin couldn't explain the sudden twist in his stomach as he saw shock and betrayal in her features.

He should've taken the opportunity to knock her down, but his feet were planted on the ground. He couldn't move, and apparently, neither could she.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan-no-jutsu!"

Their trance was broken when Kouga's water dragon slammed hard at her, throwing Sakura against a tree several meters away.

She didn't even had time to register the pain before everything went dark.

- 000 –

Present day...

Itachi kept on his way towards the Uchiha compound. His body language betrayed nothing of his inner turmoil. Even if he was edging on rage and frustration.

Surrounded and outnumbered in enemy territory? He was cool, calculative and sharp.

Facing his parents and the Clan elders pushing for his marriage? Collected and uncompromising, yet respectful.

But it took a few minutes of conversation with Sakura to get him rattled beyond belief.

Never in his life he felt like cursing out loud and breaking things like now. Well, perhaps after that last conversation they had, five years ago.

Why she had to be so unbelievably stubborn? If anything, his visit tonight proved she still had feelings for him. He saw it in her eyes, on the way she responded to his touches. To his kisses.

Itachi closed his eyes remembering the feel of her lips. Soft, sweet, warm… the same way they had been back then. He shut that line of thinking. Moreover, tonight's events proved they could not be together. Sakura's was clear on how she felt about his clan – very clear – and about him.

He was not a masochist to pursuit what he could not have. He was not about to admit how much it hurt when she tossed the ring at him, but he vowed to never let himself feel that way again. It was his fault. He had put himself in that vulnerable position. He had bared his neck and she went straight for the jugular.

Itachi felt like slapping himself for his miscalculation. Apparently he didn't know Sakura as well as he thought. They haven't spoken for real in nearly five years. She was a different person now, clearly.

But when they talked over tea tonight, it was like time hadn't passed at all. Everything had filled him with nostalgia – the tea set, the scents, her eyes… She had been the same Sakura again, with those big jade eyes filled with so many emotions. Everything was fine, she was giving in to him… until he mentioned that incident in Suna.

Her mood then made a turn to the worse. He had never seen such a vicious side of her. Sakura had always been a compassionate woman, which went fine with her duties as a doctor, but was rather at odds with her shinobi status. Tonight, it was like seeing an entirely different person.

But to be honest, Itachi had seen a glimpse of this unpleasant side of her once before. It had been a few weeks after her return from that mission in Suna. He remembered he felt pretty much like he was feeling now. Understandable, since Sakura had acted pretty much like she acted tonight.

That damned mission. That's when everything started to come off tracks for them.

It seems that whenever he brings up this subject with her, things fall apart. Funny thing is, he never managed to get anything out of her. If he hadn't gotten that classified report he wouldn't know anything at all.

He stopped in the middle of the road. From there he could already see the lights on the compound's gate ahead. Something prickled at his mind.

Tonight he went to Sakura for answers, yet he had gotten none. He went to her apartment with his own assumptions, which she neither denied nor confirmed. He had been so preoccupied in making clear that he didn't condemn her doings in the past, that he never actually got confirmation of said doings.

She just had to go and piss him off so badly that he pushed aside any other matter… the same way she did years ago.

Now he saw her tactics. He pressed her about this subject, and she would piss him off – in a rather nasty way – in order to push him away.

And he fell for it. Twice, now.

To say he felt stupid was the understatement of the year.

But why Sakura felt the need to do so? What would make her push him away when she clearly liked him? Whenever he mentioned Suna she would turn defensive and abrasive.

But by bringing her the report he took from the Hokage's personal files he made clear that he was aware of what had happened. She had nothing to hide anymore. Had she?

Through the report he concluded what were Danzou's intentions by sending someone with Yamanaka Jin's particular skills after Sakura. Honestly, he could not blame her for falling for this trap – Itachi knew more experienced and skilled shinobi had yielded.

Unless Sakura had not yielded.

Itachi felt an unpleasant twist in his stomach at the possibility. Impulsively he turned around darting back to her apartment.

Enough with polite and proper. Itachi would yank the truth out of her by whatever means necessary.

So, what did you guys think?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story so far.

Don't forget to review, kay?

Kisses!

dai86

(Edited on May, 2012)