I didn't think it would stretch out this long lol. Nine and still going right? Haha Anyway here we go with another chapter. I know this fic turned out weirder then I intended and with a tiny plot that you can't see unless you have Kyo vision, the good news is that I can see it! Lol Another good thing is con is coming up but by the time I post this it will then be over and past lol so Yeah! ANIME!CON! Haha~

~~Kyo~~

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto though some of you wish I did.

Chapter nine:

Sakura yawned as she finally returned back to Konoha after her long, month long mission. It hadn't been so bad out of the village with Shino and Neji, it had reunited her friendship with Neji and made her closer to Shino. She hadn't spent time with much of anyone in their busy life and hers, so given that time she was glad to have. She though had a a lot of time to think, and even more time to miss Itachi.

She missed Pein as well. She however knew she shouldn't worry about Itachi. She didn't know Itachi would, has, or ever would, cheat on her, but she did know that at least if he did he wouldn't keep lying to her. If he found someone else he would tell her and they would go their separate was as much as that would hurt her.

She loved him enough to want him happy even if it wasn't with her. She had long ago realized that she wouldn't be happy in life, having happiness at all was a push she knew, and she guessed her time of joy was over, maybe. She was putting a little party out of proportion though. It wasn't like Itachi had woman over alone in their house, Pein, and Shikamaru where there for heavens sake, she was sure Pein and Shikamaru would not let him cheat on her, or at least would tell her if he had.

Besides Itachi had never lied to her before why would he start now. It had taken them a long time to start a relationship, and a long time for Itachi to even want to be with her. She knew he didn't like being touched by men or women. She knew that so why would she suspect him cheating when it had been hell of a time when their relationship had started? Why would he suddenly start touching other women?

So she put it out of her mind, though those evil thoughts lingered, because she wasn't confident in herself, she really had never been. She tried to be, and had gotten strong, but mentally when it came to things like love she was no better then a child in her insecurities about herself.

Neji had went to report to the Hokage, Shino had went his own way, and she had went home. Before she could however even enter the Uchiha district a figure hopped down into her way. She stopped, knowing he had been following her before he showed himself.

" Something wrong Kakashi?" She asked curiously noticing his determined look, but his almost hesitant eyes. She wasn't sure what was wrong but it gave her a very bad feeling.

" Do you mind coming with me a little while?" She frowned and nodded. She wanted to get back to Itachi, but if Kakashi needed to speak to her, she wouldn't ignore him. She followed him back to his apartment filled with Icha Icha films, books, and posters. She had expected nothing less.

She sat at the kitchen table as he made her tea. She was tired. She wanted to take a proper bath, and sleep in bed next to Itachi, in his arms. Yet she sat and took the tea Kakashi poured her taking a long drink. Why did she get the feeling that whatever was to be said here would change her life forever? Maybe the situation in itself just seemed worthy of that sort of thing.

Kakashi sat in front of her at the table his lone eye on hers. She lowered the cup and let it warm her hands, as she waited for him to speak his mind.

Kakashi wondered if this was a good idea. After all, he couldn't just go ask Itachi or Anko about this. Anko may not say, and Itachi could very well kill him for accusing him of cheating or finding out either way. He didn't want Sakura to get hurt, but she would be more hurt if she found out on her own.

So he looked into her tired eyes. He waited for a long time maybe wondering if he should ruin her relationship with her lover, she was happy, and if they were wrong, which he didn't think he was about this, then Sakura would be enraged, maybe doubting Itachi, and maybe ruining their relationship and her own happiness because of him and Sasuke being wrong, but he knew if he didn't say something Sasuke no doubt would.

So he nodded his head once and spoke. Jumping to the point.

" I do not have Byakugan you know that." Sakura frowned curiously and nodded.

" I can not see through walls, I can though sense chakra like any other good Shinobi or Kunoichi." She again nodded hesitantly wondering where this was getting at.

" I'm not saying anything for certain, but Sasuke and I thought you should know what we have seen. I would not say anything for certain Sakura, and I really don't like what I have seen more then just once, at least five or more times in the month you've been gone." Her eyes flew open wide and he saw her pale. So even she had thought about him cheating, or suspected it?

Her hands trembled and he didn't want to speak any more but he had to now, he couldn't stop even with the tears in her jade eyes threatening to flood them and spill over. Her lips trembled. She didn't let her tears drop, her eyes opened so wide as if to force them to not blink and spill them down her cheeks.

" Anko had been paying Itachi visits and not coming out for hours at a time, mostly at night, and sometimes she doesn't leave until morning. She comes out looking rather ruffled and I can't say for sure but I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't think there was something going o-" He stopped and froze as the tears fell and the cup she had held in her hands shattered spilling hot green tea over her hands, the table, and down her clothes. She barely noticed it. Her body shook and she lowered her head but not before he saw the shocked pain across her face.

She was silent though her tears splashed onto the table into a pool of green tea rapidly cooling and dripping with her blood. Blood from cuts to her hand for breaking the cup. Blood and tears mixed into the tea turning it a brownish color.

She pulled her head up looking into Kakashi's lone eye with jade eyes filled with pain but a loyal love he couldn't understand. She would go back to him even knowing what he told her, trusting Itachi, though she obviously had her doubts, she would not truly believe until she saw with her own eyes. She truly did love Itachi.

She wiped her eyes and healed her hands, she wiped up the green tea, dirtied with her blood and tears, and then the shards of cup she had broke, then she bowed, literally bowed, to Kakashi and left with out a word her face dry of tears and nothing but determination on her face.

Sakura walked home trying to sort the mixed pain, and feelings. She wouldn't believe it though she would if she saw it with her own eyes, she had no doubt that any man would pick someone better then her. She winced and sighed. She emptied her emotions knowing they would do her no good until she got all the information. She walked home and slid open her house door, being assaulted with a woman's scent one she knew to be Anko's, who could only be hers. It over rid her own scent and she stiffened.

Kakashi hadn't lied, she knew, but it hurt having evidence Itachi had let a woman into his house, their house, when she wasn't home, at night, for long periods of time. They could be doing anything, anything at all. She cursed inwardly and took her shoes off ignoring her scent because it still didn't mean he was cheating there could be many reasons she was coming over.

Anko had been in ANBU when Itachi had been, he had known her, maybe they were friends and she was just coming to stop by and chat, or something. She walked to her bedroom knowing Itachi was there in bed reading, she knew he was in bed just by his chakra, she knew he was reading because he wasn't sleeping, and he wouldn't be in bed awake if he wasn't reading.

Itachi was standing ready for her when she opened the bedroom door. He smiled at her and held his arms open. She went to him with her throat tight. She had missed him, and she hoped to god things weren't as they seemed she really did love this man.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and breathed in his scent which thankfully didn't smell anything like Anko which was good, but didn't mean much considering the thing called a bath and soap washed away any scents. She was pulled back after a long embrace to be kissed hard. She sighed into his mouth.

" I missed you Sakura." he said as he kissed her again. She held onto him tighter.

" I missed you." She said choking on the words in which he noticed and pulled her back reluctantly. He stared at her concerned.

" Whats wrong?" he asked. She felt tears and let them go. She let them fall as she clutched his waist. He held her feeling confused.

" I missed you." She said as way of explanation which was true, and kami if he was cheating she didn't want to know about it. She didn't want to know! She didn't want to know.

" Why don't you get ready for bed and I will bring you some tea?" he asked when she finally stopped crying into his chest. He touched her cheek with his hand brushing her tears with his thumb. She nodded. He left the room and she tried to calm herself. She stripped and redressed in one of his shirts as she climbed into bed only to freeze as she sat down. Fresh tears came but she forced them back. Itachi came back up with her tea and she took it as he walked to his side of the bed and climbed in.

" Itachi." She asked staring down into the tea. He looked over to her.

" Yes?" He asked hand coming over to rest on her head in comfort. She frowned.

" Whats this weird smell on our bed?" He looked confused before picking up a pillow and sniffing it. He looked confused before he understood.

" Ah, probably Anko." he said. She nodded as if that were normal for another woman's scent to be on her bed, his bed. As if she didn't care. She certainly couldn't bring herself to ask the damn question that would have told her whether or not he was cheating. A simple, why was she on our bed, why was she here, why did you let her in my, our, bed? But she couldn't she drank her tea, it tasted bitter and salty the whole way down, and she felt sick. She however finished her tea, he took the cup back down stairs while she took that moment to toss everything in her stomach into the toilet then brushed her teeth and was back in bed just as Itachi turned the light off. He pulled her against him and she sighed and went to sleep, though she felt cold. Very very cold in his arms.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxXX

:Hokage Tower, next day:

" Are you sure?" The Hokage asked the Uchiha standing in front of her. Sasuke nodded though didn't look as happy as he wanted. The Hokage didn't look happy though this had been what she wanted after all.

" Kakashi told her last night, she seemed to already suspect him, and Itachi did have a party the night she returned from her mission with women involved. She had come to my house and asked for a bed and shower. She spent the night and yet she had also spent time with Itachi as if nothing were wrong." Tsunade raised an eye brow. So Sakura had even suspected something, having her know wasn't a bad thing, since the Uchiha seemed to actually be cheating it would be that much easier for Sakura not to be with Itachi Uchiha.

Maybe Sakura would be stubborn for a while, but she should understand. Maybe with time she would see, and maybe then she would heal, but Tsunade knew with out a doubt the next few weeks would be nothing short of hell for Sakura.

" Keep watching that damn brother of yours Sasuke. I'll send Neji to keep watch as well. I want to know for sure if the Uchiha Itachi finally made a fatal mistake after all." Sasuke was pale but he nodded and left.

Tsunade looked out the window wondering if this really was for the better, well it didn't matter Itachi had made this mistake not them.

XxxXxxXxxXxxX~~ A week later~~XxXxXxX

" I'm going to spend a few days with Ino, Temari, Tenten, and Hinata at a local Onsen." Sakura said suddenly over breakfast. Itachi looked up.

" Alright." he agreed. She knew he wouldn't stop her after all, and she had made sure she waited long enough after her mission to ask. She didn't want to seem like she was avoiding him. She just needed out, alone.

She had spent the week as if nothing were wrong as if nothing were different. She smiled, and loved Itachi as if nothing were wrong, she had sex with him as if nothing were wrong. She however knew something was wrong, and there is.

She left that day with the four women, one of which knew her troubles, Hinata, because Kakashi had told her in hopes she would comfort Sakura on this trip. Hinata had suggested it, though hated leaving her children alone, and husband, she knew they would be fine, Sakura needed her more.

Sakura looked almost like a broken doll when Hinata saw her for the first time in almost a week since she returned from that long month mission, only days after she was told about Itachi and Anko. Hinata winced.

Sakura smiled at them all, and the other woman excepted her look for one of over work, while Hinata knew it wasn't that. The trip to the Hot spring was silent for Sakura who didn't talk to anyone as she faked sleep. Hinata looked at Sakura in worry. She would talk with her alone later on at the spring. She hadn't wanted to bring all the others with them, but Sakura may not have come if they weren't.

XxxXxxXxxXxXxX

" Gah! I can't believe we finally got away! I've been dying to come here and Shikamaru refuses to bring me!" Temari said relaxing in the hot water of the outdoor spring. Ino laughed.

" Should have realized Mr. lazy wouldn't after all." Ino said grinning. Temari laughed.

" Yeah."

" What about you Hina-chan how'd you get out?" Tenten asked curiously knowing the woman had children and leaving said children with a husband like hers, well yeah, sounded exactly how it was.

Hinata smiled. She sat in the water at Sakura's side, Sakura's jade eyes were looking off into the night sky with eyes that were lost in thought. Hinata was worried, the woman hadn't really spoken at all, and Hinata worried more and more. The girls had given up trying to figure her out at this point realizing Sakura just wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

" Naruto suggested I came." Which was true after all. Though Kakashi had really asked her, and then Naruto had wanted her to go relax some since she was always at home worrying about the children. A break away so to say. Tenten smiled at her.

" Whats it like being a mother Hinata? I mean who would have thought you'd be the first to have kids?" Ino asked. Hinata smiled kindly.

" It's a experience unable to be related into words, a feeling of complete and utter joy." Hinata said nodding. Ino smiled.

" I hope that's true." She said in return.

" Are you pregnant Ino?" Temari asked curiously eyebrow raised. Ino blushed and curled her arms protectively around her stomach.

" Yeah." Tenten gasped, and Temari grinned.

Hinata was happy for the woman and said so, but when they started talking she wondered over to Sakura who had finally closed her eyes a tired look across her face. Hinata had seen Sakura look tried before, tired from physical things, but she had never seen this type of mental exhaustion before.

" Do you love him Sakura?" Sakura who didn't seem to be listening, the entire time the conversation that had been going on, smiled faintly. Her lips curving in such a painful way it hurt Hinata to see, her heart ached.

" Yes. It doesn't mater if he's with Anko or not anymore, it's that fact that I feel like this." Sakura's fist clenched next to her side under water. She tinted her head down and finally opened her eyes looking into Hinata's lavender.

" Even if he never cheated, even if he is with Anko, or isn't it's all leading to the same place isn't it? I want to know why I can never be happy no matter what I seem to do." Hinata opened her mouth then closed it. It was true. Sakura of all the people she knew seemed to have fate after her pushing her down more then anyone else. Fate seemed to be going against the girl, and even Hinata didn't know why.

" You were happy though weren't you? Before all of this? With Itachi-san? Weren't you happy?" Sakura's eyes filled with tears and she grit her teeth together hard.

" Yes. Yes." Her eyes closed again and Hinata moved over to take the girl into her arms as she cried. It was the only thing she could do. The other woman looked on, but said not a word to the cherry blossom's tears.

XxxxXxxxXxxX

Sakura had thought it had all changed, but the truth was that she was happy before she began to doubt again, to doubt herself and return to that insecure little girl she had been, she had been happy. She had fallen in love and she had been for once loved in return. She had been very happy. She had forgotten about her past, and forgotten about fate, she thought only about the future and about happiness. Though the both of them, she and Itachi, had fought hard together. Fought to just be together, and they had won, was something like this going to tear them apart?

Why would Itachi cheat on her? The answer was, he wouldn't. It didn't explain things though, why was Anko coming over. Why was she in their bed? Why was she staying so long and leaving looking ruffled? There was no explanation that could be seen other then what everyone thought, but Sakura knew. She knew in her heart it wasn't like that. That Itachi would never, could never, cheat on her.

They had worked so very hard to be together, he was happy, she was happy, so why the doubt? He had clearly told her Anko was in their bed, and he had not hid it. So obviously he saw nothing wrong with that fact, so obviously it had to be innocent right? Right. So why was she worried? Why did it hurt? Why did she still feel that doubt?

Her own insecurities? Or was it just the answers as to why Anko was going to see Itachi was not clear?

Sakura sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. She looked to her side where the Hyuuga, or now Uzumaki, lavender eyed woman lay at her slide sleeping curled up with her hands tightly holding onto Sakura's shirt, as if even in sleep she was afraid to be alone. Sakura brushed violet blue hair from the woman's pale face. Hinata had went through so much as well, she had gotten stronger, and proved herself, even waited for a very long time for Naruto to return her feelings, she had married him and bore his children, and she had married even against her father's and the clan's approval. Hinata was a very strong woman, Sakura wished to even be half as strong as this beautiful violet haired, lavender eyed Kunoichi.

Sakura maybe strong on the outside but inside she felt as if she had never changed from when she was a child. She felt like all she had done up until now was just a cover, that all that strength and the such was just something she hid behind inside. Inside she was still insecure, still a child, still scared. She hated it, but she didn't know how to change that.

Before all this happened she had been happy. She was happy and she could say she had been, and then she had to return to Konoha and thus all this trouble started. She wasn't stuck doing just hospital work, she was ANBU still, but she was more and more away from Itachi, and maybe it was her own fault for leaving him alone all the time. He had to be getting sick of her being gone. He had to be sick of staying in the village while she was out working all the time, he had to be lonely and he was obviously bored. So why should she be surprised if he had cheated on her?

Why should she be surprised if he was with Anko? She was available to him, he obviously didn't mind her. They obviously got along. She obviously ended his boredom. Why should Sakura be surprised? It was her own fault she was never home to be with him. It was Pein's fault they were all stuck in the village, of course she could have just disagreed and then they could have been out in the country somewhere alone and peaceful, but no they were in Konoha and they, at least she, was unhappy.

Sakura was tired. Not just physically from not sleeping, but mentally as well. Why was it that fate hated her so much? It was so give and take wasn't it? She had been given a chance at love with Sasuke, then had it taken away, she had drawn closer with her friends and family, and then her parents died, she had been happy with being stronger, and then she was forced into medical work only and unhappy thus she left the village and her home. She had been given love again and this time she was loved back, and then this happened. Why was it always give and take?

No one else she knew was having fate treat them like this, it was give or take, and it was never both, and never so often for anyone else. Someone may have been given a good life and then had it tall taken but they had never had so much happiness taken and then such pain given. So Sakura again wondered why fate seemed so hell bent on hating her? What had she ever done to deserve this?

Couldn't the world just leave her be for once? She wondered if given the chance if she would be happy if she could turn back time and first of all never fall for Sasuke, and then gain strength, but never be a medic, and then never leave Konoha and never met Itachi or fall in love with him. Would that have saved her so much pain?

She though loved saving people's lives, and if it wasn't for Sasuke breaking her so completely by leaving she never would have gotten stronger, and if she never had gotten stronger or become a medic she never would have had the chance to fall in love or be loved like she was. She sighed. She had a good life, but with the good came the bad and yes she had some difficult times in her life, but she had gotten back up hadn't she? Or else fate wouldn't have been able to take anything from her. She had to have something to start with right? And she had gained all she had on her own even when fate took her happiness she continued to make herself happy again. Maybe that was why fate hated her. Fate had decided that she was to be unhappy but it was angry because she refused to stay unhappy.

She was strong after all, she could be happy again. She would sort out this problem with Anko and find out what was going on. She would bring up the subject with Anko and no matter what she would deal with what ever really was going on. If he wasn't cheating she would have to find a way to mend their relationship she had broken from her distrust, and if he was cheating well then...she would find a way to make herself happy again some how wouldn't she.

It would work out she knew, because she had lived this long despite all the crap thrown her way right?

She smiled at the ceiling. Right. Now to think of how to get on the subject of Anko with Itachi. She would hate for him to know she thought he was cheating if he wasn't because she didn't want him to know she didn't trust him, but she needed to know, and he deserved to. She wasn't acting any different she had made sure of it with him, but it wasn't fair to him not to know something that was going on in her head about him. They were partners and they would dang well not hide things from each other.

End chapter:

Okay definitely going weirdly. I know what I'm doing with this fic, after all I am the author, but the point getting up to my idea for the fic is sort of strange. I thought of one part of this fic and the beginning but had no clue what to write for the middle, it figures that it would turn out strange but then I hadn't thought I could epically write nine or so filler chapters working up to that point XDD aren't I awesome? Lols Anyway review and tell me what you think of the fic. I know it's strange and you may wonder what the heck I'm getting at but hey at least we know that next chapter I'm sure the part I wrote the fic for is coming into play. Yeah! Be excited! The end is coming for this fic! WhoohoO! Lol

Comments? Questions? WTF's? Review for me ne?

P.S Do you think Itachi is cheating? If not tell me why you think he isn't or is ne? Curiosity thy name is Kyo!

And who the heck is Ino with? I forgot who I put her with so anyone remember? Cookie if you do! :3

~~Kyo~~