Sakura shut the door behind her with a quiet click. Itachi had only come out of surgery a few hours ago, but she didn't want to risk startling him, so she took slow, deliberate steps, letting her heels click against the floor to alert him of her presence.

"Sakura?" Itachi's voice was hoarse, hardly more than a whisper as she sat down in the chair by his bed, gaze flickering around the setup approvingly. He blinked up at her blearily, pupils dilated and not quite focused on her.

"Hey," she said softly, taking one of his hands and squeezing it gently. "You just came out of surgery. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he mumbled, brow furrowing in consternation. "Everything feels…far away?"

"You're still on a lot of drugs after your surgery," Sakura explained softly, inwardly amused by his talkativeness. "They'll wear off in a few hours, so you can just sleep them off, okay?" She smiled, patting his arm reassuringly and stood up, but Itachi curled his fingers around hers and held on.

"No, wait," he protested, words slightly slurred. "Don't leave."

Caught off guard, Sakura sat back down and smiled ruefully at his clinginess. "Okay."

She waited for Itachi to say something else, but there was only silence; despite his apparent drowsiness, he continued to stare at her guilelessly. After a few moments of his careful scrutiny, Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ears self-consciously. "Is something wrong?"

Itachi blinked at her. "Your hair is beautiful," he said earnestly, his expression so serious she had to hide a smile. "The colour of your hair is very unique. It is…" He hesitated, visibly struggling to find the words to express himself. "…fascinating. Your hair fascinates me, Sakura. It is truly incredible."

"Ah, thanks, Itachi," Sakura said, just a touch wryly. His words were sweet, but she was more impressed by his ability to say that all with a straight face. She'd had no idea that Itachi had liked her hair that much until now. "You should probably sleep."

"Alright," he agreed mildly, giving her one last look as if to memorise her appearance before letting his eyes fall shut.

Sakura smiled fondly at him and leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. "Sleep well, Itachi," she whispered, brushing a few strands of hair away from his face.

Itachi caught her hand loosely as she stood and turned to leave. "Sakura…"

She glanced back at him. "Yes?"

"I hope our children have your hair," he said softly, and uncurled his fingers from hers. "Goodnight, Sakura."