A/N: Yosh! Bonzai! Huzzah! Hooray! Yahoo! So on and so forth! The last chapter has finally come after all this time! *crazy-happy-dance party* Okay, no, not really. To tell you the truth, the ending of this story is a bit bitter-sweet. Of course, I had lots of fun writing this one and greatly enjoyed all of the wonderful reviews from all of you, but it would be a lie to say that this story hasn't worn me out. It's the longest one I've ever written and it was a bit complicated to link everything together. From retrieving Sasuke to going to the Fire country border to going to the Akatsuki base, to going back home, to the reappearance of Itachi, to Sakura chasing after him.

My head hurts just remembering all of that! T.T Well, enjoy the final chapter, everybody!

"I... I've been looking for you," Sakura admitted, her confidence ebbing now that Itachi was sitting quietly, waiting for her to say what she had to say. She found herself purposefully spacing her words, making sure to evaluate everything she should or shouldn't say. "For the longest time I had given up, told myself that it was pointless. But then I sensed your chakra and that will to go on with you returned."

"You were foolish to come here," he told her.

She nodded in agreement. "I know. I-I don't know why I even bothered to follow you. I just needed to see you... to see for myself that you were alive. It hurt unimaginably to not know over these three years whether you were well or if you were drawing your last breath." She let out a breath of laughter that had no amusement in it. "And you were so close all this time."

He had been close. She was pretty sure this place was only a few miles from the border of Fire country. Close to where they'd first met.

"I'm fine," he told her again and she rolled her eyes.

"I told you not to lie to me," she told him on a sigh, watching as he stood from his chair and went to the other side of the room to stare out the window. He folded his arms over his chest and she could see the muscles in his shoulders flex and constrict under his mesh shirt. It made her want to kiss the skin over those muscles, but she didn't dare touch him. She wasn't willing to face the idea that this might be a dream quite yet.

"Why did you come here?" he asked her even though she'd already told him, his voice as smooth as silk and cold as ice as he turned back to her. "You should realize what a foolish mistake that was."

"I know it was stupid, but I had to see you."

"I'm fine, so you may leave." Clipped, cold and right to the point, the Uchiha's voice held no tone of amusement and gave no hint that he wasn't completely serious. He really wanted her to leave. But she'd already told him that she wasn't going so easily and she intended to keep to her word. He would not be getting rid of her.

"It's been three years since we last saw each other," she said, her voice almost incredulous, "And you just want me to leave again?"

"Yes."

"But... I saved you! I nursed you back to health! Don't I at least deserve--"

"I owe you nothing," he cut in firmly, his voice even colder if that was at all possible, "I helped you and, in turn, you helped me. A life for a life; your debt is repaid."

"My debt?" she spat angrily, "Is that all I am? Is that all this has ever been? A debt to you that must be repaid?"

He didn't reply and so, in her eyes, he didn't deny it.

"You bastard," she hissed, "Then what is this?" She shoved her good arm into the bag she always kept with her and pulled out the cloak she'd cherished over the years, throwing it at his feet along with the ring. She then tore off the glove on her left arm to show him the gruesome-looking scar. She endured the numbed pain and raised her arm for him to see it until he looked away. "What the hell were these? A keepsake of our time together? Fucking souvenirs?! An 'I-melted-Uchiha-Itachi's-heart-and-all-I-got-was-this-Akatsuki-memorabilia-and-a-dead-fucking-arm'?!"

"Don't be stupid." His voice cracked and Sakura took the opening it gave her.

"Tell me how I'm being stupid!" she demanded, her voice rising with her crumbling temper, "And, while you're at it, tell me why you gave me that cloak! Why did you give me that ring?! WHY DID YOU FUCKING SAVE ME?!"

Itachi seemed completely unfazed by Sakura's outburst, but he still refused to look at her. He seemed interested with everything around the room but her. Then, when she sunk to her knees and buried her face into one hand, he finally watched with a torn look on his face.

"Do you really hate me so much?" she asked with a trembling voice. "I-I don't understand... Why?"

"I never once said that I hated you."

"Well, you never once showed valid proof that you don't either. The only times you have ever shown real affection toward me were followed by you either knocking me out and leaving me for guards to find or just sneaking off without a single word of notice to me."

He didn't deny the truth. He had done those things, but why couldn't she see that they had been for her own good? Just as how he wasn't letting her know that it was all for her sake. Why did she have to fight him every step of the way? But... he couldn't get over how pitiful she looked, her dead arm hanging limply from its shoulder, the other hand swiping at the tears on her face.

She chewed on her lower lip as she dropped her good arm so that her fingers could run along the raised flesh of the scar that ran the length of her left arm. She had hoped that, by finding Pein, she could find Itachi, but... all she'd gotten was this dead arm.

"I love you," she admitted sadly.

"Well, stop it."

The words ripped a hole in her heart, but she didn't care. It was just another one she could add to her ever-growing collection. She only scoffed bitterly and replied, "It's kind of a hard thing to just undo at will."

"It's also rather hard to continuously push the limits of my patience and live, but you seem to be doing quite fine."

She looked up, expecting to see him in that same spot in front of the window, but he wasn't. He was now crouching in front of her, so close it made her blush. "Ita--"

He silenced her by asking once again, "Why did you come here? I worked so hard not to go back to you so that you could be safe and you just wasted all that effort."

"There's no such thing as wasted effort seeing as how everything happens for a reason. She smirked when his eyes narrowed at her snide remark. "Besides," she went on, "I don't care about being safe. If it meant being by your side, I would gladly descend into the depths of Hell."

His smile gave him away, but he told her anyway, "You are a fool."

She nodded. "A fool who loves you." And, with that, she reached up and kissed him.

He kissed her back, gathering her up into his arms and resting her in his lap. He smirked and told her with a teasing air, "You know, I'm still not going to tell you why I saved you."

She smiled softly and rested her head in his chest. "I don't think I ever really cared. The important thing is that you saved me."

"And I'll always be there to save you."

With that, they kissed again, only one of the many they would share throughout their joined lifetime.

A/N: Finally! After thirty-one chapters, it's done! XD Yes, that was the ending 8P No, I won't tell you why Itachi saved Sakura. It's my dirty little secret. Authors are allowed to have them from time to time. XP

As always, I appreciate the absolutely wonderful reviews I've gotten and I hope to see some of you when I do my future stories. Perhaps when I put up Reminiscence? Hint, hint, nudge, nudge. Lol, kidding, kidding. Or am I? XD

Well, I love you all!

Italova... OUT!