A/N: I fixed the italics on this, so it reads normally, and is NOT a flashback. Alright, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

The trees seemed to blend together in smudges of green and brown as Sakura rushed past them. Her heart was pounding, her body sweating from the hot sun pouring through the canopy of leaves above her, and she could tell that her chakra levels were slowly draining from exhaustion and injury.

"Damn it! He's still following me!"

Her attempts at losing the eldest Uchiha had been for naught. His chakra signature became heavier as the distance between the two of them closed.

"Let's just hold our ground and get it over with!" Inner Sakura yelled.

"He nearly killed us last time, what makes you think we could defeat him now?" The pink-haired girl replied to herself, still intent on trying to make it to safety.

"We're wasting chakra running and at this pace, he'll catch up sooner or later. Might as well stop now, to rest for a few moments before that weasel shows up here."

As much as Sakura hated to agree with her Inner, she was right.

"Fine. But if we die, I'm blaming you."

Sakura took a deep breath, turned around, and faced Uchiha Itachi. He was taller then she remembered, and his similarity to Sasuke caused a twinge in her heart. His Akatsuki cloak rippled in the wind, as did his black hair and her rosy locks.

"What do you want Uchiha?"

His silence made her nervous. She took the moment to survey him, avoiding his eyes. He was not exactly a muscled man, and yet, he had an air about him of strength. As she thought of this, and other things, she could almost feel his magnet-like gaze upon her.

Blood red eyes inspected the kunoichi yards in front of him. Her hair was disheveled slightly, and her breathing was heavy. He had not failed to notice the way their eyes never met.

'So, she knows a few things about the Sharingan. But that is to be expected from a former student of Hatake Kakashi, as well as a teammate of my little brother.'

Sakura cleared her throat, and asked again.

"I said, Uchiha, why are you here?"

"Hn."

"Monosyllabic answers are not a reason. You have exactly ten seconds before I punch you so hard, your little brother will feel it." Sakura cracked her knuckles, hoping to get the point across.

A small smirk crossed his lips.

And with that, Sakura made a chakra-enhanced leap towards the stoic man, making contact with her fist, to his stomach. He let out a grunt and fell to the ground.

A smirk similar to Itachi's crossed Sakura's lips. That is, until Itachi disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"Fuck." was the only word Sakura could manage out before getting hit by another Itachi. Real or clone, it didn't matter, it still hurt. Sakura dodged and attempted to parry his moves. It was hand-to-hand combat now, something that didn't faze her. Every time she tried to land a punch, he moved to the side, acknowledging the fact that she couldn't hit what she couldn't catch.

He however, managed to land a few well aimed kicks to her side, none life threatening, but painful, and they hampered her mobility. One in particular had her doubling over in pain, as he had hit her stomach especially hard. As she straightened up, she felt the cold, hard steel of a kunai against her pale neck.

Sakura struggled, but his grasp only got tighter.

"Well look what I have here." His tone was light, but mocking.

"Let me go!"

"And why would I do that kunoichi?" She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

The kunai pressed a little harder, stinging as it cut through her skin. She groaned from the pain.

"Where is the Kyuubi?" Itachi demanded.

'Aah, so that's what this is about.' She then grasped what her role in this situation was. Most likely, as a hostage, she would be ransomed for Naruto, or something of the like.

"How the hell should I know? We're not even on the same team anymore." The rosette tried bluffing.

The steel pressed harder into her flesh, and she gritted her teeth this time to prevent any sound from escaping.

"You and I both know this to be a lie kunoichi. We've monitored Naruto for awhile, and I know that statement to be blatantly false. Tell me what I want to know." His voice was deep and clear, almost relaxing had it not been coming from the man who slaughtered his entire clan in a night.

Although his grasp did not slack on her arms, he turned Sakura around, so that now they were face to face. She shut her eyes, just incase she had an urge to look at his face, into his eyes. Itachi left a little pressure off of the kunai, hoping it would entice her to say something.

"Tell me what I want to know. Now." The last word was spoken with such ferocity that is frightened Sakura to the core. He was angry, although his calm exterior did not reveal it.

"…" Her silence caused him to take a different way of getting his information.

"Sakura, was it?" His voice was soft this time, coaxing her. "Tell me what I want to know and you won't get hurt." He touched her cheek and brushed a strand of pink hair from her face. Once more, Sakura felt shivers run down her spine.

Itachi brushed his thumb over her thumb and heard her breath hitch slightly. Smirking, he thought to himself. 'This is almost too easy.'

"Stop it!" Sakura struggled harmlessly in his grasp.

Itachi took her face in his hand and forced her head up. Emerald met Crimson. "Now, Sakura," he purred her name as his tomoe spun. "I will find out what I want to know, one way or another."