Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto…now quit pestering me on it.

A/N: This story is the hardest to do ONLY because of the title having to fit with the summery of the chapter.

Russian Roulette

Sakura sat there, staring, not wanting to leave the comfort of the taxi cab that parked itself securely in front of her old hotel site. In her mind, she knew that what she was doing was the right thing. She knew that what her friends were willing to help her on was the right thing, but she still couldn't muster up the strength needed to actually do something about it. In her mind, though half of it thought she was being ignorant and immature, she felt she didn't really have to do this. She felt it wasn't necessary, especially if Konan loved dressing her up as is. Getting her clothes from her old hotel was pointless and quite honestly, a waste of her precious time with Itachi.

"Sakura…" came Itachi's deep voice. A hint of irritation added to the normally monotone voice. Sakura looked up, her teal green eyes pleading as she read what he was going to say right off his face. "I love you and all, but you do need to get out of the taxi. It's wasting money and I'm pretty sure the drivers quite irritated with you simply staring off into space."

She blinked then looked towards the driver. His back, faced in a completely different direction, was all she could see. She then turned back at Itachi, her eyes pleading even more as he reached for her hand, which she gladly took. "I don't think he's too annoyed. He hasn't said anything about it yet."

"Whatever, Sakura. No excuses. You need to get your stuff now, while Sasuke's out and about, looking for me."

"But Konan…"

"I know Konan likes to dress you up, but just think about it: when your vacation ends, you'll have to come back here for your stuff and your ticket back home anyways. You might as well get it all know and save yourself the pain and suffering from hearing Sasuke's complaining."

"But what if he comes back early?"

"Then he'll be confronting me not you, Sakura."

"Still-"

"Oh get out of the car!" Itachi yelled, pulling the girl till she fell gently across his chest. The moment the door behind her shut, the taxi driver drove off…free of charge.

"I told you, you were annoying him."

"He couldn't even understand us. What was there to complain about?" She pouted beside him.

Itachi sighed then rubbed his temples in amusement rather than irritation. He has only been around Sakura for a couple of days and she already had him acting out of character. She made him playful, more durable and patient. Maybe it was because of the fact that he acknowledged that she was years behind him in age? Or maybe she just made him that way? He never completely understood, but he did know that whatever it was he was enjoying it.

"But what if the others think badly of me?"

"Did the first two think that way?" Itachi asked, hooking his long fingers around her small ones.

"Well…no, but-"

"But nothing. If the first two, who you claimed to be the strictest with cheating issues, didn't think badly of you, then what makes you think that the others will?"

"But Hinata!" Sakura squealed, imagining the unapproved look she knew Hinata would hold for her once they met again. "What will she do when I see her? She probably-"

"From what I understand and remember, Hinata is a very good girl that would never stoop to such low levels, especially not to her friends."

"True…but what about Ino?"

"She's your best friend, ne? Why would she do anything to make you feel low?"

"…Temari…"

"She's like that other girl, isn't she? I believe her name was Tenten, I'm not sure, but anyways, she's just like her, so I'm pretty sure she'd congratulate you if anything else."

Sakura giggled then leaned against the elevator wall, taking note of Itachi's incredible ability to dull her senses, but her smile didn't stay long as she thought back on her many friends. On Shino and Kiba, and Shikamaru and Choji, and Gaara and Kankuro, and Sai and Lee and…

"What about Naruto." She whispered loud enough for Itachi to hear, though she wasn't sure on whether or not he heard because of his lack of acknowledgement. So she pushed herself off the wall and positioned herself right in front of him, her eyes blazing with a force that was clearly read by the Uchiha. "What about Naruto, Itachi? What about me and Sasuke's best friend since elementary. What about him? What will he think of me?"

For a moment, Itachi stood there, unmoved and not speaking, as he stared at the girl that held his heart firmly with caring eyes that honestly didn't know what to say back to her to sooth her stirred emotions. And as tears began to slowly form at the brim of her eyes, he felt his heart fall. The last thing he wanted was for the girl he cared for most, to cry simply because of his inability to respond.

"Sakura…"

"No. I can't do this. I want to go back to the hotel, now. I can't handle seeing Naruto of all people to look at me in such a manner. I can't I just can't, Itachi!"

"Sakura, please! From what I know, Naruto is a very complex person. That was the only reason for why I couldn't answer you. I can't just categorize his personality like I do with everyone else. One minute he's happy, then the next he's mad, he allows himself to get evolved in the simplest of situations because of some heart-string-pulling story, then turns around and never allows anyone to change his dreams and ambitions. He's the most peculiar person I have ever known and out of everyone of your friends I know the most about him but know so little of him! So please, Sakura, stop crying. I can't stand to see you cry."

"…fine." She cooed, wiping away the tears that started to fall as the elevator door finally opened, letting them step out of it into the baron hallways. "But I still wanna know, Itachi." She cooed, breaking the silence that crept onto them.

"…We'll just have to see, Sakura." He cooed as he knocked softly on the door of the given address via text.

"Do you have everything?" Ino's concerned voice asked for like the hundredth time. Sakura almost felt strangled from how close she was to her. She had to admit, that wasn't the Ino that she knew, but then again, no one was acting the way she thought they would. Hinata was smiling and constantly hugging her, talking to her about god knows what and asking if she was okay. Temari…she doesn't count, she did exactly what Itachi said she would do, but the others, like Lee and Shino and Shikamaru were relatively quiet. This only relieved her though. The last thing she wanted to hear was some speech on health and youth from Lee on such a topic as cheating. The only one out of all of them that scared her the most was Naruto.

He was relatively quiet the whole time. Sakura tried talking to him, spewing out random jokes that only he would find funny, but all he would give her was a smile that didn't even touch his bright blue eyes. It pained her to see him act that way towards her, but there was nothing she could do about it. He was her ex's best friend, her childhood pall, one of the three musketeers that always clung to either member. He was the neutral zone, the one that everyone liked, trusted and cherished. He was the glue that held the three together. But now, he's the one that's desperately trying to stay the same. Sakura was forcing her way out, pulling herself away from the other in attempts to be, what she called, free, and Naruto was holding her down firmly by her heartstrings every time he gave her that half-hearted smile.

"Well" Tenten bellowed, scratching the back of her head out of habit as she looked at the small pile of suitcases that stood in front of Sakura. "If you have all of your stuff, then I guess you can…leave." Her voice cracked at the end as she looked Sakura in the eyes, and for once, Itachi saw the sincerity Sakura claimed she had hidden in those dark eyes. He stirred a little, but made sure that no one saw it.

"Yeah…" Sakura finally cooed, her voice sounding rather hoarse "I guess I should…head out." He stirred again, this time from Sakura's tears that gradually made their way down her cheeks.

"By Sakura." Ino cried, pulling her friend in to hug her. Behind her, the other girls joined in, even Temari who simply wrapped her long arms around the whole group.

"By guys." Sakura cried, her voice sounding muffled under the group hug. "I'll miss you all so much."

Itachi marveled at the mass of girls in front of him. he was only used to seeing these kind of things in chick flicks that Konan forced them to watch on movie nights, never in real life, and it surprised him to actually see it happening right in front of him.

"Can I speak to you, alone, Itachi?" Someone asked, surprising him but getting no serious reaction. He blinked knowing all too well who the voice belonged too.

"Of course Naruto."

For a moment, everything was quiet. They both just stood there, staring at one another. Neither one spoke up, even though Naruto was the one that asked to speak to Itachi and not the other way around. The talkative person asked the not-so-talkative person to talk and now that they were out there, both were quiet. That didn't make since, not to Itachi. Something was eating at Naruto.

"Is there something the matter, Naruto?" he asked, deciding to be the first to speak after moments of awkward silence. "You seem out of it. If I recall, this is not your normal behavior."

"Yeah." Was the blonde's only response. He didn't even look up at him while he spoke.

"You want to talk about it?" Itachi voiced, feeling kind of awkward telling this to Naruto rather than Sakura. Hell, he hardly felt comfortable asking Sakura that question. He wasn't, once again, a very talkative person, thus, talking was not his forte.

"It's about…Sakura." Naruto finally started, his face low and dark.

Figured.

"I mean…why…no that's not it…How is she? Is she…happy?"

Itachi blinked. He felt dumbfounded a little by this. It wasn't exactly what he was expecting him to say. "Yeah…she is I guess."

"Good. Is there anyone she talks too, you know like a girl-friend." He stretched the distance between the last two words.

"Yeah, she told me that Konan is somewhat like all four of her friends just a little bit harsher with the truth."

Naruto laughed. It was the first smile that showed on his face since they got there and Itachi felt a little pleased with himself for being the reason behind it.

"That sounds like something Sakura would say." He spoke more to himself as he stare off into god knows where, and, for another moment, they were quiet again. Itachi was looking in the opposite direction of Naruto, staring fondly at the designs on the rug and waiting for his next "question".

"Well I guess that s it, then." Naruto cooed, his eyes, now dark with thought, still staring off randomly. "Thanks Itachi." He smiled his way, looking more like the regular Naruto now.

Itachi nodded, trying his hardest not to smile back at the boys cheerful mood, thus showing how weak he's gotten since Sakura came around. He was about to walk off, head back into the room to fetch Sakura and leave, when he suddenly stopped, felling some cold force piercing holes through his back. Lethal eyes lowered as he focused on Naruto's distorted face. He didn't have to turn to know who was there, who was staring at him with eyes that would kill if it was possible.

"Itachi!" He hissed.

Itachi simply sighed before turning around to face him. The only one who dare hiss him name whenever given the chance. "Saskue."

The sound of raging voices caught everyone's attention and suddenly all bodies were out the door, eyes wide and heads spinning as they looked for the source. Sakura was the first to see who was yelling.

"Saskue!" she screeched, making all others look towards where she was now heading, to stand in between the two Uchihas.

"He's back?" Tenten nearly screamed as she ran behind her. Everyone else followed.

"Naruto, what happened?" Hinata asked as she stopped by the boy that was still staring in disbelief at the sight of his "Best Friend". "Why is Saskue—"

"I don't know! He showed up at random!" was his response.

"Sasuke, stop, please!" Sakura yelled. Her hands were on his chest, pushing, to no avail, in attempts to stop him.

"What the HELL is he doing here? Has he been living here the whole time? And you IDIOTS didn't tell me!"

"Idiots?"

"Sasuke, please!"

"Shut up, Sakura!"

"Don't tell her to shut up!" Itachi suddenly screamed, jerking Sakura back until she was safely behind him, causing Saskue to stare. He looked flabbergasted almost. His eyes turned a dangerous color of blood red as he looked from her to him then back to her again.

"What's this?"

"Saskue, don't…please…"

"Is this some kind of joke?" Saskue asked, his voice rising with every word. "Am I seeing things? You and Itachi! This is where you've been the whole time? With him?"

"Oh shut up!" someone yelled, making the hall, that began to have a crowd gather, quiet. "YOU don't turn on Sakura like that! You're acting like you were looking for her this whole time!"

"…Naruto?"

"You were only thinking about your brother and his whereabouts! Not once did you stop to ask us if we even found Sakura!"

Saskue growled, taking long strides till he reached his friend with deadly eyes, challenging him to say anything else.

"You don't even care for Sakura, do you?" Naruto questioned.

No answer.

Everyone stared. Itachi especially, as he still stood protectively in front of a rather scared Sakura. Sasuke looked at them, all of them. No one was on his side, no one was helping him. He was alone; the gun…was on him.

If I had to say how many chapters were left for this story…I would have to guess…3…

LOVE YA! Review because it makes me happy!

Russian Roulette-Rihanna