Chapter 9 – Under Control

Itachi did not touch her unless she wanted to be touched. Well, he still held her as much as he previously did, but Sakura meant more sensual, sexual, touches. If she didn't show any signs of wanting him to touch or hold her in such a way, then he would not do so. Usually it was Sakura who made the first move and whilst she was a little nervous of such a thing, she was grateful for it. That way, it was her who was in control, who controlled how they kissed, where they kissed.

They had not gone any further than kissing, as neither wanted to rush what was growing between them. However, Sakura had noticed the hungry look that would flicker through Itachi's eyes and it only made her so much more grateful how he didn't act on those urges and instead respected her enough not to push her.

Something was bugging her, though. Well, not exactly bugging her, as Sakura was certain her thoughts were correct, but she had to know for sure.

"Sakura–chan?"

She smiled shyly at Mikoto, glancing around the main room to make sure nobody else was there. At that moment, most of the Uchiha clan were out and, as usual, everybody else was in their own rooms except for Mikoto. It was simply best to keep out of each other's way, really. So many vampires under one roof, hidden in one hideout, wasn't the best idea. No, nobody had started fighting or causing any trouble, but it was obvious some weren't entirely comfortable.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Sakura asked quietly, gesturing behind her to the room she shared with Itachi. "In private?"

Mikoto was on her feet in an instant, nodding silently as she followed Sakura back into her bedroom. There was a certain scent that hit Mikoto in the face the moment she stepped into the room, but she decided not to comment on it, even though she was bubbling with excitement on the inside. Arousal. Yes, it was strange for her to be so happy, but her son was finally letting somebody in! He had never showed much interest in females before. In fact, Sakura was the first and it made her even happier that Sakura was trying to get over her past, too.

"What is it, Sakura–chan?"

Sitting down on the sofa, Sakura smiled nervously up at Mikoto and realising that it could quite possibly be a 'girl talk', she sat down beside her. Like always, her back was straight, ankles crossed delicately and she folded her hands on her lap, watching Sakura curiously. She reminded the younger woman of royalty.

"I don't really know where to begin…"

"I usually find it easier simply speaking my mind. You should never hesitate in voicing your opinion or questions."

Nodding, Sakura glanced down at her hands before forcing herself to look back up at Mikoto. Damn it! She had spoken about this with so many different women, but then again, she had been telling them. It was the other way around now. Now, they were talking about her, not them. To make it worse, this was Itachi's mother.

"Birth control," she blurted out and then blinked suddenly. That had definitely not been how she wanted to word her question. "I mean," Sakura grimaced, "it's been almost four months now and I haven't had a period. It's not surprising, what with me being technically dead and all, but… I was just wondering…"

There was a saddened look on Mikoto's face as the woman shook her head. "No, you will not be able to conceive, Sakura–chan. To conceive, a woman's body has to go through many changes, but I am certain you already know this, considering you had been on your way to becoming a doctor." Sakura nodded. "Our bodies can no longer change unless it is to regenerate. I'm not sure if it is possible for a male vampire to impregnate a human woman, but they can still ejaculate."

Surprisingly, Sakura didn't find their conversation awkward at all. It was as though Mikoto was choosing her words carefully and in a way, it felt almost like a conversation between doctor and patient. It was strange to think of herself and Mikoto in such a way, but it was true.

Growing up, because she and Mebuki had never been entirely close, Sakura had never felt comfortable with speaking to her mother about these things. Instead she had figured puberty and sex out all by herself (with a little help from Ino in the sex department, as her own love life had been seriously lacking). At the age of sixteen, with the encouragement of Ino, Sakura had started taking birth control because apparently, you never know when you will meet 'Mr Right'. Sakura had to refrain from rolling her eyes at her best friend's words – it wouldn't be the first time. If he was 'Mr Right', then they would not be having sex the moment they met.

"As for ourselves, since our bodies cannot change, we will not fall pregnant. I'm sorry, Sakura–chan."

Hearing the genuine tone in her voice, how she really seemed upset, Sakura gave her a smile. "Honestly, I've never really thought about having children. I was just unsure if it was a vampire thing or not."

"You may not want children now, but the thought will come to you in a couple of years, once you and Itachi have settled down."

Sakura lowered her gaze to her hands once more. A family, with Itachi? She couldn't deny that it was an appealing thought (who wouldn't want little Itachi babies running around?), but she just didn't want children right now. There was a possibility of Mikoto being right, that she would want children in the future, but Sakura honestly didn't think that she would. Yes, she liked children, but she was still too young to have any of her own. But what about Itachi? Did he want children? Had he ever thought about having children before?

"Has Itachi…?"

Mikoto gave her a soft smile and placed one of her hands over Sakura's, giving a gentle squeeze. "Not that I know of. Itachi is a very private person. If there is anyone who knows the answer to that question, it will be Shisui or yourself."

Right. Itachi had never given any indications that he wanted children, but none of them did, to be honest. Mikoto didn't show any signs of wanting more children, but Sakura had spoken to her once before and learned that she wouldn't have minded having more. What if Itachi did want children? Would that become a problem for them because she wouldn't be able to give him any? It made her a little uncomfortable with thinking about such things. Not the thought of being with Itachi in such an intimate way, but the thought of her inability to conceive causing a problem.

Part of her knew for a fact that Itachi wouldn't make a big fuss of it, that he wouldn't let it damage their growing relationship, their bond, but there was a small part of her asking: what if it did upset him? There was no denying that Itachi would be a great father as he was an incredibly patient man and always took care of her, but–

Wait, just what the hell was she thinking? She had only known him for not even four months and they were just figuring out the romantic side of their relationship. No ordinary couple would start to think about having children together. But then again, they were no ordinary couple. They were vampires. They were connected.

"Do you think I should speak to Itachi?" Sakura asked after a couple of minutes, glancing up at Mikoto. "About him possibly wanting children?"

The older woman gave her a small smile, squeezing Sakura's hand one last time before standing. "I think it would be best to leave it for a while, until you are both more certain about your relationship. That way there will be no misunderstandings – not that there will be any, due to your bond."

"Thank you for this, Mikoto–san," Sakura told her, genuinely grateful for the talk. It had cleared up a lot for her. "You really helped me out."

"It's nothing, Sakura–chan. Just know that you can come to me whenever you feel as though you need somebody to talk to. After all, there are certain things that you just cannot speak to Itachi about, am I right?"

Oh she was definitely right. No, Sakura wasn't immature, but speaking about periods with Itachi? Uncomfortable to say the least. "You're right." She smiled. "Thanks again."

He was waking up!

Rin had come to find her the moment she noticed the differences in Sasuke's chakra, the moment she realised he was waking up. God, she was so relieved to hear that! He had been out for a while and no matter how many times the others told her not to worry so much, she couldn't help it.

Apparently regenerating took up quite a lot of energy, which was the reason behind his unconsciousness. Not only that, but Rin had also been calming his chakra and soothing him into a deeper sleep with her own chakra. She told Sakura that it was best to sleep off the first few weeks of regeneration, as they were always the most painful. Hunting, for Sasuke, was going to be much more difficult for the moment, which was why Itachi and Shisui had just headed out with Obito and Rin, the latter having an excuse to purchase donated blood. She was a doctor and had proof of it, too.

Sakura didn't like the thought of taking donor blood. What if somebody else really needed it? Couldn't Sasuke wait just a little while and once his energy was back, go out hunting? But no. Itachi had informed her that right now, Sasuke would be close to ravenous. He wasn't as in control of his thirst like the other Uchiha were and it would be safer to simply take blood to him. Kankuro had shrugged and said, "At least they're not bringing a living sacrifice for him to feast on."

She shuddered.

Just the thought of putting some innocent person through such a thing disgusted her.

Mikoto and Fugaku were currently away, so Kakashi, Gaara and Temari had gone out to find them, whilst Kankuro and Naruto stayed behind in case anything happened. Naruto seemed just as happy as the rest of them to hear that Sasuke would finally be waking up, but Sakura was certain that that had more to do with the fact he had, yet again, drawn on Sasuke's face. Mikoto continued to wash it off, knowing how much it would anger her youngest son, but the blond continued to draw the whiskers and offensive name back on, grinning at her whenever she returned and saw it.

Sitting down, Sakura smiled as she saw Sasuke's features twitching, some indicating pain, whilst others indicating that he would be waking shortly. They were the usual tell–tale signs of somebody waking up. He was moving about more, his breathing pattern had changed.

It was so strange looking at his shoulder. There was no arm attached to it, yet you could see it growing back. It shouldn't even be possible, but apparently, it was. No, the bones weren't visible. Strangely enough, it looked like a… She didn't even know how to describe it. To put it simply, it looked as though his arm had been amputated, but every couple of days (sometimes a week or so), it would become longer. Right now it was about an inch or two from his elbow, which meant it had grown about four or five inches from the place where she had ripped it off. It would grow more quickly once he had sated his thirst.

She leaned forward, practically hovering over him. Even though her senses were warning Sakura to give Sasuke some room for when he first woke up, she couldn't. She owed him way too much and needed to thank him properly. It didn't matter if he had only saved her life to stop Itachi from experiencing any emotional pain (although she made a mental note to thank him for that too). Sasuke had still saved her and she would forever be indebted to him.

And then Sasuke's eyebrows were mashing together, his lips were thinning and his eyes squeezed shut. There was a look of agony on his face and noticing it, Sakura went through the hand seals Rin had taught her, summoning the correct amount of chakra, before her hands hovered over Sasuke's arm. The green glow of her chakra grabbed his attention, as his eyes suddenly snapped open, but when he saw who it was, saw that he was not in any danger, Sasuke fell silent and observed her.

"When–"

His voice cut off and he grimaced, his hand flying up to his throat.

He was thirsty.

"Here," Sakura said softly, gently prying his hand from his throat. In response, Sasuke's eyes narrowed, carefully watching her every move as her glowing hand raised to his neck. "It won't last for long, but it'll numb the burning."

Once she numbed the flaring agony of his throat, Sakura went back to working on his arm, leaving Sasuke secretly grateful to have her there. The burning of both his arm and throat had been unbearable.

"When did you learn medical ninjutsu?"

She was silent for a moment. Thinking her words over carefully, he noticed. "I'm not sure if I'm the one who should tell you this, but you're going to figure out sooner or later. When we arrived at the hideout almost two months ago now, there–"

"Two months?" Sasuke exclaimed, his mask cracking as his panic and shock showed. "I was unconscious for that long?"

"Yeah. You kept waking up every now and then, but I don't think you really knew what was going on." When he nodded, silently telling her to continue, she did so. "When we arrived, there were three people here already." His eyes widened, his Sharingan activating as he glared around them. Sakura paid no attention. "You know one of them, Sasuke. His name is Hatake Kakashi." This seemed to relax him. "With him, were two others. Nohara Rin and…" Her eyes drifted up to his, wanting to watch Sasuke's reaction. "Uchiha Obito."

Sasuke did not disappoint. His eyes were almost dramatically wide, his one fist clenched in the bed sheet that was covering his thighs and his entire body had gone rigid. "…Uchiha?"

There was a pause and in that pause, his eyes flashed to hers, making her nod. "Itachi was just as shocked. So were your parents and Shisui–san. But Obito–san is no harm to us, Sasuke. You don't need to worry about him. And his lover, Rin–san, is the one who taught me basic medical ninjutsu. We've been looking after you for the past two months. Of course Rin–san was doing more than me because I'm still learning, but she said I'm picking it all up quickly." Sasuke nodded numbly. "She also said that like me, she had a difficult time learning other jutsu, such as the elements and things like those, but also like me, Rin–san picked up medical ninjutsu easily."

Oh, Gods. It sounded like Sakura was going to become a miniature Tsunade, Sasuke thought with a barely suppressed shudder.

"Sakura, this Uchiha… How is it that he's alive?"

Her mouth opened, but then closed. Reading her expression was easy and Sasuke immediately realised that Sakura wasn't too sure on how to explain. "I've heard the story twice now and it still doesn't make any sense to me." She sighed, shaking her head with annoyance. Extracting her chakra, Sakura gave Sasuke more room to sit up properly. "All this supernatural talk is just… It's still a little crazy to me."

Yes, he had noticed that. "Where's Kakashi?"

"Out. But… Naruto is in the main room, if you want to speak to him?" Sasuke shook his head. "Um… Sasuke?" His eyes narrowed at her sudden nervousness. "You might want to wash your face."

And when Sakura handed him one of his kunai so that he could see his reflection, Sasuke saw red, his chakra flaring and telling the others of his consciousness. "Naruto!"

The door swung open dramatically, banging harshly against the wall and in the doorway, stood a tall and proud, snickering blond. He looked incredibly proud of himself and that look only increased when he saw the enraged look on Sasuke's face.

Suddenly, he leaped forward, landing on the bottom of Sasuke's bed in a crouched position. It startled Sakura, but Sasuke seemed used to it by now. She supposed that he would have to be. Naruto looked almost animal–like in his crouched position, his eyes wide and excited.

"It's about time!" Naruto grinned wickedly. "I was starting to think that you were just being plain lazy."

Sasuke's upper lip curled. "What the hell have you done to my face?"

He shrugged, his grin growing more wild and animalistic by the moment. It seemed he enjoyed annoying Sasuke. "Think yourself lucky, you bastard! I was going to cut your hair off."

His left eye twitched.

"Your mom kept trying to wash it off," Sakura told him quietly, "but this idiot here kept sneaking back in and drawing it on again."

"That doesn't surprise me in the least." Shoving away his sudden overwhelming urge to brutally murder Naruto, Sasuke glanced down at Sakura. "Where is everyone?"

It was Naruto who replied as he leaned forward, demanding their attention. "They've all gone out. It's only us three here."

Sakura's features scrunched up with confusion. "What about Kankuro?"

"Oh, he's in his room. I meant here in this room there's only us!"

That made her very uncomfortable.

"Everyone else is either hunting or running the perimeter," Naruto continued, not missing the way Sasuke's eyes flashed hungrily at the word 'hunting'. "Kakashi–sensei, Gaara and Temari have gone out to find your parents and bring them back. Oh! And Rin left to get you some things."

"What things?"

Naruto eyed him for a moment, obviously watching the way his throat repeatedly tightened as though Sasuke was trying to swallow. No doubt it was exactly like Itachi had warned them. He was ravenous. Suddenly serious, Naruto shifted his position slightly, preparing himself in case he had to stop Sasuke. He knew that, unlike other Uchiha, Sasuke's control on his thirst wasn't too great and, like Sakura, Naruto disliked the thought of harming innocent people. They weren't too far from a town.

"She's using her license as a doctor to bring you as much blood as possible." Sasuke's eyes once more flashed and his body tensed. "You can't leave the hideout, Sasuke. Not until you've fully regenerated. We're also too close to a town with a bunch of innocent people and I'm not going to sit back and watch you hurt them."

If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead over a thousand times with the way Sasuke was suddenly glaring at him. "Naruto. Don't tell me what I can and cannot do."

The glaring competition went on until Sakura smiled and leaned forward, taking a risk as she reached up for Sasuke's face with a wet cloth. His eyes snapped to hers. Cold and calculating. But when he realised that Sakura wasn't going to try anything and hurt him, Sasuke allowed her to clean the pen from his face, sighing as she did so. Her touch was just as gentle as his mother's. The moment she was done, Sasuke couldn't even deny that he felt much more relaxed. Her touch was soothing, just like her chakra. It seemed Sakura truly did have a medic's heart.

"And Itachi?"

Sakura paused for a moment as both Naruto and Sasuke watched her. Looking thoughtful, she focused on Itachi through their bond. He was feeling happy, relaxed. Also, Itachi felt relieved. His little brother was awake and he was okay. The thought had Sakura smiling softly, much to the others' amusement.

"He's with Shisui–san, Rin–san and Obito–san," Sakura finally told him after a moment, her eyes refocusing on what was in front of her. "He'll be back in less than ten minutes." There was a pause. And then, "Sasuke." He looked down at her questioningly. "Thank you. For saving me, I mean. I know nothing I say or do will ever repay you for what you did, but–"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke leaned back against the headboard of his bed. "You don't have to thank me." And then, more reluctantly, "You saved my life, too."

Naruto grinned and dropped from his crouch, his legs folding Indian style on Sasuke's bed. The murderous look on the Uchiha's face was back, but the blond ignored it. "And then the pair of you were all snuggled up and adorable!"

Silence.

Sasuke looked stunned.

Sakura was certain Naruto had a death wish.

"Snuggled up?" Sasuke repeated, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Heh." Naruto chuckled, scratching his head. He didn't look sorry in the least. In fact it was almost as though he was trying his best to make Sasuke uncomfortable. "Well, you see, we arrived here so I dumped you on the floor and put Sakura–chan next to you, to keep you both together. But when I looked back, you snuggled up to her. Kind of–"

A fist to the face shut him up, throwing Naruto across the room and into the wall. "Liar!" Sakura yelled, her clenched fist shaking threateningly. "You upset me and Sasuke stopped me from freaking out and distracting Itachi! And then the second time, I was the one who stuck close to him. Idiot!"

The blond struggled to his feet, trembling as he did so. "S–Sakura–chan…"

She shook her head, her arms folding over her chest as she threw herself back into the seat beside Sasuke's bed.

He smirked appreciatively. "It looks as though I need to thank you."

"Why?"

"For shutting that idiot up."

From his place against the wall, Naruto pouted.

"No problem." Sakura shrugged, but a moment later, she was smiling.

"So," Sasuke sat up straighter and gave them both a serious look, "are either of you going to explain to me why Kakashi and the other two are here?"

Her smile faltered, her eyes widening a fraction with panic. What was she supposed to tell him? Itachi had warned her not to mention Orochimaru in front of Sasuke, as it would send him into a fit of rage. Why else would Kakashi, Obito and Rin be with them? Sakura's eyes shot to Naruto's, but he seemed just as clueless as she did and each second that passed by, they could sense Sasuke growing restless and annoyed with their lack of answer.

Grimacing, she looked back up at Sasuke. "It'd be best to have Itachi explain–"

"Why?"

"He understands the situation better than we do," Sakura told him, an almost desperate smile pulling at her lips. "And you know Naruto, he'll–"

"He'll break if I push him hard enough," the Uchiha snapped, throwing back his covers as he climbed to his feet.

The moment he did, however, the sound of scraping reached Sakura's ears and she sighed with relief. It seemed after sensing her panic, Itachi had rushed back, using Shisui's teleportation ability to reach the secret entry of the hideout. It was impossible to get in any other way. You had to go through the traps.

"Get back into bed, Sasuke." Itachi's voice was serious as he appeared in the doorway, blocking Sasuke's exit. To save himself from the younger Uchiha's wrath, Naruto quickly dove behind Itachi, peeking out from his side. A little pathetic of him, he would admit that, but considering the fact that a thirsty, demanding, very pissed off Uchiha Sasuke had his Sharingan activated and was willing to break him to get answers, Naruto was not taking any chances. "If you wish to act like a child, I shall treat you as one. Now get back into bed."

And just like that, Sasuke fell back onto the bed with a vicious snarl.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. She tried her best to shove the thoughts of Sasuke pouting out of her head, but they refused to leave, because that was exactly what he was doing. He was pouting. Sulking.

Realising that he would not try anything else, Itachi fully entered the room and behind him was Rin, Obito and Shisui, although, as Itachi had, Shisui chose to stay in the doorway. He had a more muscular build than his cousin and Sakura could not deny that as Shisui's hands dropped to his sides, his stance guarded and prepared, she was a little, very, intimidated. So far she had not seen much of Shisui's talents but she knew he was a genius and that he was powerful.

"You…" Sasuke's eyes narrowed on Obito's single one, ignoring the rest of them. "How are you still alive and what are you doing here?"

"As cheerful as people say, I see." Obito sighed, glancing over to Itachi. "Everything?" Itachi nodded once. And so Obito told Sasuke everything. Starting from the beginning of the war, to his death, to the supposed Uchiha Madara, to changing Rin and Kakashi, and then finally to Orochimaru attacking them in hopes of his Sharingan. "And not only mine, either. He wants Shisui's. He wants your brother's. Considering how powerful you are becoming, I have no doubt that he wishes to obtain yours, also."

A savage look had entered Sasuke's eyes the moment Orochimaru had been mentioned. It was such a bloodthirsty, animalistic look, such a hate–filled and murderous glare, that it had Sakura's breath leaving her, had her literally trembling in fear. The air was filled with a thick, murderous intent, one that screamed right in your face the pain Sasuke was going to cause Orochimaru.

It was terrifying.

Taking the bag from Rin's hands, who had frozen with the paralysing fear of Sasuke's rage, Sakura ignored her instincts, the ones telling her to flee, and took out a packet of blood, raising it hesitantly. "Here. My dad always used to say I'm scary when I'm hungry." Her voice was hoarse and it took everything in her to keep it even, especially when Sasuke's hard eyes snapped to hers. "Maybe if you–"

He snatched the packet out of her hand, ripping it open with his teeth and pouring the contents into his mouth. And the moment it was empty he was throwing it to the ground and snatching the entire bag from her hold.

She pouted, forcing herself to ignore the delicious smell of human blood. "The least you could do is say thank you to Rin–san for getting you all this blood."

He ignored her.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Rin–san went out of her way to get you what you need, Sasuke. Show both her and Sakura some respect. Our mother raised you better than that." Sasuke's eyes slowly slid from the packet in his hand and up to Itachi's, narrowing dangerously when his brother raised an expectant eyebrow. Itachi's eyes once again narrowed. "Sasuke."

"…Thank you."

A small, shaky smile was Rin's reply, whilst Sakura sighed. It seemed, even after everything, Itachi could still control his younger brother. That was a relief to know. Whether it was because he respected Itachi, or because he knew he could not win against him… It didn't matter. What mattered was that he was under control.

"So what's the plan?" Sasuke demanded as he threw yet another empty packet to the ground.

"There isn't one."

Once more, Sasuke's eyes hardened as he glared up at Itachi murderously. Sakura didn't like the look. She hated it. How the hell could he look at his own brother like that? Like he was absolutely worthless? Yes, she could remember what she had been told, could remember how Sasuke lost control sometimes, but that was no excuse. He was allowing himself to get angry.

"You are in no state to fight, Sasuke," Itachi continued, giving him a serious look. "Right now, you will only get yourself killed."

The glare increased.

"Please, Sasuke–san," Rin spoke up, giving him a smile. "Your body is not capable of fighting just yet. Perhaps–"

Obito was suddenly in front of Rin, his single eye bleeding red in response to Sasuke glaring at Rin with wildly spinning red and black eyes.

"Don't look at Rin like that," he spat warningly, his arm lashing out as though he could hide her from Sasuke's glare. "She's trying to help you and you're acting like a spoilt brat. Grow up! This is much bigger than your need for revenge. If you get killed out there, trying to prove some point by fighting Orochimaru, what's going to happen? Your entire clan will be dragged into it. What? You think that nothing will happen if you die? You're wrong, you idiot! You'll have your clan and Naruto getting involved as well as Kakashi – and I refuse to lose my friend, a member of my clan, because you're too childish, too naïve, to know when enough is enough!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke watched Itachi shake his head at Shisui, silently telling him to stay back. Whatever. He didn't need either of them. He didn't need their help. His upper lip curled. "Childish?" Sasuke repeated slowly, in a low and deadly voice. "Naïve?"

Just as he stood up, Sakura was knocking him straight back down, sending chakra through her entire body to increase her weight, to keep him pressed down into the bed. "Stop it!" she yelled angrily at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Stop trying to pick a fight! Obito–san is looking out for his clan, just like you'd look out for your own. They came here because Orochimaru can't reach us here." Sasuke thrashed beneath her and tried to get back up, even going as far as to snap at her with his teeth, but she merely added more chakra, causing him to grunt in pain and the bed creak threateningly. "Listen to us! It's not safe for you to fight right now. Your body is in no condition to fight. But think of it this way: what's going to happen once you regenerate?" Silence met her and Sasuke stopped thrashing, glaring up at her. She met his eyes daringly. "You're going to grow stronger."

His eyes widened.

"What, you think I've just been sitting on my ass doing nothing these past few months? Hell no! Rin–san has been teaching me all kinds of things, showing me her research. You're going to become stronger when you regenerate, Sasuke." Not by much, but he would become stronger. "If you just wait a little while until your arm is better, who knows how strong you'll be?"

An arm wrapped around her waist, startling Sakura for a moment before Itachi was lifting her off Sasuke and placing her onto her feet. It took him using more strength than he'd ever admit because of the chakra she had sent throughout her body, however after she released it, she became much lighter.

"It is understandable why you are angry, Sasuke. It is reasonable, too. However, I will not allow you to cause unnecessary violence and deaths." Sasuke opened his mouth, about to yell in rage, but Itachi cut him off with a fierce glare. "No. Like Obito–san refuses to lose his clan, I refuse to lose ours." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "What if Mother was to be targeted? Do you think she will last against somebody like Orochimaru?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and a faint tremor took over his body. "…Mother."

"Do you want her to suffer the same way you did?"

At his demand, Sasuke shook his head, his wide eyes staring down at the bed in pure horror. "No," he whispered, his voice strained and hoarse. "No."

Itachi calmed himself, giving his brother a serious look. "Then do not act selfishly and once you are at full health, I will see if you are fit to fight Orochimaru. Not Rin–san. Not Mother or Father. Me."

Still thinking of the horrors he had gone through, still thinking of them happening to his mother, Sasuke could do nothing other than nod numbly.

A/N - Please tell me if you find any mistakes! I haven't had time to edit this chapter yet and probably won't until next week.

Edited on: 02/09/2016