Disclaimer for the WHOLE THING: I don't own Naruto. I do own this though, so no copy! I'm not sure when I will be updating as I am fairly busy with His Rebirth, but I will when I can. R&R please, and I'll try to get this moving.

Her fingers plucked lightly over the strings, her eyes scanning the dark corridors of the church. It was only fitting that he would be here, the devil himself that was her enemy, contaminating the only thing that was sacred to her in this world of corruption. Her long rose colored hair hid her eyes from the world, and yet they glimmered with such an intense hate that the shadows seemed to avoid her line of sigh, skulking through the dark areas at her back.

He watched her with a level interest, his finger running over the silver blade. A thin chrisom ribbon formed where the pale skin split under its honed edge, as easily as though it were clothe before shears. Across the rafters above the church he slid like some demented demon, seeming to disappear from all sight as he moved with a haunting speed.

The fingers that played did not hesitate as they continued to fill the church with its chillingly gentle music. The enticing sounds were darkly playful, a dare written within their crescendo and pianissimo dynamics. If a priest had been there, she was sure she would have been scolded for playing such a "devil's work" of music. But there was no clergy man there to forbid her from coxing the shadows out of hiding. No one could rebuke her for drawing him away from her father, for none of them knew.

She never had once turned to face him. But he knew without a shadow of doubt that she was aware of his prescience. He had never wanted to claim such an angel and turn her to the dark, but yet he could never resist the call that she wove with her music. It was like a spider's web, so beautifully formed, but yet it was to be a death trap. "Are you afraid of me, Itachi Uchiha," she purred softly, "that you will not even abandon the shadows in which you crawl like a snake? How unfortunate…"

"I am not one to be charmed by a leopard's eyes," he replied in his deep baritone, stilling where her gaze could not reach him. "Sakura Haruno. Not even the one with a face of the angel. Where is your father?"

"You hold back," she mused, her voice like silk as her fingers continued to play her spell like song. "You are no wet behind the ears assassin. Fulfill that which you came to do... and leave my father alone."

His voice rose slightly, challenging the sole figure. "You would mock me woman?"

"Of course not," she replied quietly, still strumming, drawing him ever closer as he descended the steps of the choir loft with an expression of death. "Who would dare mock the top killer who is destroying our city for being unable to kill a mere noble girl?"

The coal colored eyes became like steel, piercing her soul. A mere step brought him directly at her back, the wicked blade glimmering bright red from the light of the stain glass. "Killing you would be too much of a sin, Sakura Haruno when you know nothing of what I have done for this city; what your father has done…" he whispered in her ear as he ran the flat of the blade down her exposed neck. "Which is why I intend to do no such thing."

The blade flipped in his fingers as he brought down a crushing blow to the back of her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Three Years Later~

The music box clicked away out its silent sad song as the stars glittered like diamonds in the tapestry of the night sky. A lone shadow slipped over the stone roof tops, their feet mere silent thuds, unnoticeable to any ear. Pausing at a balcony, the small figure took a breath before dropping inside.

The startling green eyes picked out the pompous target with ease and mere flick of her fingers sent four needles to impale his neck with sickening thuds. Then the fight began. Becoming a carousel of death, she whipped out her main blades from their hidden position against her forearms, spinning like a demons cyclone to dismember the first guard who dared attack her from the side. There would be no survivors this night. Stabbing the second through the stomach, she twisted the blades cruelly before wrenching them out as she narrowly avoided decapitation. Slamming a kick into the third's torso, she allowed the force to carry her, driving her blades through his heart as they landed.

Vicious eyes pinning down the last guard as he bolted for the door, she drew a final blade from her belt and sent it spinning through the air. There was a single, sickening thud. And then there was silence.

Like a single breath of wind, she headed out the open door silently into the main hall. Following the halls until she came to a single open door, the assassin paused as her viridian eyes saw the form of a young woman fast asleep. Remorse flickered through their gaze as they slowly entered the master bed room. Drawing a single red rose, she left it on the bed before slipping back out into the halls, and then out the balcony once more.

Running over the roof top, she swore as she heard a shout ring out below. Not pausing in her stride, the small figure jumped neatly, rolling back to her feet as she bolted across the roof tops. Weaving left and right, she narrowly avoided a cross bow bolt as it slit her dark mottled cloak. Her feet took her through the upper districts of the city before she turned sharply and dropped down into the cathedral's courtyard.

Her sure hands and feet took her up the sides of the great stone building until she reached the bell tower. Weaving her way up the walls like a small shadow, she did not pause as she heard the shouts of the watch ring out through the city. Her feet pushed as her arms pulled and then with ease, the small figure hauled herself into the hidden confines of the bell tower. Sitting on the edge of the great marble ledge, she paused for but a moment to strip of the black face cover.

The silver moon light reflected off her gentle pale features as she rested her head on her knees and stared out at the city before her. The city that had been the corrupts' to bleed dry. The city that was know her responsibility. The city that was now their responsibility. As the chill of the darkest part of night seeped into her black clad form, Sakura Haruno felt a small tear trail down her cheek at the thought of the darkness that it had fallen to.

Strong hands pulled her away from the ledge into the sanctity of the belfry and his arms. Stroking her head lightly, Itachi allowed his warmth to fill her as he stared out at the brightest star amidst the midnight tapestry. "You are no longer the blind noble girl; you have grown stronger. It will be our city…. We will not allow it to fall," he whispered quietly in her ear.

Nodding, she rose with him to descend into the sanctuary of the abandoned chapel as day's warming glow began to rob the sky of its stars. They were the saviors who were forever to be condemned as criminals in a world blinded by greed. For there was none to aid them in their struggle. The city's best killer… and a former noble, each as different as the night and day, but committed to the only thing they loved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The news was in the streets before the sun could rise fully to the sky. One of the Four Lords, One of the Tsuchi-Ho-Mizu-Rai Rulers, was dead. And the only evidence was a singe red rose, left on the bedside of his wife.

Yet not one tear was shed that day as the city slowly stirred to life, save by a young man with cerulean eyes as he stared at a grave in the courtyard of the large estate. Laying a single cherry blossom, her wiped his eyes, and then took off through the morning mist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Bless me Father Hatake for I have sinned…" Sakura intoned as she entered the dark of the confessional box.

"You wouldn't be here otherwise, Sakura. Skip the bull shit of wanting forgiveness," the deep voice replied behind the screen.

She attempted to stifle a grin at the wily, no-nonsense priest's tone. Taking a moment to collect herself, she kept her simple discussion tone. "Some of us care about escaping damnation, Father. It would be wrong not to ask for absolution for our sins…"

"You can only obtain that through repentance, which I know you have no intention of, Sakura. Now," the priest asked. "What do you need?"

"The date of the next gathering of the Hyuuga, Uchiha, and Uzumaki," she replied without hesitation. After all, Kakashi had been a long informant of Itachi and was a surrogate father to them both. They kept his church from thieves, while supplying a steady stream of income. In return, he gave them a place to stay where the watch could not venture without fear of riot.

"Two days, at the Uchiha Estate, at sunset," he finally said. "They're holding the annual Presentation of Heirs Ball."

"Wonderful," Sakura mused, drawing her gloves over her hands easily.

"Indeed. Now I believe you were after some forgiveness…. you are absolved of your sins as soon as you complete your penance: saving this city from its destruction. Go… and sin no more."

There was a hint of reproach in his tone. Crossing herself as was customary, Sakura rose and exited the confessional as the large doors of the church opened suddenly. Concealing herself in the shadows, she licked her lips nervously as she watched the blonde hair figure enter. Proceeding to the alter, he knelt at the rail, as though a man stricken by grief. The dull shine of tears stained his cheeks as he prayed vehemently.

Seeing that his mind was fully occupied, Sakura took the opportunity to flee up the stairs of the choir loft. Concealed behind the rail, she listened as Kakashi slowly approached the young man. "Naruto…. you know that prayers will not bring her back…" the old priest said quietly. "I would have thought that you would have moved on after your engagement to Hinata."

"How can I move on?" the young man replied bitterly. Sakura could see the helpless anger in his eyes. "They took her from me."

"The assassins may have taken Sakura Haruno… but you should not hate them," Kakashi admonished in his fatherly tone. "You are one of the purest of this time, Naruto. To allow such a dark emotion to rule you is foolish."

"Foolish… that's what they all have said. But I cannot forget her," he replied, swallowing. The tears ceased as he stared at the priest with bitter eyes. His voice was soft, a mere echo against the stone. "I see her sometimes. Walking along a street, sitting on the belfry… staring in my window or gazing at the stars in the night as though to find some solace. But when I rise to greet her, she vanishes as no more than a dream."

Kakashi sighed before resting a hand on the young noble's shoulders. "It is only your heart that yearns for her. Your want to see her makes you believe that you are."

Deciding that she had seen enough, Sakura slipped out the back exit onto the roof, ignoring the pain that registered in her chest.