Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! Sakura and Itachi finally have their big talk. Enjoy!

[EDIT: I was so eager to post this, I missed a bunch of small spelling and grammar errors. Sorry, guys! I'm in the process of correcting them now.]

Disclaimer: Anti-lawsuit no jutsu! I do not own!


~ Chapter 9: What Could Have Been ~

"Can this wait until tomorrow?" Itachi said, shoulders stiffening. He had known this was coming, but it didn't make him any more prepared for it.

Sakura gripped the blanket tighter, her lips thinning into a straight line. "No."

The events of this very long day had worn down Itachi, so he made one last effort to put off their inevitable conversation. "We both need rest. We can talk tomorrow," he suggested.

"No," Sakura repeated. "We need to talk now."

Itachi's shoulders sagged with a sigh. "Can I at least sit down?"

Sakura's posture softened a bit. She nodded, and Itachi sat on the edge of the bed. Sakura, however, refused to sit down. Itachi didn't like people talking down to him, figuratively or literally, but he remained silent. This was her conversation, and he would let her have control of how it went. If she wanted to tower over him as she berated him with questions, then so be it.

Neither of them talked for a full minute. Itachi stared at the floorboards like a scolded school boy – which he might as well be – waiting for her to make the first move. Sakura, on the other hand, used the silence to prepare herself. Itachi could feel her eyes analyzing him. It made his skin crawl; he didn't like being a specimen.

"Start from the beginning." Sakura demanded.

"Tsunade-sama sent me to bring you back–" Itachi started.

"I didn't take you for an idiot, Uchiha," she scoffed.

"I didn't take you for one either, Haruno," Itachi replied. "You asked me to 'start from the beginning'. That's what I'm doing."

Sakura shifted her feet. Her lips were set in a hard line. "Don't be difficult. You knew what I meant."

Itachi leaned back to look up at Sakura, laying his hands out in front of him. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me the truth." With an annoyed sigh, she crossed her arms. "Why did you lie to me? Why did you pretend to be Naruto all this time?"

"Because we needed to make the Raikage think–"

Sakura interrupted, hands now on her hips, "There were countless situations – situations we were alone – that you could have told me. Instead, you insisted on keeping me in the dark."

Itachi had wondered when the interrogation would begin; this appeared to be it.

The blanket that she had been gripping moments ago slipped from her shoulders, but she didn't seem to notice. "You held me, comforted me, bathed me – all while pretending to be Naruto! I would have never let you do any of that if I'd know it was you!"

Itachi tried to ignore how her words stung. There was nothing to feel because there was nothing between them. At least that's what he told himself.

Sakura continued her rampage, "You abused my friendship with Naruto and manipulated my feelings. It's your fault I feel like this! Like . . . like I . . ."

Itachi watched as Sakura became breathless. Her eyes couldn't focus, and they scanned aimlessly around the room, looking at anything but him.

"Like what, Sakura?" Itachi prompted. When she didn't answer, he stood up, walking until he was toe-to-toe with her. His breath ghosted over her hair, rippling a few strands. "What do you feel?"

Sakura tightly closed her eyes and tilted her face away from him. Placing a hand between them, she lightly pressed against his chest. He let her push him away, but he would not let her ignore his question.

For the first time in a long while, Itachi was faced with a puzzle he didn't know how to solve. His muscles ached with a dull throb, a feeling he usually associated with low chakra and exhaustion. But this was a new ache. Like a magnet, it got stronger as Sakura got closer.

He looked closely at the woman in front of him. Her obnoxious pink hair was a memorable feature, and Itachi noticed the slow but steady increase of pink in his life. At first, there wasn't much at all – she was just on the fringe of his consciousness. When she was assigned to Sasuke's genin team, the "pink-haired girl" got a name: Haruno Sakura. She would go on to apprentice with the Hokage, adding even more pink to his life as he fulfilled his ANBU duties. It wasn't long before his vision swam in pink. She was at home, practicing with Sasuke and the Uzumaki kid. She was at the hospital, healing his injuries. She was in town, grocery shopping with his mother. And now? For better or worse, they were stuck in this infernal house together.

Pink, pink, pink.

Such a silly color to fall in love with.

"Sakura. Talk to me," Itachi asked softly.

Her hand rested limply against his chest. He grasped the hand, grazing his thumb against the soft skin on the back of her hand. He could feel her chakra pulsing underneath the pad of his finger.

Sakura slowly eased her eyes open until they were half-lidded. She sighed, and with it, her body succumbed to stress and fatigue from the day. Her shoulders sagged, her chest caved in, and the lines on her face became more prominent. Itachi wondered how she was still standing. Probably out of sheer will power.

"Why did you lie to me, Itachi?" Sakura said. Even her voice was laced with a tired drawl.

"I don't know," Itachi replied. And that was the truth. Logically, he recognized what Sakura said was true; he had plenty of opportunities to tell her about his real identity, but didn't. Itachi didn't have an answer for her.

She turned her head to finally meet his gaze. The hand that rested on his chest, once limp, now lightly held onto the front of his shirt, rubbing the cotton fabric between her fingers.

"If I had fallen in love with you, while you were 'Naruto' . . . what would you have done?" Sakura asked.

If I had fallen in love with you – those words repeated over and over in his mind. He barely heard the rest of the sentence. This was not the time to rediscover his boyish romanticism. She didn't say she loved you, Itachi reminded himself. She said "if".

"What do you mean?" Itachi said, brow furrowed as he tried to regain his composure.

"How long would you have kept up this farce?" Sakura asked, a sad smile growing. "Would you have told me when we returned to Konoha? And then what? Explain to the real Naruto that you 'accidently' made me fall in love with him? Was that the plan, Itachi?"

"I didn't have a plan," Itachi blurted.

"You're Uchiha Itachi, the prodigy of a legendary clad and probably the best ANBU operative Konoha has ever had – you always have a plan."

The bubble of anger inside Itachi finally popped. Those words were able to cut through his thick skin like it was warm butter.

He shoved her away, ripping his shirt out of her hand. His posture stiffened and his frown deepened.

"I'm trapped in a house in the middle of nowhere with a woman whom I developed feelings for under false pretenses. My brother seems to be deliriously obsessed with the same woman and has committed treason in order to win her affections," Itachi sneered, "Forgive me for not having a plan. I'm a bit out of my depths here."

Itachi had expected her to shy away from his outburst, but instead she matched him, word for word.

"Like my situation is any better?" Sakura fumed. "I watched a good man die today, and even though I didn't know him very long, he showed me more kindness than I deserved. I'm proud to call him my friend, which is more than I can call you."

"Fine. You want a friend?" Itachi taunted. "Your so-called 'friend' is waiting outside that barrier, probably with a wedding ring in his pocket. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you out."

Sakura jabbed a finger into his sternum. "Don't you dare bring Sasuke into this!"

"Why not? You've been his damsel in distress before – the role seems to come naturally to you–"

Itachi hadn't even finished talking before Sakura slapped him hard across the face. It was the kind of slap that left a lingering burn.

Both shinobi glared at each other with flared nostrils.

Itachi knew he was in the wrong, but he'd already lost enough footing in this argument. He couldn't help acting on the instinct to return her attacks, even if he deserved every word she tore through him.

Abruptly, Sakura spun around and stormed out of the bedroom. Itachi followed her as she passed through the kitchen and out the front door. He lunged for her hand, pulling her back to him. They stood in the middle of the lawn, their feet getting wet from the ice crystals coating the grass.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To Sasuke," Sakura retorted, ripping her hand away. "Because every damsel in distress needs her prince charming, right?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "You don't need a prince charming, Sakura. And even if you did, he's definitely not Sasuke."

"You don't know anything about what I need," Sakura spat, "You're just a wolf in sheep's clothing! You're name even means 'weasel' – because that's exactly what you are!"

"Sakura, don't–"

"Don't what?" Sakura spat. "Go on, I dare you to lecture me. What shouldn't I do, Itachi?"

Things were getting out of hand. What had started as a quasi-intelligent conversation about his motives had devolved into incoherent insults. Both of their emotions were running on high, and they couldn't continue for much longer; a person could only get so angry. The question to ask, then, was how angry could Sakura get? At what point was it enough? How much did Itachi have to endure?

Sakura's arms began to swing out as she yelled at him, "All you do is lecture people! You're worse than Sai, and he was trained to be an emotionless asshole!" She paused for a second to gulp a breath of air. "And that's another thing – why can't you just be a normal human being? All I wanted was an apology – that's it! But you couldn't even do that!"

He'd have to endure much more, apparently.

"Probably because the glorious Itachi can do no wrong. Sasuke told me all about your family, how you're the golden boy, winning wars and rescuing puppies," She continued, voice hoarse from her shouting. "You can flaunt your gorgeous hair and hot body all you want – I'm not falling for it!"

All Itachi could do was stare. Ragged breathing, shoulders bent forward, frazzled hair, hands fisted at her side – she looked like she just finished wrestling a bear and was waiting for another one to jump out and attack her.

Itachi wasn't a bear, and he had no intention of attacking the frantic pink-haired woman.

He took a slow breath, inhaling and exhaling completely. He counted to ten before finally speaking.

"Are you done?" He said softly, as tonelessly as he could.

Sakura opened her mouth, rearing to spew more insults, but decided against it.

Itachi knew it was his responsibility to make amends. He thought through his words carefully, making sure nothing would upset their fragile stalemate.

"I know you're . . . upset," Itachi said slowly. "And you're right, I should have apologized."

Sakura unfurled slightly from her aggressive stance.

"I can't change the past, but I'm sorry things have turned out this way," Itachi said. "I hope we can still work together as teammates."

Itachi paused, waiting for her to respond, but she remained resolute in her silence. Itachi recognized the stony mask Sakura wore; he'd worn it for most of his life.

"You need rest," Itachi said. "I'll take the couch tonight."


To say that Sakura was overwhelmed was an understatement. There weren't words for what she was feeling. Betrayal, loss, confusion, hope – none of them even skimmed the surface of her churning thoughts.

It had been almost three hours since she and Itachi talked. She laid on the queen-size mattress in the bedroom, staring at the ceiling. Itachi, as he promised, had settled on the couch for the night. Despite the physical distance between them, it felt like he was standing next to her, his presence demanding her attention.

She knew she should be resting – she still needed to heal physically and emotionally – but she couldn't soothe her mind long enough to find sleep. She supposed, technically, laying down was still resting, but it wasn't the same.

Nothing was the same anymore.

When her mind wasn't repeating her conversation with Itachi, it was toiling over everything else that had been inverted in the last twenty-four hours.

Sasuke was a traitor. Naruto was still in Konoha. Killer Bee was dead. Gaku was dead. Yaku abandoned them. She was effectively a prisoner in Kumo.

Every time she tried to grapple with any one of these issues, her mind would latch onto Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi.

What a stupid man to fall in love with.

When she first saw Naruto in that cell, unconscious and beaten, she felt indescribably relieved. She and Naruto stuck together, no matter the obstacles. Team 7 had changed over the years, gaining and losing members, but Sakura and Naruto had always been there. They would always be Team 7. She loved Kakashi and Sai, but there was a barrier there that Sakura had never been able to cross. With Kakashi, it was age. He was more of a father to her than a best friend or brother. Encouraging and lighthearted, Kakashi was someone she sought out for advise, not comfort. And Sai – well, Sai was in a league of his own. He was a friend, yes, but she doubted they would ever have the friendship she built with Naruto. And then there was Sasuke.

Oh kami . . . Sasuke . . .

Sasuke was . . . complicated. They'd never shared a particularly intimate relationship, but somehow the two had been on stuck on a seesaw of love, hate, love, hate. They were constantly cycling between wanting to deepen their bonds and wanting to beat each other bloody. Or, at least, that was true on her end. Recent events have proved that Sakura was wrong about a lot of people. Perhaps she was wrong about Sasuke, too.

She didn't want to be wrong. Especially about Sasuke.

The memory of Sasuke pounding on the barrier, manic with fury, came to the surface of Sakura's mind.

Sakura may have been enamored with the boy during her childhood, but adulthood and maturity had gifted her with newfound clarity in regards to Sasuke. She loved the idea of Uchiha Sasuke, but she didn't love the man himself. Rather, he was a good friend and teammate, someone she could rely on.

My brother seems to be deliriously obsessed with you and has committed treason in order to win your affections, Itachi's voice echoed in her mind.

Deliriously obsessed? Treason? Were all these things true? Could Sasuke really have betrayed their country for her? It didn't seem possible.

And yet, her gut was telling her that Itachi wasn't exaggerating. That, maybe, Sasuke might not be the man she thought he was.

Sakura didn't know what was worse: Sasuke betraying their country or Sasuke betraying her.

Shifting to lay on her side, Sakura rested her cheek against the cool side of the pillow.

She wasn't stupid enough to run to Sasuke, but she wasn't going to stay in this house either. Gaku said that she could come and go whenever she liked. What was preventing her from sprinting home to Konoha?

Oh, right. The twenty or so Kumo ANBU guarding the barrier's perimeter. Twenty versus two? Itachi and Sakura were good, but not that good. And Sakura was still healing, so it would really be twenty versus one and a half.

Itachi was right. Regardless of their issues, they needed to be teammates. They needed to work together.

Her emotions weren't any calmer, but her mind had finally met its limit. Out of absolute exhaustion, Sakura fell asleep.

When morning finally came, the clatter of cooking startled Sakura awake. Instinct had her scrambling for the kunai under her pillow, but then reality settled in, and she remembered her surroundings.

The cabin. Gaku's barrier. Itachi. Not an intruder. Right.

Sakura dropped the kunai, which sunk into the plush comforter. With a bit of caution, Sakura stretched her sore body by systematically tensing and relaxing her muscles. Not even two days ago, her wounds were leaking puss and blood. She was surprised at how well she was healing. Her body was bruised and tender, yes, but the pain was tolerable. It was no worse than dealing with sore muscles after a particularly hard workout. There was nothing to do in this sealed dome but rest; she had no doubts her body would bounce back in a day or two.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Sakura slowly put her body weight on her legs and found minimal resistance. The thought of walking without a limp brought a welcome smile to her face.

It felt good to smile again.

Her smile widened at the smell of breakfast wafting into the bedroom. She put her full weight on her legs and stood up. Slowly but surely, she walked from the bedroom to the kitchen.

Sakura didn't enter the kitchen right away. She leaned against the doorframe, watching the man in front of her.

Itachi looked like an average civilian, an appearance Sakura had never seen on him. His hair was still wet from a shower, and the long ponytail was dripping down his back. He had found a change of clothes, exchanging the grey sweatpants and t-shirt for jeans and a black hoodie. Her eyes were drawn to his feet, where she found him wearing a pair of socks. Pink polka dot socks.

For a moment, it was easy to pretend things were okay. He could be her boyfriend, surprising her with a breakfast for two. They would sit across from each other at the table, their conversation light while they shared intimate smiles. Like puzzle pieces, their hands would be a perfect match, and the touch would feel natural. They'd laugh softly at his cooking, and she would offer to make breakfast next time – perhaps tomorrow, if he was free. And he would be. They were both busy, but their time together was precious. He would make time for her.

She had dated a few men here and there, but none of them had fit into her life. The life of a Chief Medic was uncompromising, and she never took it personally when someone else didn't want to share the burden. She had chosen this life, and she would accept the consequences. Being a medic was worth the sacrifice of a picture-perfect relationship.

Sakura would be lying if she said she hadn't entertained the idea of dating Naruto before. There was so much history there, and since he was already a major part of her life, she thought the transition from friend to more-than-friends would be seamless. It would be easy.

In Kumo, it was natural for Sakura to entertain those thoughts again. There he was, being the friend she'd always known him to be, but there was something different – a spark. She'd picked up subtle hints here and there, and she realized that Naruto was interested in her – romantically interested.

And when Naruto became Itachi . . .

Her head hurt making sense of it all.

Itachi turned off the gas of the stove, and turned towards her. "I prepared breakfast." He cleared his throat. "Would you like to join me?"

Sakura nodded, hobbling over to the dining table. She eased into the chair and, with a hiss, rested her bruised back again the hard wood.

While she got herself settled, Itachi brought over two steaming plates of rice and grilled fish. The portions were moderate, but the food had been a good choice; the protein and carbohydrates would help the healing process and fortify her chakra reserves.

She mumbled a thank you, and Itachi mumbled an acknowledgement in return. Sakura released a tired sigh. Mumbling was a good start, but she had hoped they would exchange actual words this morning.

Sakura reached for the fork placed beside her plate. Looking down had been her mistake. Spiraling underneath the white plate was Gaku's burned insignia. With a light touch, she traced the ashen lines. They were still warm.

Sakura didn't know how long she stared at the table, but when she looked up, she found Itachi studying her. His mask was very much in place, but there were small cracks betraying his concern and guilt.

Perhaps breakfast hadn't been a good idea after all.

Hastily grabbing the fork, Sakura dug into her food. Itachi followed her lead and began eating as well.

They didn't speak. They didn't look at each other. They may as well have been eating at different tables in different rooms. It was pretty high on her list of the most awkward meals she's ever had.

Determined to do something, she cleared her throat. "So–"

"How are–" Itachi blurted at the same time.

"What?"

"You go first."

"No, no, it's okay – what were you going to say?"

"It's nothing. Nevermind."

They locked gazes for a second before immediately looking away. Itachi had chosen to look at something above her head, and Sakura had decided that her food was suddenly very interesting.

After their failed attempt at conversation, they both returned to eating. And ignoring each other.

Wonderful.

But, their diversion tactic was almost at an end; both their plates were nearly out of food. Sakura had even resorted to eating the rice grain by grain, and Itachi was chewing impressively slowly. Turtles walked faster than he was chewing.

Ten minutes later, the inevitable happened: every speck of food on their plates was gone.

Sakura was stuck between being frustrated by the silence and not wanting to take a chance on another conversation. She knew the ball was in her court – he had invited her to eat breakfast with him – but that didn't make her any less nervous.

"Can we agree that this is uncomfortable?" Sakura finally said.

"Hn," Itachi responded, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"So, are we . . . are we talking to each other again?" she asked, testing the waters.

"It seems that way," Itachi returned.

"Should we set, I don't know, ground rules or something?"

"If you feel that's necessary," he said.

Sakura was now operating on a "better safe than sorry" philosophy. So, yes, she did think it was necessary.

"We aren't going to talk about last night or anything else that's happened in the past week," Sakura began. "In fact, I think it's best if we stay strictly professional from now on. We're co-captains on a mission. We'll act and behave like colleagues would."

Itachi's eyebrow quirked up, his smirk growing. "Alright, so what doyou want to talk about?"

It was Sakura's turn to smirk. He was letting her make the decisions so he couldn't be blamed later. Sakura had been right about one thing: after last night, there was no way Itachi would leave himself vulnerable to her scrutiny. They both understood that the ice was already cracking under his feet. One wrong step, and he'd fall through.

"I think we should talk about the barrier," Sakura suggested. Itachi stiffened, but she waved her hand at his response. "Don't worry, we're not going to talk about Gaku."

Itachi seemed to relax, but the caution didn't leave his eyes.

"We haven't tested the barrier yet," Sakura pointed out. "Supposedly, I can enter and exit as I please. We haven't proved that to be true. If it's not–"

"Then we should plan our escape," Itachi finished.

Sakura nodded. "If I can pass through the barrier, then I can gather supplies and food as we need. But if neither of us can re-enter the barrier, then we need to prepare for the long haul. Rationing food, conserving supplies – nothing can be wasted."

"Sasuke is starving us out," Itachi said, his playful smirk now gone.

"Yes," Sakura reluctantly agreed. She didn't want to add to the pyre already under Sasuke's name, but she couldn't deny this fact.

"He's going to try and lure us out of the barrier," Itachi continued. "We should prepare ourselves for regular 'visits' from him."

They both paused to think about this new realization.

"Could we use them to our advantage?" Sakura suggested.

"How do you mean?"

"We need two things: information about the outside and to return to Konoha. Sasuke is the key to both of those," Sakura thought aloud, brow furrowed as she pieced together the current situation.

Itachi leaned back. "Go on."

"I could offer myself to him," Sakura continued.

"What good would that do?" Itachi scoffed.

"Sasuke isn't going to give us any information unless he trusts us. I already lied to him, so maybe offering myself would gain back some of that lost trust." Sakura sighed. "I don't know, it was just an idea. Forget it."

Itachi paused, mulling over her idea. The muscles in his jaw clenched. Sakura could hear the quiver in his exhale as he tried to control his breathing.

"No," he said, voice tense. "It's a good idea."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked, surprised he would agree.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said. "It's the most viable plan we have at the moment."

Sakura nodded, but she wasn't sure his words were sincere. She couldn't tell if he actually agreed with her, or if he was trying to avoid another fight. Either way, he agreed.

Now, all they had to do was wait for Sasuke.


Author's Note: I know their argument didn't end in passionate make-up sex, but I hope you guys still liked Itachi and Sakura's confrontation. I have a plan for their romantic build-up, and they're not quite ready yet. We're getting much closer, though ;) Heads up: when that moment does come, I may or may not change the rating from T to M. Also, sorry for a shorter chapter! I felt like it was a good place to stop before next chapter's shenanigans starts.

Please read and review! Thank you!