Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Thanks to my followers for reading this story and sticking with it! I'm glad a lot of you like it so far. Enjoy chapter three :)

After Deidara unties my blindfold, I have to squint at the ground as the ceiling lights bathe me with their well-lit, artificially yellow glow. After several seconds of searing pain, my eyes finally start focusing. I slowly lift my head up and brush a few stray strands of hair out of my face before taking in my new surrounding. Taking a lucky guess, I say that this decently sized, rectangular cave is the living room. Although this "room" would never win a furnishing prize of any caliber, it does exceed my expectations of a dark, dingy hole in the wall with deceased bodies disposed of in the corner. I suppose the Akatsuki has some decency after all.

I continue surveying the area and am surprised to see this place so... well inhabited. For example, they have two three-person couches and a loveseat, although they are all mismatched, and one of the couches is overturned. The seats are arranged in a giant semi-circle shape around two tables, one of which is wooden and the other is glass. On the glass table is a tea cup and a plastic green vase filled with half a dozen origami flowers. In the corners stand tall lamps, one of which has a broken bulb. There is also an empty plate of something on the ground next to the loveseat. Considering that they put so much effort into this place and how much life it has, I'm guessing this is the main Akatsuki hideout.

I now at least know a little bit about my surroundings; however, I still don't know what time it is, where exactly I am, or how many of the Akatsuki are lurking around the corners, ready to prey on me. A plethora of questions are bouncing around inside my mind, giving me a deep headache. This annoyance is not remedied by the fact that I haven't slept for hours upon hours, but, although I don't have the upper hand in the current situation, I decide to take the initiative and try to gather some information.

"So, are the other Akatsuki members here right now?" I ask as Deidara traipses over to the loveseat, stepping cautiously over the dirty piece of dinnerware.

The two partners share a look, as if they are communicating telepathically. Sasori then shrugs as Deidara vaguely answers, "Yeah, most of us are."

"Who isn't here?" I press.

"Hidan and Tobi. They're off on a mission, yeah," the blond responds boringly, probably thinking of a billion other things he could be doing besides talking to a suicidal girl. Using the information he gave me, I do a mental count and can confirm that, excluding these two, Itachi, Kisame, Pain, Konan, and Zetsu are currently in this hideout.

"So where is everyone? Don't you all want to gawk at your new prisoner?" I ask bitterly, crossing my arms. Even though part of me wants this new adventure, another part is still left behind under that beautiful tree wondering if this really is the best solution to my problem or not.

"Hey, there's no need to get an attitude with us, Pinky. We saved your life," Deidara says defensively, and I know he's right.

"Stop calling me Pinky!"

From behind me, I can hear an irritated sigh. Sasori. He's been so quiet that I forgot about him.

"Might I remind you, Deidara, that our mission is not finished yet," Sasori said, causing his partner to give a huff of annoyance before he pushes himself out of his plushy seat. "We still have to bring her to Leader."

All time seems to stop as I remember why I'm here. They didn't arrive to fatefully rescue the damsel in distress; no, they arrived because they were ordered to do so. Now the main question is why they want me. Is it because I was an important somebody? Is it because my life just gained value as its end neared? Is it because they knew I was close to cracking and snatched me up just in time from my morose encounter with fate? All of these reasons are plausible, yet I don't want them to be true. Deep down inside me, I don't want to be desired and yearned for because of the prestigious stories they've heard of me; I want to be wanted for my tangible feats, my applicable abilities, myself, not rumors of who I am.

"Well, shall we go then?" Deidara asks, walking to a door to my right and opening it. "Time for you to meet Leader!"

Sasori then pushes me forward, and I reluctantly step into the dark office. Hidden ominously in the shadows of erratically dancing candlelight is the person known as Leader: Pain. As Deidara and Sasori take their places in the uninterrupted darkness of the right side of the room, I am compelled forward by Pain's ringed, purple eyes. The only female of the Akatsuki, Konan, is standing by his side. I stop walking when I'm a few feet in front of Pain's neatly organized desk, and I strain my ears for any sound. It's almost painfully quiet.

"I see you have succeeded with your mission. Good work, Deidara, Sasori," Pain begins, his heavy voice resonating through the room. "Now, Sakura Haruno, you have been brought here for a reason. As you most likely know, Kakuzu, a prized member of the Akatsuki and our make-shift medical ninja, is now dead. With that being said, the Akatsuki needs a medical ninja and maid."

I had a feeling that that would be the request. I am fine with being a medical nin for them, but should I let them degrade me by becoming their maid? Or am I thinking about this too much? I need to remember what I just left; I need to reestablish a new start, and this will have to do for now.

"I will work for you," I say confidently, which seems to impress him.

"Good choice. You will start your work in the morning," Pain says, his stare at me never faltering. "If that is all, Itachi, show our new member to her room."

Lovely. The one person here who's connected to my old life will be escorting me to my room. I didn't know days like these could get any better. I brace myself as the elder Uchiha steps out of the darkness and into view. And, low and behold, the first thing I think of is Sasuke. The resemblance between them is striking. The only difference between them is that Itachi doesn't have a conceited sneer on his face.

Without even looking at me, Itachi silently makes his way out of the room, and I have to jog to catch up to him. We enter the living room area again, but this time we continue walking and enter a wide, dimly lit corridor. I try to get my mind off the recent events by focusing on the rustling of Itachi's cloak and the reverberating echos of our footsteps. He leads me down many more hallways and turns at too many corners, and I am stupidly wondering if he, himself, has become lost with this dizzying layout. Before I can give this more thought, he momentarily stops in front of a glossy, black wooden door.

Just as quickly as he paused, he reaches for the metallic doorknob and lets me inside. It is a simple room. The walls are, of course, made of stone, but the floor is smooth and made of wood. There are no windows; however, the room is homely lit with lamps. In the far right corner of the room is a twin sized bed with black and white sheets. Beside that is a dresser, trashcan, and a black and white loveseat.

I take a seat on the edge of my new bed, running my fingers along the cool, comfortable blankets, and the slightest smile appears on my face. This is it; this is my new beginning.

I then look up to find Itachi studiously studying me as if I were a challenging puzzle. I try to read him, but I come up short. There is no hatred on his face. There is no antipathy or malice or rapprochement. However, there is a remote amount of curiosity as if he is asking "Where does this piece fit?" To end our silent, brief exchange of thoughts, he points to a door to his left.

"Bathroom," he utters simply. He and his brother even have the same deep and compelling voice except Itachi's contains no cynicism or bitterness.

I nod in acknowledgment, and then my weariness catches up to me. I have forgotten how tired I am and look at the clock on my dresser to find that it's five in the morning. I suppose my tiredness is also prevalently etched on my face because Itachi then starts walking out of the room.

"Sleep," he almost commands. I'm not going to argue though because it was the most beautiful word I've heard in a long time. "You'll need the energy to cook us breakfast."

I swear I saw a smirk on his face as he closed the door, but I'm too exhausted to give a rebuttal. I climb under the protection of my soothing blankets and my world is at peace again. I then fall asleep with one thought on my mind: stupid Uchihas and their stupid smirks.

Now Sakura is part of the Akatsuki. And so the fun begins... ;P

haha, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I finally got to introduce a few other important (and some of my favorite) people to the story. Please tell me what you think of the story/my writing so I can improve for my sake and yours. I appreciate the support!

Sorry for making you guys wait. I blame school and extracurricular activities and my horrid procrastination.

E person :)

6-16-11

edited: 3-17-13