Forever and Always


I want you forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together
Forever and always

-Parachute


December:

Snow falls down the night sky. She waits in the empty park, waiting for him to come. He said he wanted to talk to her. She finds a bench and sits on it, feeling it cool underneath her. She turns her head, searching for him, and glances at her watch. The wind howls and she shivers, pulling her black overcoat closer to her and tucks her white scarf tighter around her neck. She leans back and stares into the night sky.

He approaches her soundlessly, footsteps inaudible. He keeps his breath in even paces, unable to hide them in the air; his breath forms white puffs into the cold air. He nears her and stops, taking in her sweet soothing form. He watches the snow decorate her porcelain skin and her dark overcoat. White flakes land on her pink lashes, some wet her light scarf. He spots a snowflake kissing her lips and walks to her.

He stops in front of her and places a hand on her face, his palm on her cheek. He runs his thumb in a small circle over a patch of her skin, generating heat. She cracks open an eye and grins at him. Her hand reaches up to grasp his wrist. She snuggles into his hand, holding him against her.

"I missed you." She peers up at him, smiling.

"So did I." He takes a seat next to her, body faced towards her. She straightens, sit up straight now.

"What did you want to tell me?" She asks.

"I wanted to tell you..." He stops, hesitating. Normally, he wouldn't hesitate. Normally, he doesn't. When he's with her, he questions himself more.

She smiles. "Go on ahead. I'm listening." She holds his hands in hers and squeezes them in reassurement. She thinks about the first time they met. She didn't even know it was him.

She was trailing after a suspect one night. She could hear her teammates directing her through her earbuds as she stopped behind a corner. She peeked at the open space and spotted the suspect running away; she chased the person, getting caught up in the chase. In the end, she walked right into a trap. Three men against her. She shot one in the foot, one in both his arms. The other one snuck up behind her and headlocked her. She stomped on his foot with all her might, twisting around him while grabbing his arm. He sliced at her arm with a knife and smacked her gun away before she could shoot. She made the mistake of looking for her gun and he kicked her in the stomach. She fell down, shutting her eyes in pain. He scurried to the fallen gun, picked it up and stalked over to her. He raised the gun-ready to kill her- but then, his eyes rolled back and he fell backwards. She got on her two feet, feeling her stomach sore, and heard the suspect's head smack on the concrete floor of the alley. Standing across from her, she saw a cloaked man. He had a hand raised in the air, holding the butt of the gun where the suspect once stood.

Sakura painfully but quickly bent down to cuff the three men's hands and legs. She stood back up, seeing her savior walking out from the alley. "Thank you for saving my life."

"You ought to be more careful next time." He turns around, his back to her, and that's when she notices the red clouds plastered all over his cloak. She clutches her bleeding arm and scrambles back away from him. He's an Akatsuki. She swallows, wondering why her enemy saved her. Before he could disappear into the night, she asks, "Why did you help me? You obviously know who I work for."

He stops, never turning back to look at her. "It's because I know of you that I decided to lend you a hand; it's not because you work for ANBU." He walks out from the alley and she leans against the wall, feeling relieved, confused and intrigued all at the same time. (A/N: end of flashback)

"Sakura, we've been through so much together these past six months," he says. He looks up to the sky, thinking now with a concentrating expression. She stares at his aristocratic face and brushes some of his dark bangs from his face. She runs a hand through his tidy ponytail. It's so soft, his hair. She brushes her cheeks with the tips of his hair. He leans closer to her, wrapping an arm around her small body.

"I love you," he says. He places his chin on the crown of her pink hair. She places a cold hand on his throat and places a kiss on the base of his throat. He sighs in relaxation. This is all he wants, her and him together forever. He fights against the nagging idea that he could lose her anyday. This is the life they live. They put their lives on the line everyday; that's why every moment counts, every second of the day.

He gets up, staring down at her. She remains sitting, surprised and interested.

"Sakura, that night I saved you...it wasn't just because I knew you were my brother's friend. It wasn't because I heard a lot about you. It wasn't because I thought you were weak." His dark eyes pin her down. "I saved you because I wanted to get to know you better; I saved you because I was interested in you. A lot of people talked about this pink-haired newbie who just enrolled into ANBU. I never met you even though I'm technically still in ANBU."

"And you know why I'm dating you, Itachi. I love you. It's not only because you saved me that night, and multiple times, it's because I wanted to know more about you also. And, now, I do know a lot about you." She stands up, dusting the snow off of her. He reaches over and brushes some snow from her rosy hair.

"We've risked so much already; we've dated for six months in secrecy, Sakura. If someone finds out about us, you could be killed, used as hostage, or manipulated just because we're lovers." He looks away, beginning to wonder if he should say what he's about to say, what he wants to say. "...But, I don't care. As long as I'm with you, you're going to remain safe and alive."

"Itachi," she says, softly. She's uncertain of what brought this all on. She lifts a hand, reaching to touch him. He gets onto one knee as snow descends from the sky. She ceases breathing, extremely shocked now. Her hand retreats back to her side now. She stiffens, knowing what might come next.

"Like I said earlier, Sakura, we've already been through so much; we've shared so many good and bad times together and that just proves that we can continue doing this. Everyday, I wake up afraid that you might not be here because of what you- no, we- do. I want to wake up with you next to me. Will you marry me?" he says. He looks up at her. She towers over him.

"Itachi, I…" she starts but stops. Her emerald eyes water. She bites her lips. So many excuses pop into her head. They've only been together for six months. Sasuke hates his brother for betraying ANBU and he already suspects her of communicating with some Akatsuki member; she doesn't want to upset Sasuke. Everybody thinks that Itachi betrayed ANBU, when in reality, he's an undercover agent. No one knows about their relationship, no one but them two. She breathes in silently and shakes her head softly.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. I really am; I still love you though. I-I just think that I'm not ready for marriage yet. Don't take this the wrong way." She watches him stand up, smiling softly. She arches a brow, thinking, he's not mad?

"I had a feeling that you might say that." He stands across from her, a tiny gap between them.

"I'm sorry." She looks at the ground, feeling awkward now. She feels like she just created a giant gap between them. He closes the tiny distance, wraps an arm around her waist, and lifts her face up with a calloused finger. "Why are you being so weird now, huh?" He arches a dark brow.

"I don't know. I just feel like I messed things up for us." She looks up at him with glassy eyes. She blinks and looks away. He sighs and rubs her back. "So emotional, as always. That's why I love you. You don't need to feel guilty, Sakura. There's always next time."

"Next time?" she repeats, hugging him. She rests her head on his solid chest.

He nods. "Yes, next time."

She smiles into his shirt before tiptoeing to press her lips against his.


A/N: Review? Inspired by parachute's forever and always.