Hey all.. I'm finally back to the world of the living..!

Gwarrr, I've been gone too long, huh? Sorry. Hope this makes up for me being lame.

I give to youuuu, a one-shot in which Itachi does not die.

Well he does eventually, everyone dies, but god, not by the hands of Sasuke. I'd kill myself if I died like that. ..anyway. I've started this thing.. and when I say 'thing' I hope it means I'll actually continue it and not disappear for like three years.. but yeah, music is a big thing for me, so when I hear a song that I like, and there's some interesting lyrics in it, I use them to fuel the fire of my inspiration. Well, that sounded pretty smart, even for me.

Kudos goes to the first person to find out what song the first sentence is from. Enjoy!

Wayward

"When I'm naked, I want you there."

Oh.. Really?

The confession, she admitted, had surprised her more than she thought it would.

She'd seen the glances, the long looks, the hard stares and the jealous gaze that followed every other man in the sub-level base that would approach her. Oh yes, she knew that look.

It's the same I used to give his brother, she laughed silently.

Haruno Sakura had been here a total of three months, and six days. She'd forgotten the hours, minutes and seconds, mostly because she didn't want to seem like a nerd, even if it was only in her own head. Shaking said head as if to clear her thoughts, she turned towards her admirer.

"So what is your answer?" he asked, though no emotion crossed his face. Now that, would have surprised her.

He could've been asking her what she wanted for dinner, what her favorite color was, or if she would be needing new clothes after fighting with Hidan, who just loved getting his own blood onto her uniform.

Said it looked 'fucking sexxxxxyy!', apparently. She didn't think so. She thought it was just another excuse to see her strip down to next to nothing so she wouldn't 'track blood into the house', as Deidara had so nicely put it.

She blinked.

"Ah.. You're very straight forward, Itachi-san. I don't know what to say.." she stalled, she had to. Engaging in a relationship with an enemy? That was like, shinobi rule number.. rule number..

Well, whatever stupid rule it was, it was still a rule, and she probably shouldn't be breaking it.

Probably.

Plus whatever baggage comes from engaging in a relationship with an ex-teammate's brother.. Sakura sighed. As if life wasn't hard enough, feelings and relationships and shit like that, just had to get in the way of her primary way of living. Shinobi should really just evolve to having hearts made of stone.

Itachi could sense that she was thinking with herself again, and he stood by quietly. That trait she had, among others, had attracted him to her in the first place. Her mind was beautiful, just like how one might imagine it would be. When he had seen her those three, short months ago, he'd been ordered to use the mangekyo to look into the young woman's mind. Leader had wanted to know if he could really trust her. She seemed so innocent and un-shinobi like, her reasons for joining the Akatsuki having been simple.

Sakura would heal Itachi's eyes, completely, if they would put off their capture of the Kyuubi until the other jinchuuriki had been defeated. She wasn't stupid, she knew that they would eventually try to catch Naruto, but at least this gave them all time. And time was the most important thing right now. She hadn't told them the last bit, though.

But when asked why she would be willing to help one of their own, she gladly explained.

"One of my former teammates has some issues with him," Sakura waved it off, "he wouldn't like it if Itachi wasn't at his best, while fighting him."

Actually, she had no idea how Sasuke would feel, but that worked with her story.

Itachi remembered smirking, but no one had noticed because of the dark cave that they usually conducted their 'ultra super secret meetings' in.

Looking at her with a blank face now, he noticed she had stopped fidgeting.

"Sakura-san, I understand if this is difficult for you," he began, his voice smooth despite not using it very often, "but I would like an answer soon." He stared at the wall, her eyes becoming to much for him.

Her first reaction was anger, that famous temper rearing it's ugly head. But looking at him, she noticed his eyes, no longer looking at her.

A sign he was nervous.

The once dark, deep maroon color gone from them, now a solid coal black in their place, staring straight ahead.

Another sign, he trusted her enough to turn off the pinwheels.

And if she looked down slightly, she could see the clenching of his fingers, not quite forming a fist, but still appearing agitated.

Sign number three, he was anxious, not bored or uncaring, or even unfeeling. He was waiting for an answer.

If she could feel his pulse right now, she'd bet it wouldn't be the norm. Moving forward and reaching up, she tested her theory by placing her hand on his shoulder. He shifted his eyes quickly to her arm, and then let them rest on her face. Her jade, no, lighter than jade, eyes stared into his own, and he did not feel threatened. How could he with her? She ghosted over his three-ringed necklace, and softly placed her hand onto his uncovered neck. He still stared, trusting her, and surprising the both of them.

Bump. Buh-bump bump buh-bump.

There we go.. Sakura smiled. It wasn't a normal beat, she had been right, he was pretty nervous, but it still wasn't the right tempo she was looking for.

She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, underneath his pin-straight ponytail, and gave him a long stare.

Itachi's left eyebrow twitched, but his facial expression hadn't changed. How disappointing. She'd have to change that. She sighed quietly, closing her eyes.

Sakura tugged his neck downwards, and leaning on her toes, pressed her mouth to his. He closed his eyes, moving his arms to surround her small shoulders. Really, how could this little thing be a kunoichi? So small..

Sakura pulled him in more, running her tongue along his bottom lip, opting for showing him her answer, instead of simply talking to him. Talking took too much time, she decided. He responded equally, sliding his hands down to her lithe waist, and squeezing slightly. She hummed appreciatively, smiling into the kiss. She began rubbing her fingers into the back of his neck, a place she knew the muscles would be tense and restricted.

Itachi groaned into the kiss, pulling her closer. Sadly, they both needed air and released the other's mouths. Sakura panted slightly, looking up at probably the most unlikely guy she could've ended up with.

Well no, Tobi is still alive, afterall. She smiled at him. He managed to smirk at her. It was enough.

"So, this whole naked thing.. do you mean everytime you're undressed, or..?" she let the sentence hang, still rubbing circles into the back of his neck. The left corner of his mouth lifted into another smirk, and she couldn't help but stare.

"I mean every single time."