A/N: I don't own Naruto and the show's characters (if I did Sasuke wouldn't be such a moron or he'd already be dead)
Together against the world
The restaurant was full. People's chatter could be heard all around, coming from the fancy decorated tables. Everyone was in high spirits, waiting for the clock to strike midnight, making them pass in a new year. Everyone but a lonely figure near the window was either in couples or with friends.
Although she was alone, nothing seemed to radiate sadness or a wish for company. The woman stood casually with her right elbow on the table, sipping occasionally from a glass full of wine, looking out the window. Her short pink hair was styled in a bun. She was dressed in a short black dress with long sleeves. A pearl necklace adorned her neck and an equally pearl bracelet stood proudly on her wrist. On her feet she had boots.
She was nothing but attractive. However, her blank look made her the type of mysterious person you don't want to know. No one wanted to approach her, not because she had a rejecting aura, but because she seemed so far away that they believed she would ignore them if they tried.
Her green eyes watched the snowflakes as they fell. An ironic smile touched her lips. To everyone she was the Haruno Sakura, one of the greatest medics in the world, Tsunade-sama's apprentice, part of the famous Team Seven. She never had a second of peace and yet, as she sat there, no one came to bother her. She would've celebrated New Year more often had she known she would've been left alone.
Sakura spared a curious glance. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. She wasn't jealous; yes, she craved company, but not theirs. Right now she only wanted one person. It would've been out of sheer luck if he came; she had told no one where she would be.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on him. She opened them. Uchiha Itachi was nothing if not attractive.
She knew his secret but, by then, it meant nothing. Too many people knew of it. She prided herself in being one of the few (maybe the only one) who knew it directly from him.
Sakura had met him two years after Sasuke's depart; she had met him two years before. She had been given a mission by Tsunade-same (who, apparently, had known his secret at the time) to heal him weekly. She had fought tooth and nail against it but, in the end, it had been an order she couldn't ignore. So she had done it.
The first few meetings she had had a very hard time keeping from ripping his head off (not that she could've had actually done it!). Itachi had not seemed to trust her one bit. It had been fine by her; she didn't even trust him as far as she could throw him (which was pretty far).
The ironic smile turned into a soft one as she replayed the tensions from the beginning. She remembered exactly how those tensions dissolved into nothing.
He had been badly hurt from a fight when had come to their weekly meeting. Her medic side had kicked in and she had been adamant he let her heal him. 'He had no chance to begin with' Sakura thought smugly.
From then on, their relationship picked up. They had become closer and closer and, after he had revealed the Uchiha Massacre Secret, they started… dating didn't actually cover the intensity of their relationship. She had come to love him, Sasuke long forgotten. And he had loved her too (she was sure, even though he never had told her) in his own Uchiha way; because, although he didn't agree with all of the ideas of his clan, he was still an Uchiha to the core.
But, alas, all good things must come to an end.
She had found out about is suicidal plan and the fact that he had not wanted to give it up. She had been heartbroken; Sakura still didn't know what had hurt her more: the fact that he hadn't trusted her enough to tell her himself or the fact that he gave her up. They had had a huge fight and he had left; she hadn't seen him after that.
The news of his death a year later were like a strong blow; she couldn't breathe. She had been very upset with him, but she had not wanted him dead! She had loved him! She still did…
And then, he was alive or, rather, he was undead. That troublesome technique has proved to have a good part after all. She could meet him, talk to him… but she didn't dare seek him out.
After the first fight in the war against "Tobi" and Kabuto, he and Sasuke have come back, have come to their side. That didn't mean Sasuke liked them or that he was trusted and welcome with open arms or that Itachi has had immediate access to the council to give advice and information on "Tobi". No, they have not been trusted. Sasuke still wasn't but Itachi, with Naruto's and Tsunade's help, got in quite easily.
The chaos of the war didn't even let Sakura see Itachi very often. She sometimes caught a glimpse of him, but that was it. And then, as she sat alone in a restaurant on New Year's Eve, she realized how much she has missed him. She has had no chance of talking to him yet and she didn't dare make one.
A crowd was gathering in front of the clock. She stood up. The counting would begin soon. She hoped that, during this magical moment, he would come like her dark knight and sweep her off her feet. 'Foolish dreams' she thought bitterly.
10. People said in chorus.
9. She joined them.
8. She resisted the urge to search for him.
7. She forced herself to ignore the feeling that he was close-by.
6. She dared a look around.
5. No one.
4. Her breath got caught in her throat.
3. She prayed he would come.
2. No one.
1. No one.
0. Happy New Year! No one…
She held back the tears. She had known he would not come and yet, she had dared to hope. 'Fool!'
She stood five more minutes in her spot after the crowd dissipated. She turned to leave, her steps slow and small, as if she was walking to a funeral and the prolonged walk would make reality less true. She raised her head and stifled a gasp.
There, at the entrance of the restaurant, he stood, lazily leaning against the wall, looking as good as ever, impassible mask in place. She felt joy engulf her and she relaxed.
She advanced towards him, their talk long overdue. He took her coat and helped her in it. No words were exchanged as they exited the restaurant.
They started walking, close but not touching. Sparks were flying between them with an intensity that made any passer-by who did or didn't know them think they were together. And still they didn't talk.
Thoughts raced through Sakura's mind. Itachi was not talkative so she knew that if she wanted answers she would have to break the ice. But say what?
Itachi beat her to it, though. "You look well. You have grown into a very beautiful young woman, Sakura." he said it as someone would say the sky is blue.
Anger engulfed her in a second and she blew at him all her pent-up frustration. "You look well? That's what you have to say after you left me like that? Do you even know what I've been through all these years? Do you? How can you come and act like nothing ever happened? Like you didn't give up on us, on me?" She took a deep breath to calm herself; crying would not do any good.
They stopped walking and they were both staring at the other, Itachi with his ever-so-calm expression and Sakura red in the face and with teary eyes. They stood in silence for several moments. They had yet to touch.
A strange look flitted through Itachi's eyes and, suddenly, he stepped forward and pulled her in his arms. He didn't say anything, she didn't cry. They just held each other in silence.
A minute passed, an hour, a day, a month, a year…
She didn't know how long they've stood like that but, when they broke away, it still felt too soon. They stared at each other, holding hands.
The physical contact made it real and, although nothing was solved, they felt together against the world again.
They started walking again, hand in hand. They fell into a comfortable silence as they moved forward, to nowhere.
She stopped, turned towards him. Sakura watched as snowflakes fell and got caught in Itachi's hair. The sight made him look so innocent that she had a hard time believing that he was the Itachi Uchiha. He had that odd look in his eyes again and then she thought she could guess what he thought about: everything on her had been a gift from him. The bracelet even had the Uchiha symbol on one of the pearls. She knew the Uchiha genius didn't know what to make of it.
"I missed you" she said softly, truth dripping from every word.
Itachi's eyes widened. She could understand it: she has just finished yelling at him and, after two years, it was hard to believe her feelings hadn't changed. He searched her face, making sure.
She didn't know who started it, but, suddenly, they were kissing like their lives depended on it. It felt like a breath of fresh air. Their lips were moving fast, hard; every emotion they have been bottling up for the past two years suddenly exploded; the tension from the last few days broke through their masks. She thought she saw and heard fireworks.
They broke free. "I love you" Itachi said for the first time ever. It was her turn to search his face, eyes wide. He let her, all of his walls down. She literally jumped on him, kissing him with such a force that they fell in the snow.
They stopped in order to breathe, Sakura still in his lap. They started laughing like kids; they've just discovered their freedom. Sakura admired the sound of his laughter, sound that she had used to hear sometimes. It made her love him even more; she forgot about all her problems and, by the looks of it, Itachi did too.
They stopped and looked at each other, both smiling. "What now?" Itachi asked curiously, as always demanding her opinion. She considered the question carefully.
There was still a war around them. They've solved nothing yet. And still, she felt as if they could do anything, affront anything. The world was once again theirs for the taking; she didn't doubt it one second.
"I love you too," she said. Itachi's eyes were shining softly and she couldn't help but widen her smile at that.
No matter what happened, no matter who tried to stop them, as long as they were together, no one had a chance. They would be together against the whole world if it came to that.