It's been awhile.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Sanguine

def. 1. happy, hopeful; 2. crimson, blood-soaked.

Chapter 7

Akatsuki

It had been three days since Sasori and Sakura had rendezvous with Itachi, and at the same time, since Sasuke had appeared. The scrawny boy that Itachi had picked off the streets had unfortunately been silenced by Sasuke, who took it upon himself to stand in as his brother's proxy under Tsunade's commands. Sakura had questioned the authenticity of her mother's commands, but was muzzled like a dog shortly after her former lover had pulled out a written message out of his pocket, signed by her mother herself. Thus they had no choice but to accept the adjustments to their situation.

Since then, she had noticed Sasuke attempt to approach her and converse with her several times. Every time he tried, she would simply turn her back on him and walk away. Every time they made eye contact, she would quickly look away. Everywhere she went, she would feel his eyes burning into the back of her skull, but she still ignored him nonetheless.

Anyone observing from afar could tell that Sakura was being immature and temperamental. However, if they told her, she would simply just flip the finger and tell them to kiss her royal derriere. She didn't need someone to tell her what she already knew, but at the same time, she would never admit her faults.

Thinking back to when he had first arrived three days ago, it was absolutely and utterly ridiculous the way he had reached out to her and had talked of reconciling, talked of renewing their relationship, and whatnot. 'Not after what he did.' She would chant to herself every time she remembered the confrontation. 'Not after what he did.' No, not after what he had done to her, and not after what he had done to Ino. Her insides already boiled at the thought of forgiving him of his sins, however the notion of becoming friends with him made her sick to her very soul.

Honestly, it's not like she's never thought of forgiving and forgetting. It's just that every time she thought of it, the rage would build up in the pit of her stomach. Time and time again, that same rage would burn away any thought of forgiving and forgetting. Once those thoughts were completely burned away, what was left was a hole filled with empty sorrow.

Perhaps one day, seconds before her own death, she would probably forgive him. However, after what she had gone through the past two years, her current self was nowhere near merciful, and deep down inside, she simply was not ready to "forgive" and "forget".

On the other hand, Sasori had also been caught up in his own inner musings, for a reason that he could not figure out. Thinking back on the night where he had colored the princess's hair, he remembered the way his chest welled up with a sense of content, which he could not put his finger to. It was also quite peculiar how he felt some sort of itching irritation in his chest whenever the younger Uchiha was in his line of sight. The itching would get worse whenever he would see Sasuke attempt to approach Sakura, and then the itching would lessen whenever Sakura avoided Sasuke's advances. It was like an itch that wouldn't go away no matter how much you scratched, and simply put, it boggled his mind.

At some point of their journey, he had pulled Itachi to the side and had described the itching feeling to the stoic man. However the older Uchiha had no idea what Sasori was prattling about, nor did he have a solution for Sasori's internal predicaments. 'I suppose it's hard for an unfeeling workaholic genius to know anything about feelings.' He mused to himself. He couldn't say much though, as he was also an unfeeling workaholic genius who didn't know much about feelings. The more he thought about it, the more complicated it got, thus the red-headed prince decided to just simply just push his problems aside.

Despite Sasori and Sakura drowning in their inner thoughts, they had not realized that they had been keeping each other within arm's reach throughout the duration of their travels. One was not seen without the other, nor did one do anything without the other, and this did not go by Sasuke, who had been keenly observing the two royals of the group.

The skies were dreary and the clouds were a constant shade of grey. The deeper they traveled into the Country of Rain, the more wet and bleak their surroundings became. Apparently it was normal for rain to plague the country every other day.

Their attention shifted left and right as they cautiously wandered the streets of the capital city. Compared to Konoha and all of the other villages that they had visited during their journey, Ame was rather... dreary in comparison. The buildings were grey, bland, and ridiculously worn down from the constant heavy rain. The air was heavily polluted, the scent of urine and feces permeating from every side of them, unable to be washed away by the rain. As if they had lost their souls, the citizens had blank expressions and would stagger as they wandered the streets without any protection from the rain. The children were completely drenched to their bones, and they eerily quiet as the bore the same soulless expression as the adults. In every nook and cranny was a thug, ready to lurch at the closest traveler in order to lynch them of their money and goods. Refugees were groveling on the muddy ground, begging for spare change in order to survive. Every so often, they would pass by a sickly person, and other occasions they would pass by an unmoving body.

Honestly speaking, Sakura had never been to the Country of Rain, even during her days as an ANBU soldier. Her mother never allowed her to venture into the mysterious small land, and now she knew why. The astounding amount of depravity she had seen so far was baffling, and it was like nothing she had ever seen before. Silently, Sakura sent silent words of thanks to her mother for protecting what remained of her sound mind back then. However, now she was different. Desensitized by her experiences, she had grown older and wiser, as a person who killed others for a living, and as a person who had once been a prisoner.

Unconsciously, she moved closer to Sasori's side. "How long has this been going on for?" She murmured, cautious eyes still roaming left and right.

Sasori eyed her and then at the very short distance between them, before looking ahead of him again. Leading the way in front of them was Itachi and Sasuke. "It's been like this since before even Itachi and I had arrived five years ago." Sasori murmured lowly, his lips pressed together thinly. Sparing her another quick glance, he asked her, "Are you surprised?"

"A little," She admitted. Then she shrugged. "But it's nothing short of what I've seen and experienced."

Taking her past into consideration, Sasori hummed in agreement. A beat later, he said offhandedly, "Asides from this constantly dreary weather, I hear the people of this land weren't as depressing before, until a certain someone came into the picture."

"Oh?" Sakura rose a brow. "Do you mean Madara?"

"Aa."

Kings and queens did not exist in such a small country. Rather, the land and the people were ruled by the wealthiest nobleman, and it was known that the wealthy lord of the land owned a mercenary organization. However, it was rumored that the nobleman was simply a puppet, one that was controlled by a mysterious benefactor that gave orders from the shadows. That benefactor being Uchiha Madara.

The organization was compiled of deadly assassins and mercenaries. There were eight elites, including Sasori and Itachi, all of which were personally handpicked by Madara. The other six men were willing to do any dirty deed as long as the price was high and right. As per Madara's orders, they had increased the tax rates in Rain Country and used the collected money to fund the organization. They had ransacked nearby villages of their goods and sold the goods off for a higher value to passing merchants and greedy nobles. They were also tasked with gathering corrupt noblemen in order to sponsor the organization. Every so often, they would also kill a few people here and there. Such was the organization that Sasori and Itachi had been part of for the past six years. Such was the organization that Sakura was about to infiltrate herself.

She remembered asking Sasori one night, after long hours of training, how he and Itachi had been chosen to be part of the Akatsuki's elite. And she remembered his scowling face when he had told her all of the tedious deeds they had done in order to be recognized by the organization.

He had told her stories of how they had eliminated corrupt lords that would one day stand in Konoha and Suna's way. Stories of wonderful rulers and how one had to bring the lords to safety, while the other made it seem as if they had killed the lords. Stories of how they had tracked down notorious criminals and eliminated them. Stories of how they would often come across merchants in the middle of their trade routes, and how they would pay those merchants to spread notorious rumors of them. They were all deeds that any well-abled assassin could carry out, deeds that any monkey-brained bandit could do. However, they had to do it better. It was all about making a name for themselves in order to be noticed by the treacherous Uchiha man.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking around the deteriorated streets of Rain's capital, the group had finally reached the core of the city. An eerie fortress built out of iron loomed over them. It was nothing compared to the grandeur castle back home, but nonetheless, the size of the fortress was quite large.

"Here we are," Sasori drawled, waving his hand at the fortress nonchalantly. "Akatsuki's wonderful and hard-earned fortress."

The corners of Sakura's lips tilted upwards a little in amusement at her companion's very sarcastic jab at the organization's riches.

His eyes scanned the stronghold up and down. "No matter how many times I see it, I don't seem to like how plain and bland the outlook of it is." He sniffed, displeasure crystal clear in his eyes.

"Whoever designed this has horrible tastes," Sakura tutted, her emerald eyes full of mirth and her smile now slightly bigger than before.

Sasori chuckled, quite pleased to hear that her tastes in architecture matched his. "I'm glad we agree."

On the side, Itachi sighed. Of course his picky friend had to make another comment about how the Akatsuki fortress was just absolutely ugly. Naturally he had been desensitized to the red-headed prince's nitpicking, however now that his nation's equally picky princess was joining in on the criticism, he didn't quite know how to feel about it.

Sasuke however, was absolutely bewildered as he watched the two royals openly quibble about the appearance of the fortress, at their enemy's very own doorstep. "Are they..." Sasuke's brows furrowed a little. "Always like this?"

"Since the day they met," Itachi answered with another quiet sigh. "I hear they had been passing back and forth a few art literature back at the castle."

That being said, Sasuke mildly remembered an art book that Sakura had been carrying the past few days. He also remembered that very same book being in Sasori's hands every so often too. His eyes were on Sakura once again, and without realizing, he had completely lost himself in his thoughts. He knew that she noticed him watching her lately, and he knew she didn't like his staring. However, he couldn't help it. Everything about her was strange and so very different compared to how she had been in the past.

The Sakura he had known back then was simply brave and passionate. She willingly thrust herself into a life of bloodshed instead of staying inside the castle to be pampered by her mother and her maids. She befriended everyone, and was admired by all who stood on the battlefield with her. Everywhere she went, she would light up the area with her kind and charismatic smile.

The Sakura now was definitely still brave and passionate. However, she was also fearless, bold, and battle-hungry. She also had a sharp tongue and a foul vocabulary to match too. But of course, he knew he was the reason for her change of behavior. As he watched his former lover and the neighboring country's prince interact with each other, he noticed that she looked... happy, and it made him feel some type of way he couldn't describe. Was he jealous of Sasori? Or was he perhaps envious?

In that moment, he came to the cold hard truth that he didn't really know her anymore, and it was all because of him.

"At least the inside isn't as bland as the outside," Sakura commented, eyes roaming left and right as they marched the halls of the Akatsuki fortress.

True to her word, the inside of the fortress looked a whole lot better than the outside. The floors were covered with a crimson red carpet, lined with black and gold on the side. The walls were built out of smooth mahogany, with delicate structures lined against the walls. Above them hung small shimmering chandeliers, their radiant lights filling every nook and cranny of the halls.

"Where are we heading?" Sasuke inquired.

Sasori glanced at the younger Uchiha, noting his slightly stiff and sullen expression. It seemed like Itachi had also noticed, but the elder Uchiha held onto his silence and continued walking. Deciding not to dwell on the thought, Sasori looked ahead of him once more. "To the main hall," He explained, "Unfortunately, we have to introduce you two to the organization head before we settle in."

As they turned a corner, he continued in a hushed, but loud enough voice for the other three to hear him. "Whatever you do, don't make him suspect you of anything. The less suspicions, the more freely you're able to roam."

Sakura and Sasuke nodded, both of them well aware of the consequences lest they should get caught.

After another few minutes of walking and turning corners, they finally arrived in front of a double door. Sasori stepped closer to the door, his knuckles tapping against the mahogany door. A moment later, a deep baritone voice was heard from the other side of the door, beckoning for them to enter. As they stepped into the chamber, they noticed a man sitting comfortably behind a desk at the center of the room.

"Itachi, Sasori," Pein nodded at the two, acknowledging their presences. "Welcome back. I'm glad to see the both of you alive and well."

The two of them nodded briskly. "Thank you," They each murmured.

While they exchanged pleasantries, Sakura eyed Pein from where she stood beside Sasori. Dressed in black from head to toes, he was a man with a well built body, ruffled orange hair and sharp, cold eyes. Dangling around his neck was a necklace adorned with high quality onyx crystals. However, what really made him stand out was the excessive amount of piercings he had on his face. Sakura's lips twisted in distaste as she mentally counted the iron piercings garnishing his ears, nose, and lips. She couldn't help but wonder if he had any piercings elsewhere.

"What of your mission?" Pein asked Itachi, brow raised in interest.

"It went well." Itachi murmured, "I will debrief you later on once I have settled back in."

A low pleased hum escaped Pein. Then his eyes landed on Sasori. "How was your..." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "Well needed vacation?"

"I suppose it was wonderful," Sasori shrugged, waving his hand nonchalantly. "I even found my proxy along the way."

Pein nodded again in acknowledgement. His eyes ran across Sakura and Sasuke, carefully observing them from head to toes. Pein's eyes lingered on Sasuke, slowly narrowing the more he stared. Moments later, he spoke again. "The boy over there looks awfully similar to you, Itachi."

Sakura knew not to stiffen up, and she didn't. However, it felt as if her heart dropped a little at Pein's statement. 'I knew this was a terrible idea,' Sakura bit her inner cheek. 'They're blood brothers, of course they'll look similar to each other. Hell, they're practically identical!'

"A mere coincidence," Itachi responded calmly, "There are many people who look awfully similar to me." As he spoke, his eyes were on even levels with Pein. The elder Uchiha was well composed, with no sight of panic within him. Behind him, Sasuke stood still as a statue, his usual stoic expression plastered on his face.

Pein contemplated over the thought, his eyes slowly moving from Itachi to Sasuke, and then back to Itachi again. "I suppose you are right," He chuckled lowly. "There are many people in the world who look like each other. I am sure I am no exception to that either."

Itachi let out a small polite smile before bowing his head.

Sakura on the other hand, slowly and quietly exhaled through her nostrils in relief. She didn't know if it was a blessing that the Uchiha brother was intelligent and convincing, or if it was a blessing that Pein was an absolute fool.

"Moving on," Pein cleared his throat. "The other members and contestants have already arrived. You four are the last ones." He explained, "There is a welcoming gala tonight to introduce all the contestants to our sponsors, and the battle royale will be further addressed there. Your attires will be provided by the servants." Then he said, "Please make sure you choose an appropriate attire and that you're dressed to impress."

Sakura rose a curious brow. 'Gala?' She quite liked the sound of that.

"As for living arrangements," Pein continued, "The representatives are to stay in the same room as their respective Akatsuki elites."

Sasori blinked. 'Stay in the same room?' He inwardly repeated. His room only had one bed for himself, along with a couch on the side. The notion brought him back to that night over a week ago, where they had shared a bed together because they were both too exhausted to argue about who would sleep where. A funny feeling erupted in his chest as he mulled over the memory. His arms tingled as he remembered the warm sensation of her petite body held in his arms as they both slumbered in peace.

He really wanted to kick himself right there.

After that night, he had made sure that their inn rooms were arranged to have two separate beds—and for a damn good reason too. The gods above were definitely laughing at him, he was sure of it.

'This can't be happening,' Sasori groaned quietly. Although, it seemed as if his groan was not as quiet as he thought it would be, seeing as it drew the attentions of the other four inhabitants of the room.

"Is there a problem?" Pein questioned, his left brow lifted.

"No, no," Sasori coughed. "I just thought it would be more appropriate to give the lady her own room." Soon after he had said that, he felt a burning glare on the back of his head, followed by a quiet hiss coming from directly behind him.

"Ah," Pein's finger lightly tapped against his desk in a rhythmic manner as he pondered about Sasori's suggestion. "We have a few female participants who are currently sharing rooms with the Akatsuki members, however I do see where you're coming from. I suppose it would be more appropriate."

"Exactly," Sasori nodded vigorously, "I prefer my own priva-" He bit his tongue and held back a pained wheeze. Sakura dug her nails deeper into his backside, her glare still burning strong at the back of his head. "Nevermind," He grunted, "We'll stick to the original arrangements."

"Are you crazy?" He hissed at her.

They were now walking down the halls of the Akatsuki fortress, on their way to the living quarters. Sasori and Sakura were at the front of the group, hissing and glaring at each other as they marched side by side. Behind them were the Uchiha brothers, both carefully surveilling their surroundings in hopes that they would not bump into anyone while the two royals openly argued with each other. Every so often, Sasuke's eyes would roam between Sakura and Sasori, his bottom lip jutted outwards as a tiny frown adorned on his features.

"Are you?" She shot back with indignation. "What's wrong with those living arrangements? You're willing to leave me alone?" She rambled, her hands moving furiously as she talked. "What if someone decides to sneak into my room and kill me in my sleep?"

Sasori opened his mouth. 'It's not like I want to leave you alone,' Was what he was about to say until he caught himself and quickly snapped his lips shut. Seconds later, he cleared his throat. "And why would they do that?" He asked, eyebrow raised in questioning.

"I don't know," She rolled her eyes and shrugged, "Maybe to cut down the competition or something along those lines."

At that, Sasori halted and turned to face her. "That's ridiculous," He refuted, giving her a flat stare. "I'm sure you're more than capable of defending yourself in any kind of situation." Then with an impassive shrug, he added, "Besides, no one would want to invade the room of the devil's pig spawn."

Both of Sakura's brows shot up. "Devil's pig spawn?" She repeated, slightly taken aback by his peculiar choice of words. First he called her a mammoth, and now she was... the devil's pig spawn? She wasn't upset or offended—he wasn't completely wrong. She definitely had a wicked personality, and her appetite was definitely quite large. But of course, she would never admit he was right.

Sasori inwardly cursed his cruddy and unintelligent choice of words. However, he wasn't going to take it back. He knew that she knew that he was more or less right. "My room is over there." He mumbled, turning on his heels and marching forward once more.

A quiet huff escaped Sakura before she followed him once more.

Behind them, Itachi quietly sighed and rubbed his temples, while Sasuke's frown deepened.

"You're not thinking of letting me sleep on the couch," Sakura blankly stared at him. "Are you?"

"Well, I'm not going to sleep on the couch either." Sasori responded, returning an equally flat stare despite the sense of deja vu trickling up and down his spine.

The both of them were now standing in the middle of his living quarters. Against one wall was his bed, complete with black and red pillows and blankets. By the bed was a simple night stand, and a few steps away stood a large dresser. On the other side of the room, situated against another wall was a black sofa. There was also a door leading to what seemed like the bathing room.

Silence overcame them as they both thought up solutions to their problems. Frankly speaking, they were both too stubborn to give up the bed, and they were well aware of the fact.

There was only one solution where they would both benefit from having the bed, and Sasori honestly, truly, really wanted to kick himself right there. Really.

He cleared his throat, catching her attention. "We might as well share the bed," Sasori suggested gruffly. "We didn't really have much of an issue last time." He mumbled, referring to that night over a week ago. 'I'm a goddamn liar.'

Sakura gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Share?" She echoed, her voice hitting a high note at the end. Her emerald eyes blinked several times as his words sunk in.

"Is that... a problem?" He asked, eyeing her carefully. His eyes squinted slightly as he watched her cheeks flush very slightly. 'Is she... blushing?'

"Noo..." She replied slowly, shaking her head equally slow. "Not a problem at all."

Both were quiet again as they stared at the bed, refusing to meet each other in the eye. 'Maybe I should take the couch,' Sasori immediately thought, 'Be a gentleman and all.'

A sudden knock against the door to his room broke them out of their thoughts. A timid servant's voice spoke up from the other side, "Is the lady ready to be dressed for this evening's gala?"

"Coming," Sakura quickly turned on her heel and made her way towards the door. "I'm coming now!"

Once the door clicked shut behind her, Sasori sat down on his bed, his amber eyes staring into space as he contemplated his decisions. 'Everything is going to be okay,' He mentally chanted as an attempt to convince himself. After a moment of silence, he fell back onto his bed as he bemoaned himself. "I'm crazy."

On the other hand, Sakura was following the maid down the hall, on the way to the dressing room where she would hunt for her attire for the gala. "Don't think too much," She muttered to herself. "Everything is going to be okay." As if in assurance, she quickly added, "I'm not crazy."

It was now nightfall, and the Akatsuki fortress was vivacious. The main hall was bustling with many noble men and women, hailing from all over the continent. Dressed in fancy attires, some of them waltzed along with the music that flowed around the hall. Others stayed by the sidelines, idly chattering with one another.

Standing together in a corner was Sasori, Itachi and Sasuke, each holding a glass of red wine and listlessly observing the guests mingling around the hall. Every so often, the noblewomen would giggle and blush as they eyed the men, their ball gowns swishing side to side as they walked by them.

Sasori was dressed in a white collared shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Layered on top of his shirt was a red button up vest, with small pockets on the side. His white shirt was neatly tucked into his black trousers, which was decorated with a gold chain that hung on the side. His black boots stopped just below his knees, his pant legs tucked inside them.

Itachi's attire was black from head to toes. He wore a turtleneck made of high quality cotton on the inside. On the outside, he wore a waist coat that was held together by a leather belt that rested on his hips. His pants were fitted and he wore simple dress shoes.

Sasuke wore a long sleeved, deep navy blue top, along with a fitted black vest complete with a high collar. Cuffed around both his biceps were black leather buckles. Similar to Sasori, the legs of his black trousers were tucked into plain black knee-high boots.

At the sound of another flirty giggle coming from a passing lady, Sasori began to tap his foot, his hand beginning to swirl the glass of wine that he held in his hand. "Where the hell is she..." He muttered to himself impatiently, eyes on the lookout for a certain sassy someone.

"Perhaps she wasn't satisfied with the gowns that were provided?" Itachi murmured from beside him. "We're well familiar with how picky she can be."

Sasori's lips twisted in annoyance as he turned to face his childhood friend. "This is not the time for her to be picky," He began, irritation evident in his voice. Before he could continue, a familiar voice spoke up from behind him.

"And why can't I be picky?"

"You-" Sasori twisted around, his mouth open and ready to reprimand her. However the moment his eyes laid on her, he quickly went slack jawed and the irritation bottled up in him had completely disappeared. He staggered slightly, his eyes blinking several times before completely focusing on her.

Sakura's flowing gown was colored red and hugged her curves comfortably. It had double high slits at the front, showcasing her long porcelain legs and her thighs. Her breasts rested cozily against the sweetheart neckline bust of her gown. The dress straps were black and caged in a criss-cross fashion, connected to a red scalloped choker that gently wrapped around her neck. Snug on her feet were simple black ankle strapped heels. Her dyed brown hair was done in a sweet and simple updo, and her bangs gently framed her face.

Sasori took back what he said about her being the devil's pig spawn. It seemed as if the world had disappeared and all he could see was her. She was absolutely beautiful, and it simply left him breathless.

"What's wrong with being picky?" Sakura repeated, snapping him back to reality. Her brow was raised in curosity, her arms crossed under her bosom. "That foolish man from this morning said 'dress to impress', so I might as well come looking fabulous." She said with a huff.

"Nothing," Sasori murmured, "Nothing wrong with being picky."

Sakura eyed him for a few seconds. Then the princess twirled a little, her gown flowing around her. "How do I look?"

Sasori's lips were tightly pressed together as he mulled over what to say. He honestly didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. After a long pause, he finally uttered, "Wonderful. You look wonderful."

A hum escaped her, pleased with his answer. Giving him a once-over, she flashed an amused smile at him, "You don't look too shabby yourself."

Sasori straightened himself up and gave her a deadpan stare. "These galas occur quite often, much to my dismay," Sasori responded wryly. "According to Pein, it's imperative that we attend the banquets looking like anything but 'shabby'.'"

"I suppose it's all about the image," Sakura shrugged. Her emerald eyes began to observe their surroundings, moving from the glorious and lavish food to the extravagant attire worn by the banquet attendees."Speaking of which, this is quite a fancy gala for a competition where everyone is more or less killing each other." She pointed out derisively.

"It's all entertainment for the nobles that will be coming to watch." Sasori muttered, tucking his hands inside the pockets of his trousers.

"Ah," Sakura nodded sagely. "I see that the Akatsuki take their hosting and partying quite seriously."

"We take more than hosting and partying quite seriously."

Sakura turned on her heels and came face to face with an exposed muscular chest. She blinked a few times before looking upwards. Standing in front of her was a man with handsome facial features, his silver hair neatly slicked back behind his ears. He was completely shirtless, save for the fur-lined coat that he wore. His trousers were held up by multiple belts, and his pant legs were tucked into boots that matched his edgy outlook. Dangling around his neck was a necklace with a peculiar insignia.

Hanging around his arm was a bodacious woman with long, wavy purple hair. Her strapless dress was black and skin tight, a matching fur coat hung loosely around her shoulders.

Sakura took a few steps back away from the pair until she was by Sasori's side.

"Hidan," Itachi acknowledged from the side, reminding the others of his presence. Beside him, Sasuke was eyeing the close proximity between Sasori and Sakura, unconcerned about the intruding strangers.

"Yo," Hidan grinned. The silver-haired man was one of the Akatsuki's elite. He was known for being an attractive womanizer, and was quite known for his foul vocabulary and fanatical worship of an unknown god. He was also one of the more extreme members of the elite, due to his savage and ruthless killing methods. His amethyst eyes lingered on Sakura, his grin growing more shameless and vulgar the more he stared. "Where'd you find such a lovely doll, Sasori?"

Sasori eyed Hidan's lecherous leer, an unsettling irritation building up from within. 'Lovely? Little doll?' He repeated the man's words several times in his mind, the corner of his lips turning downwards in displeasure. "She's not that lovely," He blurted, his face impassive as ever. He continued on, "She's a brat with an appetite the size of a mammoth, has the temper of a wild boar, and has the personality of the devil."

Sakura's head whipped at him, her emerald eyes glaring holes through him. Did he really have to put it out there like that? Behind them, Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose while Sasuke's expression was as stoic as ever.

"So she's feisty with a big appetite," Hidan chuckled, eyes still roaming Sakura's body, "I can dig that."

At that, Sakura redirected her attention back to the silver-haired man. "Well I," She smiled stiffly. "Unfortunately do not dig you."

"Unfortunate, indeed," Sasori muttered to the side, low and sarcastically. Then he cleared his throat, catching the attention of the rest of them. "I hear the food is quite delicious tonight." He declared. With a small smirk, he offered his arm to his companion. "Shall we go and see?"

"Why, of course," Sakura tittered, looping her hand around his elbow. "I'm absolutely famished."

Without another word, the twosome began to march away, pushing their way past Hidan and his partner.

Despite being openly rejected, Hidan cackled loudly without a care in the world. Once he had calmed down, he began to pull along the woman that hung onto his arm, his keen eyes lingering on the retreating backs of Sasori and Sakura.

Meanwhile, Sasuke watched as Sasori and Sakura began to mingle around together, arm in arm. The sense of loss that he had been feeling the past few days had returned, and it simply agitated him.

"Sasuke," Itachi murmured lowly from beside him. "I do not know what happened between the two of you, nor do I know what you have done to upset her," His elder brother began, "But it is best to leave her alone." Itachi's lips pursed and he placed a gentle hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "It is best to let her go, just as she has let you go."

As Itachi's hand began to guide him into another direction, Sasuke's onyx eyes couldn't help but linger on Sakura's figure for a few seconds longer. The younger Uchiha then closed his eyes and turned away.

The night went on, and Sasori and Sakura took advantage of their time by scouting around the hall for the Akatsuki elites and their proxies. Every so often, Sakura would grab an appetizer off of an attendant's serving platter, and Sasori would simply roll his eyes at her. He had already insulted her enough as it is, so with a light smile, he let her have her way for the night.

Two figures appeared on the balcony above the hall, catching the attention of all of the party-goers. Pein stood tall and proud, in an obsidian suede suit made of high quality materials. Beside him stood his wife, a graceful woman dressed in a navy gown. Her hair was platinum with blue hues, and was as beautiful as the moonlight's reflection in clear water.

"The Akatsuki welcomes you all tonight," Pein began boisterously, "To this period of time, where we will soon witness a competition more bloody and brutal than man has ever known to come."

The swarm of nobles raised their wine glasses at him, each man and woman hooting and cheering eagerly. Those with free hands were clapping vigorously. Situated in different areas of the hall, were the Akatsuki elites with their partners beside them. Ranging from thieves to assassins, they all calmly eyed Pein as he spoke.

"The competition will begin three days from now," Pein continued, "We will start off with a battle royale to weed out the weak. One week after that, individual brawls will consequently take place until only one person remains." The more he spoke, the louder the orange-haired leader got.

With a crazed glint in his eyes, he roared out, "There are no rules! There are no limits!"

A/N: Gosh, wow. It's been so long! I'm not dead haha.

I've just been so caught up with work and my life right now has been a mess lately, but I worked up the energy to write up this chapter. I've also been caught up with drawing lately, because I'm applying for a full time graphic designs course later this year, so wish me luck!

Asides from the slight introduction to the Akatsuki in this story, the main focus of this chapter was Sasori and Sakura's awareness of each other, along with Sasuke's realizations of certain things. Itachi's also been sighing a lot lately; his friend and his princess are both literally draining his life.

Anyways, I'm glad this chapter worked out well, and hopefully the next will be better :)

Reviews and criticisms are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and see you guys soon!