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Dedicated to amaterasu018.
A/N: in this story, Itachi is only three years older than Sasuke.
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He saw her, but it wasn't enough.
When he was younger, about fifteen years old, he used to train a lot. Well, he still did. But when he was younger, he often saw his brother's teammates while training.
There was a loud blond, the Kyuubi boy. He was quite a mystery in the beginning, but Itachi had soon found out that he had the biggest heart on the planet and was very dedicated. The Uchiha had soon come to respect him.
Then there was a shy girl with strange pink hair. She was cute and struggled to always be at the same level as her teammates. However, what caught Itachi's attention was that she never gave up, and the blond boy – Naruto – always encouraged her.
The girl seemed to have a crush on Sasuke. But his little brother didn't have time to waste with females. He wanted to become as strong as Itachi, or at least as his father Fugaku. Therefore, he was often rude towards the girl with pink hair.
Itachi, even if he had no idea why, didn't like his brother's behaviour.
He noticed her, but it wasn't enough.
Some years later, a few things had changed.
One afternoon, Itachi had just come home from a difficult mission and was alone. Someone knocked on the door.
It was the girl with pink hair. She blushed a little and asked politely if Sasuke was there. Itachi explained he had gone to help his mother with some commissions and, ever the gentleman, offered her a cup of tea. After a little resistance, since she was afraid to bother him, she had relented, and Itachi had spent a delightful hour with the nice girl, whose name he discovered was Sakura.
He was surprised to find out that her conversation was intelligent and intriguing. He could see that she was a little in awe of him – she must have known about him, being Sasuke's teammate – but she tried and succeeded in treating him like she treated everyone else: with kindness and respect.
Itachi also noticed that she seemed to be over her crush on Sasuke. She didn't mention him at all, only explained that she had come because the Hokage wanted to see him.
Itachi wondered what her relationship with the Hokage was, but he was way too polite to ask such a rude question.
When Sakura was about to leave, Itachi showed her to the door and gave her some cookies he and his mother always kept ready for guests. He was quite a good cook himself, and had seen that Sakura enjoyed the biscuits with her tea.
She looked at him directly to thank him, and since they were both standing, they were nearer than they had ever been. And Itachi was suddenly very aware of their proximity when, for the first time, he noticed her eyes.
They were emerald green, incredibly full of emotions and warmth.
Itachi was so amazed by her beautiful eyes that he didn't notice that she was completely mesmerized by his, too.
He liked her, but it wasn't enough.
Only a few weeks later, she came again. This time, she needed to give something to his mother. Mikoto wasn't there, she had gone grocery shopping. Itachi had just returned and was bandaging a few cuts he had received, preparing to leave for yet another mission.
Sakura had seen him and had asked if he needed help. By then, he was aware of her status as Hokage's apprentice and accomplished medic. She had really become someone. He thanked her and accepted; he wasn't proud enough to turn down a skilled and reliable medic when she offered her services.
While she healed his minor injuries and reminded him to go to the hospital after every mission, he observed her. She was really growing into a beautiful woman.
When she finished, she stood up and was about to leave, when Itachi grabbed her arm gently, spun her around and gave her a light but heartfelt kiss on the lips.
"Thank you, Sakura," he whispered, before disappearing to go on his mission.
He cared about her, but it wasn't enough.
They hadn't talked after Itachi's kiss. They had been too busy.
A few days later, Sakura was exhausted. She had just finished a 36-hours non-stop shift, plus two surgeries. She was barely standing. And, to make things even worse, there was a shinobi she had healed who was trying to get her to agree to go on a date with him.
Sakura didn't have the energy to discuss anything in that moment. But the fellow shinobi didn't seem to care about it. He kept insisting and trying to persuade her, and she didn't know what to do, because she was really too tired to even get angry.
She began to walk towards the exit of the hospital, with the shinobi right behind, who was still talking.
Another sudden wave of exhaustion hit her, and she was about to collapse, when a pair of strong arms enveloped her and easily picked her up bridal-style.
Sakura didn't know how or why, but she had a hunch about who had caught her, and it certainly wasn't the shinobi who had been pestering her for the last half an hour.
And indeed…
"I apologize for the interruption, but I'm afraid Sakura will have to come with me. She has to rest. And if you wish to ask her on a date, please do so when she'll be feeling better," a deep, smooth voice said.
Sakura opened her eyes only to see Itachi, who brought her directly to her apartment. He prepared her a quick meal and made her eat, and then ordered her – albeit gently – to go to sleep.
He was there for her, but it wasn't enough.
When Sakura woke up, many hours later, she found out that Itachi was still there.
He had made her breakfast.
A warm feeling enveloped her. Itachi was in her house and had taken care of her. As if she was family.
He gently scolded her a little for overworking herself, and then proceeded to give her breakfast, eating with her at her invitation.
They sat in comfortable silence until she asked, "Itachi, why didn't you tell that man off yesterday?"
He raised an eyebrow. "He was indeed being rude, annoying you while you were exhausted, but I have no right to tell people to stay away from you. I wouldn't be happy at all, of course, if you did date him," he admitted, with no trace of shame, "but the decision is yours to make. I just made sure he would ask at a better moment."
Sakura was quiet for a while, so he added, "I hope I didn't displease you, Sakura."
She shook her head quickly. "Of course you didn't! In fact, your behaviour was very nice and considerate… but please tell me something."
Itachi merely looked at her, with a small nod of his head.
She took a deep breath. "Would… would you be angry if I told you that I don't want to date him but you instead?" She quickly averted her eyes, her cheeks getting a lovely pink.
Itachi froze for an instant. Then he smiled a little. "No, Sakura, I wouldn't be angry. Quite the opposite, actually."
And he was by her side in a second, sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her like there was no tomorrow.
He loved her. And maybe it was enough.
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A/N: I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading :-)
KitsuneMiyuKendraHyuga