Unknowingly

Warning: Contains strong language

Chapter 3: In The Darkness, A Brim Of Light

Itachi heaved another sigh for the hundredth time that day as he turned to his side and regarded the sleeping girl on the floor with a bored stare. He knew that he should be sleeping now in order to have the required energy for their travel tomorrow, but his thoughts kept him awake all night, thoughts that he hadn't discussed with himself until now.

His attention drifted back to his sleeping captive on the space between his and Kisame's bed on the floor as she turned to her side probably for the tenth time that night. It seemed that she was having an unpleasant dream, a nightmare perhaps. Well, good for her, he mused as he kept a watchful eye on the pink-haired lady.

They have been staying in this inn for a day and a half and will be leaving tomorrow morning. He admitted to treating her in a little unkind way since they arrived at this village. It was strange but no matter how rude he acted towards his supposed wife, he could never bring himself to physically hurt her. He had tried to choke her one night, just to prove to himself that he can do it and should not feel remorse whatsoever in what he was about to do, but when his hand was only an inch away from her vulnerable throat his hand went numb and he couldn't bring himself to breach that gap between them. Was it just him or was there an invisible shield that protected her from him?

But the more important question was 'Is he going soft with her?'

The former Konoha nin shook his head negatively at the exact moment that question popped in his head. No, he can't afford to be soft towards her. Even if they were acting as a happily married couple, in reality she was his captive and he could do anything he wished to her. Weird feelings shouldn't get in the way of that.

Dismissing the thoughts in his head, Itachi turned his back to her and faced the wall. He was already thinking bizarre thoughts and it only proved that he should really go to sleep now. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep when he heard ragged breathing coming from the sleeping captive. It lasted for about a minute, with her squirming around in her makeshift bed and with him trying his best to ignore all of that, when she finally sat up and awoken from her horrible dream.

Realizing that that was only a dream, Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief as she cupped her cheeks with her palms and stared hard at her wrists. She rarely had nightmares and there was no doubt that the one she had just now will stay with her for quite a while.

In her dream, she stood in the center with her friends and comrades circling around her, directing accusing glares toward her. All of a sudden she heard someone yell 'traitor' and their glare intensified. Another yell was heard and one by one her friends and comrades started calling her 'traitor'. Having people close to you accuse you of being a traitor was like a stab to the heart and Sakura felt tears stinging her eyes, threatening to fall. Despite what she was going through, the pink haired medic fought hard no to cry in front of them. It wasn't right for them to accuse her of being a traitor when she hasn't done anything to betray her village. If they thought that she was with the Akatsuki on her own accord then they were clearly mistaken.

Then suddenly, she saw blood gushing out from her wrists. As calmly as she could, she tried to summon healing chakra but all of her efforts were gone to waste because her chakra was totally drained. She kept telling herself that she was strong, if she hadn't then she wouldn't be where she was right now, but at that moment Sakura felt like the weakest person to ever walk on the face of the Earth. So she let herself fall to the floor, her own pool of blood staining her porcelain skin and making her naturally pink hair fade to the color of her blood. She stared at the nothingness above her as the faces of the people she loved started to blur. Then just like magic, she saw a pair of arms slowly lift her from her sorrow. Through her blurry vision, the only thing she could make out was a pair of eyes, eyes that seemed familiar and shone with love and sincerity.

Sakura sat up eagerly from her place in the floor and gulped down a glass of water. She surveyed the room and was thankful that none of her captors were awake. She wouldn't hear the end of it once Kisame knew how she reacted after that terrible dream and Itachi would keep on saying that 'nightmares are for the weak'.

She went back to her place on the floor after making sure that she has calmed down and brought the thin blanket up to her chin. She was too tired from their trip to even complain about the blanket, that was less than appropriate for this kind of weather, handed to her, of course, by the stoic Uchiha.

"You had a nightmare" stated Itachi all of a sudden which caused Sakura's closed eyes to open widely. She was thankful that she has already calmed down or else she might have jumped at his sudden remark.

"Yes, I had and I'll appreciate it if we don't talk about it anymore" she replied as she composed herself and directed her gaze to the blank ceiling. She had to remind herself that Itachi is a light sleeper so she shouldn't be surprised if something similar to this were to happen again.

Silence ensued between them, the only sound that could be heard were Kisame's snoring and the heating system of the room. "Sleep, we'll be leaving in the morning" commanded Itachi after the few moments of silence.

Sakura didn't respond and instead curled herself into a ball and clutched the blanket tightly around her shaking frame, despite the heating system of the room it was still cold. Suddenly, she felt a light weight draped on her and she sat up to examine it. A smile decorated her face as she realized that it was a blanket, a fluffy one like the one she used to always carry during missions. She looked up at Itachi but his back was facing her. With a smirk, she laid down on her bedding and wrapped the warm blanket around herself.

"Itachi, you bastard" she managed to say before she closed her eyes and drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

"Someone seems to be in a good mood" remarked Kisame as they made their way out of the busy streets of the village. In response, the lone female of the group flashed him a smile and continued walking hand in hand with the raven haired missing nin. Sakura didn't exactly know why she was in that kind of mood, but perhaps it was because she had a well-rested sleep last night, something that she wasn't able to experience ever since they left Satoshi's village, and although it hurt her to admit, it was courtesy of the blanket Itachi had given her. It kept her warm all throughout the cold winter night and the thought that Itachi still had a little bit of concern towards her, despite the way he had been treating her lately, made her happy.

In relation to her good mood, Sakura hummed a happy song along the way and it was safe to assume that her good mood was like a contagious disease that affected both of her captors, although with Itachi being his usual stoic self she couldn't really tell.

Out of the blue, she saw a patch of blonde hair that seemed all too familiar from the corner of her eyes and she stopped abruptly, letting go of Itachi's hand in the process.

It couldn't possibly be him, could it? Their location was at least a five days' worth of travel from Konoha and the village, although larger than the one they've been to recently, doesn't hold anything special for anyone in Konoha to take interest in. And besides, wasn't he supposed to be away with his master, Jiraiya-sama, for his training?

She looked around frantically as questions flooded her mind, questions that she knew will only be answered once she confirmed if it was really her blonde teammate that she saw earlier with her own eyes. Why would he be here of all places? What would Itachi and Kisame do once they see the kyuubi container that their organization has been trying to capture all along?

She had seen what happened to Gaara when the Akatsuki extracted the Ichibi from him and the thought of Naruto going through the same ordeal as the Kazekage made her insides cringe with utmost fear. Sakura deviated from her thoughts quickly, not wanting to dwell on the matter any further.

Instead, she searched her surroundings with eyes like a hawk, eager to catch even just a glimpse of the person she saw earlier. She was already aware of the stares her captors were sending her way but it didn't matter at the moment.

Luck seemed to be on her side because at that moment her eyes caught sight of the person she has been looking for. She didn't waste any more precious time and in a blink of an eye she was beside that person.

"Is there anything I could help you with, Miss?" asked the blonde man as he noticed the intense stare the pink haired lady was giving him. He smiled gingerly at her in hopes of uplifting the visible frown that made its way to her face upon seeing him, but it proved to be unsuccessful.

In a split second, Itachi and Kisame were at her side and the young man looked at them curiously. Instinctively, Itachi wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist "Please forgive my wife for her actions, she is pregnant you see."

"Oh, okay" replied the blonde young man then casted a worried glance at the confused lady before bidding them farewell.

Sakura watched as the young man she thought to be Naruto fade away into the distance. She was both happy and sad at her discovery. Happy because she knew that her beloved teammate is safe somewhere without Itachi and Kisame tailing after him and sad because the young man reminded her so much of him and it made her miss the blonde knucklehead and all her friends back at Konoha.

Itachi then leaned down so that he can whisper into her ear "Let's go". Sakura cringed inwardly at the coldness of his voice, the façade of the loving husband now gone and was replaced with his menacing presence, and she allowed herself to be dragged away from the village by his clutches.

Silence ensued after the little incident and Itachi and Sakura were back to ignoring each other again. Kisame vented out a long sigh as they hopped from branch to branch, the snow soaking them and watering down their spirits. Both he and Itachi knew why she acted that way two days ago, the young man with the spiky blonde hair reminded her of the kyuubi container who was also her teammate. Although he only saw him once, there was no doubt that the only similarity the young man before and the kyuubi container had was their hairstyles. Aside from that, they looked nothing alike.

He knew Sakura wouldn't appreciate it, but still he felt pity towards the fully capable kunoichi leaping in front of him. The insanity from not seeing her friends for such a long time must have gotten into her. At that thought, Kisame laughed at himself. A missing nin who didn't even took mercy on those he had killed suddenly feeling pity for a girl who simply missed her friends was quite ironic.

The trip went on for another couple of hours, the early evening light of the moon serving as their only guide light, with each of them in their own train of thoughts before they stopped in a clearing with a few trees circling it. Sakura let out a sigh as she relaxed her shoulders and let her bag fall to the forest floor, they have been travelling for two days already with minimal breaks and her limbs were screaming at her for a rest.

"Close your eyes" came the sudden command from Itachi as he stared at her with no emotion whatsoever.

The pinkette stared at him for a few seconds before she gave in to his command and closed her eyes. As much as she wanted to disobey his orders just to annoy him, Sakura knew that it was pointless. She was already tired to even open her mouth and protest. And she knew that it was either she do as what her captor said or they knock her out. As stubborn as she was, she decided to go with the logical answer.

She felt the sudden change of atmosphere around her and it didn't take another second for her to figure it out. They had dispelled some form of genjutsu. The fact that she didn't know the existence of a genjutsu around them, despite being told by Kakashi-sensei that she was a genjutsu-type, didn't faze her. She has spent a long time reading books at the Konoha archive to know that those who bore the sharingan were experts when it came to genjutsu.

"Open your eyes, little mouse, and see where we'll be staying at for the night" announced Kisame and at that Sakura did as what she was told. There stood a run-down cottage in the middle of the forest. It must be a safe house for members of the Akatsuki, Sakura thought to herself as Itachi unlocked the door and let himself in, followed by Kisame and then her.

Like a little child inside a candy store, Sakura looked around the small cottage and tried to take in every detail that she can. On the center of the room stood a fire place, in which Itachi has already lighted with his fire jutsu, a desk was placed at one corner of the room and a large cabinet was placed at the side. There weren't any other furniture or decorations but that was to be expected. Although the cottage looked small from the outside, it was quite spacious on the inside.

Without saying a word, Itachi went to the bathroom that was connected to the cottage and locked himself. The pink-haired medic smirked from her place at the corner of the room, so even the ever impassive Uchiha Itachi is bothered by the cold weather.

"You go and clean around here, little mouse, while I go and get us some grub" said Kisame as he adjusted his cloak around himself and went outside.

Sakura just stood there for a few moments, thinking of where to start with the cleaning. Sure, there wasn't anything much to clean but judging from the dust that has started to pile up, it must have been at least three or four months since the cottage was last used. Deciding not to waste another second, the medic opened the large wooden cabinet and found futons, spare clothes and some cleaning materials. Swiftly, she summoned two bunshins and with that she started cleaning.

Twenty minutes later, Itachi emerged from the bathroom wearing a black shirt with matching dark pants. He found three futons already laid neatly on the dustless floor and their captive sitting near the fire place, warming herself.

"No need to thank me. Kisame went out earlier to get us dinner, he should be getting back by now" said Sakura, not even bothering to look at his direction. Itachi just 'hn-ed' and took a seat across from her. Her head was rested on her bent knees as she stared at the glowing fire. Itachi stared back at her as her head bobbed drowsily. She was already tired from their day-long travel and cleaning the cottage ate away her remaining energy and chakra. She was less strong compared to him and Kisame when it came to endurance, yet she still found a way to catch up with them without complaining and he gave her credit for that.

He then threw the now dry towel at her and it collided with her face. "What the… what's this?" she asked hastily, her sleepy trance now replaced with a surprised one, as she stared hard at the towel Itachi oh so willingly threw at her.

"Clean yourself. Kisame is setting up the genjutsu traps and might take a while to get back" said Itachi as he stared blankly at her.

Sakura did not make any protest as she grabbed the towel and her change of clothes, which she got from the cabinet, and made her way to the bathroom. Steam emerged from it when she opened the door and she quickly closed it, not wanting the steam to escape. She undressed herself hastily and submerged on the bathtub filled with warm water. Letting a sigh escape from her lips, she adjusted her position so that the warm water reached her chin. They may not find another place like this to stay so might as well enjoy it to its fullest.

Telling herself that she should wash her hair from all the dirt and grime from travelling, the pink-haired medic searched the cupboard for shampoo. She found a near-empty bottle of shampoo and a note attached to it. Itachi had probably used it earlier because the letterings on the note were smudged with water.

"Don't use my fucking shampoo, you asshole. Jashin-sama forbids sharing of freakin' hygienic items" she read aloud and completely disregarded what the note meant. The bottle was nearly empty anyway and if ever that person were to find out what happened to his beloved shampoo, she'll just have to point Itachi as the culprit. She poured what was left from the bottle to her hand and started applying it to her shoulder-length pink hair.

She heaved another sigh as she relaxed more in the tub, unaware of the thoughts plaguing the occupant from the other side of the bathroom.

Another smirk adorned the Uchiha prodigy's usually passive face as he heard another sigh from the Konoha kunoichi who was currently taking a bath. Even though she was a skilled kunoichi who had contributed to the demise of his fellow Akatsuki member from the Sand, when it came to simple matters such as the one she was doing now she was completely naïve. That trait of hers will surely get her in trouble one day. Perhaps, he should teach her how to school her expressions?

Then, like lightning, a thought came to his mind. Why was he even concerned about her? She is their captive, nothing more and nothing less. It wouldn't affect him in any way if ever she was to get in trouble for her own naiveness.

Just then another thought occurred to him. If he was not concerned about her in any way, then what was that feeling he felt when the leader of those rogue nins they encountered at the forest said rude things towards her? Why was he in such a rage when the leader hasn't even laid a finger on her?

Itachi didn't know the reason behind those feelings but one thing was for sure, there is something about Sakura that made him tick.

He abruptly got distracted from his thoughts upon hearing heavy footsteps nearing, obviously Kisame's. He was quite glad for the distraction his partner inadvertently caused because he didn't know what he'll be able to discover if he went along with his thoughts.

The door was kicked open and Kisame let himself inside their rundown shelter, grinning at his partner as he showed him three freshly-caught fishes. He then proceeded to cooking their dinner as he sat beside his partner.

"How was the bath? Good?" asked Kisame after a while as he watched the fish slowly cook. Years of being with Itachi taught him that the raven haired young man was not one to start a conversation.

"Yes" came the Uchiha's curt reply. Kisame nodded in response as he thought of topics to keep the conversation going. He had enough silence for today and it was already driving him insane. A thought occurred to him and he was about to open his mouth to voice it out when a sudden distraction came.

"I can live. I can love. I can reach the heavens above" sung Sakura from her place at the bathroom. As it was, the bathroom wasn't really soundproofed so Itachi and Kisame heard her voice very clearly.

"I can right what is wrong, I can sing just any song" she continued to sing as she grabbed the empty shampoo bottle and used it as a makeshift microphone.

"I can dance. I can fly and touch the rainbow in the sky" by that time Kisame was already struggling in suppressing his laughter. She was clearly out of tune and it sounded as if she was in an argument.

"I can be a good friend. I can love you until the end" she screamed at the top of her lungs and it took an enormous amount of restraint for Kisame to hold in his laughter while Itachi showed a visible smirk, a clear sign of amusement.

Sakura was about to sing the next line when realization dawned upon her. "Oh shit!" she muttered to herself as she hurriedly emerged from the tub, not caring that she was getting the tiled floor wet, and opened the door slightly, just to see if her two companions were there. Her eyes grew wide and she let another swear escape her mouth when she saw that Itachi and Kisame were indeed in the other room, and from the looks on their faces it seemed that they heard her mini concerto loud and clear.

She shut the door and submerged herself again at the tub, her face going red not because of the warm bath but because of embarrassment. Although sad, living all by herself had its benefits, and one of them was that she can freely sing her heart out without anybody hearing it. She knew that she wasn't gifted with such an angelic voice, hell, she was probably one of the worst singers in all the Great Shinobi Nations, but she has found a way of releasing her pent up emotions and that is through singing, well, screaming the lyrics at the top of her lungs seemed like a better way to put it.

Kisame will surely keep on teasing her about it for a couple of days or more but she can't do anything about it anymore. She can't take back what she just did so the only option left was to face it head on.

She stepped out of the bathroom after a few minutes and luckily for her the fish was already cooked and ready to eat. Wordlessly, she sat on the space between Itachi and Kisame and proceeded to eating her fish, as her captors were already indulging in theirs.

Kisame glanced at the pink-haired medic sitting beside him and can't help the little scene she did earlier from playing again and again in his head. Trying his hardest to contain his laughter and stop himself from spitting out his dinner, he turned his gaze away from her.

As he turned away, Sakura stole a glance at the shark man's face, knowing all too well what he had in mind. The scene she did earlier was simply too good to ignore and she knew that the Mist missing nin will keep on bringing up the matter until he grows tired of it or finds another laughing stock to turn his attention to. Yes, what she did earlier was funny and laughable to some, but inside she felt sad. Under the Akatsuki's captivity, she didn't even have the freedom to do her routines to release the tension she felt inside.

The blue-skinned Akatsuki member glanced back at the young woman beside him and upon seeing her looking back at him, all the restraint he had been trying hard to keep crashed down on him and he burst out laughing.

Sakura rolled her eyes and Itachi just watched him impassively as he clutched his stomach and rolled on the floor. It didn't escape the young medic's attention at how Kisame's action resembled how Naruto reacted upon hearing one of Sai's jokes one evening when they were eating at Ichiraku. Suddenly, a sad smile crept up on her face. It seemed so long ago since she was able to see her brother figure's smiling face, or any of her friends' faces for that matter. And the thought of not seeing them ever again sent a painful stab to her heart.

The pink haired kunoichi quickly shrugged off her thoughts, realizing that thinking about such things won't be of any help to her. She then glanced at Kisame who was still clutching his stomach in laughter.

"Laugh all you want, fish face. See if I care" she commented before munching on her dinner. It took a few more minutes before the Samehada wielder calmed down completely, and by that time both Itachi and Sakura were already finished with their dinner.

After cleaning up, the three of them decided that it was time to retire for the night seeing as they have another day's worth of travel the next day. The pink haired kunoichi found herself lying beneath her futon which was sandwiched between Itachi's and Kisame's futons. As usual, Itachi placed himself near the window. He had his eyes closed but his breathing told her that he was still wide awake.

From her place at the floor, Sakura gazed at the beautiful winter night sky through the window next to Itachi. It's been a month and a half since she was taken captive by the Akatsuki and almost three months since she left Konoha for her solo mission. Although it has its limitations, Sakura was starting to see Itachi and Kisame as more than captors but companions. She didn't really have a choice in the matter since Itachi forbade her to socialize with other people ever since they left Satoshi's village. But even with Itachi and Kisame's companionship, thoughts about her friends whom she treated as family still linger in her mind. Has Naruto come back from his training with Jiraiya-sama? If so, how did he react upon hearing the news about her disappearance? Has Tsunade-sama already lessened her usage of alcohol to get more work done? Is Sai getting along well with the villagers without her guidance? Has Kakashi-sensei already laid his hands on the latest sequel of Icha Icha Paradise, the book that he has been waiting for for so long?

The questions kept on going on and on and she knew that not even one of those questions can be answered with the way things are going right now. And no matter how many times she told herself not to think about them, she can't help it. Her friends and colleagues back at Konoha held a large space in her heart and there was no way that she can just ignore thinking about them.

The saying "you only realize how important a thing is when it's gone" was definitely true. For such a long time she has taken her freedom for granted and now when she is under constant surveillance and doing simple things like talking to other people still needs approval from her captors, she realized just how important it was to be free. And the thought of her being in the same predicament as she was right now for the rest of her life made her heart ache. Before she knew it, droplets of tears seeped through her emerald orbs and she found herself sobbing quietly. For now, she decided to let the emotions she has been locking up inside her out. Maybe she'll feel better in the morning…

Itachi just laid there on his futon as the young woman on his side cried herself to sleep silently. He kept telling himself that he shouldn't feel anything for their captive but it seemed that his emotions betrayed him. Something similar to regret welled up inside of him as the moonlight illuminated the small cottage and he was able to see her tear-stained face as she slept. He knew the reasons for her tears, the incident from two days ago provoked it and he had spent enough time with her to know what her expressions meant. But as it was, he can't do anything to ease her pain. With Yukio lurking around the corner, he cannot simply let her go. He knew that it was out of his concern whatever happens to this pink-haired medic but something inside him was telling him not to let her go, that she was safer with them than with anybody.

She was a fully capable kunoichi, he had seen her in battle and, although she lacks in some areas, she can definitely protect herself and hold her own battle. But there was something about her that brought out his inner protectiveness. He didn't even feel this way towards Sasuke, so how can he exactly address the way he was feeling for her? She doesn't mean anything to him, his life can go on without her. Yet, what are these unknown feelings that are slowly starting to manifest?

Kisame's loud snoring broke him out of his flow of thoughts. For the second time that night, he was thankful for his partner's unintended distraction. Feeling the exhaustion from the trip earlier, he finally closed his eyes and let himself fall to a dreamless slumber.

Morning light shone from the sun, through the open window and straight to the sleeping face of one Sakura Haruno. She stirred and turned to her side in order to avoid the harsh morning greeting when she heard loud snoring coming from her left. Abruptly, she opened her eyes and confirmed that it was indeed the blue-skinned missing nin making the noise. Knowing that she won't be able to fall back to sleep with Kisame's loud snoring, she sat up as she tried to take in her surroundings. Itachi was nowhere in sight, probably out in the forest catching their breakfast and securing the area. For a start, she got up, made her bed and placed it at the cabinet. Itachi's futon was already folded neatly inside the cabinet, as expected of him.

After taking a quick shower, Sakura sat in the windowsill as she stared at the scenery before her. Winter's days were numbered and Spring will soon set in, bringing a promise of new life upon its wake. She had always looked forward to the arrival of Spring from when she was young, it gave her hope and seeing the plants and flowers growing again never failed to lift her mood. A heartfelt smile spread across her face at that thought but it immediately faded into a sad smile. It was foolish of her to think about hope and new beginnings when she was still in the clutches of the Akatsuki. Yes, she should be glad of the way they were treating her even though she was their prisoner. But at the end of the day, they were still merciless missing nins who wouldn't even bat an eye upon seeing her bloody and nearly dying form.

She wouldn't even have the chance to say her goodbyes to the people she cared most. She wouldn't even have the chance to see Naruto's smiling face again, to stand at Tsunade's side with Shizune as she went on with her daily duties as Hokage, to teach Sai how to apply the words from the book to real life encounters, to go on another mission with Kakashi-sensei and the team, and most of all she wouldn't even have the chance to see Team 7 reunite again as in friendly terms.

Yes, she hated feeling depressed, it was a sign of weakness and since Tsunade took her under her wings, Sakura has tried her very best not to be called weak again. But in her situation, she can't help it. Normally, Naruto's cheerful presence or talking to Ino about her problems were her ways to fight off depression but as it was, neither Naruto nor Ino could be found anywhere near here.

She lowered her head, mentally berating herself at how pitiful she looked, when something caught her eye. She immediately went to the desk and pulled out the drawers. A smile made its way to her lips as she grabbed a stack of blank papers. She had almost forgotten about it, but since her mother had passed away she has been writing to her as a way to cope up with the loss. Sure, it wasn't easy writing how you felt when the person you were addressing to is already gone but as time progressed, it became a regular habit of hers to fight off depression.

And so, Sakura started writing but this time it was addressed not to her mother but to her shishou, Tsunade. She had stood by Sakura's side at all times and it was safe to say that she became like a second mother to the pink-haired kunoichi after her biological mother departed from this world.

She kept on writing and writing, not minding the pile of rejected papers around her, and when she was finished a wide smile appeared on her features and she felt depressed no more. She kept her letter safely tucked in her bag as she felt Itachi getting near.

The large pile of crumpled papers quickly caught Itachi's attention upon his arrival, but rather than inquiring about it he chose to simply ignore it. Unceremoniously, he tossed a grilled fish on a stick at her and she caught it with ease. The raven-haired man sat on a corner and began eating his own breakfast silently. The smell of the freshly-grilled fish was enough motivation for Kisame to get up and he did so, all the while keeping a smile to his blue face.

"Good morning!" he greeted as he stretched and yawned and finally went and ate his breakfast. Sakura watched him dumbfounded, he really does resemble Naruto in various ways. It was both refreshing and distressing at the same time, refreshing because it felt like a part of her blonde brother figure was always there for her and distressing because it reminded her, yet again, of her friends back at home.

She then shook her head abruptly in order to get the thoughts out of her mind, she's had enough of brooding and as much as she hated admitting it, there was nothing she can do about it. Might as well accept the fact that she was still Akatsuki's prisoner and hope for the best, she can't afford to think negatively now.

Her train of thoughts stopped upon seeing Itachi stand up from where he was seated and made his way to the bathroom. His hand gripped the doorknob and paused mildly.

"We'll be leaving in an hour" he stated before stepping inside the bathroom.

The raven-haired Uchiha did the last of the hand seals and within seconds the small cottage they've stayed in for the past night 'til this morning faded and was consumed by the greenery around it. Their captive blinked a couple of times, finding it hard to believe that the cottage was really there in the first place. According to the textbooks she has read, the Uchiha clan's specialty is genjutsu so it shouldn't be a wonder to her how perfect Itachi's concealment genjutsu was. But it was, after all, her first time to see an actual genjutsu done by an Uchiha (Sasuke rarely did genjutsu techniques when he was still in Konoha so Sakura never had the chance to see one from him) and not even a trace of the cottage can be seen.

"Are you just going to stand there, little mouse?" called out Kisame as he and Itachi began walking. At this, Sakura composed herself and turned towards her captors, catching up with them as they took to the trees. The medic was about to open her mouth and ask where they will be going, but she decided against it and kept her mouth shut. No one was going to answer her question anyway, so why ask?

Itachi, Kisame and Sakura leapt through the trees under the mid-morning sun, the watchful gazes of four shinobi from a couple of miles away unknown to them.

Author's Notes: Hello! How are you guys doing? Hope you liked this chapter. Things will start to get more exciting from now on. Please forgive my lame excuse of adding a little humor to the story. Now I know that comedy is really not my forte. And the song Sakura sang while she was at the bathroom is titled "I can". I really didn't know why of all the songs I know, that one popped in my head while I was writing that part. It's a good song, by the way.

If you have questions, suggestions, or anything don't hesitate to write a message or review. I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Thanks again for all the support! I really really appreciate it!

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Happy Holidays! Stay safe!

(*^o^*) Peace out! (*^o^*)

Kaycee