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Great thanks to 'YolandaFriella' who beta-ed this chapter. You're amazing, really.
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Itachi arrived unnoticed at the place of his destination about ten minutes later. Not even the estate-guards noticed his arrival. He padded softly, with bare feet, to his mother's bedroom. Making sure not to scare her unnecessarily, he moved around with the sound of his long strides louder than was necessary. As he neared his parent's chambers, his ever elegant mother was already awake. She always felt her son by chakra or not. It was his mere presence that alerted her immediately. Her robes fastened and hair was put in place. She was just closing the paper-doors behind her young-looking figure.
"Okaa-san." Itachi's voice sounded quit loud in the quietness of the night where no one but the unfortunate ninjas on duty were guarding the village-gates.
She turned around to face her elder son. When Mikoto's obsidian eyes locked with Itachi's, she immediately noticed something was off. He seemed unsettled, almost, dare she say it, worried. Someone who didn't know Itachi so well as she did would just pass by, not noticing anything. But Mikoto wasn't just anyone. She was his mother. She raised him and took care of him. The woman changed his diapers! A look alone was enough for her to immediately deduct the change in his normally impassive and cold eyes.
Therefore, she quickly lowered her gaze to look for any injuries, only to come upon a small bundle in her son's arms. She gasped, surprised, noticing the small bundle was actually a child about Sasuke's age. The state the girl was in left no hesitation in her mind. Without waiting for any explanations, she motioned with a wave of her hand for Itachi to follow her. And he did, knowing his beloved mother well.
The Uchiha lady led them with a fast pace to a room a couple of doors down the hall. The accommodation wasn't a guest-room though, but a small, yet well supplied medical-room. Itachi instantly went to the hight posted bed and laid the girl on the hospital-white bedding, and stepped back to let his mother examine the little girl. As Mikoto Uchiha set to work, Itachi turned around so his straight back was facing the two females. From time to time, Mikoto would ask her son to hand her a thing or two, which weren't under her reach. Itachi, as obediently as ever, did what he was asked of. He was still silent and brooding. Itachi's contained demeanor was not faltering even for a second. He had composed himself right after hearing the affirmation from his mother that the girl would be fine.
Throughout the whole time Itachi's kind-hearted mother was healing Sakura, not a word of explanation was asked for, nor was it offered. Therefor, when Mikoto was done and all that was left to do was to clad the little - now nude except for bandages - girl into some clothes, she finally asked her son for some word of disclosure from him. When Itachi presented the situation at hand to his mother, Mikoto was just dressing the still unconscious Sakura into one of Itachi's spare shirts she found in the miniature closet at the far corner of the room. When all was set and done, a frown was marring Mikoto's beautiful face.
"Are you sure it was Sasuke, though, Itachi-chan?" She asked with a sad and disappointed voice. Her head was bowed deep in thought. Itachi of course noticed the lack of 'chan' at the end of Sasuke's name and was quick to answer her. "Aa, okaa-san, I'm positive. The girl, Sakura, has confirmed it."
As Mikoto contemplated the happening, Itachi stole a glance at Sakura's relaxed and limp form. The simple black T-shirt was overly large on her petite frame. One shoulder was showing, and the material would surely brush the ground. The short sleeves were brushing past her elbows. Sakura's cleaned tresses were forming a pink halo around her head.
'Cute.' A lone thought passed through Itachi's complexed head. But it was quickly pushed to the back of his mind for matters more important came up to the surface to be dealt with.
"Itachi-chan, take Sakura-chan to one of your rooms for now for in the morning, I will deal with Sasuke and some other matters." The Uchiha matriarch stated, the frown from earlier still evident on her face. The Sasuke problem was still bothering her, it seems. But no wonder. No mother would like to hear about her own son tormenting other children who did nothing wrong in the first place.
After hearing his mother, Itachi delicately swept Sakura into his arms. One arm under her knees and the other holding her upper back to prevent her from falling to the ground. The child's head was gently lulled in the crock of Itachi's shoulder, who then exited the room after Mikoto and bid her a respectful 'goodnight'.
On the way to his quarters, Sakura mumbled something incoherent which suspiciously sounded like something along the lines of 'smells so nice' and nuzzled Itachi's neck with her soft button nose. Itachi stiffened at the act. Such close contact, contact at all with another human begin, wasn't something he experienced often; if not counting the battle combat that is. It wasn't unpleasant, per say, far from it. It just unsettled him. For the strange urge to hold her tighter to his chest was once more present in his deserted heart. Just like at the time in the park where he has found her.
The young future clan-leader continued his slow peaced walk and rounded another corner. From his parent's chambers to Itachi's was quite the distance. But he didn't mind. The prospect of having Sakura's warmth longer in his arms seemed simply nice to him. It was a wonder how this little girl was able to reduct Itachi's complicated and genius like mind to a such simplicity word as was 'nice'.
When Itachi neared a huge paper screen, that took up the whole space between the two walls and reached the creamy white ceiling, he activated his sharingan. The three black dots swirled around in circles as the paper-doors slid open into the wall, and back closed when Itachi went trough them. The raven-haired youth deactivated his sharingan and blinked rapidly a couple of times to ease away the strain it took on his eyes.
As Itachi padded softly away from the grand entrance to his private quarters, a thought had struck him. In which room exactly was he supposed to place her? The guest room opposite to his own was still not composed after his cousin and best friend, Shishui, had spent the night over. And the next one was down the hall, a whole couple of meters away, from his own which would not do. What if the little girl was to wake up in the middle of the night and wander off somewhere where she was not supposed to enter?
Itachi unconsciously pursed his lips in a straight line as he neared his abode. He slid open the panel screen with his foot and entered. Walking in the darkness was not a problem of any sorts for the young tensai. He was accustomed to the dark, swallowing shadows. Itachi favored the shelter they provided from the blaring sunlight, for he was a ninja, after all. After a few memorized strides, he reached the center of the living-room and placed her gently, and with care on the huge, elegantly crafted cushions, which were scattered all around his low table with glass top and four short golden legs.
He straightened his back and moved back to light the room up. His hand flicked the switch on as a frown crossed his face. Just what to do? There was no other option. It may be inappropriate for him to share his bed with a child- a female nonetheless. But was there another choice for him to make? It's not like there were any feelings involved between him and the little girl. He was just ensuring her safety; keeping an eye on her. That being decided, he walked back and once more swept the girl off her feet and moved to another screen. Sliding it open reveled the bedroom. In the middle of the dark and polished wooden floor was Itachi's king-sized, black futon covered in silks and the finest of furs. He walked softly, and kneeled next to the futon. While he made place for her on his bed, Sakura laid curled on his lap. When Itachi was done, he placed her in the middle of his futon, and then covered her firstly with the silky black cover, followed by the white fluffy fur.
Standing up, he made his way to the left where another paper-door was placed. He slid it open and entered his private bathroom. Taking off his clothes, Itachi entered the shover cabin. Turning the knob to hot, he patiently waited as the first minute or two was spent to warm the water. The freezing wake-up call was gladly welcomed by the young heir as he cleared his mind from any doubts concerning his decision. It was ethical and professional; he summarized. He proceeded like any ninja would- saving a civilian when one was endangered. A standard procedure – Itachi sighted while scrubbing his body with a bar of soap – Who was he kidding? A standard procedure – A snort escaped his lips – would have been to escort the victim to the hospital section for civilians and incontinently submit a report to the Hokage.
But what's done is already done. And Itachi didn't really feel guilty about his actions, nor was he ashamed. He didn't plan on bedding the child or taking any kind of pleasure from her child-like body. His feelings were platonic. And just when did he start to have them in the first place?
Rinsing the suds and the shampoo off from his flushed skin, Itachi decided not to ponder on those thought too much, for each one direction he looked at, seemed worse than the other. While toweling his ebony hair dry with one hand, the other was already reaching for his toothbrush. Putting the small cloth of material away, Itachi brushed his teeth. The minty taste of paste living a fresh breath, clear of his usual natural taste.
Itachi left the bathroom clothed in the white silk of one of his simple sleeping kimono. While away on a mission, he was allowed to dress to the code of standard ANBU gear, but back in the mansion he had no such choice. When after a couple of strides, Itachi was towering over his futon, but the girl still did not move. Her sleep was peaceful and futures soft, cherubic. Getting down on his knees, Itachi made room for himself under the covers. Carefully slipping in, he lain beside the little girl with her back to his chest. The radiant heat coming off from the little body was rather spectacular. Itachi wondered briefly if that was the reason why people liked to cuddle; for if it indeed was. He now know first hand why they enjoyed the experience so much.
With lids becoming heavier with each intake and exhale of breath, Itachi drifted off to a place where he could find peace among the greenery of his dreampt up garden. The last registered act of his consciousness was reaching forward to the source of heath, bringing it closer until he could actually feel the warmness seeping trough the three layers of cotton tingling his flesh in the most pleasant ways. With his nose burrowed in the pink tresses, Itachi relaxed as his breath became deeper and steadier.
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A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I'm tring to make it as fast as possible. A lot of new thing in this chapter, I think. I hope you like it.