Itachi's POV

'We're falling.' Or at least I was. It felt like pure happiness, not that I felt something like that in my whole life before.

I stared wide-eyed at her. She was laying above me. Again, but that wasn't important.

'Pull yourself together. It's just a kiss', my mind told me, but I didn't quite acted like it told me. I was paralyzed and my heart beat like crazy.

'Enough', my mind screamed and I shoved her away. I jumped to my feet and wished my sleeve over my mouth, staring down on her. I would never forget the sad, shocked and fidget expression on her face, which was only a few inches from the ground.

"What do you think you doing?" I growled and collected her things from the ground.

"I kissed you. Wasn't that obvious?" She stood up and brushed the dust from her clothes. I ignored her. I had to bring distance between us. It would bring nothing good to either the mission, Deidara and of course not me, either.

"Let's go." I jumped from tree to tree, carrying her things. I ignored her, I didn't listen to her breath or her steps or even my own thoughts which told me to talk with her.

We ran for a while already, silent, when I first realized we were followed by someone. It was no chakra, no smell, just a feeling and that was enough for me. I let myself fall a bit behind, so that I was beside Sakura. She looked at me angry, but that was not important. I kicked her feet away and she fell with a surprised and angry yell down. I jumped behind her, grabbed the collar of her shirt and tossed her away, so that it would look like I attacked her, but I just help her to land safely on her feet.

"What...", she began, but I the next moment I was in front of her.

"Fight with me", I whispered and tossed her away again, but she could grab a branch and landed on another branch. She looked at me confused, but I didn't give her the chance to say anything. I pulled a shuriken out and threw it at her. She dodged it with a kunai, jumped down and ran toward me. I waited, looked around but couldn't see the follower. I grabbed Sakuras wrist and turned it on her back without actually hurting her. I held her close.

"Someone is watching us, but I don't know who it is or where he is. Just fight with me, but don't..." I couldn't say anything more. Something stuck in my back and it actually wouldn't matter much, but this time something was spreading from it.

'Poison', I thought. 'Fuck. This is really not good.' I let go of Sakura and turned my back to her. I heard her gasp.

"It looks worse than it is. Just pull it out." I didn't flinch when she pulled it out. I turned back to her and took the kunai, before she could take a closer look. I put it under my cloak. It could be that we would need it again.

"Itachi..."

"Silence," I ordered her an closed my eyes. I took in my surroundings, every tree, every animal, Sakura and the person who sat on a branch above me.

I used my chakra to hold the spreading of the poison back, but I could already feel the limpness which began to overtake my body.

I opened my eyes and looked up. The person didn't bother to hide himself. It was the stupid friend of Orochimaru.

"Kabuto," Sakura whispered. Yeah right, that was his name.

"What do you want?" I growled and used more chakra to hold back the poison, but it didn't stop it.

'I need to hurry up', I thought, while I activated Mangekyou Sharingan and looked at Kabuto.

Sakura's POV

The things wasn't always what they were seemed to be. And Itachi was one of them.

I looked at Kabuto, waiting for the answer.

"I am here because I heard that Deidara is sick. Orochimaru told me to come and look if I can help. But I see you have already help."

"Yes, we have. Now get lost." His dark voice was emotionless. Again.

It made me sick how he changed from one second to another. He was unreadable and his action made no sense. I was confused. Though something was really clear in my head: I had a crush on Itachi Uchiha. And that was a problem. I love Sasuke and not his older brother. And the problem didn't end there. Itachi was sick and I had to heal him, I would be close to him. I don't think I could handle the situation.

"But do you really think she can heal him? She's just a little Iryonin. Nothing special."

"Think so? I bet she is better than you, Kabuto."

This reply surprised me. How comes that he thinks I'm good at my work, but doesn't want to be healed by me? Another illogical phrase.

"Yeah? We will see." Kabuto jumped away.

And again, we were alone. Without talking we made our way to the head quarter.

I was too distracted with my own feelings, that I didn't payed attention on Itachi.

But when we arrived in the late morning, I remembered that his sickness must have increased.

"Itachi, wait!" I called after him, as he was walking away from me. He didn't stop, so I made him. And aside from the electricity I still couldn't explain, I felt hot skin.

"You're burning. You need some treatment."

"No, I don't" he answered harsh.

"Yes, you do." I was not in the mood to let him win this dominance game. "No protest here, Itachi, this is not something you can discuss with me."

"You're not in the position to order me around, Sakura." His voice was filled with anger and arrogance, emotion I really had enough of.

"Not in the position?" I asked, the hands in my hips. "I am the healer, and because of that you have to follow my orders. You will go into your room now, stay there and wait until I come, is that clear?"

"Such a strong character in such a soft body" a voice in front of us said. I spun around. Pein. The leader.

A growl from Itachi.

"Do what she says, Itachi. Make her happy, I don't want her to tear this place apart, because you are a too arrogant."

I hardly could suppress a winning smile.

Itachi turned around and left.

Violet eyes focused me. "How does the healing proceeds?"

"I am working on it. But Itachi is also infected, though the sickness isn't as far as by Deidara. It will take me time. And I need a room to put away my stuff, for experiments."

And 'cause I don't want to share a room with Itachi.

"Good, take the room on the opposite side of Deidara's. It's free." Pein passed me.

I took my stuff and brought it into my new room. I started with collecting the things I would need for the medicine and grabbed the book. I would need time to understand this, time I didn't had. So I got up and looked after Deidara. He was sleeping. I checked his pulse, his temperature, his eyes and the rest. No magnificent changes. I stayed a while and watched over his breath. Unstable, but strong enough to keep him alive. I went to my room again, wrote down all the symptoms I found, and a few guesses what else must have happened before he collapsed.

My mind told me I should go and check Itachi. But my body screamed "no way".

But there was no way around it, so I grabbed the book, a sheet of paper, a pen and went to Itachi's room.

I was quite surprised to see him actually laying in his bed. I didn't thought he would follow my orders. But I bet Pein's thread was the real reason.

I took a chair and sat down next to the bed. I started reading.

Itachi's POV

I couldn't relax. It was driving me crazy. She was sitting there and that was it. I laid on my bed and pretended to sleep and that was it. The room was completely silent and normally it wouldn't be nice, but in this moment it was like hell.

'Do something', my mind screamed and I wanted so badly to follow the order, but I couldn't. If I would do something, anything, she would talk with me and that was something I wanted to avoid.

The noise of paper was audible and I figured out that she was reading something.

'Why doesn't she do it in her own room? Why me?' I didn't know the answers. I just wanted to throw her out of my damn room. I wanted to relax, to cure the poison out and to not waste chakra for my Sharingan, when I don't really need it. I was so pitiful, I thought, but I would never admit it aloud. But seriously, I was supposed to watch over the doctor who heals a team member, but instead I became infected and the doctor was driving me crazy. She kissed me, sat beside my bed and did nothing.

'She has fallen for you', my mind said again. It said too much in the last few days, I thought and ignored it.

I screamed. In my mind, of course. This silence would killing me, if it would last any longer. So, I sat up and looked down at my hands.

"Did I wake you up?" She sounded worried. I shook my head and looked up. I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I had to sleep, but only when she had left.

"What are you doing?" I asked. 'Didn't I want to tell her that she had to leave?'

"Reading about your illness. I think your conditions are getting worse and actually I need to check your body."

"You what?"

"I have to check your body. Pulse, temperature, breathing and your eyes. I have to write that down, so I can tell exactly how I can help you."

I didn't want to. She had to touch me and I really really didn't want this. I didn't want it!

"Okay. But do it quickly. I want to sleep more."

She smiled. "Sure. You need to undress your cloak."

Not good. When I would put the cloak off, I would have to stay, but with my legs which I couldn't feel anymore, it would be a bit difficult.

"Do I have to do it?" I asked in a bored tone. She nodded.

"Otherwise I can't check you well enough."

Shit. Me and my bad luck!

The door swung open and Kisame stood their. He was out of breath and that was very rarely.

"Girl, you have to come with me immediately. Deidara is totally nuts."

She stood up and ran out of my room. Kisame didn't. I looked at him questioningly.

"Why aren't you running after her? What would be, when Deidara hurt her?"

He laughed. "Don't worry, mate. There is nothing wrong with him."

I furrowed my brows.

"I felt how uncomfortable you felt. I am your friend after all."

I let a small smile play around my lips. "Yeah, thank you."

He looked a bit taken aback. "Don't worry, man. Just sleep." With this words he was out of my room. He had told me to sleep and that was exactly what I had done.

Sakura' POV

"I'm totally fine, big-forehead." Deidara's voice sounded raspy, and he coughed. His eyes were open, though he still didn't saw anything.

"That would look different" I told him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feelin' nothing. Not even my breathing. That's how it is."

I poked him at his side. "Felt it?" I asked.

"Saw it."

I sighed. Another patient who doesn't want to be one. "I count that as a no. But you must feel better, when you can joke."

A little smile appeared on his face. Though you still could see he was in pain.

"Rest and try not to move. I am still searching the medicine and I don't want you to die in that time. If you are in pain or you need something, just call, okay?"

He nodded.

"Good. I'll leave you again."

I closed the door behind me. I wondered why Kisame had done that. This was so … irresponsible and childish. They all were strange. I wondered how they could be feared so much, when they act like that. It was a mystery for me.

I opened Itachi's door. He was really asleep now. An even and faint breathing made his chest rise and fall.

I sat down on the chair again and continued reading.

I don't know how long I sat there, scribbling on the paper, but it must have been at least one hour. I found the main signs for the sickness. Fever, sweating, blindness, dizzyness, loss of body control and loss of chakra. And pain. Though not everything has to happen and not necessarily in that order. Against the fever and the pain, I could do something, it was easy and unproblematic, routine. But the eyes were harder cause I had never worked with a Sharingan eye. The green liquid I gave him in the cavern worked, so I hope it won't make any difference in the other things, too.

But he wasn't actually blind either. His Sharingan was okay and only not activated he was blind, not like Deidara who was completely blind.

My fear was that the side effects, namely feverish dreams and illusions would drive him crazy. And I couldn't handle an insane Ninja. It would kill me, so much was clear.

I would have to keep them strong, cause the book mentioned an immense loss of chakra and unsteady heart rhythms. And water. They would have to drink as many as they could.

That was my plan.

I read on farther, about complication with determinant herbs. When something changed.

The first change was Itachi's breathing. It quickened.

I looked up. When it didn't slow down, I got up and laid my hand on his head. His temperature was too high.

"I need water and some towels" I mumbled to myself. But where do find them?

Help came in form of a blue haired woman that entered the room.

"I am here for helping you" she said. "I'm Konan."

"Good." I said relieved. "Sakura. I need towels and cold water. A bottle of water, a glass, and -" I stopped. Which of the flowers I saw outside, could help? "and some forget-me-not-flowers."

She gave me a strange look.

"Now" I added gently.

Konan nodded and left.

I began to undress Itachi. He was sweating and his cloths were in my way. I left him in his fish net shirt and he black pants. He was still breathing hard.

I put my hands on his chest and let the green chakra flow. Connected with his, I started to help his heart to beat.

Not until I heard Konans light footsteps, I stopped and opened her the door.

She came in and put the things I wanted on the table next to Itachi's bed.

"Konan, before we start, I have to tell you that this sickness could also infect you. I could put a jutsu on you, but that is only for strengthening your immune system."

"Then do that" she answered.

I came closer to her and laid my hands on her shoulders. A short amount of chakra flowing over to her.

"Good. Now lets get started."

In the end I could cool down his fever. Also his eyes were better now. He woke up in that time, but I could convince him that it was better for him to sleep on. Konan was a big help. She gathered the stuff I had needed and assisted quite well for a Non-Iryonin.

I felt exhausted. It had take me more chakra than expected and I was tired.

"I have a question" Konan said.

"Ask."

"Why did we start by Itachi? Deidara is far more sick."

I gulped. The answer to this question wasn't nice. "Itachi has a higher quote of surviving, the illness hasn't spread as far as by Deidara. That's why. If you want, my idea was you could watch over Itachi's healing process and write everything down while I take care of Deidara."

"Sounds logical. But then you have to tell me more."

Something in me, a little that still was loyal to Konoha whispered that I was telling secrets that should stay secrets. But I couldn't stay quiet either.

"I will tell you, but not today. I am tired and have not much chakra left. We'll continue tomorrow." I got up, grabbed my book and left the room. On my way to my own room, I looked after Deidara. Nothing had changed.

In my bed, I curled up to a ball and fell asleep.

Itachi's POV

I must be dreaming, this would never happen. I was standing at a beach, someone was in my arms. The back against my chest felt warm and the person in my arms was Sakura. The Sakura who we had kidnapped. The Sakura who was our current healer. The Sakura who had kissed me. And the Sakura who I hated.

She was in my arms and then she turned around and looked me in the eyes. Then she leant forward and hugged me.

"I like your eyes when they are in their natural color more, than with Sharingan."

I was surprised, then I realized that I didn't have my Sharingan activated.

'What am I doing?' I wanted to activate it again, but I couldn't. Instead I stroked her hair.

"That's good. When I use it too often, I will go blind, you know?"

"She knows it, because I told her." Someone said from a few meters away. I activated my Sharingan and shoved Sakura behind me.

"What do you want, Saske?"

"I want to kill you, Aniki and then take Sakura with me."

"Dream of it. I won't let you."

Sasuke ran toward me. He used his Chidori, but I wrapped one arm around Sakuras waist and jumped with her a few meters away.

Sasuke grinned and I knew something was wrong. I looked at Sakura, but it wasn't Sakura anymore. It was a piece of wood. I looked to Sasuke again, but he wasn't looking at me. He was making out with Sakura. Panic, shock and anger let my body shiver.

Gasping I sat up in my bed. Konan looked at me worried and Kisame was there, too.

"Are you okay, mate?" Kisame sat down on my bed. I nodded hesitantly.

"It was just a dream," I murmured, not sure of it was to Konan, Kisame or just myself.

"You sweated and groaned like hell. What did you dream?"

I looked at my partner, but I couldn't say it. How was I supposed to tell him about my fantasy with Sakura?

The door flung open and Sakura ran inside. She looked tired and exhausted, but also in panic.

"I heard you weren't well?" She went beside my bed and shoved Kisame away. He looked at her surprised and gestured how he would kill her behind her back, so that she couldn't see it. A small smile spread about my lips and she saw it.

"Oh, you are fine, aren't you?" She put her hands on her hips. Before I could answer, Konan did speak.

"He had a nightmare, sweated and groaned. Is that normal?"

"Maybe. I have to check him." She wanted to touch me, but I jumped out on the other side of the bed, but my legs couldn't hold me up, so I landed on my knees.

'Shit, the poison still isn't out of my body.' I wanted to stand up, but couldn't. Sakura was suddenly beside me and wanted to help me up, but I jerked away.

"Don't touch me," I screamed and crawled away.

'So much for the reputation of Itachi Uchiha', I thought and sighed mentally.

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