Disclaimer: Before you ask the answer is no…I do not own Naruto

A/N: I can't stand basketball right now, but I still love it.

Wonder Wall

Itachi watched from a distance as the pink headed girl danced from one piece to another, arguing merrily with the two other art fanatics that were more than eager to put in their two cents about anything anyone considered art. Her smile never looked so bright before. It was clear that she was enjoying herself. The time she was spending with them, the group of delinquent's people dubbed the "Akatsuki", was unexpectedly enjoyable. She was clearly having more fun with him then with his brother and the rest of the obnoxious group, and he could say that he liked her being with him; he liked her being around him and not his brother. He liked her in general. Yes, he final does admit to his infatuation with the girl, he finally agrees with what Konan accused him of "loving" her. There was no more denying it. Not with the way he looked at her, not with the noticeable expressions that dyed his face every time he was around her. He loved her. He loved Haruno Sakura.

"Itachi, come on. We're moving on." She sang, waving her arm at him in a calm manner. Now that things were cleared up, there was no more Sasuke to worry over and no more expectations to live up to in order to stay near him, she appeared to be calmer. There was no more agitation, no more stress or tears. It was just laughs, smiles and a whole lot of loving, and he liked that. Even if that meant that he had to deal with the 3 idiots more often, he didn't mind. As long as she was around…and Konan was finally out of his ear. "Come on slowpoke. Could you move any slower than this? If you don't hurry we'll leave you behind."

"Yeah!" Kisame called out suddenly. "Hurry up. You wouldn't want Chibi Uchiha catching you would you?"

Itachi flinched at the sound of his brother's small nickname in Sakura's place. He could honestly say that he feared for the girl's fragile heart and was ready and willing to speed up if only to protect her and destroy Kisame, but he was surprisingly caught off guard by the sound of her laughing. He watched as she playfully punched Kisame on the arm. "Chibi Uchiha! Heh, good one Kisame!"

"Heh-heh yeah. Thanks." The blue man nervously laughed while rubbing his arm where Sakura punched him a little too hard. "Actually, it was Hidan that came up with the name. We just followed through with it. At first we wanted to call him Chibi Itachi, but he refused ruthlessly and threatened to pulverize anyone that dared cal his little brother that."

Sakura looked at him upon hearing that, her sea foam green eyes searching him with such curiosity you would think that it was her first time seeing him. She looked like a child almost with her eyes wide and her mouth small and tight in concentration. It was almost laughable, but Uchiha Itachi doesn't laugh…except that one time, but no one heard it so it doesn't count, but other than that, he doesn't laugh. "Nope." She suddenly chimed. "I think Chibi Uchiha suits him way better than Chibi Itachi. Besides, he doesn't look that much like him." She hooked her arm around his and pulled him along as she huddled closer to him with a wide smile. "Itachi's better looking."

"Humph." He huffed, sticking his nose slightly in the air as if agreeing with an obvious comment. "Of course I am."

"Don't get too cocky, Itachi." Konan sneered. She herself was gripping to Pein's arm in a similar manner. "She's only saying that 'because she's with you right now. I bet when she was with Chibi Uchiha her words were vice versa."

"Oh whatever Konan!" Sakura laughed, pulling a strand of the girl's hair. Konan giggled in response. "Itachi's name never came up between Sasuke and me. Not until he saw you at that restaurant."

"That's nice. I wasn't better till after your first night with me in Vegas."

"No, no, no. That's not it-ˮ

"Sure does seem like it to me. Un." Deidara laughed.

"Agreed." Itachi added while removing his arm. Sakura jumped at it, pulling it back down, but never succeeded in keeping it there. She began to laugh, he smiled (he does not laugh but at least he can smile a bit) at her laugh, and the others just watched in amazement as their comrade showed emotions he's never even thought of showing before.

"It's still so weird to see Itachi like this." Zetsu cooed in his natural raspy voice.

"I think it' cute."

"Of course you do Konan you're the whole reason why he has the chance to act like this."

"Personally, it scares me, his smile. Un. It makes me think that he's planning something."

"Whatever the issue," Sasori added "everything's fine as long as he's not directing his anger towards us again."

"He does that?" both Pin and Konan asked.

"Yeah." Kisame growled. "He just doesn't do that to the two of you cause you're the leaders and all." He inwardly flinched, remembering the many times he encountered Itachi's wrath. It wasn't pretty. It never was pretty, and each and every time, he was the one who came out with severe injuries while Itachi came out unscathed.

"Well at least we don't have to worry about that anymore." Deidara added. "Because, as long as pinkie's around, I hardly think he could ever get mad enough to attack us anymore. Un." He smiled as he watched the two. Sakura finally managed to keep Itachi's arm down, possibly because he gave up with constantly prying it away, and was now dragging him here and there to look at various art pieces. There was a big smile on her face and a gradually smaller one on Itachi's but nonetheless, it was a smile. Deidara himself couldn't help but smile at this. Things were progressing. The group was spending more time together and Hidan was finally keeping his loud mouth shut. Pei was calm, Konan wasn't as cold towards them, Tobi seemed to have grown up a little, Kisame wasn't constantly annoying people with his pranks, Zetsu was less scary, surprisingly, Kakuzu was less stingy than normal, though e only shared with Sakura and possibly Hidan, and Sasori wasn't nagging at him like usual-(1)-. Hell even he felt like something in him changed a little, and it was all thanks to the little pink chick that all of that was possible. Well, her and Vegas.

"This is the life." Kisame suddenly cheered, catching many glares from the others, each one wanting to prevent the same thing. "Nothing could ruin this-"

"KISAME DON'T!" Itachi yelled. He inwardly reached out his hand, pulling Sakura along, but it was too late. The words already left his mouth. Everyone stared at the blue dude in disbelief. They were frozen. No one moved. No one dared to.

"What are you guys doing?" Sakura asked loudly in order to be heard by everyone in their large group. At this, Itachi covered her mouth in hopes to stop her from speaking, from being…

"Sakura?"

…noticed.

Itachi looked up. The voice was unfamiliar, but the face wasn't. He'd recognized those distinguishable panda buns anywhere, and the pale, pupil-less, long haired boy behind her just added on to their despair.

"Tenten…Neji." Sakura cooed in unevenly.

Tenten stared, her eyes fixed on the other Uchiha beside her best friend and her fist clinching tightly by her sides as she pondered on what could be going on. She was about to go all out on them, Itachi personally but everyone else deserved something too, till she was stopped by Neji the ever so observant one. He stared as well, but at Sakura's hand. Itachi looked down at his hand, noticing how tight he was gripping hers and how tight she was gripping his back, and then she looked back up at Tenten, her eyes growing lighter as the truth dawned on her. Itachi turned monetarily, mouthing the word "fuck" to the others before slapping Kisame, hard, across the face. The others did the same.

"Sakura" Tenten finally spoke. Her face still stuck in shock as she looked from her to Itachi, then back to her again. "What's going on?"

Naruto walked leisurely beside Hinata randomly looking through every ally they passed seeing as she was more observant than he was and was better suited to look through the streets, when he felt the urge to stop looking for Sakura, just for a second, and start looking at Hinata. She wasn't paying him any mind though. She just kept on walking till she felt the eyes of several men staring at her. It was then that she turned and saw a smiling, not grinning, Naruto.

He waved her way and she dashed towards him, burying her burning face into his shoulder and hopping that it was enough to convince others that she was taken. To her relief, it did. The piercing feeling of hungry eyes stopped instantly afterwards. "What was that for Naruto?" she questioned. She still had a reddened face from earlier, but she looked stern, angry even. Naruto simply waved it off with a smile.

"I was just taking the time to watch you. You look very pretty, even when you're mad Hinata."

She blushed again then turned away so as to not be fooled by his unnoticeable charm. "We have no time for that kind of stuff, Naruto. We're looking for Sakura, remember."

Naruto scoffed. "Yes I know, but don't you think you girls are taking his overboard. I mean out of everyone, I know Sakura best, 'cause technically, out of all of us, I knew her longer. She may not have been all to found of me, but I still knew her longer and if there's one thing I know about Sakura, it's that she's strong. Really strong, so I'm more than sure she can take care of herself. Even in a place like Vegas. Who knows? She might have bunked with that old woman she told us about."

Hinata blinked. She could honestly say that she was shocked. Naruto never sounded so right before, at least not in critical moments such as this one. In fact, she was so surprised that she, for once, had nothing to say back to knock him back down to his normal self. It was safe to say that Naruto won with that comment.

Suddenly, his phone rang, snapping Hinata out of her short daze. She quickly dashed over to where he was and looked over his shoulder and read.

Time: 06/23/XX 3:49
From: Bushy Brows
Subject: Cherry found

Tenten and Neji found Sakura. She does not want to be bothered.
They said to go back home, when they get there they will explain everything.
Pass on. I only have you, Tenten and Neji's #. DON'T TELL SASUKE!

"So that's it." Naruto smiled. "I told you she could handle on her own."

Hinata simply looked at him before walking off. No words said. First he surprises me with this sudden boost of intellect, then he proves his little theory about Sakura right with Lee's text and Neji-nee-san's and Tenten's find. What's gotten in to me? I love him and all, but I would never be stooped twice by him in seconds.

"Hinata!" Naruto suddenly bellowed, scaring her momentarily. "Since this whole thing about Sakura is solved, how about we go out to eat? It's been a while since we've last been on a date, ne?" I heard of this place called Mon Ami Gabi -(2)-form some locals. They say it's pretty good. I was thinking that I could take you there sometime before this whole issue with Sakura and Sasuke started. How about now?"

"Did you send the message?"

"Just did."

"F-fine. I guess we c-can go s-somewhere to eat. I am a-a little hungry, so…"

Naruto smiled. This was the Hinata he remembered: the always embarrassed one that stuttered every time someone looked down on her or whenever she was around him. Sure he liked the other Hinata, hell he liked all of Hinata, but he sure did miss this one too. He rapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to himself, a determined look covering his face "I also have something else planned. You know, after we eat." He kissed her ear and she blushed like she normally would do, but she didn't make him stop. She didn't want him to.

"Okay."

Tenten closed her cell phone angrily as she looked up at Sakura who sat comfortably under Itachi's arm. If this was a normal meeting she would have laughed at how tense both he and Neji were and how overprotective they were being about the both of them, but this wasn't a normal meeting. No, this was a meeting with one of her best friends and a murderer. There was nothing normal about this. Neji was tense. And nothing is normal if it gets him worked up.

"Explain." She demanded.

Sakura flinched to this then snuggled closer to Itachi when he involuntarily gripped her shoulders tighter. This only angered Tenten more and Neji had to hold her tighter as well in order to keep her there. Sakura sighed. She was thankful that he could handle her. Really, he was the only one who could handle her, him and Temari, but she always gets fired up around Tenten and ends up doing the exact same thing Tenten does which knocks her back down to one of the ones that couldn't stop her.

Tenten visibly relaxed but never took her eye off of the hand that comfortably held her near. She didn't like that. It was obvious, but that didn't mean that he was going to stop.

"I'm waiting, Sakura." She snapped.

Sakura just sighed before looking back at the others. Konan was currently in the same position as Tenten, being held back by Pein, Deidara was on the edge of seat looking…worried?... Sasori, Kakuzu, Zetsu and Pein all looked neutral, Hidan was smiling awkwardly perhaps due to tension, and Tobi and Kisame looked the same, worried (that's at least what she thought Tobi looked under that mask based off of his body language.). No one looked like they were going to, or were allowed to, act in her behalf. Even Itachi was quiet, not that that wasn't expected, so she sighed again then shrugged out of Itachi's grasp and placed her elbows on the table giving off a tired look. It calmed Tenten down slightly, but not enough for Neji to release her. "It's a long story." She began.

"I have plenty of time." Tenten said as she lay back in the seat, hands crossed over her chest and eyes lethally lowered in a taunting manner.

"Would you people like to order sometime soon?" An eyesore of a woman, asked, irritated from seeing two of the hottest boys at the group taken.

"No. Leave. Now." Neji answered for everyone, eyes stern and never once leaving Itachi. The woman puffed then stormed off to the others table only to get the same response, but from Hidan and it wasn't pretty. Itachi was now watching the young Hyuuga. He inwardly smiled at him. With a response like that, anyone in Akatsuki wouldn't mind having him around. The more grouches the merrier.

"Well I guess its best that I start from the beginning."

Tenten sat back up and placed her elbow on the table as well. "That would be best." She said. Konan scoffed at this then hid her snicker that started to come, but that never once caught Tenten's eyes. She had her eyes locked on Sakura's.

"Okay. So I guess it started after Ino left me at the slot machines."

"She what?" Tenten yelled, already angered from the way the story started out.

Sakura simply shook her head then looked away. Tenten's glare was something else at that moment. "Yeah. She left me there. That's when Itachi came…ˮ

Ugh! Headache!

…Oh well.

-(1)-that's because of something else, Deidara, not Sakura. Heh-heh. *poke**poke* *hint**hint*

-(2)-that is a real restaurant

Song:
Wonder Wall- Straight No Chaser