Evolution – An Itachi & Sakura story.
By: Mitsuki Shiroi

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N: Tissue and smut alert! Haha, enjoy the chapter! Dedicated to blackbloodedkunoichi, my little sister!

Chapter Six – Something Unexpected

"Sorry Sakura… But Sasuke hasn't been here for a long time."

Green eyes shot open into dizzy consciousness; the feeling of asphyxiation overwhelming her, forcing her to frantically gulp for sweet relief. Her heart was beating erratically - almost as if it were trying to drill a hole through her chest - and she was drenched in her own sweat. The large black shirt that served as her night clothes was like a second skin and her hair transformed into a damp and stringy style; sticking to her slick forehead and cheeks. Harsh breathing continued as she tried to pull herself together; taking in the large bed and the cosmos flowers.

Deidara's house… I'm in Deidara's house… Itachi is lying in the bed. Orochimaru isn't here.

Sasuke-kun isn't here…

Fighting back the sensation of tears, she sat up and callously rubbed her eyes, sneering as her hand wiped away more sweat than tears. Glancing at the bed, she could hear Itachi's slow, steady breathing. But she knew better; she had woken him up with her outburst. Itachi wasn't a heavy sleeper, on the contrary, he was in tune to the sounds around him; trained to wake at the sound of a falling needle.

"Itachi…" she whispered softly, knowing that he would hear her.

She heard him shuffle around in the bed slightly, signifying that he had heard her. Gathering all of her courage, and throwing away any ounce of dignity she had at the moment, she threw her legs over the edge of her couch and stood up once she felt the soft carpet tickling her feet. Gently, she padded towards the bed, making sure that he could hear her.

She hesitated momentarily as she stopped in front of the bed. His back was turned to her and to anyone else, he seemed peacefully asleep. "Itachi?"

"What is it?" His deep voice made her shiver. She grabbed her shirt, clasping it in her hands as she bit her lip in pure frustration. If he were Deidara, this would be so much easier. Without saying a word, Itachi turned around, her breath catching as his bottomless, scarlet eyes gazed upon her.

"Can I…." she started, unable to hide the small quiver in her voice. "Can I sleep in the bed tonight?"

The intense gleam in his eyes refused to wane as he gave her a scrutinizing stare. Wordlessly, he sat up straight, before removing the heavy duvet from his legs. He stood up without even so much as a glance in her direction and moved to pass her.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks as he turned around to face her. His face was a rigid void, as he gazed at her attempt to stop the tears from spilling over her cheeks; her lithe hand holding his wrist in an unyielding grip.

"Don't go," she said quietly, her eyes downcast, avoiding the cold look in his eyes.

"You asked for the bed," Itachi replied languidly as his hand moved forward and cupped her chin. Gently, he tilted her head so that he could see her eyes. "Which is it? Do you want me to leave or do you want me to stay? The decision is yours."

"Then stay," she whispered, blushing faintly as she forced herself to look him in the eye.

She stepped back slowly, releasing his wrist before she turned her back towards him, making her way towards the bed. She didn't know if he would follow or turn away, but she had made her point clear.

I'm sorry Sasuke…

She crawled underneath the blankets, inhaling Itachi's addicting scent before scooting over to the other side of the bed, leaving enough room for Itachi to enter the bed if he wanted to.

She took in a calming breath as she felt the bed dip with his weight. "You accepted Sasuke's death and stopped blaming me for it," Itachi stated, his voice as flaccid as ever. Dimly she wondered if he would even be able to raise his voice even if he tried.

"Yes," her voice no more than a hollow whisper. She heard him shift around next to her and turned around. He had his back facing her, lying on top of the sheets, exposing his well defined back.

She swallowed hard as she closed her eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that a part of her wanted to be near Itachi at all times. She was longing for him to wrap her in his arms again, but the more she thought about it, the feelings of guilt swarmed her. This was wrong. This was Sasuke's brother.

But Sasuke was gone.

He just wanted me to be happy, Sakura reasoned. Would he hate me if I had feelings for his brother?

She didn't know.

Opening her eyes, she gave Itachi's back one last searching stare before moving forward, letting her fingers skim his back. Immediately, she felt the rigid muscles under the heated skin tense. Biting her lip, she silently wondered if she had done the right thing.

Perhaps this was just a one-sided thing and Deidara was wrong.

"If…" she started, not really knowing what to say. "If you don't want this… You can push me away. It's your decision."

A long, taut pause passed by and to her surprise, she could gradually feel his muscles relaxing under her touch. Nevertheless, when he finally spoke, she couldn't help but feel scared.

"What is this, Sakura?" he asked curiously.

"I… I don't know," she said quietly as she unconsciously stroked Itachi's warm skin with her thumbs. She was intrigued by the way his muscles flexed under her touch. When Itachi made no movement to stop her, her right hand crept over his side and before resting on his sculpted pectoral.

The warmth he radiated felt pleasant against her cold skin and she slowly scooted closer towards him. She took in a deep breath to take in his unique scent as she pressed her forehead against his back. "Do you want to push me away?" she queried softly, her arm dropping down to his waist, instinctively pulling him closer towards her.

"I'm not a substitute for Sasuke, Sakura," Itachi's whispered back. Sakura flinched as the full meaning of those words hit her. Her grip on his waist lessened as she tried to quell the emotions he inspired with those severe words.

"I know. I don't want you to be a substitute for Sasuke," Sakura sat up straight, her arm still wrapped around his waist. "I just wanted you to stay…"

When Itachi said nothing in return, Sakura lied down again, sighing heavily. The atmosphere had changed rapidly with his last remark; whereas it was relaxed and inviting earlier, the room felt acerbic now. Eyeing her arms, she could see goose bumps appearing on her pale skin.

Her arm snapped back as realization hit: she was still touching his abdomen. She moved away from the heat that he radiated, to the far side of the bed before resting her head on her pillow, wrapping herself in the blankets in a feeble attempt to warm herself.

All of a sudden, fatigue overcame her senses and coerced a yawn out of her. Soon she didn't have the strength to keep her eyes open. Then she was gone.

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Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she opened her eyes several hours later. Another nightmare about Sasuke. With a dejected sigh, she rubbed her eyes gingerly as she yawned widely. It wasn't until she felt something shift next to her in the bed that she realized that he was still there.

She bolted upright as she glanced at the dormant Uchiha. She hadn't expected him to remain there. To be perfectly honest; she had thought he would leave as soon as she fell asleep.

Her gaze softened as she noticed that his hair had come loose during his sleep, falling around his face in an impeccable manner. His eyes were closed to the world; long lashes casting dark shadows against his cheek. Peculiarly, his face looked more relaxed when he was asleep, or at least feigning sleep, than when he was awake.

She took in the lines on his face that betrayed his youth; how did he get those lines? Tentatively, she curiously stretched out her hand to trace them. When her fingertips were just a hair width away from his face, ruby eyes snapped open. Shocked, she hastily recoiled her hand; etched alarm on her face.

"I'm sorry," she stammered as she felt a hot blush creeping up her cheeks.

"There's no need to apologize," he answered plainly. Casually, he brushed some of the stray bangs in front of his eyes as he turned to lie on his back.

"Why are you still here?" Sakura peeked at the elder shinobi before averting her gaze to the windows, admiring the soft white clouds and the clear blue sky.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're always gone in the mornings," Sakura clarified.

Itachi nodded slowly, "I am."

"Why?" Finding some small inner strength, she tore her fixed eyes away from the window and faced the man that lied beside her, resting comfortably with his hand propped under his head.

"You're asking many questions this morning," Itachi remarked evenly as he locked eyes with her. His Sharingan was captivating as it was treacherous, but she found herself unable to look away, not that she was really exerting a proper amount of effort.

Is this an illusion?

In a trance-like state, she watched Itachi stretch his arm to caress her cheek. His skin felt sweltering against her wintry cheeks but they warmed up soon enough as Itachi cupped her cheek, thumb stroking her soft flesh.

As she shut her eyes she felt him hesitate. It was the first time that she knew exactly what he was doing and she couldn't help but smile slightly. Sakura reopened her eyes before lifting her hand to cup his; a silent confirmation for him to continue his tender brushes.

Wordlessly, Itachi moved in closer towards her, his hand moving down to her neck as his balmy breath fanned over her skin. Breathing throatily, awaiting his touch in anticipation, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She ran her fingers through his silky hair, clenching it softly as his lips finally made the much desired contact with her skin.

Tipping her neck gently, he continued his assault on her delicate skin, his hand wandering towards the small of her back as he pulled her closer towards him. Sakura whimpered softly as his lips trailed a way towards her jaw. His scent was intoxicating, scrambling her wits; an aroma she couldn't get enough of. She gasped softly as his teeth softly nipped her earlobe, amazed at how good it felt.

"Itachi…" she whispered, her head inclining with sensation as he moved back down to her throat, pressing his lips against her jugular. His hand moved under her oversized black shirt as he started to stroke the small of her back, just a hair away from indecency.

Their moment was rudely interrupted as a loud knock on the door stopped Itachi's movements and Sakura's small gasps. Abruptly, Itachi let her go, sliding over the bed with certain ease until he stood next to the bed. He strode towards the door and narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt Sakura disappearing from the room through the window.

He turned around to glare at the innocent window, before he moved his hand over the polished doorknob and opened the door, revealing the rude perpetrator.

"Yo," Deidara greeted, his trademark smile plastered on his lips. "Zetsu just informed us that we have to report to headquarters separately, it seems Leader wants to know each of our stories… yeah"

Itachi nodded slowly, "Who is first?"

"I am… yeah," Deidara snorted. "Somehow I get the feeling that the Leader won't like it when I tell him how Orochimaru nearly killed me. If Sakura didn't jump in front of me… yeah."

Itachi blinked slowly as he tried to digest the information offered. Sakura jumped in front of Deidara? His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as he glanced at the elder shinobi in front of him.

"I'm off," Deidara nodded. "Oh, Sasori will be gone too, said he had some business. And give Salmon-chan a break, okay? Let him drink some sake or something, he looks worn out… yeah."

"He should bear with it," Itachi replied simply. He nodded curtly as a goodbye before turning around.

Deidara glanced at the younger shinobi, irritation apparent in his eyes. Sighing slightly, he closed the door again before stalking away. "Grump."

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"His knuckles were bleeding severely and," Tsunade's voice sounded like music to his ears as he opened his sleep-ridden eyes. "You're awake. Good."

The smell of cool, impersonal sterility and disinfectants alerted him to his surroundings long before his eyes did. He was in the Konoha hospital, in fact he was in the very same bed he had occupied when Sasuke had injured him; in the bed where Sasuke challenged him to a fight on the rooftop.

His vision was unfocused but he could clearly make out Tsunade hovering over him. "Tsunade-baa-chan," he whispered.

"I'm here Naruto. Can you tell me what happened? When you were brought in here by Kakashi, you're knuckles were bleeding; the bones in both hands were almost shattered, and covered in dust and grain," Tsunade replied, giving the young man on the bed a worried look.

"Naruto," a soft voice sounded from his right. Ignoring Tsunade, he turned his head slightly, disregarding the stabbing pain in his head and faced the one who had called him.

There she was; still the radiating beauty he remembered. Her luminous pink hair was reminiscent of a halo, accentuated by the bright rays of the afternoon sun; giving her an unearthly quality. Her eyes though, oh her eyes were breathtaking! The emerald green danced with life and laughter; shimmered with compassion and shrewdness. Although denial had become his best friend since he returned, he was still infatuated with her. It would never come to fruition though, since she was completely devoted to Sasuke and would never stop loving him, of that he was sure.

But here she was and he thought she had died. He had almost given up hope as he cried on Neji's shoulder, before running towards the ruins of Sound in blind fury. With bare hands, he tried to fight a way through the rubble and caved in walls, trying to find her. He vaguely remembered someone stopping him although he could not remember who.

"Sakura-chan," he said quietly as a smile bloomed on his lips. With the greatest of effort, he lifted his arm as he tried to caress her cheek. But she disappeared.

His eyes widened in shock before he bolted upright, startling Tsunade. "Where is she?" he demanded coarsely. The shock in his eyes shifted into sadness. "Where did she go?"

"She's gone Naruto," Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder. "Sakura is gone."

Naruto paid no attention to Tsunade as he unwrapped himself from the blankets. Soundlessly, he picked up his ANBU vest that lounged on a nearby chair, before sliding his feet into his sandals. Tsunade said nothing as Naruto passed her, looking straight head and still keeping his peace.

"How long have I been asleep," Naruto asked calmly, mildly surprised how aloof and level-headed he sounded.

"A week," Tsunade sighed heavily. "Naruto I…"

When she turned around, he was gone.

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"Have you heard Tooya? Your mother is expecting a second child! It should be a relief to her; at least now she can die with the knowledge that not all her children will be monsters."

He clenched his teeth, trying to stop the memories of his childhood from lingering; in the effort, he was almost sure he chipped a tooth.

"Tooya," a soft voice called him. Immediately he identified the voice as his partner; Kira.

"What?" he asked impatiently. They had been roaming around the Country of Wind for a few days now and every one of those days Kira bugged him about ending his search for the Kyuubi. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever Kira had to say would be connected to his goal.

"Akatsuki raid in Sound," Kira explained hastily. "Tooya, they set your family free."

"They're alive?" his clear eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah, apparently so," a smile broke through the blonde man's lips. "Let's visit them, one of our ANBU just reported that they're in Stone."

"No," Tooya replied easily. "As long as this three tailed Isonade is inside of me, I won't visit them. I want to reach my goal before I see them again."

Kira nodded understandingly, "Where are we going now?"

"You've ceased your futile attempts to stop me?" Tooya asked curiously.

Kira smirked before putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Although you might not consider me as one, I'm still your friend. If wanting to find the Kyuubi is your goal, then so be it. I'll be by your side when you meet him."

"Your loyalty is admirable," the black-haired man replied, returning the smirk.

"And foolish," Kira snorted slightly before putting his ANBU mask back into place.

"Very foolish," Tooya's smirk broadened as he mimicked Kira's gesture. "Let's go."

"Yes sir," Kira murmured sarcastically as the both of them vanished into thin air. Then they were gone.

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She hummed softly as she looked over Deidara's small garden, deliberately blocking out the memories of Itachi kissing her. The soft sound of the bamboo fountain in his garden soothed her momentarily, reminding her of Konoha. Sea-foam eyes turned despondent as she thought about her village.

I'm sure Naruto has completely flipped by now, she smiled at the thought of her blonde best friend. Tsunade-shisou will be angry…

Quietly, she watched the clear water from Deidara's fountain trickle into the bamboo, before the bamboo clapped down on the rocks, letting the water fall down into the small pond underneath the stones. As soon as all the water had flown out of the bamboo, it went back up and the circle continued.

It's just like our lives, she thought ironically. We try to hold on to everything that comes our way and at some point, we need to let go, whether we want to or not. After that, we try to fill the void and the cycle continues.

The dulcet jingling sound of bells woke her up from her reverie, Deidara stood in front of her, clad in his complete Akatsuki uniform. His straw hat was in his hands and unusually serious expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately, eyeing his look warily.

"I need to report at Akatsuki headquarters, nothing to worry about," Deidara tried to smile, but Sakura saw through his deceit.

"You're lying," she pointed out the obvious.

"So I am," Deidara nodded in response, his usual 'yeah' absent from his speech.

"Where are you going?" she asked again.

"Akatsuki headquarters," Deidara answered simply. "I need to report to the Leader… yeah."

Sakura stood up as Deidara took a step backwards. "There's something you're not telling me," she remarked as her green eyes narrowed.

"It's likely that I won't live through this encounter," Deidara replied seriously.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura's brows furrowed as she stepped closer to the blonde shinobi. "What do you mean?"

"Akatsuki does not need anyone who isn't strong enough to handle a Jinchuuriki," Deidara explained patiently. "And yet I was nearly killed by Orochimaru and to top it off, you jumped in front of him." Although he tried to hide it, the bitterness in his voice was still apparent.

"But Kisame…" she whispered as she desperately sought for a solution. When she jumped in front of Deidara, she did it with the intention to kill Orochimaru and save Deidara. She had no idea that it might bring Deidara in danger.

"Different," Deidara half-smirked. "Kisame was hit by the Mangekyou Sharingan and unable to fight back. Itachi can explain the consequences after facing that attack; Kisame had a perfectly good reason why he was knocked out by Orochimaru. I don't."

"Orochimaru was strong," she said quietly as she took another step into his direction. This time, she was so close to him that she could almost feel his warmth radiating from his body. "There's no way that any of you could have escaped without injury in that fight."

"There is," Deidara answered sourly. "If Leader had put in Itachi instead of me in the team, as originally planned, all of this would have been a piece of cake. Orochimaru feared Itachi while he was alive, that's why he left Akatsuki in the first place."

Sakura's locks served as an emotional shield when she tipped her head down in desolation. Her eyes followed the lines of the clouds on Deidara's robes, not wanting to look him in the eye. It was her fault that his life was at stake now. But as if he could read her mind, Deidara's hand moved to her chin, cupping it gently as he tilted her face to meet his eyes.

"Look at me, Sakura," he instructed quietly.

Her eyes travelled up to meet his as his arms wrapped around her waist in an intimate hug. Sighing heavily, she could feel her eyes stinging with tears as she grabbed a handful of his cloak, clinging on to it for dear life. She didn't want to let him go. If he left, he might never come back.

Like Sasuke.

"Deidara," she whispered against the soft, black and red fabric. His grip on her waist lessened and for a moment, she was afraid that he was leaving her right then and there. But when his soft, full lips pressed against her forehead, she exhaled in relief.

She had to let go; he had to go.

So she let him go.

With pain in her heart, she unwrapped her hands from his robes, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks and onto the ground. She bit her lip in cruel defeat but her helplessness quickly faded as she felt his lips on her cheek, then on the corner of her eye.

He was kissing her tears away.

Stunned, she took a harsh indrawn breath, closing her eyes in heartache. She needed to say goodbye; this was no time for crying.

When she opened her eyes, he was gone.

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His long, calloused fingers traced the newly imprinted characters that represented the names of his best friends.

Uchiha Sasuke

He gritted his teeth unkindly as he tried to fight back his tears.

"What do you want, idiot?"

He could still recall the way his voice sounded whenever he tried to insult Naruto. Deep and smooth; one of the qualities that Naruto admired about Sasuke was definitely his voice, although he never said anything of the sort to him. But since his childhood, he had wished for such a voice, a voice that could sweep Sakura off her feet.

"I don't ever want to see anyone precious to me die again."

He took in a deep, shaky breath as he tried to stop his tears, but to no avail. There was no stopping them now.

"You, who had no parents or siblings from the start… You without any ties to anyone… How could someone like you understand me!"

"I understand Sasuke," he sobbed softly as his fingertips gently traced the outline of Sasuke's name. "I know what it is to lose someone close to me…"

"To me… You have become my closest friend…"

"Naruto… I want to fight you as well."

"Sasuke…" he whispered as he balled his fist. "Sakura-chan…"

"Naruto… This will be the only thing I'll ever ask of you… Bring Sasuke-kun back! I wasn't enough… And I know that you're the only one who can bring him back… Who can save him!"

Burying his fingers in his blonde hair, he stared at the name of his only female friend.

"Ne, Naruto. I believe you now… I thought it was some stupid dream you had, about becoming the next Hokage, but I know you can do it."

"I'll become the next Hokage," Naruto whispered as he placed his hand against the cold stone of the memorial. "I'll become the next Hokage, because the two of you believed in me."

Because the two of you believed in me.

Because the three of us are one.

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A/N: This is really hard to say, but I cried during the last paragraphs. Haha, weird huh?

A huge thanks to Stem for being my beta reader!

For the ones who don't remember Tooya and Kira; they were the two Mist nins from Metamorphosis! Yeah, the hunters of the kyuubi and the hunted ones of Deidara and Sasori.

What about Deidara? I don't know, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

See you next time!

-- MitsukiShiroi