Hey everyone! I'm so relieved that people liked this story. First off, I have no idea how long it will be, much less do I know what exactly I'm going to do with the plot ! Oh well, I'll just play it by ear! Sorry Audrey, but it won't be ready for your birthday! I'm so so so so so so so so so so sorry! Anyway, please enjoy the second chap people! Note that this chap is mainly a flashback.

Decadence From Jealousy:

Chapter 2

Sakura had woken up a few hours later and saw the famous black robe with red cloud designs hanging on her desk chair. She smiled slightly. Everything had happened so fast, but strangely it felt so right. She closed her eyes and thought back on everything that had happened the past month and a half.

Flashback

Sakura leant back against the training post with sweat trickling down her neck. Her legs trembled and her knees finally buckled underneath her. The muscles in her arms and legs began cramping after putting them under so much stress over a long period of time. This was typical of her to train nonstop whenever she tried and failed to woo Sasuke. She had to prove to him that she wasn't a burden, that she was strong. She had to make him see that she was good enough for him.

The bruises started appearing in different hues of color as she relaxed for the first time in three hours. She was on the verge of passing out from chakra exhaustion.

A hand reached out and gently touched her shoulder. She gasped in surprise as she was flung around to face the intruder. What surprised her more was that she came face to face with the eyes of the Sharigan.

"S-sasuke?!" she whispered frightfully.

Red eyes stared into her emerald orbs. A voice much deeper than Sasuke's rang out.

"Why do you try so hard for the attention of one as insignificant as Sasuke?"

Sakura was speechless. She felt herself get lost in those swirling red eyes of his. Somehow this man's eyes were so much different than Sasuke's; somehow they were less cruel than she normally saw the Sharingan.

"Well?" the man asked impatiently.

"I-I…w-what do you mean?" she asked stupidly.

"Why is it that for the past week that I've been here that you constantly try to grab Sasuke's attention? Why do you beat yourself up for one person, when you're perfect just the way you are?" he asked gently this time.

Sakura's eyes widened. She had never had anyone say such nice things to her. She couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment.

"Who are you?"

The man stepped back slightly so that his face would be illuminated by the moonlight.

"Well, I suppose to a woman as beautiful and humble as yourself, I could tell you." He took a slight bow, "My name is Uchiha Itachi, older brother to that loser Sasuke."

Although she didn't approve of him calling Sasuke a loser, she could definitely recognize the difference in strength. Itachi held his posture in a way that held prowess, but he didn't over do it like Sasuke did. Sakura could tell right away that he was extremely more humble than the stoic Uchiha that was her teammate.

"May I have your name my lady?"

She blushed again at his polite forwardness.

"I-I'm Sakura Haruno. You wouldn't happen to be the same person that Sasuke-kun left to kill a few years ago would you? The brother that murdered the entire Uchiha clan?"

Itachi leant back against the post.

"And what if I am? What would you do with that knowledge? Someone as kind as yourself couldn't possibly turn me in…right?" he cocked his head to the side in a charming way.

Sakura waved her hands in front of her face, "No, of course not! I won't tell a soul you're here…unless your intentions are less than desirable."

Itachi was silent for a few seconds. He opened his mouth slowly for his answer.

"Well, why I'm telling you this I have no clue, but I was after that Uzumaki brat…however, I found my brother's chivalry much more interesting. I'm actually surprised no one's noticed my presence. As I said before, I've been here a week already. You never did answer my first question Sakura-san."

Sakura blinked in surprise. He was persistent wasn't he?

"Why do I do it? W-well…sometimes I don't know that myself. I know I've loved him for as long as I've known him. His opinion means a lot to me…" she trailed off looking at the moon.

Itachi shifted his eyebrow in a confused stare.

"You know, you'll never get to him like this. Sasuke's a real hardhead. He only responds to powerful feelings such as hate. Show him you don't care anymore, and he'll flock to you, subconsciously wanting your attention."

Sakura turned her head back to him.

"You seem to have a lot of experience in this field, Itachi-san." She said.

Itachi closed his eyes. "Not really. I'm just more open to the world than Sasuke is. I take in my surroundings a heck of a lot better than he does…you know, I could help you if you want."

"Why are you telling me this? Don't you hate Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Sure I do. He's an annoying little brat that will never beat me the way he is now. But, don't you agree that it would be fun messing with his head? Mind games are my specialty after all." He smirked.

Sakura didn't answer. What if he was right? What if this was the way to get through to Sasuke? She sighed.

"What do I have to do?"

"Alright, you're in!" he said while he clapped his hands together, "Well, go to your team tomorrow and announce you have a boyfriend. He might not show it at first, but Sasuke will definitely react to that. He's quite the jealous type." He finished with a broad smirk on his face.

Sakura couldn't help but feel her heart beat fast at that look. What was this feeling all of a sudden?

Itachi stepped closer and got mere inches from her face.

"That sound good Sakura-san?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden closeness and she blushed.

"I don't think I can FAKE having a boyfriend Itachi-san. I might be a good actress, but when it comes to Sasuke-kun, I don't think I could pull it off…"

He pulled her face closer to his.

"And what if you're not faking it? I don't mind playing the role if it would help someone as pretty and strong willed as you Sakura-chan. In fact, why don't you come around every night to keep up the act?"

In that instant, Sakura thought that her internal organs had shut down. Itachi asked her out…well, sort of. She had to admit, he was extremely charming…and rather cute in his own dark way. Maybe she could pull this off with his help.

All she could do in her shocked state was nod. Itachi gave her a genuine smile.

"Good. Meet me back here tomorrow to tell me how it went." He whispered.

Sakura nodded again and turned to leave. Before she could walk away, Itachi grabbed her wrist.

He murmured, "Don't ever push yourself so hard again for a person. It's not worth it to hurt yourself for someone like him. It's not good for you to exert yourself so much. Please, don't do it again…"

Sakura's mouth hung open after he said that. He was actually worried about her?! She was extremely flattered and she smiled at his downcast face.

"I won't ever again. I promise Itachi."

Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene two

Sakura walked up to the training ground the next morning for training with her team. Of course Naruto was standing there impatiently waiting for Kakashi to arrive. Then to the side was Sasuke just staring off into space. Sakura only glanced at Sasuke before sitting down on the ground to wait for Kakashi to give them drills.

After ten more minutes, the copycat ninja finally came onto the scene with a bored expression on his face. Before he could even come up with an excuse, Sakura intervened.

"Just save it Kaka-sensei. Can we just get to work now?" she asked impatiently.

All three men on the team stared at her in awe. She was never the one to interrupt her sensei, much less tell him what to do.

Sakura looked back and forth between them.

"What?"

Naruto and Kakashi just shook their heads and turned to the posts for taijutsu exercises. Sasuke turned as well, but kept side glancing at Sakura as she kept punching her post mercilessly. It was weird not having her stare at him or ask him annoying questions. When all finished their various punches and kicks, they decided to spar one on one. As fate would have it, Naruto was paired with Kakashi and Sakura was paired with Sasuke.

Sasuke got hesitantly into his stance. Something was definitely different about Sakura. He was intent on finding out what it was.

Sakura stared indifferently into his eyes as she surged chakra into her palm.

With a burst of speed, Sakura ran forward and landed a punch on Sasuke's face. He stumbled back in surprise and activated his Sharingan. Since when did she get so fast?

Sasuke was able to dodge another punch that was aimed for his stomach. Sakura made no sound of disappointment, only one of boredom. She quickly delivered a round house kick that swept his feet from the ground. He gasped as she went to punch his face into the ground and rolled over swiftly. As soon as he managed to get his feet back on firm ground, he flipped back out of range.

She came at him with that dazed expression she had since she arrived. This time however, Sasuke was ready for her. He deflected all the punches and kicks thrown at him and successfully landed a blow in her gut. Her breath hitched slightly as she was forced back by the hit. By now Sasuke's breathing had deepened and a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Never before had Sakura been able to hold her own for this long. It was almost…intriguing.

"Alright you two, that's enough. Training's over for today. As a reward for your improvement, why don't we go to Ichiraku's? My treat." Kakashi offered.

Almost immediately Naruto started screaming and jumping for joy. This in turn caused Kakashi and Sasuke to sweat drop. Sakura said nothing at first but looked over at the trees surrounding the area. This caused Sasuke to raise an eyebrow. Usually Sakura would chew Naruto out for his immaturity.

Kakashi waved a hand in front of Sakura's face, "Yo, Sakura? You there? I asked if you wanted to go to Ichiraku with us."

Sakura blinked in surprised and blushed.

"Sorry Kaka-sensei, I can't…I have plans…" she said with a smile tugging at her lips.

She looked at their confused faces and giggled.

"See you later!" she called behind her as she ran towards town.

"Wait! What could possibly be more important than your teammates?!" Naruto yelled after her.

Sakura stopped running and pivoted her body slightly. She wore a confused expression.

"Didn't I tell you? I have a boyfriend!" she smiled warmly and blushed a light pink.

Naruto and Kakashi stared in shock. Since when did Sakura stop liking Sasuke?! Sasuke stared at her, his face portraying no emotion whatsoever. A boyfriend? Since when? Why should he care anyway?

Sakura smiled widely and said her farewell once again before leaving the scene.

"Well that was awkward…" Kakashi muttered.

Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene three

Sakura sighed as she ran to her house. She had a few hours to kill before she was going to meet Itachi.

Taking out her key, she unlocked her apartment and strode inside. She went straight to the closet in the hall and grabbed a fresh towel. She then went to the bathroom and started the shower. After discarding her sweaty clothes, she stepped into the lukewarm water spouting from the shower head and eased her tense joints.

She stepped out of the shower ten minutes later, wrapped the towel around her and walked straight toward her room. After changing into some more casual clothes, she brushed out her hair and went to the kitchen. She started up the stove to boil water for tea. Once the kettle was going, Sakura grabbed a book of medical jutsus from a shelf and sat at the kitchen table to study.

When her tea was ready, she blew on it and sighed. She glanced at the clock and read that it was around two in the afternoon. Still having plenty of time, she returned to her studies.

Sakura must have fallen asleep because she jolted with a start to see the sun making it's slow decent. She took her now cold tea and poured it down the sink and returned the book to its shelf. She glimpsed the time to see it was almost six.

"Wow, I must have been really tired to sleep that long…" Sakura thought aloud.

She brushed her short hair out again and pulled it up with a ribbon in the back. She smoothed out the crinkles in her shirt and headed out the door towards the training ground.

Itachi was leaning against a tree on the outskirts of the field when she arrived. He smiled as she ran closer to him and stood to greet her. Sakura couldn't help but smile as well as she came to a stop in front of him.

"So how'd it go?" he asked quietly.

"Well, sensei and Naruto flipped, but as you said, Sasuke didn't react at first. Although, he seemed to be paying me more attention than usual." She relayed what she knew to him.

He nodded, "And to think this is only the start! Just act more aloof and wait it out and eventually he'll come to you."

Sakura nodded and looked down at her feet. She bit her lip and hugged him tightly, catching the man off guard.

"Thank you Itachi-san. I don't know why you're helping me, but it's greatly appreciated." Her voice was muffled from his cloak.

Itachi rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Anything for you." He whispered.

Sakura stepped back and blushed once again.

"Since I have time to kill, why don't we just hang around here?" she asked.

Itachi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

"Sure. I'd like that."

With that said, they both sat down to enjoy what little sun there was left before it disappeared from sight.

Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene three

The next couple weeks passed with ease. Sakura's team was sent on many missions throughout this time. Although she was following Itachi's lead perfectly, she couldn't seem to get any conformation on whether Sasuke had feelings for her yet.

Speaking of Itachi, Sakura met with him every night to see the sun set and to talk. And every night she learned more and more about this mysterious brother of Sasuke's. He was so interesting to be around. Itachi always knew how to make her laugh and feel comfortable. She was so happy to have met him that she actually yearned for their next meeting. She longed to make him smile, to make him laugh like he could her.

Today was the same as every day. Sakura was strolling casually to the training ground. She found him sitting in a tree, ready to watch the sun set with her. She walked quietly to the tree and knocked against the wood.

"Knock, knock. Can I join you?" she asked cutely.

Itachi looked down at her and a smile tugged at his lips. He scooted over and patted the wood next to him.

"Of course. Sit here."

Sakura obliged and jumped in the tree and made herself comfortable next to him. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Tired?" he asked.

Sakura nodded her head and her eye lids drooped. The sky was over powered by flurries of oranges and reds at this point.

"So, any progress?"

Sakura fully closed her eyes and answered softly, "Not really. But lately, I've been thinking…if he liked me at all, wouldn't he have taken a hint by now? Is he even worth my time anymore?"

Itachi blinked in a confused fashion. He draped an arm around her shoulder and watched her doze. She looked so beautiful, especially in the light of the waning sun.

"Well, he may or may not have. He's kinda like me. He likes toying with people, although he's not quite as compassionate about it as I am. What brought this up?"

Sakura mumbled, her eyes now wide open, "I don't know. I was just…thinking…"

Itachi cocked his head to the right.

"Thinking of what?"

Sakura raised her head from his shoulder, but his hand remained on hers. Her bright emerald eyes shimmered for a second, but were darkened as night fully encompassed them. Itachi could see her blush and lower her gaze from him.

"Well, I was thinking that I might have fallen for someone else?" she whispered.

Itachi sat still for a moment. He knew what was running through her head. He knew her feelings. He also knew that they lead very different lives. And yet, he couldn't help but feel the same for her. Even though the darkness shadowed her, she still looked gorgeous, still looked as helplessly adorable as when he first met her. His eyes softened a bit as he brought a finger underneath her chin and raised her head. He knelt his face closer to hers.

"Oh? Who might that be?" he breathed against her lips.

He felt her breathing hitch and he smirked. His onyx colored eyes rested on her emerald ones. She parted her lips in astonishment at their closeness.

She stared wide eyed at him before she whispered against his lips, "You."

Itachi smiled and crushed his lips to hers. He marveled at the softness of her lips and begged for entrance. Sakura's eyes widened but fluttered closed as she permitted his onslaught. His tongue greedily tasted every inch of her mouth and sent shivers down her spine. She moaned slightly and it wasn't long before their tongues were battling for dominance. He parted swiftly to catch his breath and she did the same, gasping for air. She sat there panting for a few moments before she got to her senses.

"What-"

She was silenced by Itachi's finger to her lips and a soft kiss from him. He held her hand to his face and stared lovingly into her eyes.

"I feel the same way about you." He whispered and brushed his lips against her hand.

Sakura was now blushing heavily as Itachi kissed her once again. He buried his head in her hair and his soft breathing tickled her neck.

"Really?" she breathed out.

"Hn, of course. Whoever is crazy enough not to fall for you is an idiot. Sasuke doesn't deserve someone as perfect as you Sakura-chan."

Sakura embraced him and was silent for awhile.

She chuckled, "Do you really think that I'm perfect?"

Itachi lifted his head from her pink locks and kissed her jaw line. He smiled and chuckled as well. Sakura's heart soared as she heard his laugh.

"Yeah, I really do." He paused to look at her seriously, "Sakura, don't waste your time on Sasuke anymore. Come back to the Akatsuki with me instead. I'll make you happier than you've ever been. I've never loved anyone like this before." He said sincerely.

She blinked down at him in surprise.

"Y-you…love me?" she asked amazed.

He nodded his head and kissed her cheek.

"More than you could ever know after spending these past couple weeks with you. You've made me happier than I've been in a long time. Will you come back with me?"

Sakura nodded before her mind could tell her otherwise. He closed his eyes and smiled again.

"I'll have to go tell them you're coming. Wait for me?"

She closed her eyes as well and leaned her forehead against his.

"Yes."

He opened his eyes and brushed his lips against her forehead.

"I'll be back in a few days to come get you then."

Sakura nodded and hugged him one last time before he bid her farewell and melted into the darkness of the surrounding forest.

Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene four

Sakura's eyes swept the apartment. She was contemplating on if she needed anything other than what was in her pack.

"Are you ready to go yet?" an annoyed voice sounded from behind her.

She turned around to see the man that was talking to her. He had blue skin and dark, wavy blue hair. His teeth were sharpened to a point and he adorned a large sword and black cloak with red clouds like Itachi. Itachi himself came from behind the rather tall shinobi.

"Please excuse him; he can be rather brash sometimes. This is Kisame, my partner." He explained.

Sakura nodded her head to Kisame in greeting as he did the same.

"Kisame, this is Sakura, my girlfriend."

Sakura's blushed and her heart fluttered as he said those words. Itachi walked over to her and placed an arm around her waist.

"Whenever you're ready, we'll go."

She nodded and glanced around the apartment again. She didn't seem to be missing anything.

"Alright, I'm good to go." She stated calmly.

With that, the trio exited the premises and headed towards the gate. Once they reached it, Sakura halted their movement. She gazed one last time at the village she once called home. Itachi grasped her hand.

"Come on. We better leave before they notice."

Sakura stayed silent but squeezed his hand tightly.

"Okay."

With Kisame in the lead and Itachi still holding her hand, they headed towards the Akatsuki's hideout.

Flashback end

Sakura grasped the robe and draped it over her. She walked to the mirror and zipped it up. She couldn't help but smile at her reflection. My, this was going to be fun.

Decadence from Jealousy: chapter end

Sorry that I cut it off guys, but I'm very tired…besides, I said earlier it would be mostly a flashback didn't I? Oh well, please review but don't flame. Hope you all liked it!

Anyway, I'm kinda stumped. Should I make it SasuSaku, or keep it ItaSaku? The way I've written it makes ItaSaku perfect, but I don't know…tell me what you think and I'll go from there.

Alrighty then, with my mission accomplished, I bid you all good night!

Hyuuga's pale rose