Sakura awoke early the next morning, which was to be expected. She had gotten much sleep the previous night. Her emerald eyes made their way over to the peaceful body next to her. The girl smiled softly to herself, thinking of how sleep seemed to give Itachi a much softer look.

Using her years of stealth practice to get up without waking her companion, Sakura rose to her feet. I know I'm pretty good at being sneaky, but Itachi still must be out cold to have not woken up at my movement, she thought to herself. Man, I'm hungry. My stomach feels like it's eating itself. Maybe I should try and find the kitchen quickly, grab a quick snack, and make it back here before anyone notices.

The pink-haired kunoichi debated with herself but hunger got the best of her, and she decided to try for a quick trip to the kitchen, hoping it wasn't too hard to find.

Sakura opened the bedroom door as slowly and quietly as possible, and then she was off. It took about five minutes of wandering, which felt like eternity to her, to find the kitchen. After making sure no one was around, Sakura made her way over to the large table in the middle of the room. To her liking, huge, fluffy muffins were set out, ready to eat. The girl grabbed one and started to make her way back to Itachi's room.

All was well, as everyone seemed to either be asleep or absent from the hideout. Sakura had finally gotten to a hallway she recognized, knowing around the corner would be the room she was looking for.

As she turned the corner, Sakura collided with someone. She was able to keep her balance, but kept her eyes cast to the floor for a while, knowing full well she really didn't want to look up.

"Girl. Who are you? What are you doing in this hideout?"

The terrified captive slowly raised her head, only to lay her eyes upon a man, if he could even be called a man, who looked odder than almost anything she'd ever seen. He wore the Akatsuki cloak, and from the collar branched out two green stems. It almost reminded her of a Venus Fly Trap, without all the colors. The man's face was multicolored; one half was black, the other white. His cold but intense stare was nothing to take lightly. Obviously getting irritated, the plant-like man repeated himself once again.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I-I'm S-Sakura Haruno," the shivering kunoichi stuttered. "I am h-here because, uh, I, uhmm.."

"Well, Wench, spit it out. Hmm. You fear me, do you not?" The man chuckled deep in his throat as Sakura slightly nodded. "I am Zetsu. Might I say, Girl, you look delicious. I could go for a bit of breakfast right about now."

Sakura's innocent eyes widened in fear. She wanted to run, wanted to scream, but the fear had taken over her body completely, so all she did was stand, frozen in place and shaking.

As Zetsu lashed out to grab her, Sakura shut her eyes as tight as she could, hoping everything would end quickly. The contact she was waiting for, however, never came. Instead, she heard a thud and some wheezing. Slowly, the girl opened her eyes once again, to find the plant-like man pinned against the wall, Itachi's hand on his throat.

"Zetsu," Itachi stated blankly. "You are the eyes and ears of this place. I'm sure you already knew this girl was mine. How dare you try and harm her when you had full knowledge of me needing her?"

Zetsu tried to speak, but all that came out of his mouth were strained, guttural noises. Itachi loosened his grip slightly, to let his victim explain himself.

"I…was hungry…It's hard for me…to control myself…sometimes…I apologize, Itachi…It shall not happen again…"

Red eyes examined Zetsu, and then turned to Sakura.

"You will go back to my room. NOW."

Sakura did not argue in the least. She hurried passed the two criminals and made her way into her captor's room.

"One more thing, Zetsu," Itachi continued. "You and the leader are the only two who know about this girl being here. You will not open your mouth and allow this to become more public news. Do you understand?"

"Yes…Itachi…" the plant-like man breathed out as the raven-haired man released him.

Sakura was startled as the bedroom door was nearly ripped opened and then slammed shut again. Not two seconds later, Sakura was pinned down to the bed, Itacihi's crimson eyes boring deep into her.

"I-Itachi?" Sakura questioned, her eyes betraying her fairly calm exterior. Her captor did not reply, but tightened the grip he had on her wrists, which were above her head. Itachi only needed one hand to keep them locked tightly into place. The frightened adolescent could not kick him off, due to him being positioned on the inside of both her legs. Not that she would dare to try such a stunt anyway.

After minutes of cruel and unsettling silence, Itachi spoke.

"What were you thinking, you stupid girl? I told you not to leave this room. The people here will kill you without thinking twice of it. You are just a pathetic, lowly female ninja in their eyes who wouldn't stand a chance against their power."

Sakura allowed her gaze to meet his own before replying.

"I guess you're right. I am stupid. I always get myself into situations like these, trying to prove that I can do things on my own, when in the end, I always need saving because of it. Naruto and your brother know that all too well, I'm sure."

Itachi's crimson eyes somewhat softened as the girl underneath him spoke, though he cringed at the mention of his brother.

"You just need to learn your limits."

"My limits? I don't have to go very far to reach them."

"Maybe your problem is you think too lowly of yourself. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise, when you were placed in a three man squad with not only Sasuke Uchiha, but also the nine-tailed fox's jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. You had a lot to live up to, being with them. At the time, yes, you were a pathetic excuse for a ninja in comparison to the two, but time changes things. You are not the same girl as you were back then, not at all. You are much stronger, both emotionally and physically. Do not disrespect yourself so. If you were as useless as you make yourself out to be, I would not have chosen you to be the one to heal my eyes. Only a top medic could possess the power to perform the task at hand."

Sakura stared at Itachi, bewildered at his words. He sounded so….sweet. It almost made her want to….

Before the rosette-haired girl could stop herself, she lifted her head slightly to close the distance between her and Itachi. The raven-haired man's eyes widened, knowing this was wrong, knowing he should stop this nonsense, but he eventually gave in, and returned her kiss. He put more into it after a minute, which allowed Sakura to lay her head back onto the bed.

Never letting go of the girl's wrists, Itachi instinctively lowered his crotch to hers, pushing hard against her, allowing her to feel his stiffness. Sakura gasped as so many new sensations took hold of her. She herself knew how wrong the situation was, but it felt too good to stop.

Itachi started rocking back and forth, adding to Sakura's new-found pleasure and his own. They kept up this act for a few more minutes, before Itachi jerked back and shook his head. The leader had summoned him, and with it, the Uchiha regained his control.

"I must go. I have been summoned. Stay here and do research. When I return, I will bring lunch. Understood?"

Sakura, still breathing heavily and not fully intact with reality, just mouthed the word "yes" and watched as her captor left the room, putting his nearly emotionless façade back into play.

The kunoichi sat for a while, attempting to pull herself out of the trance that had overtaken her. Once she had accomplished this, she thought about what had just taken place.

Did I…really allow that to happen? Why would I start something like that? Oh, Kami, what am I doing..?