Chapter One
"Life is the journey before death." She informed him.
"But life is also a destination itself Sakura." He shot back at her.
"Maybe but right now I can't see any destination for you, except death, if you continue on this journey Itachi." Sakura was almost shouting now.
"Stop trying to manage me Sakura!" Itachi now was shouting. "I have to do this and not you or Naruto or Kakashi, not even Sasuke can stop me!"
"Now you just sound like Sasuke." She whispered, shrinking back from him as he rose to his full height. "I love you Itachi, I can't lose you."
"I'm never sure if it's me you love or the fact that I'm Sasuke's brother." He towered above her looking down at her. She was older than she was when they first meet but she hadn't gained much height in the last ten years.
"I love you Itachi." She said firmly, commanding her voice to be steady even though she was shaking uncontrollably.
He finally gave in, he extended his hand and cupped her cheek pulling her chin up to look into her eyes. He lend down and kissed her gently on the mouth, then her fore head.
"I'm sorry Sakura, but I have to do this. Will you still be here when I get back?" he asked uncertainly, mostly because Sasuke had tried to steal her away from him before, reasons unknown, and had almost succeeded once before Itachi walked in and threw Sasuke up against a wall.
"Of course I will Itachi." She paused before continuing. "I guess it's no use asking if I can come with you huh?" He shook his head, fear suddenly glazing his eyes as he tough of the possible dangers that could befall her if she came. Even if he did survive he could bare anything to happen to her. "And also there no point in me begging you to stay?" Once again he shook his head. "Then I'll just stay here and wait for you."
A smile spread across his thin lips and suddenly he thought of his greatest fear. Sasuke. "Will Sasuke see you while I'm gone? Or Kakashi, or Naruto?" Other men in her life adding to his fear of losing her.
She looked at him warily and carefully choose her answer. "Itachi I have to see them, even if we aren't are team anymore we still do some missions together, and I'm their med-nin. You don't have to worry Itachi, Sasuke knows not to touch me unless in dire need for fear of you, and Naruto is now taken with Hinata, and Kakashi stays with his "Come Come Paradise" novels." A smile played at her lips as she remembered all the time she had seen Kakashi reading one of those books.
Relief poured over Itachi, he kissed Sakura once more and then jumped out the open window landing lightly on the roof of the house next door. He had a mission to complete, and if he did complete it, the result would be safety for Sakura and the child in her belly. His child.