Beyond Words

Chapter Ten: Sealed

Enjoy! (:

…

The two remain that way for an indefinite amount of time, Sakura crying soundlessly into the chest of her partner, Uchiha Itachi, as he strokes her hair gently under the light of the moon. Had the mood not been so melancholy, the current scene has the potential to be romantic. But as it is, Sakura's tears are the farthest thing from romantic.

Itachi feels her grip slacken and her arms drop to her sides. He loosens his hold on her only enough to get a good look at her, not letting go of her fully. He says nothing as he takes in her puffy red eyes and downcast gaze.

"Thank you," she says after sometime, looking up to meet his gaze for the first time. He inclines his head and once he decides that she is fine to stand on her own, he steps away from her and lets his gaze run over her shaking form. He knows he needs to say something, to break the silence and attempt to comfort her, but he's never been the type to 'be there' for people and he doesn't know what one would say in this particular situation.

"I will walk you home," he says at last, abandoning the idea of attempting to reassure her that things will be fine.

"You don't—" the rosette starts.

"Come," Itachi says, guiding her to her new home, effectively silencing her oncoming protest.

They walk back in a silence that is more than a little bit awkward. Itachi walks her to her door and waits as she fumbles with her keys and unlocks the door. When she doesn't immediately walk in, he cocks his head to the side a quarter of an inch, betraying his curiosity at her behavior.

"Um, thanks Itachi. Really," Sakura says timidly, slowly turning to look up at her partner. "I'm sorry that you're always the one to have to deal with these breakdowns of mine," she tells him in a voice so soft it could almost qualify as a whisper. Itachi says nothing for a while and simply watches her, making Sakura fidget slightly under his gaze.

"Do you wish to speak about it?" He asks finally.

Sakura drops her gaze to the ground between them and shakes her head. "No," he hears her say in a choked voice and immediately he knows that the tears have begun to gather in her eyes once more. In response, he steps forward, bridging the gap between them and places a hand on the back of her neck. He feels her tense but it does not deter him. He bends down and places as chaste kiss on her forehead for a brief second and before Sakura can say or do anything, he lets her go and steps away once more.

"Very well, get some rest. It is late," He says in his usual straight tenor, as if he hadn't just invaded her bubble and did….well, that!

Unsure of what to do and a little bit stunned, Sakura can only nod as she turns around and opens the door to her home.

"Good night Itachi, " she hears herself say as she walks in.

"Good night," He replies as she closes the door behind her. "Sleep well," he adds after she is gone, before turning towards his own home for some well deserved rest.

…

A million and one thoughts pass through Sakura's mind after she gets into her apartment, but she is so exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally, that she cannot even form a single coherent thought. She collapses onto the too soft bed and is asleep before her head even hits the pillow. Yesterday's problems are still today's problems, and will continue to be tomorrow's problems. There's no need agonizing over it when she still has all of tomorrow to do so.

…The Next Day…

"Uchiha-sama! Uchiiiiiha-samaaa!" Itachi's steps slow to a stop at the obnoxious voice calling after him. The owner of the voice and her friends, have been following him not-so-stealthily for the past ten minutes.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama," Itachi finds himself absolutely loathing that name at this moment, "We've finally caught up to you!" 'We' being a young blonde chuunin, no older than 17 years of age, and two black-haired jounin, one about the age of twenty, and the other perhaps a year or two older, he'd say.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asks, trying his hardest to be polite, when all he wants to do is go far, far away from them. Of course, his father and the clan would not be pleased if they were to hear that the precious heir to the clan was tarnishing the Uchiha name.

"I'm sure you know about the get-together happening later this evening in the village club," the blonde starts, but is interrupted by the eldest of the three.

"And I was wondering if you'd like to attend with me," the jounin asks in a nasally voice which makes Itachi cringe inwardly. The two beside look bewildered and open their mouths to say something but a single look from her shuts their mouths.

Kakashi-sempai had told him about it earlier that day, saying it would be a good way to relax before leaving again, and he had agreed to go. However, he had not anticipated someone asking him to attend the event with them as a date.

"Ah, thank you for the offer, but I will be attending by myself," Itachi says politely without regret, even as the ladies' faces fall in disappointment. By this time next week, they will have forgotten about it completely and will either continue their sad obsession with renewed vigor, or move on to someone more readily available, seeing as he will be gone for the next two months.

The three girls walk off looking dejected and Itachi simply continues on his way to a small secluded spring on the outskirts of the village for some long overdue meditation. Sakura has been on his mind far too much these past few months, and more so ever since last night and he realizes he needs to clear his mind of her if he is to continue the mission efficiently.

…

Sakura groans grumpily at the sunlight that insists on slipping in through her bedroom window and waking her up far too early on a day off. By the time she'd fallen asleep it was well past three and she had hoped to get at least eight or nine hours of sleep. But the early six o'clock sunrise prevents her from doing so. The petite medic, already too awake to go back to sleep, gets up from her warm bed and makes her way to the washroom to wash up.

The warm water does its part to wake her up completely and her mind drifts to earlier that morning. Not for the first time, she'd let her emotions take over and once again making her out to be a weakling in Itachi's eyes. But she doesn't know what to make of the latest turn of events. Itachi had voluntarily hugged her. Does this mean that his attraction to her isn't as temporary as she'd first believed? Of course, she couldn't really see Itachi as being the type to move from one person to another for as long as he is entertained. But at the same time, he's an Uchiha, and not just any Uchiha, but Itachi Uchiha. Someone like that has no business slumming it with some average kunoichi with no shinobi history. Other than her father, she had been the only one in the Haruno family tree to choose the life of a ninja. So why would the Uchiha heir, possibly one of the most talented ninja to be produced in the Leaf, waste his time on her?

"Shit," Sakura swears under her breath. Lost in her thoughts, she'd gotten shampoo in her eye.

'Great start,' Inner Sakura mutters.

Seriously though, what is she supposed to do now? Now even more frustrated, Sakura leaves this train of thought and finishes up with her shower.

Itachi is strictly off-limits because Ino is practically in love with him.

'Despite not even knowing him on a first name basis,' Inner Sakura adds.

But the point is, she needs to just shake this attraction or whatever it is that's been clouding her better judgment. If she's going to complete this mission without getting herself or her partner killed, she's going to need to be completely focused.

So there, case closed.

And then she sees the hair ribbon he'd gotten her for her birthday a while back and remembers her birthday. They'd taken the day off and Itachi took her out for the day in the village. They'd done some shopping that day and Itachi treated her for dinner. On the way to dinner, she stopped by a shop and admired the beautiful hair ribbon in the window. It was so much like the one she had as a child, but she'd thrown in out after she cut her hair because it reminded her of her vain past. This ribbon, however, was tucked away safely as soon as she received it for fear of losing or dirtying it. Her birthday had been before all of this confusion and tension between them started, so it was a gift of friendship, nothing more. So wearing it would not mean anything other than, 'I'm your friend and I happen to like the birthday present you gave me.' Besides, it's a beautiful ribbon and never using it would be the same as throwing it out, which is such a waste. So maybe she'll wear it to Itachi's surprise early birthday party tonight.

Being such an established shinobi in the village, everyone knows Itachi's birthday and everyone wants to celebrate it with him, especially the ladies, aka fangirls. But their mission will keep him out of the village for his special day so the village decided to celebrate it early this year. Although she's going to be with him for his actual birthday, it won't feel right being the only one not to give him a present today, so she decides that she's just going to have to give him his present today. At least she'll have something to occupy her time with today instead of just sitting on her new sofa like dead weight waiting for time to pass.

…Later that evening…

"Forehead!" Sakura hears Ino's muffled voice call from the other side of her door, "Open up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sakura mutters on her way to get the door. Upon doing so, she sees Ino, clearly dressed to impress. The party is somewhere between semi-formal and formal, and Ino had gone far off into the formal end.

"You look amazing," Sakura says sheepishly, slightly embarrassed that she's going to be going to the party with such a magnificently dressed goddess. She's wearing a gorgeous strapless deep blue silk gown reaching to the ground even in her four inch stiletto heels. The dress has traces of golden threads in a design she can't quite explain running across the chest which accentuates her platinum blonde hair, along with a simple golden ribbon at the waist and a large flower on the left side of her chest like a corsage. Her hair is pinned up in an intricate bun with a few rivulets of hair framing her face. All in all, Sakura feels as though she's staring at a princess straight out of a fairytale.

In response, Ino whistles appreciatively. "You're looking good yourself, forehead," she says as she runs her eyes over Sakura. The pinkette is wearing a simpler haltered red dress which hugs her body in the most flattering way and flows loosely at the waist down, reaching to the point just above her knees. Of course only Sakura could make the color of passion looking so innocent. She's wearing light gold heels and her hair is curled loosely and tied to the side with a delicate hair ribbon.

"Anyway, I'm going to do it. Tonight," Ino tells her with a determined look in her eyes and Sakura knows immediately that she means to tell Itachi her true feelings. This new piece of information only serves to make her stomach churn with unnamed feelings. One thing she does identify though, the heavy weight of being so, so ridiculously sorry. Sorry that she didn't tell Ino the full story, sorry that Itachi won't return her feelings, sorry that she's the reason for it, and sorry that, no matter how she denies it, she has feelings for him too.

Sakura smiles a smile she knows is forced, but hopes Ino won't notice, "Good luck, Ino."

The beautiful blonde simply nods, "Let's go, don't want to be late to say 'Surprise!' right?"

"Right," Sakura nods too and she picks her present up from the counter and they leave together. They leave their jackets in their respective homes, seeing as it's a warm night.

…

Itachi walks to the designated place for the 'get together' Kakashi-senpai had invited him to in a sharp tux with his hair in its usual loose ponytail at the base of his neck. He doesn't understand why he had been asked to dress up for such a thing as this and begins to suspect the true motives behind this party he's attending. However, it's far too late now to try and determine the real reason for this party and he figures the only way to find out is to go there and see for himself.

Upon arriving to the banquet hall, he notices that it's too quiet and stands before the giant double doors, trying to recall if this is, indeed, the place he's supposed to be at and if it's the right time. Knowing for certain that it is, he opens the doors and is greeted with confetti, noise-makers, banners, and most of all, many voices yelling 'Surprise!' It seems that Konoha had decided that they needed to celebrate his birthday early given his long term mission.

Itachi is surprised and wastes no time in thanking everyone for their kindness and assures everyone that he appreciates the time and effort they all put into planning the event. He spends the evening having birthday greetings and presents handed to him left and right.

"Bet you didn't expect that huh, Itachi?" One of his former partners, Hanayo, said to him.

"No, I certainly did not."

"Well happy birthday," she says with a smile.

Itachi thanks her and they begin to talk about the past and how foolish they had been, well, how foolish she had been. They spend a good deal of time together before the music starts to play and slowly, more and more couples take the dance floor, Hanayo being one of them. Itachi simply watches the crowd dancing and his eye catches Sakura, being asked to dance by a few men and he's pleased that she refuses their offers. He begins to make his way to her with every intention of asking her for a dance, but he is intercepted by the one he knows to be Ino.

"Itachi-san," she says pleasantly, "would you give me the honour of one dance?" He remembers Sakura telling him that this friend of hers had fancied him, but he had believed it to be a temporary thing. He looks over in the direction he had been initially going only to see that Kakashi has already taken Sakura's hand and is currently leading her to the dance floor. He looks back at the woman in front of him and decides that perhaps one dance can't hurt.

"Very well," he says and he takes her hand in his and places his other on her upper back instead of her waist, hoping perhaps that she'll get the message that he is not interested and he can avoid the confrontation. They begin to sway and Ino's head somehow makes it to his chest, making Itachi tense at the contact, but he is saved from having to hurt her feelings by asking her to remove her head, for the music ends not long after. He steps from her and she thanks him for the opportunity before rushing off to say she needs to use the ladies' room. Another song starts again and he looks into the crowd to look for his partner, hoping that she may allow him a dance.

…

"When are you leaving again?" Kakashi asks his only female student and they sway slowly to the music.

"Tomorrow at dawn," she answers. "You know, I already get enough death glares from women because of my close relationship to Sasuke-kun, I really don't need more from your fan girls." At this, Kakashi only laughs. "You owe me one, sensei. If it weren't for me, you'd be hiding in a corner hiding from the hundred and one girls chasing after you."

"Ah, touché Sakura-chan," he says lightly. The petite woman simply rolls her eyes at his false affection. He always gets like that when he needs a favour. "When you return, I'll treat you to dinner. I'll be sure to invite Sasuke and Naruto," he continues.

"I'll hold you to that then."

Kakashi twirls her out, and she loses her footing in her high heels, lightly hitting someone's shoulders and she feels the stranger catch her by the shoulders.

"Oh I'm so sorry—" she says, turning around, only to come face to face with the birthday celebrant.

"May I?" he says, looking over at her former partner.

"She's all yours," Kakashi says with his signature eye-crinkle before walking off to get a drink.

'No, no, no!' Sakura says inwardly. She had avoided Itachi all evening, save for wishing him a happy birthday. She still doesn't know how to act around him after last night, and as much as she had previously told herself that she isn't attracted to him, she knows she is. This attraction, however, is forbidden, given the nature of her best friend's feelings towards him and she really doesn't want to be around him until she can figure out what to do.

She chances a glance at Itachi and sees that he's patiently waiting for her, hand offered to her. She looks around to see if there is any chance of escape, and partially to see if Ino is anywhere near. Seeing that she isn't, and unable to find any excuse to leave, Sakura takes the offered hand lightly and places her other hand on his shoulder. Itachi takes her waist and pulls her closer to him so that there is little space in between them.

Sakura does her best to avoid his gaze and simply stares at the folds in his jacket. She ignores his penetrating gaze and awkwardly follows his lead. The rest of the dance is very awkward for Sakura and Itachi can easily see her discomfort. He figures she is unsure of how to interact with him now after last night. To be honest, he himself doesn't know how they should proceed. Wanting to speak with her about the matter, he leads her outside into the quiet little balcony area after the song finishes.

"Wait—where, Itachi what are you doing?" Sakura asks hesitantly.

He doesn't answer and continues to lead her by the waist to the secluded area. Once they get outside, Sakura glances around, seeing that they're alone. She goes through her head looking for any possible excuses to escape, none of which are plausible. Lost in her thoughts, she doesn't realize Itachi coming closer until he reaches out and takes a lock of her hair in his hands. Startled and flustered at his proximity, she gasps but is unable to form any words.

"You are wearing the ribbon," Itachi points out, her hair still in his hand.

"Uh—yeah, I am…" Sakura trails off, looking down at her shoes. He lets go of her hair only to tilt her chin up to face him.

"What is bothering you?" His voice is so quiet and calm, and so gentle, that Sakura's heart melts a little at his concern.

She blushes cutely and stutters, "U-um, nothing. I'm absolutely fine." The way she behaves reminds Itachi of the Hyuuga heiress and wonders what it is that has caused her to be this way. Sakura tries to step away but the Uchiha heir doesn't let her. He wraps and arm around her waist and holds her to him. He refuses to let this opportunity to figure out what they are to pass.

Sakura's blush intensifies and her eyes widen in surprise. She's torn between feeling guilty for cheating her best friend and rejoicing at her current situation. She stares into Itachi's usually stoic, unfeeling eyes, and sees a hundred and one things pass through their beautiful onyx depths, but she's unable to put a name to a single one.

They stay like that for a long time, but eventually, Itachi lowers his head with every intention of kissing her. He pauses right before their lips touch to see if she will react violently, but she's too stunned (and half of her wants this so badly) to move away, and Itachi interprets this as permission to lower his head all the way.

Closing his eyes, he seals his lips to Sakuras.

…

A/N:

Well, there it is! School's been keeping me busy so I wasn't able to get this chapter out as soon as I'd hoped. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted this chapter to go, whether or not Itachi was going to attempt to convey his feelings to Sakura, and whether or not Ino was going to confess.

So see how it ends in the next chapter! Whenever that happens… *sweatdrop

Thank you so much for reading and sticking with me !

Suggestions, advice, support, anything ! Feedback/reviews makes me suuper happy :D

Hope you enjoyed!

~Ja!