Hey! I have been wanting to write something with Itachi l ike this for a while. I have more to this, but I don't know if it will ever get written. I want to and it would include a lemon, but I lack time. Enjoy! MANGA SPOILERS. Late 300's. Kind of.


Crash!

Sakura's eyes snapped open as her glass shattered on the ground. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared at the mess. It had been nearly three months now. Three months she had been playing house with Itachi.

Sakura laughed, but without humor. The door was unlocked and Itachi was in the other room. The Akatsuki's hideout had suites for each member, and it was hidden away within those walls Sakura had kept herself. Day after day, she awaited her fate, on edge, as if death was just outside her window. But it never came.

Sakura suppressed a sob as tears flowed down her cheeks. Sasuke's face entered her mind and despite her pain, she smiled. While he was here with her, she knew Sasuke was safe. And Naruto would not be hunted by the Sharingan master as long as he was near her.

That was the deal she had made. To protect those she loved, she would endure the presence of this loathsome man. To protect them, she would bear his children. To protect her friends, she would sacrifice her own happiness.

Blood from her hand dripped to the floor. The stress was building every second. Though he was near her all the time, she was alone. Itachi Uchiha may not have even been human. Despite the intimate deal she had agreed to through Kisame, Itachi had not come within several feet of her. In fact, he barely even spoke to her.

Any moment she could have easily walked free, but she remained, and so did he. Taking a deep breath, Sakura stood up from the bed and began ripping the elegant kimono she wore. In a matter of seconds, she shredded the cloth and admired her work. Very little was left to the imagination. A desperate tear escaped her wet lashes, but it was the last. She wouldn't feel sorry for herself. She couldn't forget why she was doing this.

If she didn't hold up her part of the deal, that meant he didn't have to hold up his. She refused to wait for him to take what he wanted. If it meant assuring their deal, she would go to him.

Sakura slid open the door of her room and entered the sitting room.

There he was, lit by the fireplace glowing throughout the room, fast asleep in a chair. His bangs fell across his face and his legs were crossed lazily. He seemed peaceful, his expression tranquil rather than blank. The great Itachi Uchiha, the master of the Sharingan, was slouched in a chair, breathing deeply, just before her.

Something stung Sakura in that moment that she couldn't explain. He looked so much like Sasuke, that in that moment, she wanted only to reach out to him. He looked so tired, so strained, and like this slumber was what he needed most in the world right now. Her eyes grew tight.

How could this man, barely able to be called more than a boy, be the monster that he was? Sakura closed her eyes. To pity such a monster was unacceptable, and yet she couldn't hate his existence. To know the truth was not the same as witnessing it, and for her, Itachi was nothing but a quiet man who was feared by all. Not once had she seen an act of violence from him.

Sasuke and Naruto would hate her for the thoughts she was having.

Her eyes snapped open. If they had this opportunity, they would do what she had to do. Kill him.

Killing her conscience, Sakura approached him. He didn't stir as she slid a kunai from his sleeve, nor did he move as she settled each of her knees on his side. Sakura could hardly believe he hadn't killed her yet, but he didn't move. She gripped the kunai like she was clinging to life, and yet, as the blade came to his throat, it didn't cut the flesh.

Sweat dripped down her forehead as she held the kunai to his throat, her hand trembling. She had taken lives before. She was a ninja. Why couldn't she take the life of a man who had taken everything from her friends, and because of that, from her?

Fear like she had never known set in as Itachi Uchiha opened his eyes. Glassy black eyes. He was tired, she could see it now. He was so very tired. Any moment she expected to see crimson, but it never happened. As she gazed into his eyes, she noticed something she had not before.

His vision… was off.

Never before had she been close enough to see it before. Her grip on the kunai loosened subconsciously and Itachi closed his eyes.

"If you wish to kill me, you should do it now," he said.

Sakura stared at him. Why wasn't he punishing her by now? Why hadn't he killed her? What was this… this game he was playing with her? As these thoughts consumed her mind, her hand slipped away from his throat.

Itachi opened his eyes again, and looked at her carefully.

"I really expected to die. What a disappointment," he said.

Casually, but not secretively, he looked at her exposed breasts and the shredded kimono that clung to her and then to her legs straddling his waist. Sakura blushed, but was scared to move. Surely he would be angry.

Itachi took the kunai from her limp fingers and put it back in his sleeve.

"You don't have to stay here anymore," Itachi said.

He gripped her waist and picked her up with him, setting her aside.

Stunned, Sakura remained frozen.

"What about our deal?" she whispered.

Itachi turned back to look at her, mildly surprised.

"What deal is that?"

Sakura stared at him. Once she thought about it, she had never actually spoken with him about any of it. She didn't know what to say.

"You were here for a reason that pertains to Akatsuki. You may go now. Our business is finished," he said.

Sakura fell to her knees, the stress of the last few months crashing down around her. Kisame had lied. He only had to get her to stay off the radar for a while. But why? Overwhelmed and without the strength she needed to go on, Sakura blacked out.

# # #

She awoke some time later to a dark room. Sitting up she tried to recall what was going on. As she recognized her bedroom in Itachi's quarters, she saw dark red clouds floating through the air. Her eyes focused, and behind the clouds was a man.

Sakura gasped as she saw Itachi staring at her with his Sharingan. Never had she awoken to find him in her room.
"Now that you're awake, you can leave," he said.

Sakura felt panic grip her. She couldn't understand what was taking hold of her, but she didn't want to leave. Not yet. There was something amiss.

"I can fix your vision," Sakura said.

Itachi's crimson eyes narrowed.

"I don't need your help," he said coolly.

He started to turn, but Sakura had broken free of fear's grip.
"Wait, please! I can heal them. Fully restore them. Your eyesight must be so bad without your Sharingan you can't even tell what I look like," she said.

Itachi paused. "Why should I care what you look like?"

Sakura was taken aback, but it didn't stop her.

"I'll do anything if you let me stay a little longer," she said.

Itachi now turned to face her once again. "Why would you want to stay here with me?"

"Because when you're here with me, your not hurting Naruto or Sasuke and I know they're safe."

Itachi approached her and leaned in close to her ear. Sakura could feel his breath on her skin.

"Would you even bear my children to keep me away from them, Sakura?" he taunted.

Sakura's skin flared as he pulled away. He had spoken with that shark.

Realizing this was her last chance, Sakura took a risk. As she jumped from the bed, she acknowledged this wasn't just about Naruto and Sasuke anymore. This was about him. This was about the way he had not even flinched as she was about to kill him. This was about the truth lying behind the eyes of a monster.

As Sakura pressed herself against him, Itachi reacted immediately. She was pressed firmly against the wall before she reached him. He was so close to her, their lips were almost touching.

"You should go. While you still have the chance," he murmured.

Without thinking, Sakura kissed him. She could feel him jerk away from her, but she was latched onto him, her hands around his neck. If she survived this, it would be a miracle.
Sakura wasn't sure what she expected to happen, but after his stunt the other day, she was curious and couldn't let go of it. The Itachi Uchiha she had known would kill her on the spot for such an action. Now, however, she wasn't so sure that would be the outcome.

Despite the reasoning behind her rash act, Sakura was not at all regretting it. Itachi's mouth tasted sweet, like candy, his lips soft and waiting for her to bite them. The harder she held him, the more he gave in. She couldn't understand the odd feeling of resistance he was giving off. Every muscle in his body was tense and if she didn't know better, she would think he had never had a girl latch onto him before.

However, the more she deepened the kiss, the more she felt like perhaps this was his first kiss too. He was kissing her back, but with caution, like he regretted it with every fiber of his being and after a few moments, he forced her off of him. Breathing wildly, both of them tried to catch their breath. Itachi recovered first.

He glared at her with his Sharingan burning bright and Sakura wondered if this was when she would die. Before he could kill her, she said something she would never say if she wasn't going to die the next second.

"Itachi… how can you be who you are, and not take advantage of your little brother's old teammate? How can you be so innocent?" Sakura whispered, watching him.

His expression was unreadable, but she knew she had disconcerted him.

"You are seeing things that are not there," he said.

"No," Sakura said, "you're lying. You're lying to me, to Sasuke, to the world, and even to yourself. I can see who you really are, Itachi. You're tired, stressed, hiding your deteriorating vision, and a sickness you pretend doesn't exist. I noticed the signs the first week I was here."

Itachi stared at her, unmoving.

"You pretend to be a killer, but I have never seen you take a life. You do not deny the reputation you hide in the shadow of, but I can tell that is not you. You want to be free of this life that tires you. You crave death," Sakura said. "Did you even really murder the Uchiha clan? Or is that a lie too?"

For a brief moment, Sakura thought she saw his eyes tighten.

"No. I murdered them all with my own hand," he said. "Your perception is startling, Sakura. However, the conclusions you draw from it are wrong. I may be tired, but everything you have ever heard of me is no less true because of it."

Sakura leaned back against the wall.

"You eat candy." She said it like it shouldn't be allowed for a mass murderer.

At that moment, Sakura knew there was something she didn't get yet, because Itachi Uchiha… smiled.


I really want to add more, but we'll have to see. This could be a very dynamic exploration of their pairing, but I jsut don't have the time really. :( I want to though. Anyway, if I do finish it, it will be explained why she was there and why Itachi is acting like he is. I am just so in love with his storyline that I can't accept that he died alone like he did. It's too depressing.