21 Letters Chapter 7, a naruto fanfic

Recap

Oh my kami.

Legs giving out, Sakura froze on the couch.

Could it be? That voice…so smooth and quiet…it had to be….

But…

"…Itachi?..."

"Happy Birthday Sakura." Itachi murmured gently.

Letting out a shaky laugh, Sakura realized that her eyes had become blurry as hot tears began to roll down her cheek.

Sniffling, Sakura laughed again.

"Thank you, Itachi…oh wow…I know that we've been writing for almost a year already, but I feel like this is the first time I'm actually meeting you, you know?" Sakura let out in a rush.

"Yes, I understand." Itachi chuckled.

"I apologize that I haven't sent you a letter yet. I felt that I should wait to respond to your questions on the phone instead."

"Questions?" Sakura realized she was trembling in excitement.

"My favorite color is green. The shade of green that you see when the summer light hits the trees and casts a translucent glow to the leaves. It reminds me of summer days spent cloud gazing. My favorite animal is a cat. When Sasuke and I were smaller, we found a kitten that was in a very weak condition from the winter and saved it. Sasuke called it Toro-chan, but I always felt that it looked like a Kuro, so I secretly called it that…"

And that was when Sakura realized that he was reading his letter to her over the phone. It wasn't even the responses that were most memorable, but his voice. The soft, gentle lilt in his voice that instantly calmed you down and sent shivers down your spine during all the right times. It was the voice of pure heaven.

It was already eleven at night, but that didn't matter at all. So that was how Sakura spent the rest of her birthday, curled up on the couch in her uncomfortable dress and heels, talking and laughing with Uchiha Itachi.

I wish to meet my soulmate soon.

No expectations. But who knows? Her wish very might as well have just come true.

In the next three hours of talking on the phone, Sakura learned a lot about Itachi. It was the inflections in his voice that really made her understand his personality.

He was quiet and soft whenever it came to his loved ones. But there held a hint of stableness and authority in his voice that could command a room of hundreds. He was a man that knew what he wanted from life but also knew how to be understanding.

He was perfect.

His favorite food was dango, surprisingly. Sakura had always thought that he would like something more like tongatsu or maybe a type of clear broth. But Itachi had explained that it was because his dad always raised him and his brother strictly and that dango had become a sort of indulgence for him. It made Sakura feel guilty that she has the privilege to just walk down to a dango stand whenever she wanted.

His perfect day would consist of a softly rainy day outside on the porch by his garden in a warm blanket with a book of poems by Shakespeare and a mug of hot blueberry tea.

When asking for his one soft spot, Sakura could almost hear the sound of hesitation when Itachi had paused before he said a word so softly that Sakura had to strain his ear to hear.

"Sasuke."

Smiling gently, Sakura had gone on to talk about her one soft spot for Naruto even though he was as loud as can be.

He was immediately very understanding. Sakura realized that she didn't have to explain any further for him to be able to relate to her and finish off her thoughts. He was a man with a strong-will who could hold up his world but also knew that he owed a lot to his mother for her care.

Just as the time passed over two in the morning, Sakura stifled a yawn as quietly as she could. But with Itachi being Itachi, he had heard of course.

"You should rest Sakura." His gentle voice was very lulling.

"…But I wanna keep talking to you…" Sakura mumbled as she curled under her bed. In the process of talking with Itachi, she had quickly changed into her nightshirt and crawled under the warm covers of her bed.

"We will talk again soon." He laughed quietly.

"…Promise?" Sakura could already feel herself fading away.

"I promise Sakura." Smiling at his murmuring voice, Sakura yawned again.

"Okay then…call back really really soon…as soon as you can…" Sakura said desperately, clutching the phone tighter.

"I will call back as soon as I can…goodnight Sakura."

"..Goodnight Itachi…" Drifting off into sleep, Sakura smiled as she dazed off but not before hearing a soft murmur of his voice.

"sweet dreams Sakura."

A/N: Why hello there! Long time no see!...Really, haha. I'm so so so so sooooo sorry for not updating in the longest of times! I promised the first week of June but it's...the first week of July instead...hehe...ahhh, i'm sorry! I wanna say i've been busy, but I've kinda just been lazy with a bit of writer's block. But i really hope that this chapter will make up for my big delay! I have decided this summer to try updating my various accounts, so also check out my deviant account! My account there is kinda a flop...hahaa. Anyways, i'll try to update much faster now since it's summer! Thank you to everyone who keeps up with my stories and supports me! You guys are the driving force behind my writing! I love you guys!

21 Letters

Chapter 7

The light May breeze fluttered around Sakura's skirt as the soft wind caused wisps of her hair to gently slap against her cold cheeks. Turning a corner into her street, the tired doctor quietly let out a sigh of relief as the busy buzzing of market chatter faded away.

Lugging her bags of groceries up the two flights of stairs to her apartment, Sakura quickly shut the door behind her before putting away the groceries and changing into more comfortable clothes. It had been one busy month since Itachi had called her but she had sadly admitted to herself that she hadn't realized. The hospital was currently undergoing its annual updates so that meant that all doctors were required to be on shift, if not staying even later than usual. But today was Sunday, her one day of complete freedom to do whatever she pleased.

Slightly slowing her current action of grabbing a carton of ice cream from the freezer, Sakura paused to think of her last letter sent to Itachi.

…Maybe April 1st?...no…it was somewhere around mid April.

And now it was already closing in on the second week of May. It seems about accurate that Itachi should be receiving her letter soon. But with all the constant hustle around the hospital, Sakura hadn't gotten a chance to agonize over Itachi's response.

Shaking away the thoughts, Sakura grabbed the tv remote and settled down to enjoy her ice cream. She would've been sharing this double fudge caramel moose tracks ice cream with Ino if only she weren't pregnant. For the past eight months, Sakura has constantly had to deal with Ino's incessant whines of her gaining weight and wanting "this little monster" out of her. Chuckling at the thought, Sakura shrugged, cheered her spoonful of ice cream to the air, and began to settle in.

About halfway through devouring her cold treat, the doorbell let out a soft ring. Pausing in mid-snort at her comedy show, Sakura cleared her throat in a surprised manner before grudgingly getting up.

"I swear it that's you Sasuke, interrupting my show for the fifth time!- then so help me Kami, I will cut off your- "

"I swear, you ladies get spoiled by your family." The General grudgingly tossed envelopes bunched together onto various beds.

Looking up from his book, Itachi caught the packet of letters swiftly before nodding a small thanks to the deliverer. Immediately sitting up straighter, Itachi deftly undid the knot in the string before shifting through his letters quickly. Eyes lighting up on the familiar flower stamp in the upper left hand corner, the Uchiha let a small smile adorn his lips before quickly opening the small envelope.

4/21/11

Dear Itachi,

Excuse my lack of a greeting in this letter for I have to first say how amazingly happy I am that you called me. I'm not really even sure how you got my phone number, but I am just so glad that you called! And on my birthday too! Thank you so much for that, it was the best birthday present I have ever received. I loved hearing your voice after such a long night. Ino had dragged me out to dinner and then later to drinks. But your call was my savior of a rather bland night. Thank you for staying on the phone with me for so long until I fell asleep. Let's just say that I had wonderful dreams that night, haha. I'm so grateful of your call that I'm not going to even ask as to how you got hold of a phone over there!

So it's been a while since we've written to each other because your letter was in the form of a glorious phone call. Everything in Konoha is currently good and wonderful right now. The weather is going on a few mood swings at the moment so I can't exactly predict the weather. I had dinner with Sasuke a few nights ago and once again he requested that I make chicken and dumplings. I swear that is the only dish we ever eat whenever we do get a chance to have a meal together. He's definitely changed, but I guess time changes everything, neh? I can't wait until you can come back to Konoha. I want to spend hours in the library with you, or in the coffee shop, or even just under the cherry blossom trees. And make dinner for you (even chicken and dumplings if you so request me to) and talk for hours with you. I would count down the days until you come home, but I'm not sure exactly what day you get released so for now, all I can do is count the months.

So Ino is in her sixth month of her pregnancy and it's really exciting because I know it's going to be a boy. But Ino told me not to tell her what gender her baby was so that it could be a surprise. She wants to be totally unprepared so that she won't have any expectations or wonderings of how her baby is going to turn out. I think she secretly wants a boy but Shika has already made it perfectly clear that he hopes for a girl. I personally believe that girl's are harder to handle when they grow up, but hey, can't change anything about that right? The hospital is busy as usual, but not as busy as the previous months. There have been many officers sent out recently so we don't have such a heavy load of the injured. Everything here is fine and usual! I hope that your training is going well and that you are taking care of your health and eating all the nourishment that you need! Only a few more months until you can come home! Make sure everyone there is doing okay for me and that you all get enough rest! Many hugs and kisses.

Love always,

Sakura

Oh yes. Itachi didn't think Sakura realized how much he wanted to return home too.

September 5th.

Rubbing his eyes warily, Itachi uncapped his black pen before reaching over to the wall beside him that contained a small pin up calendar. Marking a small 'X' on May 10th, Itachi sighed before recapping his pen. Sliding below his covers, he tucked his arms behind his head and stared up at the bottom of the bunk bed he shared with one of his inmates. There, taped carefully, was the small picture of Sakura in her sundress smiling up at him brightly. It was the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw at night.

"Neji." Sakura's surprised mouth called out as she swung open the heavy door.

There in front of her stood her ex from three years ago looking the same as always. The tall stature, pale lavender eyes and long brown hair haven't changed at all. Memories of their four years together suddenly came flashing through Sakura's mind as she quickly shook her head to clear it, including the memory of her packing her bags and leaving before he came back from work.

Sakura never would've guessed that this man would be at the door.

"Sakura." The familiar low lilt of his voice came flooding back into her senses as Sakura stood there gaping up at him.

"….Ah…I….Hi." Sakura finally let out breathlessly. Neji merely inclined his head slightly before looking past her shoulder and into her apartment.

"You..ah…come in." The doctor finished off lamely before stepping aside awkwardly and walking back into the comforts of her living room.

"I'll make some tea for you. Would you like red?...green?..."

"Do you still have chamomile?"

The question made Sakura suddenly stop in her tracks as she turned around carefully only to face Neji's poker face as he quietly stepped in after having removed his shoes.

Silently nodding, Sakura confusedly drifted into the kitchen to place a kettle of water onto the stove. Trying to go as slowly as possible as she set up the cups with the tea bags inside, Sakura only felt more troubled.

Why was he finally coming to her after three years? There was really nothing left to say to each other...

She had left him so quickly that it should have been apparent enough that she did not wish to be together any longer.

"Thinking about this by yourself will only make you overthink things Sakura."

Whirling around, Sakura covered up her surprise by clearing her throat softly.

"…I'm not really sure what you mean by that."

Neji stared at her from the kitchen door as he leaned against it silently before nodding towards her hands.

"You always dwindle your fingers whenever you're thinking too much."

See?

Why'd he keep saying those types of things? Those statements that made her realize even more how much he still knew her. It bothered her. It frightened her. And she wanted it to stop.

Finally letting out a frustrating sigh, Sakura finally dropped the formality as she rubbed her temples.

"Neji…I don't think you should be-"

"I want to know why you left." Interrupting her sentence, he stepped into the kitchen while looking at her intensely.

Crossing her arms securely around her ribs, Sakura looked to the side, thinking out her answer carefully.

Sakura had met Neji soon after her father had died. Their fathers had been good family friends and upon attending her father's funeral, she had bumped into Neji. The thing that made him stand out was how he treated her. No pity or stares. He met her with understanding and quiet companionship. He understood her in a way that even Ino didn't. At first it had scared her that a man she had known for so little time had figured her out in such a short length of time. And then she had slowly fallen for him as he did for her.

Sakura couldn't deny that those years with him were the happiest of her life. She had even thought of marrying him soon after they had gotten together. But then one argument shifted everything. Sure they had fought many times before over stupid things, but this argument was big.

….And now looking back on it, Sakura couldn't even remember what the argument was about. She really didn't.

All she could remember was the feeling she felt after he had slammed the door shut behind him in the morning as he left for work. She could remember feeling angry and hurt. And that she never wanted to feel like this again. She could remember pulling out her suitcase. She could remember throwing random clothing into her bag. She could remember throwing open the door. She could remember throwing away all the memories of them together. And she could remember walking away from them so clearly.

Snapping back to the man currently standing in front of her, Sakura stood with her mouth opening and closing several times.

"…I…stopped loving you."

Liar.

She could hear her inner self pushing and prodding her brain painfully.

She was such a liar.

She had loved him for than life itself when she had walked out.

"…You know…" Neji spoke softly as he stepped closer to the pink-haired doctor, "…you were never a good liar Sakura…especially to me."

Sakura couldn't even remember how, but when she turned her head back up to look at him, she came inches away from his face as she stared up into the opal eyes that she had looked into so many times.

"I want to know why you left me." Neji whispered as his hands slowly came up to cup her face in his large hands.

Unconsciously lifting her face up towards his, Sakura knew she wasn't supposed to do this. It would just create complications, and she didn't want that. And yet their faces were inching closer together as the seconds ticked by and Sakura could feel the soft caress of Neji's breath fan lightly on her cheek.

"…Neji…" Sakura whispered.

Just as she felt the tip of his lip graze hers lightly, a small muffled ring came into her mind.

And as it got louder, Sakura blinked her eyes open when realizing that it was the kettle. Just as the kettle was like an alarm clock, Sakura was suddenly snapped back to her current condition. Jumping slightly at her proximity to him, Sakura turned her face to the side quickly before ducking out of his grasp and quickly turning off the stove.

Turning around towards the counter to pour the hot water into the cups, Sakura let out a startled jump as she felt a warm hand cover hers and gently pry the kettle from her tight grip.

"Forget about the tea Sakura, I want an answer." Neji spoke into her ear quietly.

Sighing, Sakura walked back into the living before taking a seat on her couch, ice cream forgotten on the glass table. With Neji having taken a seat across from her, Sakura drew her knees to her chest as she rested her head on her knees gingerly.

After minutes of silence and of Sakura contemplating her response, the medic finally opened her mouth to reply.

"…I don't know…"

Neji just looked at her evenly.

"Do you remember why we were arguing?"

Shaking her head slowly, Sakura bit her lip as she prepared herself for his answer. Somewhere deep inside her mind, even though she didn't want to admit it, she had a hunch that it was over something pointless.

"…We were arguing…", Neji slowly pulled out an object from inside his jeans, "over an engagement ring." Finishing off his sentence softly, Neji opened his palm to reveal a small glittering round object.

Breath hitching, Sakura stared at the tiny ring before slowly burying her head into her knees, shaking her head.

She didn't want this.

"…Neji…I just…"

"I came here to ask you to give us another shot."

Head snapping up to look at Neji, Sakura stared wordlessly at her ex, not stopping him as he came to rest upon the table in front of her.

"Sakura" Neji coaxed her head up before bringing their faces closer inch by inch.

Itachi.

Sakura didn't know where that thought came from, but like a clear voice, his name spoke out in her mind and just like that, the pink-haired doctor was broken out of her trance.

Shaking her head slightly in Neji's hands, Sakura pulled back.

"I don't think we should- "

Suddenly the doorbell rang and broke off Sakura's next sentence, although it was very clear to both of them what Sakura was about to say.

Getting up abruptly, Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding before quickly distancing herself from Neji.

With Neji following her wordlessly down the hall and to the door, Sakura turned to look at him.

"…I'm sorry Neji…but I think I've already fallen for someone else."

With that, Sakura didn't think she wanted a response and opened the door.

"Hey there baby cousinnnn" Shisui cooed at his cousin, despite the grudging look he received from the younger Uchiha.

"Your level of maturity never ceases to amaze me Shisui." Itachi's quiet voice rang out as the composed Uchiha returned to his book.

Ignoring the shaking of the bed as Shisui unceremoniously dumped himself beside him, Itachi sighed, pretending not to notice the obnoxious staring his cousin was currently giving him.

"A picture would last much longer if you so wish for one Shisui." Itachi murmured as he flipped the page.

"Oh Itachi, don't be such a prick!" Throwing a heavy arm around Itachi's neck, Shisui pulled their faces as close as possible, laughing at Itachi's discomforted look.

"I just wanna know a little about this girl you're always writing to. She must be one special girl."

"…That is possible."

"Oh come on!" Shisui burst out, "You made us sneak into the General's office…the General's office in order to get a phone call to her! You've never broken the rules…EVER!" Shisui looked up.

"Oh. Ohhhhhh. Hey hey, Itachi-chan, is this the cutie?" Shisui poked at the picture of Sakura that was taped to the bottom of the bunk above Itachi's bed.

"Hey, she's pretty cute…you know…if things don't work out between you guys, I'd be happy to take-"

"You will do no such thing." Itachi finally relented as he spoke firmly, rolling his eyes when Shisui let out a cackle of a laugh.

"Oh Itachi, getting possessive already?" Snickering at his younger cousin, Shisui reached over and ruffled Itachi's long tresses before hopping off the bed, murmuring something about wanting food.

Not wanting to admit, Itachi knew there was a certain possessive nature that he was beginning to assume of Sakura. It was a strange type of feeling that he has never experienced before that made him think to himself of what his relationship with Sakura was. Were they together? Or were they at the point where they were more than friends? They were certainly good friends now having known each other for over half a year…

But what were they really?

Deep down, though, Itachi knew that there was a part of his mind that was telling him that he might really love this girl.

"Sasuke." Sakura, for the second time in the day, let out surprisingly.

Upon letting Neji out of her apartment, she came face to face with Sasuke. And now there he stood, one hand in his pocket while the other hand carried a takeout bag.

"Hey Sak, it's Sunday."

Pausing for a second, Sakura let out an epiphany sigh when she realized the meaning of his statement.

It was Sunday.

Every Sunday had somehow become an unspoken agreement of lunch together, either outside or at one of their houses. And today it was Sasuke's turn to treat her.

"Oh right, Sasuke. Sorry, it just kinda slipped my mind."

Chuckling, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Wow there Sak, didn't know I meant that much to-" Seeing his eyes rest behind her, Sakura coughed upon remembering that Neji was still behind her.

Disregarding the man that was walking out of the door, Sakura quickly pulled Sasuke into her apartment while quickly shutting the door without so much as a glance at Neji.

"Uh…way to introduce us there Sakura." Sasuke let out a bit confusedly.

"Yea…sorry. Is this Chinese? My favorite." Sakura said breathlessly as she made for a grab at the bag, letting out a distressed sound when Sasuke held the bag out of her reach.

"Nuh-uh. Not until I get some answers from you Miss Doctor." Sasuke poked her nose before brushing past her into the living room, raising an eyebrow at the half empty carton of ice cream.

"Thanks for sharing the dessert with me too."

"Oh god Sasuke, stop being so dramatic, there's another carton in the freezer you baby." Sakura gave a small whack to the back of his head before settling down on the couch with Sasuke on the other end beside her.

Taking out a carton of food and snapping her chopsticks, Sakura was just about to take a plunge into the box of food until another pair of chopsticks blocked her predatory descent.

"Ugh! You know better than to get between me and my food Sasuke!" Sakura burst out frustratingly.

"Answers Sak. I want to know who that guy was. And why you didn't even say 'bi' to him. And why you looked like you had just eaten Lee's Thousand Death Curry."

"Fine! Fine!" Swatting away Sasuke's annoying chopsticks from her food, Sakura sighed.

"That was Neji. My ex."

A low whistle from Sasuke.

A smack on the arm from Sakura.

"I left him three years ago."

"What's the big deal with that? You guys broke up."

"No…I like…ran away. I left. Meaning packed up bags, and just walked out while he was away at work."

"…oh."

"Yea. 'OH'" Sakura repeated sarcastically. Taking a pause to shove food down her throat, Sakura swallowed painfully.

"And he just came here without telling me demanding an answer as to why I left him and then he reminded me of what our argument was even really about in the first place." Looking down at her kung pao chicken, the pink-haired doctor nudged at her food.

"Well?"

"…Well what?" Sakura mumbled.

"What was it about?"

When Sakura paused to long in replying, a nudge from Sasuke's foot made her budge.

"My engagement ring."

Looking up at the blinking Sasuke, she waited expectantly for a reply.

"…Wow. That's…kinda messed up."

Grumbling slightly after Sakura had given him a punch, he began to eat.

"Well it is!...So…what now?"

"I don't know…I'm not going back to him though."

"Why not? You guys were fighting over something trivial. Something about love."

"Aren't you supposed to be fighting on my side? What happens if I run back to Neji and Itachi finds out that you encouraged me?" Sakura scolded.

Laughing a bit, Sasuke swallowed.

"It'll be my revenge for giving me so many years of pain." Laughing together, Sakura finally shook her head.

"…No…I won't go back to him…besides everything else…I mean, I know we used to always have arguments…not big ones, but those small ones that kind of just end up building up." Nodding silently, the two ate silently as the tv droned on in the background.

"So you love my brother?"

Choking on the chewed food that was attempting to make its way down her throat, Sakura coughed violently, vaguely regarding the thumping of Sasuke's hand on her back in aid.

"..fine…I'm..fine!" Sakura finally coughed out, glaring as Sasuke snorted.

"Guess that answers my question."

"Oh shut up."

"You know..." Sasuke finally spoke after a while of the two staring at the tv, "if Itachi didn't already have dibs on you, I probably would've fallen for you." Sasuke said casually.

Pausing in her eating, Sakura looked up, staring at his eating face before casually propping her feet up onto Sasuke.

"You know…", Sakura began, "if you weren't Itachi's otouto…you'd probably be a dead pulp by now." Sakura merely finished off her carton of food before snatching Sasuke's half-eaten carton from his hands.

But before Sasuke could respond, a loud beep came from under Sakura.

"…Your butt's beeping Sak." Sasuke said bluntly as he stared at her ass.

Making a tsking noise, Sakura shoved her foot in his face.

"Look there again and you'll be fried ass."

Reaching under her, Sakura checked at her pager.

"What the hell? Who pages me for a pregnancy!" Sakura let out a frustrated yell before stomping into her room to throw on her coat.

"I'll be back when I get back. Lock up before you leave." Sakura said hurriedly before tossing the keys to him and grabbing her things before heading out.

"It's time to push god damn it!"

"NO! I'm not going to until Sakura gets here!"

"You'll kill yourself woman!"

"OHHHH! Then won't you be one happy man!"

"Just push you stubborn woman!"

"My god, what the hell is going on in- OH MY KAMI!" Sakura yelled out panic-stricken when she rushed into the room only to find a very sweaty and pregnant best friend and her antsy husband.

"Ino! But you're not due for another month! Are you sure the baby's here? It's not just a stomach ache!" Sakura rushed around to peek.

"HOLY SHIT SAK, I KNOW WHEN I'M HAVING A GOD DAMN BABY FOR KAMI'S SAKE!" Ino screamed out as another contraction hit her.

"Ok!Ok! On my mark Ino, you're going to push and hold until I count to ten, got it?" Seeing Ino nod her head in pain and grasp Shika's hand tighter, Sakura quickly pulled on her gloves before preparing for the baby.

"Ok, on the count on three Ino."

"one"

"two"

"three!"

"She's so…tiny…"

One hour later and everything was finally settling down. Night had already approached as Sakura was finally packing away all of the instruments in the room as Ino cooed at the baby. It was a gorgeous baby, Sakura had to say.

Chestnut brown hair like Shika's with the bluest eyes, just like Ino's. Ino had told her that they would have gotten to the hospital sooner if Shika hadn't driven so slowly. Once the baby had been cleaned and bundled up, Sakura had realized the amazing miracle of a birth. Sure she had delivered countless of babies, but none of them had been her friends.

Staring down at the little ball of wonder, Sakura leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"So", Sakura collapsed on to the chair beside the bed, propping her feet up onto the bed, "have you decided on a name for the little guy?"

Ino smiled and glanced over at her husband's sleeping form.

"…I think Asuma would be nice." Sakura's eyes softened at that.

Asuma had been Shikamaru's grandfather who had died while in war. He was the closest person the Shikamaru.

"I think so too." Sakura smiled encouragingly at Ino.

"Ok then", Sakura sighed as she got up slowly while stretching out her stiff limbs, "I'm gonna head off so we can both get some rest…always giving me trouble pig." The two of them laughing quietly.

Leaning down to place a kiss to her best friend's forehead, Sakura caressed Asuma's soft cheek before hitching her bag higher onto her shoulder.

"I'll come visit tomorrow for lunch, so don't eat! Love you" Whispering, Sakura waved before quietly slipping out the door.

Oh how amazing birth was. It was the start of a new life. An innocent creature that is born into the world. Sakura knew that the baby was in very good hands. Even though those two will have their small arguments, they'll always manage to work things out.

Arriving at home, Sakura called out to see if Sasuke had stayed. But upon receiving no answer, Sakura shrugged and padded into the living room, silently thanking Sasuke for having cleaned up her table of unwanted trash. But having a small epiphany, Sakura skidded into the kitchen and opened the freezer only to discover it empty with a post it reading ':P'. Laughing, Sakura rolled her eyes before spotting a stack of mail on her counter with a small note from Sasuke.

Sifting through the large stack, Sakura's eyes caught upon the cream colored envelope before tearing it open none-too-delicately.

5/12/11

Dear Sakura,

Thank you for your letter. It should be I who does the thanking. If not for your voice and quiet conversation, I am confident that I would have slowly become insanely frustrated in this training facility. I'm glad to have gotten to wish you a happy birthday in time. As for my method of obtaining a phone call shall be kept a secret until we meet. I can also already imagine us in the library or out in the open for a meal together. My release date is September 5th as I have also been counting down the days until my training is finally completed. I believe that I have fifty five more days until I will be allowed to return home. I have recently been thinking of my future as we had discussed in previous letters. I am still uncertain as to what the future holds for me, but as you already know, I hope that I will not have to pursue a career in war. It has never suited me and I do not suit it. I have been thinking of my options and believe that I will discuss this with my parents as to my true wishes for a career. I know that my mother will always supportive of my decisions. It is my father that I have to present the issue to.

As for your comment on Sasuke, I do believe that he has grown considerably. I began to take notice of his behavior once he graduated from college and returned home. It seems that his experience there had changed his perspective for the better. I am glad that he is there to provide you with conversations and friendship. Please tell him that I leave my care for you in his arms. I think he has already been doing an exceptional job since you are still alive. And as for Ino's pregnancy, I hope that the delivery of her baby boy will be swift and without complications. Something about the birth of a new life into the world still never seizes to amaze me. How something so small can develop into a full human being with emotions is a wonder that kami has given us. That is why I am against war so strongly. We are given a chance at life to experience wonders to its fullest and I do not believe that our years should be spent in war and fighting. It is a waste of a great opportunity and I do not want to play with the love that I was born out from.

I hope you are also doing well in Konoha. I long for the breezy afternoons and the sun. It is currently very rainy here in our training camp. I believe that Suna has many summer rains. I enjoy the rain, but only when the season is fit for it. I hope that I will be able to spend many warm afternoons outside with you. Your letters are what help me survive in this camp. I have been doing well and although the training here is very harsh and the Generals are strict, I believe that in all due time, things will start looking up. Make sure you stay safe and always lock your doors when going out or staying in. Until your next letter.

Love,

Itachi

The ring of the telephone broke Sakura out of her thumping trance as she beamed down at the letter while placing a hand over her racing heart.

Looking towards the telephone, a small bubble of hope rose in her chest.

'…Could it be?...'

Walking over to the phone, Sakura counted to three before picking up hurriedly.

"Hello?"

A low deep voice responded.

"Hey Sak."

Splat. That was her hope being dropped from a ten story building.

Sighing, Sakura fell back onto the couch.

"Hey Sasuke." Sakura responded lamely.

"Hey, I think I left my jacket over at your place, I'll be over tomorrow to get it, kay?"

"Yea yea, sure"

Hanging up after saying 'bi', Sakura groaned out before reaching her room and flopping down onto the bed, staring up at her ceiling of glow-in-the-dark stars.

Smiling, Sakura giggled softly before burying her face into the pillow beside her.

'He signed it 'Love"'

A/N: Hey there! I hope you guys liked this chapter...it was kind of a spontaneous thing with Neji...so haha, comment on what you thought of it! I'll be updating soon! Thank you guys again for all of the reviews and the support! Until next time!

-chicken