DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto. Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto. This is purely Fanfiction and had been written for entertainment purposes only, without any intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Desires of the Heart
Part I: Confliction

Chapter 13
Rolling in the Deep

Sakura sighed and looked herself over in the mirror that she stood in front of. She couldn't remember the last time she looked at her reflection in the past seven days, or combed her hair, or shampooed her hair even.

Sakura thought that her bubblegum pink hair which was now matted and split at the ends from lack of care, had grown a good few inches since the last time she had the privilege of appreciating herself in front of a mirror. Her skin was pallor, having lost its entire glow owing to the countless sleepless nights and daunting dreams. Of what little color remained in her cheeks, looked entirely unhealthy.

'If you were looking anything close to this in the woods the day you ran into Genma's squad, it must have taken a lot of effort for Itachi to put on the act that he did,' Inner snickered.

Sakura threw a sharp look at herself in the mirror, meaning it at her Inner. Sakura didn't yet know whether she was happy or not to have Inner Sakura back. But if it didn't bag the snarky remarks, she had a good mind of asking the elder Uchiha to lock it up for her again.

'And there will be little chance of returning next time,' she threatened it, and then adding as an afterthought, 'Hopefully.'

She was exhausted, more mentally than physically. She stepped back from the sink, her fingers dragging over its cold edge where she was gripping earlier for support. Turning on the shower at full blast, she stripped down and let the scalding hot water run all over her, making her muscles pull lusciously.

When was the last time she had taken a bath? At the Akatsuki safe-house immediately after getting captured? Or did she have a bath at the hotel after that?

Suddenly memories of the last bath that she had came to her, haunting. She had woken up wrapped in a towel, her head resting against the cold texture of a wooden tub. Someone had washed her and taken her clothes off and wrapped her in a towel... That someone could very well have been Itachi! Sakura had been very careful not to ask him if it had indeed been him, even though it bugged her; too embarrassed at the thought that the answer was what she dreaded. Thinking that it might have been Itachi was one thing, but knowing that it had been Itachi... Sakura didn't think she could live up to the embarrassment of the confirmation.

And to think that he had seen her naked, at her most vulnerable state...It sent bone chilling shivers up her spine, one that was very different from the ones associated to the fear that sparked within her around Itachi. It was...tantalizing.

Closing her eyes and using her fingers to wash out the dirt in her hair, she let the memories come back and hit her. Now that she didn't have to feel the pain or the heartache associated to her memories, it was much easier inviting them back in and reliving them.

She recalled the voices in her head, how wrecked she was, how painful it all was, how she had struggled to keep her emotions at bay knowing full well that once it came crashing down, it would sweep her away in the tidal wave of never ending despair. That was one of the worst inner struggle she had, even worse than being faced with the Akatsuki's proposition, or the dilemma of choosing between Sasuke and Konoha all those years ago on that fateful night. Oh, how could she ever thank Itachi for this kindness he had shown her?

She remembered the feeling of betrayal when she heard those Leaf-nins announce the Hokage's order to dispose of her, hitting far, far, more intensely than Sasuke's disloyalty ever had. And she remembered the moment just before all those shit breaking into her life, the perfect moment where she had felt like being suspended into the thin air- only her and Itachi and no one else, however small the moment may have been.

The momentarily peace of her mind where everything had felt alright; like her life hadn't been ruined, like all these hadn't been a huge mistake and a sin that she was committing, like it had been the right thing to do.

'...Like beside Itachi,' she thought with a shudder, 'is the right place to be...'

She remembered Kisame telling his story and Deidara's. How elated she was that even if it was to Akatsuki that his loyalties lied, Kisame was devoted, not some wayward criminal who killed on whim! She remembered Kisame's teasing conduct around her and Deidara's kindness to her and his understanding that got her through in a place where loneliness and despair threatened to consume her.

She remembered the exhilarating feeling of being close to Itachi, feeling his warmth that soaked through his clothing into hers, making her skin prickle. She remembered the invigorating feeling of hearing from his lips that she intrigued him. She remembered the first time he uttered her name, breaking through all her aggravation the sound had hit home, close to her heart.

She remembered the time she had angered him during her meal with Akatsuki. How close she had been to dying in his hands, but it hadn't mattered. All she could do was to stare at those beautiful pools of crimson. How later that very night she had witnessed for the very first time how his eyes looked without the red hue. It took away her breath every time.

She remembered the first time she had laid her eyes on him, she hadn't been able to believe her eyes because of all the things that she had expected, she hadn't expected to see an Akatsuki just stand there and eye her impassively, much less Itachi himself. Next as everything registered in her mind, she had been horrified. She remembered the fear she felt, a truly appalling sensation to realize that there was no way out no matter how much you tried, you were a trapped animal manipulated for the sake of indulgence. And the adrenaline rushing up her veins. And she remembered successfully hitting him with a surge of chakra scalpel!

But that was all, she could only remember them all.

She could remember being frightened, or being forlorn, or being in pain, but she couldn't remember the feeling of being all those.

In the same way, she could remember being elated, being exhilarated, intoxicated and everything else in between, but she couldn't remember actually feeling all those.

Itachi had taken away her pain and hardships and her nagging conscience, but along with it, he had also robbed her of everything in between.

SXS

When Sakura came out of the washroom, it was well past midnight. Itachi, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, rose to his feet as soon as he saw her exiting, meeting her halfway.

Sakura didn't meet his gaze, but fixed her eyes on his jaw line finding it easier to say what she wanted to say without having to look him in the eye where he could sweep her off her feet and into the swirling darkness of Mangekyou.

"I want them back," she blurted out, most unceremoniously and felt like slapping herself, "My..." She couldn't find the words to clarify herself.

There was a pause as Sakura began to contemplate how best to rephrase her words. But Itachi seemed to understand anyways. He spoke, his voice not the usual line of velvet, but a little hoarse much to her surprise, "You're better off without them."

Recovering from her shock, she looked up at him to glare; an impulsive action. She shouted out in frustration, "It's not your call to make!"

Couldn't he see how lost she was without knowing her emotions? She needed them! They were what drove her, whether she was a patriot or a traitor.

It seemed like an eternity where neither of them relented and stood glaring into the depths of each other's eyes. Sakura's gaze was the first to falter, drawn to his lips which had been pressed into a hard line and now parted a little. Her own lips quivered.

"Please..." Her voice soft and mute, quivered.

He just stared down at her, unblinkingly, looking utterly unmoved. When he lifted his hand, Sakura flinched and immediately moved back, expecting some kind of a blow. She looked at him standing where he had been, his perfect brows arched at her actions. She felt blood rush to her face, embarrassed to have thought that he would hit her.

Before she could move forward, Itachi reached her with one long stride. Sakura tried her best to block out their proximity, but the wall against her back made it difficult to do so. Gulping unconsciously, she watched Itachi lean in towards her and envelope her in his warmth without any warning. Both his hands rose to rest on the wall on either side on her, blocking her in. Her breath caught in her throat as he further leaned in until his mouth rested against her ears.

Sakura's heart pounded so loud that she was certain that he could hear it loud and clear. Itachi cocked his head slightly, his cheek brushing against hers and lips sweeping against the shell of her ear. Sakura's heart stopped at its track.

"Sakura..." He whispered against her skin, his breath blowing into her ear and creating fissions deep inside her.

There was pressure against her forehead and she felt her whole world heave. Suddenly, she felt her legs give up beneath her. She made a grab at Itachi's cloak, bringing them both to their knees on the ground. She unconsciously gripped at his robes harder, pressing herself against the hard muscles of his body that tensed at the contact. Sakura's eyes fluttered shut against all the sensations that hit her, numbing her.

...Adrenaline

Fear

Desperation

Contempt

Indecision

Fascination

Determination

Despair

Guilt

Misery

Uncertainty

Attachment

Exhilaration

Apprehension

Ecstasy

Betrayal

Resolution

Thump

Thump

Anguish

Thump

Thump

Numb

...Desires...

"Please!" She shrieked, her voice broken.

The relief was instant, spreading throughout the expanse of her writhing mind, neutralizing the hundreds and hundreds of sensations into once unwavering line of tranquility.

She moaned.

Itachi moved away as Sakura stirred and her eyes fluttered open. She immediately squinted at the blinding lights. Slowly she looked around and listed Itachi regarding her warily from across her, on his knees. She looked down at the ground and waited for everything to make sense. She had pleaded with Itachi to give back her emotions...

"What happened?" Her voice was barely a whisper and sounded foreign to her own ears.

Itachi looked at her in a way that she assumed was his version of the I-told-you-so-look. She didn't understand. When she continued to look expectantly at him, he sighed and deigned himself to reply apathetically, "Your mind rejected."

"Excuse me?"

"I had used Tsukyomi to block a few of the nerve-endings associated to your emotion. As a result, your chakra can't pass through those nerves and reach the part of the brain that controls your emotions. This has cut down the extent of your emotions, but not completely diminished it as you may have noticed; so that they don't appear to be overwhelming for you to control anymore."

"You can do that?" Sakura tried not to gape in awe as suddenly everything began to make a lot more sense than before. Itachi merely threw her a look that made her flush. She tapped her chin, "And I assume you tried to reverse the process right now?"

Itachi nodded and added quietly, "In accord to your wish."

Sakura nodded, "Only my mind didn't take the overpowering pressure of so many different emotions so well. It rejected them..."

"Not necessarily," Itachi's words grabbed her attention and she looked with her brows furrowed, "Your mind could have adapted to it over time if it were to let be," he sighed softly, "but you asked me to take it away."

Sakura watched him; how could the man be so indifferent discussing such an important matter as her brain and everything associated along with it? Surely someone's sanity mattered to him a little more than he let on!

"And what about my..." She trailed off, hesitating. She wondered if she should mention about her Inner, and let him think of her as more of a freak than he already thought her to be.

Much to her shock, Itachi asked, "Your violent persona that resides within your mind?"

Sakura plain gawked at him as he smirked, bemused. Closing her mouth and opening it for a couple of times, Sakura finally found back her voice, "You met Inner?"

She mentally flipped at the thought of what Inner might have told him... If Inner had as much as winked at Itachi, she would see to it that Inner gets locked in the deepest, darkest corner of her mind. Oh, Itachi must think of her as a freak!

She watched as he cocked his head slightly, "Inner?" he said silkily, as if testing the word in his tongue, "Is that what you call it?"

Sakura nodded faintly, feeling a small blush creep up to her face. Itachi's smirk merely broadened, and just when she was about to tell him to wipe that infuriating smirk off his face and tell her what Inner had said to him, he seemed to have read her mind.

"Nothing," he replied to her first query, brushing it off like it didn't matter at all, "Nothing at all."

His words, as truthful they sounded, didn't put her heart to rest. Something was off, she could tell. But she knew that she would never be able to squeeze it out of the ice-cube-Uchiha, and that left her M-I-A Inner the only source of any answer.

Itachi spoke once again, grabbing her attention effectively, "I saw it...fit..." he didn't sound very convinced, "...to lock her up securely. It had been trying to undo my jutsu and come out of the restraints I put on it."

Sakura nodded; so she was right assuming that Itachi was the one to put Inner away in the first place, and now that Inner had been trying to find a way out, Itachi had made absolutely sure that it didn't. Was she glad with the absence of the constant company of her second mind? For the time being, she believed she could live without the sour self that Inner was.

She sighed, and discovered all of a sudden that her mind was absolutely worn out. Stifling a yawn at the back of her hand, she looked around. They were still on the ground and one look at the bed up against the wall was extremely tempting.

Konan was supposed to show her to her room where she would be staying for the period of time that they required her service. But she had run out on the woman in indignation and followed Itachi who just happened to be there, to wherever he took her. From the dark curtains to duvet in the darkest shade of blue told her instantly that he had brought her to his room. She didn't have the heart to question him; she was far too tired and it certainly wasn't like they hadn't shared a room before. Sakura acted like it didn't matter, her heart didn't race, or something didn't flutter in her stomach.

Suddenly she began to wonder if Itachi had been lingering in the cave for as long as to witness the whole conversation between Konan and her. The smirk on his lips when he made his presence known, told her that he was amused by her response to Konan's doubt in her loyalty. As much as Sakura didn't think that Itachi had any right to take pleasure from her torment when it came down to her loyalty towards Konoha, seeing that he was the one who had evoked the event, yet his amusement made her heart flutter. It meant that he approved, after all it wasn't just anything that amused Itachi.

And yes, what she told Konan was true. She had been living for herself for quite some time now, regardless if that made her selfish or a traitor.

Sakura wondered if she should tell Itachi of the beginning of her conversation with Konan. How the elder woman had all but blackmailed her. Konan had informed her that if any harm came to her partner, Akatsuki would hold Itachi responsible.

Sakura was shocked by this, why would they think of punishing Itachi for her actions? She and Itachi were hardly tangled in anything for people to assume that Itachi was the leverage over her. Sure Itachi was a man with extremely good looks, and like any other girl with raging hormones, she was attracted to him. It certainly didn't build a base for people to blackmail her with the meager assumption.

But Konan's words had hit her when she had mentioned to think this mission through, to think of how it would affect Sasuke if something were to happen to Itachi because of her. Something told her that Akatsuki had done a background check on her.

Sakura wanted to ask Itachi if he had witnessed the whole conversation, if he had it would save her the trouble of trying to explain it right to him, omitting a few things here and there, of course. She didn't know how to tell him that his life was pretty much under threat because of her. It would lead him to threaten her to do everything right and not screw things, after all Itachi himself had once not too long ago told her of his intention of self-preservation.

Or worse, what the whole thing implied. What would Itachi think of the fact that Konan had blackmailed her with his life? He would only think of it as a weakness and that she was weak. It would end up meaning more than it should. And if needed, he would without a doubt exploit her on the basis of this information, like he had done once already, knowing that she was to some extent attracted to him. If he only knew that attraction didn't quite fit the description anymore...

Shutting off her thoughts before it took some treacherous track; Sakura closed her eyes to savor the mental peace that wove throughout her mind. She sighed softly, "...Arigato."

Even through closed eyes, she could see in her mind's eye the impassive look that Itachi gave her before rising to his feet like it was nothing. She gave a small smile to herself. Trust him to be like himself even after everything. Sakura herself rose to her feet, thankful for the wall that was within her reach as she wobbled on her feet.

Steadying herself, she glanced at Itachi who was taking off his robe. She watched as his muscles flexed and the cloak fall from his shoulders to his elbows, and with a twist of his arms he was free from the cloth. The look that crossed his face was very minute, and she wouldn't have comprehended it if she didn't know any better.

Furrowing her brows, she looked him over. Her trained medic eyes were immediately drawn to his right arm. There was nothing wrong with his arm on the outside, of course. However, being a medic, Sakura could imagine the pain that must be going internally; especially when she herself was the one who had inflicted the blow one, two, three...seven days ago!

Sakura wondered how he had managed to not look like he was in pain for so long. Because she knew just how much an injury inflicted from a chakra scalpel could hurt. And she wondered how she herself had forgotten all about inflicting a wound so intense on someone like Itachi. He had appeared to be so unaffected by it all that she had simply dismissed the whole thing, thinking that Itachi was just as unaffected by the blow as he let on. Oh, how wrong she was.

'And to think that he hadn't sought my assistance,' she mused to herself in castigation, 'Must be that pride of his.'

"Is something the matter with your arm, Itachi-san?" She feigned innocence, wanting Itachi to be the one to relent to her for once.

"Hn," Itachi intoned and she had no way of knowing what that meant- yes or no.

Sakura raised a brow, walking slowly over to him where he stood with his back towards her. She watched intently his right arm that twitched very, very minutely from time to time; you wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it. Oh, it was hurting him alright.

'All these time,' she smiled faintly to herself, 'And I thought you were just inhuman in every way possible, Itachi.'

"No?" She asked as she came to stand beside him. When Itachi showed no sign of replying, she yanked at his arm too quickly for him to move it away. This earned a wince from Itachi and a murderous glare towards her.

He snarled, trying to snatch back his arm from her strong grip, "What do you think you are doing?"

Sakura held on and pressed her lips in displeasure, "Healing an injury that can very well kill you," she told him grimly.

Itachi didn't say anything, but glared at her. Sakura paid him no heed and merely pressed some points all over his arm, testing and deducing the possible tribulations. Sighing, she asked, "Why didn't you tell me sooner about it?"

There was no answer.

"It would have saved me a great deal of trouble if you came to me earlier, you know," she told him, "The later, the more severe the wound gets."

Just as she began to summon whatever healing chakra she could find within herself, Itachi pulled away his arm from her grip with his superior strength. Sakura jerked her head towards him and watched him step away from her.

"What the hell, Itachi-san?" She snapped.

"Hn," He began to climb in to the bed.

Sakura gawked at him, "I'm just trying to help, you know!"

"I do not require your help."

"The hell you don't!"

There was a pause.

"Do you even know what a scalpel injury can do to your internal process if left untreated?"

There was just another pause and Sakura sighed and tried to maintain a calm voice as she said, "Let me heal you, Itachi-san."

"Rest. You will need to replenish your chakra before morning."

Sakura stood there, watching him pull his covers over himself. He could have snapped at her, refused her offer, told her off, scared her shitless, or used Mangekyou on her. Instead, he had just simply told her to rest and replenish her chakra, since it was more important to have enough chakra to begin the healing session on the Akatsuki leader resulting to preserving her life for one more day, than healing him.

Sakura gave up reluctantly with the intention of attempting again when she had more chakra in her reserve and Itachi had no way of refusing. She felt like it was the least she could do after he helped her with her overwhelming emotions.

She walked over to the other side of the bed. She pressed one hand against the mattress experimentally and sighed deeply before climbing up on it. She looked over at Itachi expecting to find his red spinning eyes on her. But his eyes had reverted back to its original hues which didn't cease to amaze her any less than his blood limit.

He had conjured a thick volume out of nowhere and looked engrossed in it. His right arm, the source of her displeasure was tucked beneath his head as his other propped up the book for him to read. Sakura's lips pressed into a thin line, which she knew that he could see out of the corner of his eyes, but he didn't look towards her.

Slightly fuming in principle, though her heart wasn't really in it, she plopped herself on the soft mattress, her back to Itachi.

She wanted to tell him about Konan's threat. Surely, he had the rights to know about any threat that is made on his life. But she was too frustrated to think of what he might think of the implications behind Konan's words. So she decided to hope that Itachi had been lingering in the tavern long enough to witness the whole conversation. And she hoped for the best; that she doesn't screw this whole thing up.

'The last thing I want is to have Sasuke breathing down my neck for the rest of my life,' she told herself, reluctant to admit to her own desires towards the elder Uchiha in the matter.

She shifted, seeking to find a comfortable position. She wanted to discuss with Itachi about the possibilities of what might be wrong with their leader, but was quick to remember the contract that bound her to speak of it to no one. It didn't bode well with her.

She shifted as quietly as she could manage, not enthusiastic about disturbing Itachi's attention by her movements. She turned around so now she faced him. He was still lying on his back, his injured arm tucked under his head. The book that he had been reading was lying on his stomach, his other hand resting over it. His head was tilted towards the ceiling; his eyes slipped shut, so that his long eyelashes brushed the skin underneath his eyes. Sakura blinked at this uncharacteristic behavior, because he had never let his guard down before around anyone. Even when it came to the two of them sharing the room, he had been careful enough to let her fall into a deep slumber before dozing off himself, if he indeed went to sleep.

Seeing him so unguarded was unlike anything she had ever witnessed, and so fascinating at the same time, that she couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. In the next second, Itachi inhaled deeply, breaking her trace and leaving her blinking. He had opened his eyes again; they were still his normal charcoal dark but clouded with something else that she couldn't begin to define. It made her gulp a little.

She watched the contours of his chiseled face; from his perfectly proportionate forehead, to his sharp nose which was neither too long nor too short, to his lips that always seemed to be pressed into a thin line. Her gaze lingered on his lips for a long time until she felt sleep beginning to crawl up to her.

She shook her head inwardly and watched Itachi who had once again picked up the book. It was a split second decision born out of what she was convinced as utter lack of thinking on her part. Before she knew it, she had lifted her head off her pillow and leaned in towards him, pressing herself against the bone of his shoulder. If Itachi had thought that she was merely trying to get up into a half sitting position from where she could pour herself a glass of water from the jug that stood on the bedside table, he didn't anymore as his eyes bled red almost immediately.

She offered him a small smile which wasn't returned and leaning in before Itachi could even make a move to shift away, she planted a quick kiss on his cheeks. She felt his muscles slowly beginning to relax under her touch.

"Goodnight, Itachi-san," her soft lips brushed against his carved cheeks as she murmured sleepily. And not expecting any response, she fell back and shut her eyes to the world, drifting off as soon as her head hit the pillow.

SXS

Sakura woke up to the sound of persistent knocks. She moaned and tossed around in her bed, not wanting to be disturbed. But it seemed someone else had answered the door for her, as the knocks stopped and the door made a creaking noise as it slung open.

"Deidara."

Sakura jolted up at the mention of the name, looking frantically from her right to her left. The door was wide open, but Itachi's cloaked back hid Deidara from her view. They were conversing in hushed tones. Sakura pushed off the duvet off herself, inhaling the smell that wafted off it; the delicious smell that was purely Itachi, sandalwood with a tang of masculine scent.

She wanted to go and have a talk with Deidara, or at least say hi to him. The last time she had seen him, he didn't look like he wanted to talk to her, or have anything to do with her. She decided that it was high time that they either established a true bond, or just went on with their separate ways instead of this wavering...'familiarity' they had with each other. A part of herself was dubious of the how much Deidara would want to do with her if he saw her approaching from the bed of his nemesis.

Nevertheless, she was just about to climb down the bed when Itachi slammed the door shut, making her jump a little. Still seated on the bed, her feet dangling over the edge, she glanced towards the elder Uchiha over her shoulder and raised her brows.

He didn't say anything. And after her impulsive action last night, Sakura had a very good mind that he wouldn't look her way for the rest of the day. She decided to catch his attention herself.

"Have you changed your mind?" She called out to him, turning around so that she sat facing towards him. She glanced down meaningfully towards his right arm.

Itachi merely continued brushing his long locks of ebony, showing no indication of having heard her. Sakura rolled her eyes, was a harmless goodnight kiss to the cheek from her so repulsive a notion to him, that he had gone to the extent of avoiding her? Surely Uchiha Itachi wasn't affected by as little as a kiss... She hadn't meant any harm by it. Besides, Sakura didn't think a kiss from a girl who is so messed up that she can hardly make a coherent thought, was worth anything; much less, silent treatment.

"You know, you don't even have to ask," she told him, knowing that he was listening, "Just nod, or make that grunting noise that you're always making and I'll take care of it."

When he didn't answer, Sakura huffed; 'This is awkward.'

"Fine," she frowned slightly, "I think I'll just use all these chakra to mold papers into butterflies like I watched Konan-san do last night."

This finally evoked a reaction in Itachi as he grunted, "Save your chakra. You'll need it in whatever Leader needs you to do."

"And aren't you curious about what it is that he requires of me?" She batted an eye-lash towards him.

"No," his voice was firm as ever, declining her and making her pout.

SXS

Sakura accompanied Itachi down to breakfast, where they parted ways for the day. Sakura was left in the company of Kisame and two other Akatsuki that she knew only by their reputation, as Itachi sauntered away.

'At least Kisame is here,' the thought was the only consolation she had as she watched the antics of the other two Akatsuki; if she had thought at first that Kisame was horrid, she didn't know how to describe these two.

Sakura thought that if she were in touch with her raging emotions, she would have been more than scared shitless by all the scythe swinging that Hidan did. She had to duck twice already to make sure that her head didn't fall right off her shoulder.

Konan came just as Sakura was putting down her cup, done with her tea.

"Sakura," the blue haired woman called out, snapping all their attention effectively to herself.

"Konan-san," The pinkette rose from her seat and padded over, assuming that it must be the time to begin the first phase of their deal.

Konan didn't say anything as Sakura came to stand beside her, only giving the pink haired medic a thorough look from head to toe, otherwise, she just turned around expecting Sakura to follow her lead.

Before following the elder woman's suit out of the room, Sakura glanced over her shoulder at Kisame who seemed to be flashing her an encouraging smile in his own way. She flashed him one in return; almost as if promising him that she would be alright, but more than that, it felt like she was assuring herself.

Kona didn't speak to her the entire journey, nor did Sakura find any reason to deign herself to begin on her own. They reached their destination fairly quickly, and Sakura realized that Konan had brought her back to the Leader's office.

She wondered if the blue haired woman would come along as well, and wasn't certain of whether she felt relieved or not, when Konan entered after her.

Despite being broad daylight, the room was shrouded in shadows just as it had been the previous night. And the Leader was leaning back in his throne like chair, just as he had been last night. Seeing them enter, he cleared his throat, and called out in that cold voice of his that Sakura had forgotten, "Come, come."

As they neared to him, the orange haired evil master-mind rose from his seat, and walked around his table to come and stand in front of them, all the while his eyes caught with Konan's. Sakura wondered if there was something else going on between the Leader and the woman; perhaps they were not as incapable of feeling emotions as they let on.

"Sakura," Pain's voice brought her back to reality and she snapped her head towards him and nodded in acknowledgement. He continued, "Are you ready to begin?"

She nodded once again, otherwise, remained silent.

"Is there any equipment or anything that you require?" He asked her.

Sakura shook her head, "No. My chakra will be enough for the time being," she motioned him to be seated on one of the chair nearby, her medic side already kicking in, "As I'll only be doing a full check-up and come up with an evaluation before beginning the real process of healing, which will take a much longer period of time."

Pain did as she asked and leaned back on the chair as comfortably as he could. His gaze fixed up at the wall above.

"I want to start with your eyes," she told him, and then added as if she needed to explain her actions, "I notice your eyes are most exceptional."

It took some time for Pain to nod in approval, and Sakura waited patiently for it. When she had the permission to proceed in accord to her wish she summoned healing chakra to the tips of her finger. She took care to probe only a minimal amount of her chakra, only that was absolutely necessary, lest she alarmed him who was not used to her foreign chakra prodding.

Sakura pursed her lips as she probed her chakra around, checking and rechecking all the nerve around the eyes, looking thoroughly for any damages. There was nothing wrong with his eyes, but she couldn't help noticing, and didn't hesitate to voice her query, "Are these eyes of yours implanted?"

There was a pause where Konan and Pain looked deep into each other's gaze.

"...No."

Sakura didn't believe it; both their behavior and her enquiry proved otherwise, yet she nodded, letting the prospect leave. Instead, she probed a little further with the intention of perhaps finding how the eyes worked; after all, Pain's eyes were unlike anything she had ever seen. But Pain seemed to be paranoid enough to have his guard up, his chakra itself acted as a barrier to any probing that may be anything more than harmless, preventing her from probing into the mechanism behind his visual prowess.

Sakura pursed her lips, 'How wise of him.'

She decided to drop the matter of his eyes entirely, not enthusiastic about probing too much lest her intention be revealed and got her into more trouble than worth. She announced, "Nothing seems to be the matter with your eyes."

Pain nodded as if he had expected nothing less, so she continued, "I'll now move on to your body. I can see that nothing seems to be the matter externally," she sent a spike of chakra over his skin only to prove her assumption correct, "but you seem to be worried that something might be not right in the internal process. So I'll address that problem without anymore delay."

Again, she waited for Pain's nod of approval, and when she had that, she began her examination. Sakura sent spikes of chakra all around his body, sometimes bursts of it where necessary, but couldn't find anything the matter for the longest time.

She was about to give up and tell them that they could rest assured that nothing at all seemed to be the matter with the Akatsuki leader, when her chakra hit a particular circulation of his chakra within his body. It immediately drew her attention as this was something that she hadn't noticed throughout the entire examination despite checking and rechecking thorough it.

Now that she thought about it, Pain seemed to house a lot of chakra within him for one person. And even then, each of the chakra flow that circulated around him was a little bit different from the previous flow. Not to mention, the flows were exceptionally strong right under each of his assorted piercings ranging all over his body.

'It's like...' she trialed off, alarmed at once at the thought that crossed her mind.

She met Pain's gaze with her widened ones. His words from the previous night, that she would understand soon enough, made more sense now than it had before.

"Leader-san...?" Her voice sounded rather weak.

"Aa?" Pain peered right into her eyes, something unreadable shinning deep inside those ringed blue eyes.

"So where is it?" She asked in a whisper.

"Pardon?"

"Your real body, I mean."

And she couldn't help wonder if Uchiha Itachi even had the slightest idea of what he had gotten her, and not to mention himself, into.

To be continued...

A/N: Leave a review if you can, it feels so motivating so motivating hearing from you guys!