A/N: Yes, there is lemon in here. No I don't normally write smut. But yes, this lemon smells like smut… to me at least. You be the judge. ;)
I realise some facts might be a little out of order, but it just came out this way. The things that vary from the canon are that Naruto doesn't know about Itachi's sacrifice, even though the Kage summit is over and done with, and Itachi has been uncertain whether or not his torment of Sasuke was the right thing to do after all. He's still doing it, because he doesn't know what else to do. That's where Sakura comes in. *wink wink*
The rest I'll let you figure out on your own.
Sakura is 17, while Itachi is 22.
Enjoy!
"How can you know if you're selling your soul, if you don't even know what your soul really is?"
Sakura Haruno winced as the bright light hit her and she could not see the face of her interrogator. She knew who he was, but this didn't help alleviate the panic in her heart as she sat, waiting for him to begin his examination. They would know what happened to her! They would find out how she had gotten away from Sasuke Uchiha and they would know about Itachi! She couldn't let that happen!
But even as she sat there, fretting over what fate had in store for her and her dark angel, she could see no way out of this. Itachi had given her his memories freely, showing her the night he had slaughtered his clan and every waking moment since. It was a lot for one person to hold, and she often wondered sometimes which memories were really hers.
She knew exactly what Itachi had been doing when he had entered Konoha with Kisame Hoshigaki and fought against Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kakashi Hatake all those years ago. She could see his intentions when he'd followed master Jiraiya and Naruto out to Otafuku Town and why he'd pushed Sasuke so hard. But no matter how despicable his actions seemed, she knew they had really come from a place of love. A strange, twisted Uchiha version of course, but love nonetheless.
"What happened to you, Sakura Haruno?"
The brusque voice was commanding but not harsh. It belonged to Ibiki Morino. He was interrogating her for information on Sasuke Uchiha, but since she was a leaf ninja and not some enemy nin, he was only allowed to do so much to her. Not that Ibiki was known for enjoying the grilling of Kunoichi or anything like that.
Sakura knew it was only a matter of time however, before he realised Inoichi Yamanaka's talents were better suited to this particular case. And especially once he realised she'd made contact with not one Uchiha missing-nin, but two. So far, they'd had only theories as to who had taken her, though clearly they believed it had been Sasuke. All the evidence pointed that way, even though they didn't have anything conclusive.
Sakura hadn't seen any of her friends since she'd woken up in Konoha several hours ago, her wounds tended to by Lady Tsunade herself. Her old shishou's smiling face was however, the first she had seen upon waking. The Hokage had never looked so happy to see her kouhai alive and well. Well, almost well. This interview with the head of the Torture and Interrogation Core for the Anbu black ops was just a formality, even though it did make her feel like a common criminal. But she understood their caution; she had been missing for several months after all. The pinkette swallowed heavily, now spotting the rough outline of her inquisitor.
"Sasuke Uchiha," she said meekly.
There was murmuring nearby that alerted her to the fact that she had a captive audience. The light dimmed and Ibiki's voice lost its brusqueness, though he still sounded commanding.
"Sasuke Uchiha kidnapped you?"
She nodded silently and there was more murmuring.
"Can you tell us where and how?"
Sakura shook her head. The fight that had gotten her squad killed and her captured by that psychopath was too much of a blur in her mind's eye. She barely remembered anything from before Itachi had found her, other than the torture of course. She shivered involuntarily, remembering the way Sasuke had enjoyed hurting her. Ibiki seemed to sense this.
"Okay, we can worry about that later," he said. "But you spent months with an S-Rank missing-nin, so we do need to know something about what happened. Can you tell us where you were taken?"
She nodded. "The network of caves west of the land of Rice Paddies, near the Valley of the End."
'Where Sasuke and Naruto had fought all those years ago.'
"We searched that place two months ago and found nothing," the voice of Inoichi Yamanaka finally said.
She hadn't realised he was nearby. Sakura shook her head at the scepticism in his voice. Sasuke must've abandoned that dank place shortly after leaving her inside the border of the land of fire. Well, she hadn't been with Sasuke for the entire three months, and they would soon figure it out, so she decided to tell them exactly where she had been. Everyone knew Inoichi never failed to retrieve information, even though his methods weren't as forceful as Ibiki's.
Sakura cleared her throat. "Y-yes, he abandoned it. But I was only imprisoned by Sasuke Uchiha for two and a half weeks… sir."
Inoichi came into the light, his face conveying his professionalism, but his voice came out slightly strained.
"Then where have you been?"
"I was left for dead this side of the border to the land of Rice Paddies," she said. "I was found and nursed back to health. It took two and a half months for me to recover enough just to travel."
The light dimmed again, and more of the room and the surrounding audience to this interrogation started coming into focus. Ibiki stood off to her left, with Inoichi to her right. But the figures in the chairs only seven feet away were just indistinct shapes. She thought she recognised a few though.
Ibiki was the one who spoke. "Who helped you, Sakura Haruno?"
Oh yes, she remembered that day. Some of the memories were hers alone, others Itachi had given her himself.
She smiled inwardly, but outwardly, she tried to remain impassive. "Itachi Uchiha."
X X X
Itachi Uchiha thought he had problems. The flailing pinkette in front of him was worse off than the infamous Uchiha who had singlehandedly slaughtered his clan in one night had ever been. He'd heard that Sakura Haruno was dead, or captured, or both. The former team mate of his otouto had run into team Taka and this was the result. Her sanity gone, her body torn, and her chakra both depleted and blocked.
Itachi stared down at her, the guilt weighing heavily on him. He had driven Sasuke to this, this madness. It was his fault, what Sasuke had put her through. Something deep inside the Uchiha stirred and he suddenly wanted to help her. It was not just the fact that he knew all the suffering Sasuke had caused her was his fault as well, but also the state she was in. He could never let anyone suffer like this, if he could help it. Over the years there had been many he could not save, their fate sealed by Pein and their lives taken against their will. But this Kunoichi was not beyond his help.
She was all alone and the only thing keeping her alive was her will, her strength. Sasuke would say it was dumb luck or sheer coincidence. Itachi may still love his little brother, but he was not blind to the monster he had created. Yet years of planning and waiting could not go to waste, it would be a waste to just give up now. He had been taught better than that.
Sakura whimpered as Itachi leant down to examine her. Her clothes were torn, cut along her porcelain skin with old, dried blood. These wounds were going to get infected if he didn't clean them soon. Itachi looked around for signs of recent ninja activity, but even with his Sharingan active, all he could tell was that team Taka had left less than ten hours ago. There was no other sign of anyone else having been here, and he guessed no leaf Shinobi were within even a mile of this place.
Sighing deeply, he snaked his arms under her back and legs as she groaned, and then took off at full speed. He had a safe house that even the Akatsuki didn't know about. Kisame was off on another mission and Itachi was not expected to rendezvous with him for at least another couple of weeks. He had time. First off was getting to the old shack without being noticed. There were spies everywhere in these parts, and even though he'd woven the strongest genjutsu he knew over the shack, it would be all for naught if someone actually spotted him heading that way.
He quickly checked but saw no-one. He didn't let his guard down however, and made note of every inch of the small clearing that, to the ordinary eye, looked bare and barren. But on its peak stood a small, tidy yet antiquated hut. He had had it covered in a genjutsu for years and occasionally returned to strengthen the seals he had also placed around it. The pink haired Kunoichi would be safe here.
Itachi landed lithely but did not break his pace as he walked straight through the seals around the hut. He was the only one who could both enter and leave here without extreme pain – carrying Sakura in his arms kept her safe from this. It was as good a place as any to tend to this girl's wounds. She had fallen unconscious in his arms, probably from the blood loss and fear, but he was worried that something else was going on in her mind. She smelt of Sasuke, albeit only faintly, so he had some idea of what had happened to her. The Sharingan was a powerful tool, in both combat and torture.
Itachi placed the Kunoichi on the single bed in the side room and collected everything he would need from the small bathroom. This hut was cosy to say the least, with only one entrance, a single side room with a bed and small bathroom – both rooms to either side of the main room, which doubled as both the kitchen and entrance. A small, one person couch sat in the corner of the bedroom but there was nothing else in the hut that hinted anyone actually spent time here.
He parted the torn clothes on the pinkette where they barred his way to the wounds and set about cleaning and disinfecting every abrasion, large or small. Her body shuddered and he checked her forehead. She was running a temperature. Itachi placed a damp towel to her forehead and left the hut. He knew what to look for as medicinal herbs in the surrounding bushland, and prayed that Sakura didn't need anything more than what he could get his hands on. It was a few hours before he'd returned, and Sakura was still unconscious.
But she woke up the moment he held the pressed blend of herbs to her first wound and he was forced to move it away as she panicked. Her eyes widened in fear and she threw her arms out. Sakura was not seeing him properly, the image of this rogue ninja intermittent with memories of the last two and a half weeks. Seeing the face of Itachi Uchiha hovering over her sent powerful bolts of shock to her brain and she cried out, trying to push him away.
Itachi was worried about this, and grabbed her wrists firmly. "Calm down, Sakura Haruno, I am not here to harm you."
"Get away from me!"
She would not listen, not that he blamed her. All of a sudden, her eyes glazed over and her body rocked in seizure; the scream that emanated sent shivers down his spine. Yes, it freaked even him out. Not that it registered on his face. There was more going on with her than just her physical wounds, but the disinfection of said wounds were the first priority. Itachi pulled her face toward his and activated his Sharingan.
"Sleep," he ordered her, his voice demanding.
She blinked heavily, staring her emerald eyes into those red eye irises of his. His voice was low and placid to her ears and the shift in his Sharingan helped to calm her further. She sighed, feeling herself grow tired. And only a second on from the moment he had uttered the word, he had put her to sleep. So as Sakura slept away the rest of the day, Itachi finished with her wounds and set about making something to eat. He was hungry, and knew that she would be when she woke up as well.
Her deteriorated mental state concerned him and he thought about that. It had to have been done by Sasuke's Sharingan, and his otouto had left her in this state, confident that only another Sharingan user with the kekkei genkai could help her. So Kakashi wouldn't know what to do anymore than the legendary Lady Tsunade herself. Back when Itachi had put both Kakashi and Sasuke under his Tsukuyomi, they had gotten off easy. The Mangekyō Sharingan was powerful but had its limits. He had been resting his eyes lately, so using them to help this Kunoichi was no problem. He wasn't going to go blind unlocking whatever had been done to her.
Still, the depth of whatever had been done to her disturbed him.
Itachi looked down at the still form of the girl on his single bed, thinking. He had first met her through the Impersonation Jutsu Pein had cast to delay the two teams coming to save the one-tailed jinchuriki. It still bothered Itachi to this day that he hadn't been able to get word to master Jiraiya fast enough to prevent it. Pein's penchant for secrets had made the delay unavoidable. Still, the Akatsuki leader was dead, and now the remaining members were debating whether or not to follow Madara in his place.
Itachi could admit he was torn, but the time to face Sasuke was fast approaching, so he didn't bother trying to appease the man who had really been pulling their strings. Madara's identity was only known through the Akatsuki and by Sasuke and his team now. But it wouldn't be long before he let others know. He had survived so long by keeping it secret, but Itachi had no doubt that whatever Madara's plans were, were not about spending the next eighty years in shadow. He was no doubt entertaining the idea of being Hokage, or wiping out flocks of people to show his power.
He had no idea which.
The sun was setting when Sakura stirred again. He decided not to hover over her this time, to keep his distance, and let her acclimatise on her own. But it was only a temporary decision. He needed to get to the bottom of her torment.
Sakura looked up at the ceiling as she woke, her eyes fluttering as she yawned softly. She looked down now, noting that she was still wearing her torn clothes and fingered the tears in the red top, her hand moving to her stomach and finally the parted pink skirt. She had no black gloves on, and her feet were bare, but she still wore the elbow protectors. Her skin was pink and green where her wounds were and she recognised the smell of the medicinal herb. Someone had taken the time to ground it into a paste after cleaning out the cuts first.
She sat up gingerly, but her head snapped around when she realised she wasn't alone. She growled.
"Itachi Uchiha."
He didn't respond, just staring at her. She narrowed her eyes at him. He didn't have the Akatsuki cloak on and leaning against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest, he looked more like a Konoha Anbu operative without a mask on. No, he wasn't a leaf ninja, and didn't deserve to be placed in the same category as that. She winced, her hand moving instinctively to her stomach wound. But he had helped her. Why? Itachi stood straight and moved toward her slowly. She shrunk away, to the wall behind her, still sitting on the single bed.
"I am not here to harm you," he echoed his earlier statement to her.
"Where am I?" She asked and then fell forward, her body trembling.
'God damnit!'
What had Sasuke done to her? She'd finally escaped from that dingy room by pretending to be weaker than she was, and that Karin bitch had let her guard down. But Sasuke easily caught up with her and locked her into some kind of Sharingan jutsu, staring into her eyes as he told her that it was her punishment for trying to escape.
"I was going to make your death quick, but now you can suffer to the end of your days. You've brought this on yourself."
It was some kind of Tsukuyomi, but different. Sleeping away the day, with her wounds healed had delayed the effect, now it all came flooding back again. Familiar images swarmed in front of her vision as she look up at Itachi's distant expression; Sasuke skewering her over and over again with his Kusanagi and feeling the blade tear through her once he'd released the jutsu. The wounds were not all real, as he wanted the pain to last, therefore he had to keep her alive for as long as possible. She cried out, her right hand finding the front of Itachi's short, Anbu styled flak jacket and he lifted her head to him.
Sakura slammed her eyes shut before they could make contact, her hand gripping him tightly.
"I won't harm you," he said soothingly. "But my Sharingan can help you, if you let me."
She screamed, the pain piercing her body throwing her eyes open of their own accord and suddenly she was caught in Itachi's jutsu. Those red eyes again. She felt better almost instantly. Itachi searched her eyes, the colours of her chakra, seeing it even though Sasuke had sealed it out of her reach. This was like nothing he had seen before – a unique jutsu, invented by Sasuke and not easily broken.
He pulled her into his Tsukuyomi, the world inside softer than what she had previously experienced from Sasuke, but red, white and black nonetheless. He understood now; this Tsukuyomi of his otouto's kept Sakura in its web for as long as she was alive. It drew chakra from her periodically, so as to not drain her entirely; this torture used her own body as the battery recharged itself intermittently to keep itself going without needing to pause. It was pure genius.
Itachi pulled Sakura's physical self to him, touching their foreheads together, but maintaining that all important lock on her eyes. He was just guessing, but if he used his own chakra to substitute the flow of hers into the Mangekyō dimension, this would disrupt her own and cut off the Tsukuyomi aberration, hopefully. But this was going to take more than one session. He quickly realised that the drain on her was passing on to him. Still, it was helping.
Sakura went limp and Itachi held her as still as he could as he worked. She had little to no sensations at this point, and no awareness of what was going on. He decided then and there that he wanted to show her when he was done, what he had hidden from everyone else for almost seven years.
X X X
Sakura woke up again more than a week later, her body drained but no longer in pain. She was so exhausted that she couldn't get up at first. A heavy weight was holding her down. But as she blinked heavily, rolled her head onto her side, and spotted Itachi only two feet away, his eyes closed, she felt better than she had in weeks. She even smiled at the sight of the Uchiha, sitting on the one person couch in the corner of the room, his head supported against the head rest of the armchair.
She was so grateful to be alive, and she knew he was the reason she was still here. Sakura had no idea what he had done, but the throbbing pain that always reminded her of her torture was gone. She was left only with the memory of that ordeal, without the uncontrollable flushes of images and pain. She groaned. Her body ached again as she sat up. This pain was due to her physical injuries.
Sakura swayed slightly, her vision blurring as Itachi woke up. There was no residual chakra from the Tsukuyomi at least. Itachi stood up, strode over to the bed, and knelt in front of her.
"How do you feel?"
She nodded to him. "Better, thank you. Why did you help me? You're a missing-nin and you know I have to report running into you."
He said nothing, lifting his hand to check her forehead. She didn't flinch. Sakura had just spent more than a week moving in and out of his mind and something of him had imprinted itself on her. She had no idea how this Mangekyō or Tsukuyomi or whatever it was worked, but was pretty certain it wasn't supposed to work the way it had been. While she didn't remotely understand how it was possible, but the man kneeling in front of her was not the monster she had heard he was, and she knew he meant her no harm.
It was a strange feeling, to know someone this strongly without knowing who they really were. He had wiped out his clan, sparing Sasuke, for whatever reason, and became a member Akatsuki, joining their ranks to hunt down jinchuriki and extract the bijuu, again for whatever reason. She knew nothing about his reasoning behind any of this, and found herself suddenly caring what that was.
"You seem to have recovered nicely," Itachi said simply. "But your wounds will take longer. If I could unblock your chakra enough for you to use it, it would be different."
Sakura looked directly into his eyes and he blinked heavily, perhaps surprised she would do that, knowing what he was capable of.
"Explain to me what you did," she said, and he told her about the unusual Tsukuyomi.
Sakura was still confused. "How could that jutsu use my chakra if it's been cut off?"
He had no answer for this and the restrained frustration on his face made her giggle. She gasped in pain again and he helped her to lie back down. Her hands went to her clothes and she remembered that he had bought her a new outfit, somewhere in the last week or so, between saving her life and saving her sanity. She had flashes of her progress during this time, eating, sleeping, and washing herself in a large basin that was supposed to be a bath tub after haughtily ordering Itachi to stay out of the shack while she did so, and sleeping… again.
"Don't push yourself," Itachi said suddenly and walked away.
Sakura watched him as he threw on his Akatsuki cloak.
"I'm going out to get some supplies. Don't try to leave. The seals I have on this place will act up and it will hurt you."
She rolled her eyes. "I remember, you told me that like a hundred times already."
She couldn't read his expression, but let herself believe that he'd had to stop himself from smiling, and with great effort. She closed her eyes after he left and let herself relax enough to rest. It was all her body seemed to want to do lately and she lamented on the fact that she had gone almost four weeks now without training. When she returned to Konoha, she had a lot of time to make up for. Sakura's eyes snapped open at that thought.
'Konoha.'
How could she have forgotten? They would be so worried, and after finding the bodies of her squad, she doubted that Lady Tsunade would've given up on finding her. Naruto certainly didn't know when to stop. Sakura sighed, staring at the ceiling. A silent tear rolled down over her cheek as she thought of her friends. She wanted to see them so badly, but her body was so weak right now, and she wasn't up to a long journey. Itachi could help her get back, but she didn't want to ask any more of him. She wondered how he was explaining his absences to the rest of Akatsuki. She wondered what was going on with them, now that Pein was dead.
Sakura groaned, forcing herself to sleep. It passed too quickly and when she woke, Itachi was again resting on the armchair. She managed to sit up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her physical injuries were healing far slower than she would've liked, and an overall exhaustive feeling throughout her body had to have something to do with Sasuke's jutsu.
'Sasuke,' she growled to herself.
She must've growled out loud, because the sound roused the Uchiha resting nearby. He opened his eyes and stared at her. He did that a lot. He wasn't wearing that infernal Akatsuki cloak anymore, for which she was glad. The sight of his slight smile (yes, it was more obvious this time) brought one to her mouth. A rumbling sound in her stomach alerted her to her hunger, but she wasn't sure what that warmth spreading through her chest was. Itachi sat up straight in the chair but didn't stand.
"I want to show you something," he said. "Come here."
She frowned. "You come here."
He chuckled softly. That took her by surprise.
"I'm the weakened one here," she said, her voice pleasant.
He nodded. "I know. Consider it a test, to see if you can walk without support."
That made sense. So she pushed herself up gently, focusing on moving her muscles and managed to make it over to him before falling forward. He caught her easily, wrapping his arms around her body as he pulled her close, against him. She felt her face warm, that sensation spreading through her chest now exploring her stomach.
'Good god, do I like him?'
She was having such crazy thoughts. But really, it had not been a very good month for her so far.
"Itachi…"
He couldn't help himself. He had to hold her. This past week for him had been so confusing. He would pull her into his mind, over and over again, forcing his chakra into her body while her mind remained in the Mangekyō world, not thinking about her body. But in those moments when she'd surprised him by remaining conscious when he'd estimated she would still be unconscious for several more hours, he'd thought of nothing else but her. Of course, once she fell asleep, the thoughts wouldn't go away. He was professional and non-invasive as he'd probed her body with his chakra, but the moment he pulled away, it was like a switch turned on in his brain and he suddenly saw her as a woman, rather than some random leaf Kunoichi – an extraordinary woman and an exceptional Kunoichi.
Itachi looked down at her, her eyes boring into his. What was he doing? It didn't feel wrong, but he wasn't sure if his judgement was clouded by those full lips, that porcelain skin or those emerald eyes. She was so intoxicating. He was falling in love with her. How was that possible? He was never this crazy about anyone, ever.
"Sakura…"
He lowered his hand to the side of her face. "I want to show you my life," he said softly, much like a lover would.
She merely nodded and with her permission, he activated his Sharingan. This was not Tsukuyomi, nor some Mangekyō world. This was his past. He showed her everything; the night he killed his clan, the way he pushed Sasuke into wanting revenge, and his reasons for this… Sakura gasped at the image of Danzou in his memory, but Itachi didn't linger on this. He moved past that night and onto his new life as a missing-nin. The life of a rogue ninja was hard and merciless, but he eventually found that his ninja talents could afford him the necessities in life as an assassin. It ended quickly as he found himself waking up at night in a cold sweat, the faces of his victims in his mind. So, to ease his conscience, he found himself doing ordinary things, like applying for heavy labour jobs and positions in inconspicuous places. He couldn't get any until he finally gave in and used his Sharingan to convince a perspective employer to hire him. He felt guilty about that, but pushed it away. His years in Anbu helped him hide this and many more, and he pushed himself to make up for it by doing more than his fair share.
Then one day he ran into master Jiraiya. He thought he was dead for sure, running into one of the legendary Sannin. The old man could easily have wiped the floor with him. But Jiraiya knew of his deal with Danzou and offered him another way to "earn his keep" as the pervert put it. Itachi had been keeping fit, his desire to one day be reunited with Sasuke in battle the only thing keeping him going. So joining the ranks of the Akatsuki was not difficult. He was an S Rank criminal in the bingo book and infamous in every nation. So Pein accepted him, but kept an eye on him at first, just to be sure he was right for the organisation. With the attention finally off of him, Itachi arranged a meet with Jiraiya and they continued to communicate, though correspondence was the safest way from there on.
Itachi fast forwarded the years, holding tighter to Sakura as she struggled to acclimatise. It was a lot for her to take in, but he took it at an appropriate pace. She had gasped again, learning that he was Jiraiya's spy in the Akatsuki. Now he showed her when he'd started looking for jinchuriki. He had helped with the other captures and despite his opposition to it, Jiraiya had told him to continue to do so.
"If you don't," he had communicated to him, "then Pein will simply replace you with someone who will, and we will never know what he really wants them for."
So Itachi had killed, maimed and extracted bijuu from their human containers as instructed, falling deeper and deeper into the realm of the Akatsuki. It was not something most ninja would have the stomach for. And for this, he had Jiraiya's eternal respect. This was a mission that he feared would cost him his life before he would ever face Sasuke in the emptiness of their former home, but he managed to survive, over and over again.
The next series of memories were ones familiar to Sakura, by proxy of course. He had accompanied Kisame Hoshigaki into Konoha after Orochimaru's failed attempt to destroy the leaf. She felt the unrest in him as he pretended to care if they found Naruto Uzumaki or not. Since this jinchuriki was the only one that the old man refused to just let Akatsuki get their hands on, Itachi had sent a carrier bird to master Jiraiya, with plenty of warning ahead of time. The fact that the Sannin cared only for this one confused him (regardless of what village he was from), but he complied with his request to be notified once Naruto was targeted. He showed the pinkette how he'd tortured Sasuke, thinking he was making him stronger, and for a moment, she realised he regretted this.
Itachi pushed the feeling aside and eased Sakura into newer memories, showing her the secrecy Pein had put behind the capture of the one tailed beast, which was why his message to the Sannin was too late. Why warn him about the Kazekage when all Jiraiya had asked to be notified about was Naruto? He had no idea why. He didn't even bother explaining this to the Sannin. But it was a good thing, even though the message was sent too late. What would they do once the Akatsuki got their hands on one through to eight and then focused the remaining of their attention solely on Naruto?
Itachi had more memories, like an encounter with Danzou years later as well as Madara. Madara Uchiha, the long lived Uchiha who had once fought for the position of first Hokage. Sakura was taking this all very well, but gasped in all the right places.
Eventually, Itachi pulled Sakura out of his memories and she sat motionless, still on his lap. Those beautiful eyes were calculating, processing and worried. She looked up at him. Itachi was shocked at her tears, though he understood them. She swallowed heavily. It all made sense now, and she didn't care. She only knew that she didn't want to see it ever happen again.
Sakura shifted in his hold, reaching her hands up to grab his Anbu flak jacket and pull him down to her. Her arms went around his neck as he lifted her body up into a seated position. The kiss was intense, an overflow of emotion that took them both by surprise. She licked his lips, and then slid her tongue into his mouth, gripping him tighter. She didn't care that he was a missing-nin, or that he had killed all of his people. The faint memory of some kind of Uchiha plan to kill the Hokage and overthrow the ninja regime remained in her mind, so she forgot the rumours, conjectures, and hateful accusations about Itachi Uchiha she had heard over the years.
There was only one fact that mattered to her now and that was her desire and need for this man who had captured her heart.
But Itachi, caught out by her kiss, pulled away a few minutes later, breathing heavily.
"You are still weakened Sakura, don't push yourself."
She rolled her eyes at him, giggling. "And you shouldn't flatter yourself."
X X X
Sakura Haruno relayed this to Ibiki Morino and Inoichi Yamanaka, leaving out the parts about the kiss of course, and the warm sensations as she'd realised she had feelings for the Uchiha. They also didn't need to know that she got his "life story" as the idiom went. She just told them he explained a few things to her. If they knew everything that had happened, this would put her in danger, or so Itachi had told her. Danzou was formidable and not to be underestimated. And of course, if they had known what had happened between her and Itachi less than four days before the tracking ninja had carried her, unconscious into Konoha, she'd be branded a traitor.
Once she was finished her story and the people in charge decided she had done nothing to compromise Konoha's safety, she was free to go. Lady Tsunade and Naruto Uzumaki had been amongst the audience it seemed, and the look on both of their faces told her they believed there was more to her story. They kept it to themselves however, as they greeted her.
"It's nice to see you again, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted for the whole world to hear as he gave her a bear hug.
She giggled. "Thank you Naruto." She bowed to Tsunade. "Shishou."
"Oh cut the crap," Tsunade said and embraced her. "No need to be so formal Sakura."
Naruto chuckled, bouncing up and down. To be fair, he was doing it in the most mature way possible…
"You've already hugged her granny. You were there when they first brought her in, remember?"
"Oh shut up, Naruto!"
They left the Konoha Intelligence Department behind them and Sakura finally started to relax.
"I'm going to go hit the hay," Sakura said, finding an excuse to pry herself free of them for awhile.
"Okay," Naruto said. "But there's going to be a big welcome back party tonight, okay?"
"Where?"
"Hyuuga compound," Tsunade said. "Apparently the Hyuuga heir was very adamant about it. Her persistence is getting as annoying as Naruto's."
Naruto pulled a face at her then winked at Sakura as he walked away. "I'll come get you okay?"
Sakura nodded her head and watched them go. She went home, greeted her parents, who had been angry that they weren't allowed to sit in on her interrogation, being civilian and all, but looked happier to see her than they had, all her life. She assured them she just needed a few hours sleep before the party and trudged up to her room.
'I need to get my own place.'
She was seventeen already, for crying out loud. She sighed, lied down, and got comfortable under the covers.
Sakura rolled over, staring at the blank wall in front of her, thinking of Itachi. Kami, she missed him. He had occasionally left her over the next two months after their first kiss, to keep people from suspecting him, and to figure out where Sasuke was stashing himself these days. Sakura knew he was angry over what had happened to her. He was torn between his desire never to let her out of his sight again and do something about his brother. She knew from her foray into his mind that Sasuke had not turned out like he'd expected. The Uchiha were very good at holding grudges and letting their hatred of others dictate everything they did, and Itachi had overestimated Sasuke's sense of friendship and loyalty. He had thought he would be different from Fugaku.
He had been wrong.
Sakura closed her eyes, remembering the last time she had seen the former Uchiha heir.
X X X
Sakura was well enough to leave him, but she hesitated to pull away. This memory was sad yes, but it had a bitter sweet end that she could never forget. The night before the Konoha tracking unit had found her, Sakura had slept with Itachi Uchiha. Despite the fact that she had to go, and regardless of the repercussions should someone in the leaf find out she had done this, she didn't hesitate.
They had just sparred as a part of her physical recovery and neither of them were talking about the fact that she had been ready for the journey back to Konoha for almost a week. She still felt sore every now and then, annoyed with this slow way of recovering, wondering how ordinary people did it, but was well on her way to recovery. All she needed now was a medical specialist who could help her with her chakra flow problem.
Sakura initiated the kiss, just like the last time, and again he reacted with fervour. But this time, Itachi did not pull away. They both knew they may never get this chance again, and they quickly re-entered the antiquated shack and found the single bed in the side room. It was much smaller than she would've liked, but Sakura had been sleeping on it for more than two months, alongside Itachi. They hadn't done anything more than hold each other and fall asleep together. But this time was different.
Itachi's hands started pulling at the black shirt she had been wearing during their training, lifting it over her head as she shifted underneath him. He broke the kiss to undress her and let her help him pull his own shirt over his head before tugging on his simple dark grey pants. She was on her back, her knees up, and hugging his lean waist, her eyes intense on his. His dark eyes were shining, staring back into hers and she could see only herself in them. This made her smile.
Now entirely free of their offending clothes, they returned to kissing, Itachi's lips warm against hers as he snaked one hand under her back, the other pressed against the bed, supporting him so that he didn't crush her with his body. Sakura moaned into his mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands on his shoulders as his toned chest pressed seductively against her breasts. His mouth moved to her jaw line and she pulled her head back as he licked her skin, making his way to her ear. She mewled appreciatively as he nibbled her earlobe gently; the involuntary shiver one she welcomed wholeheartedly. He was turning her on so easily, and from the feel of the stiffness forming against her lower abdomen, she knew the feeling was mutual.
Itachi found her breasts, licking the areola of her nipples, smirking into her exposed skin as she moaned in pleasure, give him another reason to twitch against her stomach. He was hard now, and aching for release. He focused on the sensations of her breasts in his mouth and she ran her hands through the length of his hair, pulling the tie out and loving the feel of his hair as it fell down, framing them both.
Sakura could barely think, twisting his hair in between her fingers as the arm resting under her back finally moved away. She closed her eyes, the sounds emanating from the both of them like a foghorn in thick fog. His right hand lay flat on her smooth stomach, and then started to trail down to her wet sex. She bit her bottom lip as his fingers caressed her, tantalising her senses as he explored her inner folds. She was so turned on, so wet, and she arched her body, shuddering at the gratification.
"Itachi," she said softly, struggling to breathe. "Itachi please…"
She couldn't get the rest of the sentence out, but he got the hint. His hand moved to her inner thigh and then down and under her arse. He moved his lips back to her mouth, making her eyes snap open and in one swift, fluid movement thrust the length of his erection deep, roughly into her.
Sakura gasped, breaking the kiss and half-screamed at the penetration. She gripped Itachi tighter as he moved above her, his hips sliding down as she pushed hers toward him. The grunt he made only pushed her harder as she moved in time with him. She locked lips with him again, but it wasn't long before her body writhed underneath the Uchiha, pushing her breasts up and against his chest, forcing her head back once more.
She accepted this fate and concentrated on pushing against Itachi as his pelvis slammed down onto hers. She rode out the waves of pleasure, not holding anything back, vocalising her rapture and crying out his name at the same time.
When he started to slow down, she quietened down, enjoying these last moments, one arm wrapping around his neck as she stroked the indent of his spine. He lowered his mouth to the nape of her neck and kissed her softly. They were both so far gone now that he barely managed to warn her before he let loose inside of her. The thick, warm feeling inside her abdomen made her groan as she came at the same time.
Flustered, sweating, and exhausted, they laid still, just holding each other. The after affects kept them quiet as they just enjoyed the moment. It wasn't long before Sakura fell asleep. She didn't feel anything as Itachi pulled away from her and rolled off of her, succumbing to his own exhaustion.
Sakura's eyelids were heavy when she woke the next morning and yawned sleepily, very happy. Itachi was sitting on the edge of the bed, slipping on his open toe sandals, the last of his Anbu clothes to be put back on. He turned his head to look at her as she sat up. The typical Uchiha had an unreadable expression, but as she frowned at him, not remembering for a moment that she was still naked, his eyes trailed over her body and he smirked softly.
"No fair," she said and he chuckled as she held her hands over her breasts.
She stared at him. "You're leaving aren't you, for good this time?"
He nodded silently and Sakura couldn't control the flow of tears as Itachi stood up. He put on his Akatsuki cloak and his expression grew eerily passive. She didn't want to say goodbye. She stood up, dressed half-heartedly, and wiped at the salty tears on her face.
"Come on," he said, and offered her his hand.
She didn't take it, just staring at him.
"If you don't come with me now," he said, "you'll be trapped in here and die of starvation."
His hand remained motionless, but a slight glint appeared in his eyes. "Don't make me use my Sharingan on you Sakura."
She sighed and took his hand. Itachi led her out of the hut and then let go of her hand. She continued to stare at him as he looked around them warily.
"Please don't go," she said so softly that he almost missed what she had said.
Itachi didn't bother trying to explain his actions to her. "This is not up for negotiation, Sakura. I'm going to meet my otouto in our former home. There is a secret passage that only Uchiha know about and negates any Fuuin Jutsu."
She lowered her eyes to her hands. "I don't want you to die."
He smiled down at her, half smirking. "Don't count me out yet."
Sakura snapped her head up to stare into those dark eyes. "W-what?"
"I know Sasuke has to be stopped."
"You're going to kill him?" She didn't think he would go that far.
Itachi lost his smile. "I'm not sure. But I do need to stop him, whatever it takes. He is a monster yes, but a monster of my creation. This is my responsibility alone. If I can stop him without killing him, I will. But I am still uncertain as to who is the stronger of us."
She frowned at him. "But you are the child prodigy. You took out your entire clan, how can Sasuke defeat you unless you wanted him to?"
"He has learnt much in the past three years," he said, without elaborating.
"From that snake, and now Madara. How sure are you that he won't turn up in the middle of it all?"
Itachi lifted her chin slightly, so that she was now looking in his eyes. "Because that was the deal, Sakura. I told him I would only fight him one-on-one."
Before she could question this, he lowered his mouth to hers, pressing her lips softly. The kiss was sweet, but quickly turned into a battle for dominance when she parted her lips to let his tongue into her mouth. She stood up on her tip toes and flung her arms around his neck possessively. Sasuke had already taken so much from her, she was not going to let him take her lover as well. Itachi's hands slid down her shape and gripped her waist, pulling her closer to him; they pressed their bodies together. When his fingers pushed into her ribcage, she winced and pulled away.
"You're still not fully recovered," he noted.
They both knew that he couldn't do anymore about that. She needed a medical nin, and not only that, her chakra was still sealed away. She needed Lady Tsunade's help. She would not beg him to stay, she would not plead again, like that young naïve girl she had been the night Sasuke had left Konoha. She would not confess her love to Itachi if he would not promise to stay. But she knew she didn't need to. Unlike Sasuke, Itachi appreciated her, he saw her and he didn't want her to be anyone other than who she was. And she knew he was in love with her as well.
Resigned, Sakura nodded her head. "I'll go see Tsunade if you promise me something."
Itachi hesitated to make this deal. She licked her lips and stared into his eyes again. "Itachi?"
He nodded, knowing he wasn't getting out of this, chakra fist or not. She smiled slightly at the look on his face. He was trying not to show how much this deal was annoying him.
"Promise me we will meet again."
He knew she was serious. But how could he make a promise like that? He had no idea if he would even live much longer, let alone be able to sneak into Konoha to see her. But he nodded anyway.
"If not in this life, then the next."
He activated his Sharingan and she closed her eyes to the sudden fatigue. He was not giving her any chance to follow him.
X X X
The next day, Sakura was back in the hospital. This time, it was about her chakra points. Then finally, Tsunade had completed her examination and with skill becoming of her reputation, managed to unlock the last of the blocked Sakura's chakra points (Hinata's assistance with the Hyuuga kekkei genkai helped). The pinkette was then released from the hospital with a clean bill of health. The combined interrogation from Ibiki Morino and Inoichi Yamanaka had taken its toll, but she was released without formal charges. After all, she had been tortured and left for dead by Sasuke Uchiha and was not responsible for that, let alone the fact that Itachi Uchiha was the one who had found and helped her.
Tsunade and Naruto had finally wrangled what had really happened between her and Itachi out of Sakura after her welcome home party, with Hinata standing there in equal shock, squeezing Naruto's hand harder than necessary as the pinkette relayed to them the real reason she had not returned to Konoha right away. They wouldn't say anything to anyone, but were not entirely sure what to think. She trusted them more than her own parents, and even Kakashi. He always did follow the rules straighter than any other member of Team Seven.
'Except Sasuke.'
But the Hokage-sama would not bend on the S Rank criminal title for Itachi, and Sakura couldn't blame her shishou for that. However, Lady Tsunade was grateful to the missing-nin for saving her favourite student, she could tell. Still, word of Itachi's involvement in Sakura's recovery was not common knowledge, and Tsunade had ordered her, Naruto and Hinata not to tell anyone else what had really happened.
"The truth will come out one day," she had said, "I promise; just not yet."
Sakura avoided her friends as she was discharged, and made her way toward the Uchiha estate. She had no intention of actually going in, just wanting a glimpse of the place where Itachi had grown up and where he had become the man he was today.
'And where he killed his clan.'
She shivered involuntarily as she stopped at the sealed gates. Years ago, and shortly after several children had gone missing in the estate (probably a dare to enter the place where so many had died), seals were placed over the area to prevent people from entering. Sasuke had not returned there, having joined the foster programme but never being adopted. Just like Naruto, he had no strong adult influence in his formative years, but at least he had the childhood memories.
Sakura touched the seal over the iron gates, feeling the ripple spread through the jutsu and continue out, perhaps along the entire perimeter of the estate. A deep yearning pulled at her. She missed Itachi, the warmth of his embrace, the gentleness of his kiss and the way he was more concerned for her welfare than his own. She closed her eyes, her hand still on the Fuuin Jutsu on the gate. She wondered where her dark angel was now, what he was doing, and if he really was going to kill Sasuke. He had just said he would stop him, but not how.
She did not have any recent memories of his of course, so she wasn't sure what he'd meant by it. But looking back at the sort of person he was and remembering through his eyes the determination with which he would always approach every decision he made, made her worry. He would do whatever he needed to do. It might kill him, but in his mind, it was the only way.
Sakura pulled her hand away from the Fuuin Jutsu and gasped, not bothering to control the flow of tears that erupted from her. She didn't want him to die.
"Sakura."
She spun around at the sound, realising her trip down memory lane had not gone unnoticed. Was it really him? She smiled at the familiar figure kneeling on a branch in a tree eight feet away from her. He had come back home. He had come back to her.
X X X
A/N: Well, what do you think? This pairing has been overpowering my muse so much lately I couldn't focus on my other stories, so hopefully it's satisfied and will leave me alone for awhile… Lotsa love. ^_^