Their City: Finale

~You could be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare…~

Twirling in a deadly dance she let the glint of pure satisfaction enter her glimmering green eyes as her blade slammed homed into his shoulder. With an almost sensual tilt of her lips, the beautiful young woman drug her clawed gloves across his throat. Throwing the lifeless corpse from her, the kunoichi let a satisfied smile cross her lips as she moved to the center of the gray marble room.

Blood dripped from her black pants, in sharp contrast to her pale skin. Malevolence surrounded her, a forbidden beauty that drew the eyes unconsciously to her willow form as it moved. Turning a slow circle so that the moonlight highlighted her silhouette in the darkness, the woman fixed her gaze on the edges of the room. The blades in her hands glinted wickedly as she focused on the figure that hovered close to the dining table.

~Clouds filled with stars cover your skies and I hope it rains.~

He watched her resume control of the situation as easily as if she were the master of this sacred place. A small smirk tilted his lips. He expected no less from the nightmare whom had haunted his existence for the past four years. A goddess of the darkness, a wild shadow he could no more avoid than tame. She was perfect in every aspect of her body, her form was as elegant as the waters in the sea. But far more tempting, a cat that hunted him for something more than revenge.

It was almost perfect. Dinner had become something far more entertaining, for she played like the leopard that Itachi had seen her for. The dark scars upon her arms lent her mystique something more. She was a goddess of death. "So this is what Itachi saw…" Pain breathed covetously. "The kitten's metal claws."

~What kind of dream is this?~

Glaring at him, Sakura flipped her hair from her eyes. "Is this your form of entertainment?" she snarled as he merely smiled at her. The beatific face could melt the hearts of angels, but he held no grip to her as he dangled the prospect of freedom over the head of her and her love.

Her skills had been honed to perfection by the man who held not only her heart but her soul. He was the light that had showed her redemption and the man before her seemed sacrilegious against that glow. Turning furiously towards the double doors, she let loose a string of curses between her furious words. "You invite me to dinner, have one of your men attack me. For what purpose, Pain? To remove something you perceive as a weakness? Itachi made the same mistake when we first met. The difference is, you hold no grip to my soul. Let us leave in peace. Or I will show you the extent of what the hell of the Painter did to my soul."

The dry chuckled that met her words did not phase her. When he had ceased to threaten only her own safety, the dark side of her heart had taken control. The innocence of the dawn had been lost to the night; if he was foolish enough to attempt to hold her, he would find the harpy who had replaced the angel.

"You are such an exquisite peace," Pain stated, beginning to circle her, to test her boundary of tolerance. Carefully, he moved in until he stood within reach of her claws. "Itachi remarked that you could hold your own, but I had no idea of your potential, Sakura. A Night Angel and Demon combined. You think you rule your own actions but it has never been that way. Just as the Night Angel believes himself to be free, so you have assumed until now. Was Itachi truly foolish enough to believe that he could hide his apprentice for so long? We have been watching you since the day you disappeared, making sure that eventually we could pull the cord and draw the raven back in with his dove. And then we could clip their wings."

Dancing nimbly from the way of the sword which suddenly swung up at her, Sakura lunged in to find her claws met by a pair of blades. Weaving in step against the Akatsuki leader, she let a wild laugh escape her lips. Neatly moving in sync with the man before her, she let a mocking smile trace her lips. "You can't clips the wings of a Seraph. For we are angel's of battle."

Battle blood flowed through her veins as she wove a deadly intricate pattern around him, feeling the reverberation as she kept carefully a step away from the powerful arms who's metal fingers sought her body. It was when she felt the grip seize her wrists, slamming her to the ground, that she realized the mistake. He had been searching for it within her dance, and now he had found a way to disrupt it. Staring up as the silver began to make the discending arc, Sakura closed her eyes.

And it was then, with a single talon, that the raven killed the hawk.

~I wish that when I wake up you're there to wrap your arms around me for real and tell me you'll stay by side.~

Viridian orbs fluttered open as she let out a shuddering sigh.

"Dreaming again?" Itachi asked, crawling over to wrap her within his soothing prescience. The coal eyes were smoldering, gentle in the morning light.

Nodding, Sakura sighed as she gently set her hand in his. Tying back her hair, the young woman buried herself into his arms. "They're always the same. The ghosts that haunt our doors, now that the City has found peace in our absence under Naruto Uzumaki, have been invading my dreams," she said quietly. "Pain, Neji… even the Painter. Peace has settled in our City…but not within me."

"Time will help," Itachi murmured kissing the top of her hair. "The day is ours love, and the demons we laid to rest know that they have lost. I will never leave your side. And the City will never fall to corruption. It is the reason that we exist beyond the Law, even now."

Turning to capture his lips, Sakura let her fear melt away with the shadows of night before rising as a heavy hand knocked on the door. Curiously she listened for a moment to the silence outside before removing the wedges as Itachi unsheathed his knives in caution. "Who is it?" she asked, disguising her voice carefully.

"You know who it is, Sakura, now open the door in the name of God!"

With a cry of joy, the young woman unbolted the door to fly into the old priest's arms. Hugging Kakashi close, she smiled before stepping back to greet him properly. "Hello, Father," she greeted. "Still in good health?"

Kakashi gave her a one eyed glare as he held out the dove scroll to her. "Yes and through no help from you," he replied with mock ferocity. "Every single piece of rock candy was taken from my jar in the sacristy!"

Chuckling as he came up beside her, Itachi sheathed his knife before pulling Sakura back in against his chest. Storm colored eyes glittering with an unusual trace of humor, the Uchiha heir glanced at the older man with something akin to brother ship. "The faults mine, Father. You should know that sugar is a powerful demon to fight when your wife eats only rabbit food."

Quickly ducking before Sakura could whack him, the Guardian smiled seriously. "Your church, however, managed to survive. The stain glass has been repaired and certain area's opened once more. The rafters are still steady, Kakashi, so the cathedral should stand another millennia or so."

"As it should, Itachi Uchiha," Kakashi replied settling on to one of the arm chairs in the anteroom. Opening one eye lazily, he added, "You two have done well in the situations you were given. Kiri told me of the Painter incident… I do not think the City could have been in better hands." There was a pause of silence as the older priest shifted to get more comfortable. "But what are your plans for the future?"

"I'm not sure we know… The City will never be fully safe from those who wish to plunder its depths. But perhaps it does not need to be. We will be able to pass on the Guardianship to those who we see fit to wear is mantle. The Night Angel's can live as more than just beings…" Sakura answered slowly. "Because we stand for an ideal."

Deliberating for a moment, the older man turned his gaze to the stain glass window of the Resurrection. "Then we will see when the time comes." Slowly rising, he vanished into the church's depths.

Sakura considered the place where he had sat for a moment from within Itachi's arms. They had truly never thought to make that decision because they had been too busy fighting to keep alive. Now that there was peace, the City had no need of them. A soft kiss on her forehead broke her trance as the Uchiha chuckled. "So easily distracted…" he mused planting a second kiss to her lips, "There is no need to worry about the future. It will take care of itself."

Shaking her head with a gentle smile, Sakura let herself be carried away into the swirling emotions. The song of love wove within the Church, and there would be no end to its ever changing melody until time itself drew to an end. For as it rose and fell, a third harmony interwove with the two, a tiny tingling sound that completed the trio.

You can be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare…. Either way I, don't want to wake up from you.

Well this is the finale to Their City. I had lost the file of the orignal to a computer virus, so when I found this incomplete version I decided to finish it a bit differently. I hope that you enjoyed it, and hopefully, I will have a new story up shortly. This time, though, it will feature another couple. Vote for your favorite title and couple in your review!

Neji/Tenten: Sight Without Eyes

=How could she hope to court the King of the Winterland when his heart was colder than the icelands he ruled?=

Sakura/Sasuke: Playing Poker

=A pair of Aces and a pair of twos met her eyes as she glanced at the hand he had dealt her. The dead man's hand.=

Sasori/Sakura: Masquerade

=When the masks come off and the strings are removed, we are still his marionettes and puppet's too. =

Itachi/Sakura: Their Dream(Book Three of Her Apocalyspe)

=It was only the divide of space that now kept her from him. Trapped within the subconcious world, she could only be with him at night as the dreams within his mind. He dreamt of her everynight only to awake to the emptyness of her bed. Divided by time, they would have to hold fast to their dreams lest another sweep her away forever....=