So I guess this story will keep going~! I'm sorry if made you all worry but I'm going to make sure that I update this one first every time. It'll be my top priority kay? I hope you guys like this chapter!

On to the story!

xXx

Chapter 10: Serve

W-wait, what did he just say? Sakura blinked repeatedly at the person in front of her, shocked at how completely impossible this was. Him holding a blanket out to her?

"Y-you're joking right?" She asked with an amused grin on her face. Despite her lack of chakra, at least she was still able to smile. Sasuke's blank features changed into a scowl as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I'm not doing that again. Ever." He muttered to himself, refusing to meet her bright eyes. Sakura chuckled and stood up when she felt a piercing pain in the side of her head. Her knees buckled underneath her as she clutched her head in between her hands.

Surprisingly as she went down, strong arms caught her. Her head bumped against something soft and she lifted her head to see Sasuke's chin right next to her head. She felt his hands holding her sides gently as she leaned over him. Oh geez.

"You alright?" He asked in her ear, his voice low. Sakura nodded and she straightened up and met Sasuke's eyes. They were filled with complete concern for her.

"Maybe you should get some rest." He added, an unsure look in his onyx eyes. His teammate nodded and stood up quietly and made her way out the door, clicking the door shut.

As soon as Sasuke heard her go into her own room he released the breath he was holding and ran a hand through his hair. His heart was beating so fast it hurt to breath. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the bed and tried to calm his heart down.

This sure was different.

In all his life, with girls constantly falling for him and him just ignoring them, he had never felt this way about anyone. But to him it seemed as though she didn't feel anything for him anymore. But he did for her.

"God, Sakura, you've changed me." He whispered to himself as a small smile creeped on to his face.

It was official. He liked her.

But of course, he'd never admit it to her.

xXx

About 30 minutes before the fireworks starts

"Yah Sakura! Hurry or Sasuke's gonna go dateless!" Anko called to the new Jounin from outside the dressing rooms. Sakura groaned and pulled the curtain open a little bit, poking her head out. She gave the Special Jounin a hard glare and closed the curtain.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, heat rising to her face. Anko chuckled from outside as she placed a toothpick in her mouth.

"What I'm saying is that Sasuke bought these tickets so that he could go on a date with you!" Sakura froze as she was about to tie her kimono on.

"W-what? You're kidding!" She said with a nervous laugh as she twirled in front of mirror, a grin on her face. Wait, she was grinning?

"Nope. I'm a hundred percent sure."

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror and saw a pretty green eyed kunoichi. Was this really the Sakura from 3 years ago? The one who had an insane infatuation with Sasuke?

She clenched her fists and glared in the mirror, her emerald eyes flashing. She didn't like Sasuke back. She had gotten over him. She was positive she had. And there was no going back on her vow.

"Oh yeah, just be careful to tonight. Be aware of your curse mark got it?" Anko warned as Sakura came out with the kimono.

"Mm, I got it." She paid for the kimono and stepped out of the store with Anko beside her.

"Now, here's a question for you," Sakura turned to see Anko grinning.

"What is it?"

"Do you like Sasuke?" Sakura spluttered as she gave her an incredulous look, her eyes wide.

"No, of course not!"

"Your reaction proves otherwise." Sakura for the first time in a while felt a blush coming up.

"I threw out my heart for him a while ago." She murmured, her eyes moving back to the past.

"To me it seems as though this is the first time he's recognized it; his own feelings." Anko replied as she met Sakura's darkened eyes. The pink haired kunoichi kept quiet as they headed back over to the hotel to meet everyone. Her only thoughts were: SHE DIDN'T LIKE HIM. SHE. DOES. NOT.

Sakura stayed down in the lobby and pulled her hair into a bun in the mirror there, her eyes focused on her hair when she spotted a couple of cocky looking guys come in, a look of victory in their eyes as they approached her. From the mirror, Sakura met their eyes with a cold glare but that didn't stop them from stopping in front of her.

"Hey little lady, where ya headin?" The guy in the front asked, a sly grin on his face as he eyed her up and down. Sakura narrowed her eyes in disgust and brushed them off as she passed. A hand clamped hard on her wrist and she stopped, head turning slightly to meet their gazes.

"Hey! I wasn't finished," He snapped, a cold demeanor wavering around him. Sakura gave him a sarcastic smile and ripped her wrist from his grip, surprising the lot of them.

"Then please do," She replied sweetly before wiping her smile off into a scowl. The man was about to retort when his eyes went past her. Sakura saw him as well, in the mirror of course.

Sasuke came down from the last flight of stairs coolly and was approaching them with a deadly stare. His outfit was completely dark, but the red decals on the back suited the theme. Sakura glanced his way as he halted next to her, his hands in his pockets.

"W-what're you? Her boyfriend?" The sly guy asked as he smirked, his hand reaching for Sakura. Sasuke was in front of her within a second, his eyes cold as he glared at the lot of them.

"Try that again." He growled as his faded to the infamous Sharingan. The guys gasped at his sudden action and stuttered a 'sorry', walking away. Sasuke stood there for a second before turning around and meeting Sakura's eyes before walking off to sit down.

Sakura joined him and sat from across him, eyeing him quizzically. Sasuke looked like he was going to say something but shut his mouth when the others came down.

"Let's have fun guys!" Naruto cheerfully said as he pumped his fist in the air.

"Mm!" Sakura replied as she stood up. With that, everyone headed out, making their way to the area where the fireworks would be displayed. They were about ten minutes away from starting and found a spot in the back, sitting on the ground. Kakashi and Anko sat to their own spot while Naruto and Sai decided to "spend some time together". Sakura and Sasuke sat next to each other not speaking.

What was there to say when one's heart was pounding madly, hoping that the other wouldn't hear it, and the other deciding whether or not they've really fallen again?

"Hey," Sakura turned her head to see Sasuke looking up at the sky, but his attention focused on her. "Your curse mark. Is it getting worse?" He asked as he eyed her shoulder curiously. His heart was pounding again and he had no control over it. Dammit.

"Mm, s'alright." Sakura replied as she looked up at the stars, her eyes shining. Sasuke watched as she gazed upward, wondering why he liked her. He clenched the hand that was against the grass and let out a sigh. How will this day turn out?

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked as she turned her head to the Uchiha.

"It's nothing." Sakura shrugged it off and looked back to the sky, smiling. Then everyone started cheering as the fireworks ascended, exploding into beautiful colors. Sakura's jaw dropped in admiration as many shapes came up, bursting into bright light. Sasuke turned his head to see Sakura's eyes lighting up as the fireworks did their stuff and realized exactly why he had fallen hard for her. He asked himself if there were any reasons and he couldn't think of any.

That's because there weren't.

"Hey look! It's our village!" Sakura excitedly said as she leaned over, pointing to the sky to show him where it was. The scent of her hair wafted around him, his stomach feeling queasy as he looked up into the sky as well. Sure enough, the Leaf Village symbol was bright in the sky, leaves surrounding it. The crowd was murmuring in excitement as new fireworks appeared but some people decided to stand up and go look at the kiosks near the event. Sasuke watched as the people surrounded a certain one and tilted his head to the side in curiosity.

"Do you want to go over there?" He asked as he put a hand on her shoulder. Sakura turned her head and saw what he was talking about. Nodding, she grinned and stood up suddenly, pulling him up with her. Walking over to the small shop, Sasuke looked around him to see his other teammates walking around the kiosks as well. They were all cautious. He glanced at Sakura and saw something bulky on the side of her leg and realized that it was her kunai pouch. Inwardly smirking, he admired how they were so relaxed yet could start fighting in a second.

"Sasuke look!" Sakura cheerfully said as she showed him a handcrafted kunai with a cherry blossom painted on the blade. "Isn't it nice?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side, meeting his eyes brightly. Sasuke flashed her a small smile and moved forward to reach over her. Sakura stiffened slightly as his head came close to hers, his hand grabbing the designed kunai from her own.

"H-hey!" Sasuke sent her a look and was walking towards the cashier.

"What, don't you want it?" He asked as he gave her a confused look. Sakura went over to his side and was about to grab it when he raised it above his head. The Uchiha felt warm inside when he saw her pout, crossing her arms.

"I do want it but-"

"So then I'll get it for you." Sasuke interrupted as he took out his money to hand to the old woman. Sakura's retort faltered as she hung back, a small smile on her face as she waited by the side, watching as people passed by, laughing and eating food. A hand tapped her shoulder and she turned to see Sasuke holding the cherry blossom kunai in his hand.

"Here," He said, handing it to her. Taking it, Sakura smiled wide as she gazed at it. She then placed it in her side pocket and looked up at him, eyes bright.

"Thank you," She softly replied as they started to walk. He nodded in return as they walked side by side in the streets, joining the crowd of people who seemed to take their time with a leisurely stroll. He planned in his head where to take her, where they could have a good time, and where they could talk comfortably.

"Hey guys!" Pausing, Sakura turned as Naruto dragged a relenting Sai over. Sai was trying to pull him back by his arm, an apologetic smile on his face to the two as he realized the situation.

"N-Naruto, you can't go...over there!" Sai exclaimed as he yanked hard, however it seemed as though Naruto felt nothing as he charged forward, leaving Sai in the crowd of people panting, all his efforts wasted.

"Those fireworks were amazing don't you think?" Naruto said as he put his hands behind his head, now walking with the pair. Sakura gave him an amused smile and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Mm it was. Did you eat yet?" She asked, catching Sasuke off guard. He looked over at her, startled when she met his eyes, giving him an apologizing smile. Blinking, he nodded in silence as Naruto replied. Looks like his plans were ruined.

"Yeah actually we did! Sai took me to this really yummy place! Oh yeah, where is Sai anyway?" He asked as he searched for his supposive "date". A hand clamped on to the scruff of his outfit and pulled him back. Sai's head appeared next to him with a fake smile, causing Naruto to yelp in astonishment.

"Naruto, Kakashi would like to talk to you." He said as he dragged him away without another word. Sakura and Sasuke stood there for a moment, wondering what had just happened when the pink haired kunoichi suddenly turned to him, surprising him.

"Hey, we should find someplace to eat." Sasuke nodded and thought in his mind where to eat when Sakura already had a place in mind. Absently, she looped her arm through his and dragged him over to a small snack restaurant. Sasuke's face heated up as they entered, relieved that it was slightly dimmed with the lanterns, knowing no one would be able to see his pink face. The two sat down near the window and watched as an entertainer attracted tons of people in front of the restaurant.

The waitress came over and handed us some menus, leaving us for some time to think. Sakura bit her lip as she looked over the selections, indecisive because everything looked so good. Choosing the one that she liked the most, she put down her menu and eyed Sasuke who was still choosing his intently. Moments after choosing his, he set down his menu as well and looked up to see Sakura staring at him.

"What is it?" He asked as he put an arm against the table.

"I was just wondering...back then, when we were still Genins, did you ever..." She trailed off as she realized she couldn't say it. Hiding her face in her hands, she realized that her heart was beating oddly fast. Did you ever like me back then? Was it just because you had to protect me?

"Did I ever...?" Sasuke urged on as he leaned forward, an amused look in his eye. Sakura peeked through her fingers and saw him looking at her. It was as if her days from being that girl who blushed super hard came back to life and took over her body. Her cheeks turned a light pink and she sat straight in her seat, her eyes cast down. Sasuke smirked at her action and noticed how funny it was that she reacted like that. Especially at a simple question.

"Nevermind," Sakura replied softly as she fiddled with her hands, hating every second of why she was reacting like this. The waitress came back with our orders and said she would come back if they needed anything. Eating in silence for a few minutes, Sasuke thought in his head of what to say when there was a crash outside. Sakura looked up from her food, her blushing face gone, and exchanged glances with Sasuke.

"What was that?" She asked as she was about to go back to eating. Sasuke set his chopsticks down and calmly took a sip of his water, at the same time taking a glance outside. The entertainer who had attracted tons of people was now lying on the ground, the crowd of people now circling him in concern. Suddenly someone screamed, causing Sakura to jump in her seat, dropping her chopsticks. Sasuke continued to observe outside, seeing another crowd of people surrounding another person.

What was happening?

"Should we go see?" Sakura asked as she stood up her chair scooting back. Sasuke put his hand out to stop her and ended up putting his hand on top of hers accidentally. She froze and blinked in confusion.

"No, wait." He suddenly said as he narrowed his eyes. There was someone who was coming through the crowd and this person looked really familiar to him...The crowd parted and he spotted the lilac hair under the hat she was wearing. He widened his eyes and stood up taking Sakura's hand and dragging her away from the window.

"W-what're you doing?" She asked as Sasuke looked for a way out, somewhere in the back. He activated his Sharingan and searched, his blood pumping from the adrenaline.

"We need to find a way out of here, without being spotted." He replied as he realized that the front door was the only way out. Deactivating his Sharingan, he sighed and looked at Sakura who was very confused.

"She's here. Miu," Sakura widened her eyes as she recollected what had happened the last time she had met her. "We have to find the others." Sasuke said as he slowly led her out the front door, his eyes lowered as they snuck past the girl who was checking on the entertainer. What they didn't realize was that she knew they found out. And now they were falling straight into her trap.

xXx

Naruto and Sai fell down on each other, chakra fully sucked out of them. Blood trickled down the side of Sai's head as he gasped for air, holding his stomach in pain. The man in front of him...was a monster. With his black and white skin, he had stabbed himself in the stomach with his own scythe. He was an Akatsuki member and had managed to scratch him. He had dodged the attacks just like Sakura had told him to just in case they were to run into him, but that didn't stop Sai from getting a tiny little cut, activatin ghte curse.

Hidan grinned as he shoved the scythe further into his stomach, the tip coming out of the other side. Sai widened his eyes as fire filled his belly, lowering his head he coughed up blood and panted as his vision swam in front of his eyes. A hand gripped his shoulder and he turned his head to see Naruto look at him with worried eyes.

"Don't lose consciousness Sai! Don't let it take you!" He exclaimed as he struggled to stand up, clutching his side in pain. Hidan glared over at the blonde haired teen and pulled his scythe, the sound of flesh ripping echoing. Sai froze in pain and fell face down on the floor, his breath hitching.

"Shut up kid, we're not gonna kill him. We only want the girl." Hidan said before swiping his blade across Naruto's face. Naruto caught it in his hand before it came in contact and furrowed his eyebrows together.

"You want Sakura? Why?" He demanded as he stood up, the pain he felt earlier gone. Hidan paused for a second and blinked before grinning.

"She's Miu's experiment that's why. She wants to finally make the curse mark awaken. Oh crap, I shouldn't be telling you this." He said as he bit his lip, a look of worry in his eye. He met Naruto's burning eyes and whacked the scythe across his face-for real, and knocked him unconsicous. Grinning, he deactivated his curse and flipped the scythe in his hands. He spotted the still conscious Sai and walked over to his side, pressing down on his back with the heel of his foot. Sai lifted his head and coughed, blood trickling down the side of his chin as he struggled to breathe.

"You won't see Sakura again, starting...now." And with that, Hidan knocked Sai unconscious by kicking him in the head, and stepped in front of the two of them, smiling. Then he used his jutsu to change into his disguise and stepped out of the basement they were in, climbing up the stairs and exiting out of the abandoned store.

xXx

"Sasuke, Sakura!" Kakashi called out, his one good eye searching for his former students. He had spotted Miu and were now away from her so she wouldn't find them. Anko was helping him out, dashing around in hopes of seeing their pink haired girl but couldn't see anyone. She looked up into the sky and noticed that the sky was suddenly brightening up. She stared and tried to find the source when she stiffened. The moon.

"No," She whispered as the priority to find Sakura grew even bigger.

"What is it Anko?" Kakashi asked as he approached her, his eye still searching for Sakura.

"The moon. The full moon is out. Her curse mark will only activate when there's a full moon. And once it's activated, it can't be sealed." Anko gravely said, her eyes darkened. Kakashi closed his eyes for a second, his thoughts on finding his student and opened them, breathing out.

"We have to find her." He stated before dashing off. Anko immediately followed after him, a solemn look on her face.

xXx

They were running now.

It had turned from a silent dash, to fast, sprinting footsteps. Sakura and Sasuke went through the streets in hopes of losing whoever was behind them, but their chakra presence was strong. Too strong to be from a civilian, and way to powerful to be from an average ninja. It had to be a Jounin, or someone higher than that. The two turned the corner and climbed up the walls, hanging on to the edge as they waited for the person to pass. Once they did, Sakura let out the breath she was holding and gasped, leaning her head against the wall.

"What do we do?" She asked breathlessly as she turned to look at Sasuke who was trying to catch his breath.

"We have to try fighting until Kakashi and the others find us. I'm sure Anko and him are searching for you now." He replied, his eyes unsure of what he had just said.

"Okay, that's good," She softly said, looking up at the sky. She spotted the full moon and sensed something ominous about it. The rays of the moon touched her face and it suddenly felt as if her shoulder was on fire. Widened her eyes, she let go of the wall, and fell. Sasuke instantly caught her and landed on the ground, heart pumping.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice laced with worry. Sakura shoved him off of her and backed up towards a wall, gasping. Her eyes darted around as flashes of red appeared in front of her. Her shoulder throbbed with fiery pain and became more unbearable as the moonlight's rays shined down upon her. Sakura fell to her knees, clutching her shoulder, eyes squeezed shut in pain when she sensed someone coming. Opening her eyes, she saw a figure standing on top of the roof above us.

"Sask-" Her whisper was cut off when the figure suddenly disappeared and appeared behind Sasuke, a fist coming down on him. Sasuke drew his arm back and blocked the punch, whirling around to give the person a kick in the gut. That person caught his foot easily and smirked, throwing him across the street. As soon as the Uchiha found solid ground, he appeared behind the attacker and drew out his katana, instantly lighting it up with his Chidori. He aimed it straight for the heart when the figure disappeared.

Only a heartbeat later, something sharp stabbed his shoulder and he reacted by pushing his katana behind him, managing to land a hit on the person. Then as he turned around, a hand jabbed straight into his stomach and came out the other side, pulling it back out instantly, sending a spew of blood across the ground. With his face strained with pain, he stopped fighting and dashed over to Sakura, leaning over her protectively.

"You won't touch her." He growled, spitting the blood from his mouth to the side.

Sakura tried to breathe but it felt as though the fore had spread throughout her entire being and was preventing her from breathing. All she could do was gasp for air as the air around her rose. Just what the hell was going on?

Suddenly? She felt the curse mark's flames move across her face and reach the other side of her shoulder. She met Sasuke's eyes and saw them widen in surprise.

"No, Sakura don't lose control." He said in a low voice, his onyx eyes searching her. All Sakura could see now was the faint outline of Sasuke's face; her vision was fading.

"Don't leave me," She whispered, handing him the cherry blossom kunai before her eyes rolled to the back of her head, unconscious. Sasuke inaudibly gasped as he leaned forward, his eyes darting between her two closed ones. He clenched the cherry blossom kunai in his hand in anger when he sensed her presence.

"Now that she's in the midst of Changing, I'll take her." Sasuke turned his head to see Miu approach him with a smile. He stood up with Sakura in his arms and stepped away from her when he sensed a person behind him.

Glancing behind him, he saw an average middle aged man standing with a red scythe in his hand. A disguise.

Suddenly, something landed in front of Sasuke and exploded into smoke. A figure dashed down and took him by the arm, bringing him back up, away from the two attackers.

Anko looked at Sakura and put a hand to her head, frowning. Sasuke stiffened when another person came by; Kakashi.

"Is she-" Anko put a hand up, stopping his words as he approached them. She glanced around, her eyes searching for someone.

Suddenly, there was a bright explosion and Anko was thrown back off the building. Kakashi jumped away just in time and saw someone escape with Sakura in their arms.

"Sasuke!" He called out, hoping to see him turn.

"I'm on it!" He heard a reply as the Uchiha passed him, blood soaking his outfit. Kakashi looked down at Anko to see her get up to her feet.

"Naruto and Sai aren't here! I'll go look for them!"

"No, wait! They can handle themselves, we need you right now to help us get Sakura-" His words were cut off when a soul ripping scream hit the air. Kakashi and Anko turned their heads to the source, coming from the woods.

"Sakura," Anko whispered before dashing off in the direction of the voice. Kakashi followed instantly, the screams of their teammate getting louder.

xXx

The pain was indescribable. All Sakura could register was that it hurt so much. There was a high pitched ringing in her ear and she just wanted to go on a rampage because of the pain. But she couldn't because she was tied...to a tree.

Sakura forced herself to suck in the pain and opened her eyes slowly. Miu stood in front of her with a smile on her face.

"Your Changing is almost finished." She said, a bright smile on her face. Sakura panted as she glared in her face, eyes burning.

"What do you...mean?" She asked, her breaths starting to calm down.

"The curse mark I gave you takes control of your mind and lets me command it. I set it up exactly on this day so that it would activate on the full moon." Miu explained, a victorious smirk on her face.

"What do you plan to do with me?" Sakura asked as fire started to flow through her veins again.

"You'll see soon." Miu replied with a grin, putting a hand on her shoulder, sending a flare of pain throughout her entire body.

Biting her lip, Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and literally felt her mind slip from her grasp.

"You'll do as I command." Miu's voice echoed.

Sakura's mind stood ground and tried to take control when another wave of pain hit her, making it slip again.

"There's no use fighting it."

Suddenly, it felt as though her mind had no control over it; it felt like someone was grasping it with their own hands, tampering with it and making it bend under their will.

"There, now you'll serve under me and the Akatsuki. You'll become a rogue and be hunted down by all your teammates. Including that chicken haired one. Now...open and awaken."

Sakura slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes.

Red eyes glinted in the moonlight as they gazed upon their master. Miu grinned and played with a lock of Sakura's hair.

"Now the game begins,"

xXx

First thing's first: I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS 1 MONTH UPDATE. I know I said you wouldn't be getting any more sorry's, but I guess this is the last one. Finally, all the puzzle pieces are coming together and Sakura joins the Akatsuki? Waht? :O

I hoped you liked this chapter!
Please kindly review!

P.S
I know you all missed me right? haha. okay. I'll go now. *exits the room*

-FallenWing21