Crimson Genii
2. - Meeting an Ex
-X-
Sakura kept repeating herself that she wasn't jealous.
She was not jealous!
But she couldn't deny that a sharp, unpleasant chill went down her spine when she opened the door of the room and saw Inuzuka Hana arranging the pillow behind Itachi's back.
Plastering a little smile on her face, she walked decisively towards Shisui's bed and performed her scheduled check-up, while her blood was slowly starting to boil.
"Ne, Sakura-chan, are you alright?"
Blinking, she looked up to see Shisui's dark eyes filled with concern.
"Of course," she said hastily, not paying attention to how the Inuzuka kunoichi sat next to her patient, her sharp eyes intent on him. "Are you in pain anywhere?"
"No, I think I'm starting to regain my strength," he responded honestly.
"Good. I'll leave you to keep resting. I wish all my patients were as sincere as you, Shisui-san," she remarked airily while she leaned on the monitor that showed Itachi's condition. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned her back and started to scribble nonsense on his chart. It was a good thing that she was the only one that handled the Uchiha ninja cases; otherwise it would have been really embarrassing to explain to Tsunade how all the files were filled with gibberish. "There, all set. How are you feeling, Itachi-san?"
He kept silent until she turned around to regard the wound in his stomach. "A little better now. Thank you."
Clipped answers were all she got when others were around, but the sudden, slight warming of his eyes told her that her fears and obvious anger were unfounded.
She cleared her throat to avoid the sudden urge to blush, and was going to say something else when a sharp knock on the door made her look up.
"Sakura-nee!" sounded her new apprentice voice, Hanabi, as she opened the door and bowed quickly. "The other ANBU team came back, the Captain is badly wounded!"
"Ah sh... how bad it is, Hanabi?" Sakura asked, walking to the little sink and washing her hands. Hanabi looked at Hana for a moment and gritted her teeth.
"Nine on the gravity scale."
"Goddammit," Sakura let out in a hiss, making both Uchiha lift nonplussed brows. "Call for the Blue Code, Hanabi, fetch Shizune and let her know we're performing an A-Class healing! Go!"
Hanabi fled, and Hana stood. "Sakura-chan, is that my brother's team?"
"I'm sorry, Hana-san, that information is classified," she said as she started to gather her short pink hair in a high ponytail, like the one Shisui liked to sport on his own head. "But I'll let you know later."
As Sakura flashed a reassuring smile at the Inuzuka and dashed out of the room, Hana sat with a heavy sigh.
"Everything will be okay, Hana," Shisui murmured. "She's the best after Tsunade-sama."
"I'm not worried about my brother, you know," she explained, throwing a surreptitious glance towards the other Uchiha, who still had his eyes on the closed door. "I know he'll be fine. His Captain is Hyuuga Neji, after all."
"Ah, the Hyuuga genius?" Shisui prodded. "I haven't had the opportunity to work with him yet."
"He's... really good," Hana said, her lips curving in a little, devious smile. "He was quite taken with Sakura-chan after she saved his uncle from some awful poison. Sometimes I thought they were secretly seeing each other, as she always likes to tease the poor man when he lands his ass here."
Apparently, Shisui was following her train of thought, watching Itachi's shoulders stiffening just slightly. Being the Weasel ANBU Captain's best friend, Shisui knew exactly what his cousin had concluded without even having to look at his eyes.
Of course Shisui knew about Itachi and Sakura's secret. In fact, he welcomed the fact that his cold, detached cousin wasn't that cold when the pink-haired medic was around. They must have seeing each other from quite some time, because her blushes were less and less noticeable when she was confronted by the Uchiha Heir.
And naturally, he had confided his own significant other, Inuzuka Hana, about his cousin's little escapades with the beautiful and ill-tempered Hokage's Apprentice. That was why she was pulling the jealous card, by fussing around Itachi when she felt her approaching to the room.
However, the ANBU emergency proved them that Itachi wasn't just above feeling a tad bit possessive when it came to the petite green-eyed kunoichi.
"How long, Shisui?"
Ah, the question he had been expecting for quite a while but Itachi hadn't voiced it because of Hana's presence. Itachi was very perceptive, so he must have seen how he had traded covert glances with Hana just before Sakura's entrance.
"Around mid-spring, at her birthday party," he responded easily. Itachi had always welcomed honesty and truthfulness, so he humored his cousin's demand... for now.
"I am sure you two had been having the time of your life by mocking her feelings."
"Oi, Itachi, that's not true!" Hana snapped, looking quite offended. "It wasn't my intention to hurt her... or you, for that matter."
"Then I will appreciate your discretion and input in her current assignment, Hana."
Said Canine Master grinned brightly, showing her elongated fangs. "Oh, Kami. Men are so basic," she intoned lightly before standing and walking calmly towards the door. "And for your information, my dear cousin, Neji is currently seeing one of Sakura's colleagues, a sweet girl named Yuuki."
Itachi's activated Sharingan was all the answer she got when he realized he had been manipulated by his cousin and his girlfriend. Laughing derisively, Hana exited the room.
A little while of silence and then...
"Are you sure, Itachi? The Clan Elders are not going to like this."
Said male lifted his head and stared at his best friend with the very same steely determination that he saw on missions, if not more.
"Positive. I will handle the Clan Elders by myself."
Shisui smirked mischievously.
"Holler if you need help, buddy."
Itachi's mouth lifted minutely. "Aa."
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- Tenna' ento lye omenta -
-XxX-
AN: This shot collection had been so much fun to write! I want to think that Itachi had been so preoccupied to keep a cool façade for everybody that he overlooked the one he trusted the most: Shisui. Hence, the slight OOC-ness about Itachi being fooled by his cousin (whose personality is a bit like Obito's) and the Inuzuka Heiress. And my dear Shisui is quite the gossip-monger, don't you think? XD
Again, I'd like to thanks to my lovely RapturesRevenge for her kindness in betaing this collection. Non-massacre universe, woohoo!. :D