D: I don't own Naruto.

Mikoto watched the tired kunoichi eating at the table. Again she had come home late and looking exhausted. The older woman loved the girl as her own that's why she was worried. The kunoichi pushed herself to her limits, most of the times she came back home half death and that was whenever she actually came home.

"Have you thought about taking some days off Sakura?"

"Mikoto san I can't. There's too much work at the hospital and in ANBU."

"Itachi says the same thing" giggled the older woman.

"Please excuse me, I should sleep before Tsunade shisou summons me." Sakura turned to walk away.

"Sakura chan!" Naruto was ready to jump her but Sasuke held him in place.

"Sakura chan good night" he greeted her studying her closely. She looked so beautiful but terribly tired.

"Good night Sasuke and Naruto" Sakura went to her room not really wanting to speak to them. She had grown with one of them but now as years had gone by she felt like a stranger.

She had a shower before going to bed. She never really decorated her room when she moved to live with the Uchiha so Mikoto ordered some cherry blossoms to be painted at her white wall. Her bed spread was also white. The kunoichi would never admitted it at loud but she loved the combination of white and pink. It gave her calmness.

She fell on a light sleep with her soft breathing being the only sound coming out of the room. At least while she slept she could forget everything that was so painful to her. It was such a shame she had little time to lay on her bed.

As the door opened she jumped out of bed ready to face whoever disrupted her rest. "Sakura chan I'm sorry to wake you up" it was the sweet voice of Mikoto. "There's an ANBU looking for you, he says it's urgent." Sakura rushed to the bathroom and got change in a minute, she wore her ANBU outfit. Then she was on her way to the Hokage tower along Sasuke.

"Sakura I need you to travel with Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi to the western border of the Fire Country. There's an ANBU team that's badly injured. They have a man with them who they are supposed to protect and bring safely to Konoha. They are hiding in one of the caves there. Kakashi will lead you. You must hurry, in the note said it was an emergency. Your mission Sakura is to heal them and make sure they arrive back in Konoha alive. Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto your mission is to protect Sakura, the ANBU Team and their chart. Leave immediately, you are dismissed." Sakura had an emergency bag at the tower with medic supplies and everything she could need for missions. She picked it up and they all disappeared.

They traveled without rest for a whole day putting chakra on their feet. Sakura was careful with her energy, she couldn't waist a bit of it if she was going to cure the injured team, besides she didn't really know how bad their injuries were.

Kakashi had more experience than any of them on missions. He knew the Fire Country excellently. He led them through the faster routes.

Sakura had been trying to convince Tsunade to train more medics to have at least one per ANBU team for a while. Maybe after this, her sensei would reconsider her proposition. The missions ANBU team went on were the hardest and most dangerous the village had.

When the team got to the border, they began looking for clues of the whereabouts of the team. Sakura was over a tree when a kunai passed beside her. She used her own weapon to change its direction.

"Leave" she heard a voice she knew. At first she was happy they had found the team, then her senses became even more alert.

"Shisui san" Sakura said knowing he was part of team one, in other words, Itachi was there. She felt a complete feeling of worry invaded her.

"You know me?" the Uchiha asked. Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi stood behind her. Shisui recognized his cousin's mask, then he guessed who the other two males were but the medic he didn't know.

"We're your back up from Konoha" she informed the shinobi.

"Take us with your team" the kunoichi ordered. Shisui didn't waste any time. The team was hidden farther from where they had found the shinobi. Behind her mask Sakura couldn't help begging Itachi was fine.

In the cave they found Asuma with some scratches, their chart (a middle age man, an important merchant of Konoha) with some scratches too and Itachi with terrible wounds all over his body.

Sakura jumped to his side immediately (her heart bit fast inside her chest) and began with her work in a hurry. "Bring me water and set a fire." She ordered before ripping his already torn clothes off looking for the source of the bleeding. One was on his back and the other was on his thigh. Sakura worked thoroughly, she needed to do this better than any job she had done before. She had to save Itachi.

Naruto went for water and Sasuke for some wood to do the fire. Kakashi left the cave to set some traps and to keep watch. The others kept quiet as the medic worked. Itachi had risk his life for theirs.

Sakura was sweating, she had to do a surgery there in the middle of the forest to the man she most dearly cared about. She wanted to shout but had to keep her energy for this procedure, besides her concentration had to stay on what she was working on. She spent several hours working on him, not moving away from his side until she had stopped the bleeding and was sure that everything was back in order. She used the bands in her backpack to finish and found clean clothes in his bag.

She fell back breathing hard. After some seconds she stood up in front of Asuma, Shisui and the merchant. The medic checked each one of them to see if they had any serious injuries and found nothing. Her chakra had gone to its limits so she had to rest before taking care of their scratches and she had to have some chakra in case something happened with Itachi.

She walked back towards Itachi's body. Sakura rested against the cave's wall closer to the Uchiha and let her body fall down. She closed her eyes, not falling asleep just resting silently. A while back she had learnt to connect her chakra to her patient's so she would know when they woke up, as she used this technic on Itachi she felt something hard hit her. A moan scaped her lips calling everyone's attention.

"Is something wrong ANBU san?" Shisui knelt down in front of her.

"I'm fine" she lied keeping her expression straight behind her mask. She was feeling something odd inside her body. She had never felt before something like this, it was as if the connection had been tighter. Sakura thought it had something to do with her tired state and lack of chakra.

Sasuke and Naruto had cooked some ramen for everyone to eat. Then they had all gone to sleep.

Sakura hadn't been able to sleep much, she was too worried for the older Uchiha. She opened her eyes to see if he wasn't bleeding again. Then she found herself observing his face and lips. "What am I doing?" she thought angrily.

Her thoughts were stopped by a grunt coming out of the man's lips and the chakra connection alerted her. "Itachi sama?" she called him softly.

"My team?" he whispered in a raspy voice. Sakura took her water bottle and helped him drink slowly.

"They are fine, you don't have to worry" she spoke softly. "Now you need to rest, as soon as you have gain back some of your strength we'll head back to Konoha."

"We don't need to wait" Sakura had forgotten how stubborn the Uchihas were.

"As your medic I'll say when you are ready." His expression didn't give anything away but he didn't argue. Itachi could easily tell this woman wasn't going to give up. He thought she was familiar to him but he didn't know who she was.

Early in the morning Sakura checked him. They couldn't stay much time where they were. There were dangers around the forest. The kunoichi pushed some of her chakra inside Itachi's to give him some strength. Her energy had felt warm inside his body. She also took care of the scratches everybody else had.

"Shisui san and I will help you travel" explained the kunoichi as she finished packing her bag.

"I don't need help" he contradicted her.

"I wasn't asking" she spoke sweetly.

"Aniki you shouldn't argue with her" smirked Sasuke.

"Nh" was the only thing Itachi said.

They began their trip moving as fast as possible. Itachi didn't let his weakness slow the trip down. Sakura stayed by his side the whole time.

When they arrived to Konoha, Sakura ordered Sasuke and Naruto to help take Itachi to the hospital while Kakashi, Shisui, Genma and the merchant went to the Hokage Tower.

In the hospital she ordered Itachi to be put in a private room. Shizune found them in the hall.

"I'm glad your back from your mission there's so much work around here, the ANBU HQ and the Hokage Tower. What patient were you going to see?" Sakura knew there was no way she was going back to bed in that moment.

"Uchiha Itachi"

"Tell me what's wrong with him." Sakura explained how she had found him and what she had done. "I'll take care of him. Go to the ANBU HQ and deal with the paperwork there please" Sakura nodded. "When you are finished, go home and take a rest."

"Sasuke and Naruto wait for Itachi, take him home as soon as Shizune is finish. He must stay in Konoha for at least a week of rest, no missions" Sakura ordered knowing that the older Uchiha would want to go back to service immediately. The medic left the building fast knowing it would be a long night for her.

Paperwork from ANBU missions had to stay confidential so it had to stay in the ANBU HQ. Tsunade would handle all other matters in the Hokage Tower and ANBU matters in Headquarters. The Hokage already had too much work at the Tower not only dealing with mission reports but everything else that had to do with the village so most of the times Sakura and Shizune had to help her deal with all the paperwork and the Hospital. That night would be another sleepless night for the pink haired medic, she had had many of those before. At least she had comfier clothes to change herself in at her office than her dirty ANBU uniform.

Sakura walked into the Uchiha Compound early in the morning. She had a major headache. At least she had finished all the belated work. The little light in the streets hurt her eyes. She really needed to get to her bed and sleep.

The kunoichi walked slowly inside the enormous property. She remembered how much she had loved to spend time there with Itachi and Sasuke since she was just a child. Then many things happened that changed her life and she couldn't take out of her head the idea of moving out to have a space of her own. She wouldn't actually spend much time there but at least she wouldn't have to worry about keeping distance between herself and the infamous Uchiha Itachi.

The garden was divided in different areas. Mikoto had made sure the first part looked beautiful with fruit trees, bushes and flowers. There was a second garden at the western part of the house that was really big and the Uchihas used it for training. The eastern part of the house was Sakura's favourite, it was full of cherry blossom trees. When they bloomed, Sakura would love to spend time there working on jutsus, studying from her books or just reading.

Now she didn't have to pass the main part of the house because she knew Mikoto would make her sit down to eat and she didn't have energy enough to lift the chopsticks towards her mouth and less to chew the food, swallowing was out of the question. Her whole body hurt that much.

Sakura took the eastern garden because there was an entry to the part of the house where her room was. It would be easier to avoid Mikoto or at least she hoped it would be. The Uchiha matriarch was very smart when she wanted to catch one of her children. Sakura knew that fact first hand.

The teen thought she had done her work well when she came face to face with two shinobi she wanted nothing to do with in that precise moment or any other for that matter.

"Wow Sakura chan, is that you?" smirked Shisui checking her out. Itachi stood there watching her too. She felt uncomfortable, yet she didn't show it.

"Good morning Shisui san, Itachi sama. Yes, it's me" The ANBU Captain didn't know how to take it. The last time he had noticed, Sakura called him Itachi kun. Why was she being so cold with him? He didn't like it one bit. "I´m on my way to my room so if you want the training grounds it won't be a problem" she moved to the side ready to continue walking.

"You don't have to leave Sakura, you can train with us" Itachi was gently touching her arm. Sakura wasn't sure how to react. She felt chills running up and down her body. Itachi felt something too, the same emotion that ran through his body whenever he touched her, even when they were children. She was the only one that made him feel that way.

"Yeah, it's been a while Sakura chan" Shisui wanted her there too. As children he had loved to entertain her.

"I see the rumours are true, little Sakura isn't so little any more" smirked Genma who had just arrived to train with his team. Itachi had let go of her arm. "Tsunade asked me to give you this" he handle her a scroll. Sakura read it in silence and her body tense. She thought Shizune would deal with this situation.

"Will you train with us Sakura chan?" asked Shisui.

"I…" she looked at the scroll again. Tsunade would always find a way to give her extra work even as she was supposedly finished with her duties. "I… you…"

"Itachi kun!" a woman jumped on him wanting to hug the ANBU and he just gave a step to the side.

"Nanao what are you doing here?" Itachi asked with indifference.

"I just came back from my mission. I heard some nurses in the Hospital saying that you had been hurt so I came to visit you my love" Sakura felt hurt at the sight of that woman and all the heaviness her body had before, hit her full force.

"I'm fine…"

"I should leave, I really need to go to my room. I'll see you later" Sakura walked towards the house trying to avoid shaking in front of them.

When Mikoto had figured out she was home, had immediately sent someone for her to bring her down to eat. Her sleeping hours were cut to one. So after having a warm meal, a shower and a change of clothes she had other things to do.

Sakura had many books opened around her on the floor. The notebook on her hand had many written notes from what she had been reading.

She had been working on her medic technics and her fighting abilities. She liked to keep herself busy, that way she avoided thinking in the man whose room was next to hers.

Who was she trying to fool? She hadn't stop thinking about him. She couldn't especially when Tsunade had given her another assignment concerning him.

She stood up leaving her books on the floor. Sakura left her room and knocked on his door.

"Come in" she heard his masculine voice. She gulped before obeying.

He was writing on a scroll "Itachi sama I'm sorry to interrupt but I must check you."

"Check me?" he had a raised eyebrow.

"That's a medic's job" she said in rather obvious tone.

"Yes" he answered in his neutral voice. She couldn't expect him to care. He had Nanao, he had to be busy with everything concerning her. Why was she torturing herself with those thoughts?

"Tsunade sama wants me to report if your injuries have improved. Will you let me check you?" he nodded. "Please take off your shirt and pants" she ordered. Itachi did as told. Sakura had to use all the strength she had gathered as a kunoichi not to blush, after all she was still a young teenager and he was one of the most handsome man in Konoha. His body had muscles well marked from all the shinobi training and the way his black boxers fitted him sent a feeling inside her she hadn't felt before. Now that she thought about it, at the cave for the darkness and the urgency of the situation she hadn't had time to really see him but now being alone and she having to check things were going fine with him she could take her time.

She focused on the string of chakra she had put on him going back to her medic mode. It moved inside his body telling her where she had to work some more. "Please sit straight" she asked him. Itachi obeyed without saying anything. The medic pushed some of her chakra inside his body. It felt warm inside his body and left a sensation he couldn't quite place. He liked it. "Lie down" she ordered and went to work on his leg. His body was really strong, he was healing better than most shinobi she had treated before. She took some more minutes letting her chakra run through his body to help the healing process.

"You can put your clothes on" she turned around to give him some privacy. "You are healing fast. I think you will just need one more session with me. You still have to rest for the whole week, so no missions. I'll go speak with Tsunade sama later today."

"I'm done, thank you" he told her watching her deeply.

"You're welcome" she opened the door ready to leave and found Shisui there.

"Did I come in a bad moment?" smirked Shisui. The headache was back and she just wanted to sleep, maybe this time they wouldn't wake her up until she had recover her strength.

"I was just checking Itachi sama's injuries. He's doing much better" she informed the nosy cousin.

"I can't believe you. You two were alone in this room and didn't play naughty?"

"Shisui what do you want?" asked Itachi in a bored tone.

"Excuse me" Sakura left his room fast to go back to her own.

She wrote her observations on the scroll Tsunade had sent her and went to bed. Her eyes closed as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Sakura chan!" she moaned at the knocking at her door. It was unfair not being able to regain her sleep. All ninjas got enough time to recover from missions. It seemed that being Tsunade's apprentice didn't help her situation, instead it made it worse.

She walked groggily to open the door. "Shisui san I'm too tired to deal with whatever you have in mind."

"Itachi opened his leg's wound, he's in the training area." Sakura was alert in seconds. She ran towards the western side of the house to find the great ANBU Captain bleeding badly and with a kunai buried in. She tore that side of his pants to see the wound better. She focused her energy on his leg making sure the skin closed.

"Shisui san there's a bag on the desk in my room, bring it to me" she ordered. The other Uchiha went running to get what she had asked him.

"I told you to be careful and rest. What were you doing?" she asked angrily.

"Training" he stated simply.

"Do you think you're my only patient? Next time you disobey my orders I'll order for you to be kept in the hospital until I consider you're ready to go back to service" she threatened in a low, dangerous voice.

The little girl he had known would never have spoken to him in such a way. He couldn't understand why she had changed so much towards him. He had to figure out why this change happened.

Shisui got there with the bag. Sakura took out bends and an ointment. She rubbed the ointment on his skin carefully, it felt like a soft caress. Then she rapped the bends against his leg.

"Right now I can't do anything more for you" she stood up and her body stumbled slightly. Itachi stood up fast to hold her.

"You're forbidden to do any rough movements for at least five days" she pushed him away from her. She didn't need anyone to hold her or do anything for her, especially not him. She had been strong enough to bring herself to where she was and wasn't going to start depending on anyone now. "Besides he has Nanao" she remind herself.

Sakura walked away feeling dizzy with every step she took yet she would never let herself be weak. She barely got to her room before collapsing.

I hope you like it, please review. Thank you for reading.