Segments in Italics are flashbacks

Please read my notes on the end…thanks!

Please don't forget to review. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.

At his own expense

"Mom?"

A sleepy Sasuke walked into his parents' room, half-asleep.

Mikoto hastily dabbed her eyes. " What is it Sasuke?"

"I had a bad dream," the 4-year old Sasuke told her, clutching a stuffed dinosaur and rubbing his eyes.

"Do you want to sleep beside me tonight?"

He nodded. His mother smiled and lifted the sheets. " Come on then," she said gently.

Sasuke enthusiastically lay down beside her; that was when he noticed the redness of her eyes. " Have you been crying mommy?"

"Huh. Oh…oh no Sasuke. I'm just tired."

"It's because daddy isn't here? Is that why you look sad mommy?"

Mikoto deepened her smile. She tucked Sasuke in and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Oh Sasuke, it really is nothing. Go to sleep and Mommy will be here ok?"

Sasuke just nodded and yawned, suddenly sleepy and very comfortable beside his mother.

When Sasuke closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, Mikoto looked at her son wistfully and ruffled his hair.

"Sasuke , don't ever love someone so completely if you know they can't love you as much," she whispered.

Sasuke stirred and finally both mother and son fell asleep.

Sasuke woke up in the middle of the night, sweating and shaken.

He looked over at Sakura and she looked blissfully asleep.

He wondered why he dreamed of his mother all of a sudden. Furthermore it was a memory- a memory of when his mother was everything gentle and kind.

Sakura stirred and Sasuke gently touched her head. She calmed down almost instantly. There was something about Sakura's complete trust on him that reminded him that once upon a time, that same gesture could calm all his fears.

"Hard at work I see," his father remarked the moment he stepped into Sasuke's office, "but not as hard as I hoped you would."

Sasuke stood up and greeted him. "Let me guess, you're talking about your heir?"

"Of course. I have no problem with the company. My problem is that I don't think I'll live to see my grandson at the rate you're going."

An heir? What does he think he is, a king?

"Father, please don't be under the delusion that a grandchild is an instant product of my marriage."

"Why not? That's the reason I married you off."

Sasuke sighed in exasperation. He still hasn't completely forgiven his father for that.

"You're the only joy your mother ever gave me," his father suddenly said.

"You don't fight fair Father."

"No son, I just want you to know the joy of having a child," he replied with the same careless tone he always uses but his eyes spoke volumes.

"Father," he asserted, "I am working on it."

"Good."

Naruto entered Sasuke's office just as Fugaku was leaving. He bowed in acknowledgement.

"What was that about," he asked Sasuke as soon as Fugaku was out of earshot.

"Nothing. Inquiry about a matter you have no business with."

"So it was about you still not having a child," Naruto, in one of the rare moments in his life, countered smoothly.

"Yes, the one you shouldn't have any business with," Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto snickered. "Is it because you, unlike me, are retarded and can't identify your wife at night because you can't see her pink hair?"

"No because I am not retarded and I'm color blind, not blind, you idiot."

"Still, the word blind is in it," Naruto persisted.

Sasuke ignored Naruto this time and started reading some documents.

"Hello."

"Itachi."

He hesitated for a moment.

"Father."

"I heard you were in town. Why?"

"I have some projects here."

"Hn. Is she here too?"

"No, mother isn't here."

"Good."

His face hardened into a cynical mask. "What else did you need to say?"

"Don't do anything that will cause problems."

"Is that all," he asked bitterly. The line went silent for a few seconds.

"Yes. That is all."

When Sakura entered Itachi's home, she found him staring outside a window, his face frozen into an expression that was so full of intensity and determination.

"Who are you contemplating to kill," she asked him and it completely caught him off guard. He turned around and gave her a small smile.

"No one you know of course. I wouldn't dream of having you involved when I get charged for murder."

Sakura stared at him long and hard.

"What is it?"

"You know there was something familiar about Sasuke that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Now I can see what it was."

"Really," Itachi asked without any emotion.

"You have the same hard look, an uncanny resemblance in the way you frown. Now that I think about it, it's almost like you're…"

"Brothers," Itachi pointedly filled in.

It took a few seconds for Sakura to digest that. She looked at Itachi suspiciously.

"Funny, isn't it?

Itachi raised a brow and pinched Sakura's suddenly flustered cheeks.

"Not as funny as the look you had as you tried to convince yourself it isn't so."

Sakura smiled awkwardly. "Itachi…what are you talking about?"

"So slow, my little pink-headed blob of sunshine," Itachi said affectionately as he poked Sakura's forehead.

"No," Sakura unsurely said.

Itachi smiled a bit sadly. "Yes."

"But…how?"

"Who do I look like Sakura?"

"No." She was hit by images of Sasuke's family portraits.

Itachi ruffled Sakura's hair. "Sakura, I am always completely honest with you. Only you. You know that."

But…but…" she sputtered.

Itachi gave her some time to accept the truth. And when she did, she gave him a disbelieving look and walked out.

Itachi smiled bitterly and went back to contemplating.

"Where have you been?"

Fugaku looked at her, exasperated. "Where else? Work," he replied dismissively.

Her face turned into stone. "You weren't in the office today."

"That's because I had to meet some people," he replied, anger slowly finding its way into his tone. "What's your problem?"

She looked away from him but not before he registered the suspicion in her eyes. "Nothing."

"You're home early," Sasuke remarked just as his wife walked in by six pm.

"Hn, I'm going to change, I'll see you at dinner," was all she said as she waked past him.

Sasuke frowned. What the hell was that about?

In their room, Sakura threw herself in bed and screamed to a pillow to vent out some frustration.

When she was done, she thought about it.

Itachi is Sasuke's brother?

Impossible.

"Who do I look like Sakura?"

Her eyes widened at the answer. After a few seconds, she was hyperventilating.

And that was exactly how Sasuke saw her when he walked into the room a she decided to follow her.

"Sakura? What's wrong?"

He sat beside her and rubbed her back gently to relieve her of some discomfort.

"Do you need water? I'll go get some," Sasuke stood up but Ssakura put a restraining hand on his arm.

"No," she said in between breaths, "I…don't…need water."

"But," Sasuke started. Sakura grasped his hand more firmly.

"Alright, I won't leave," he said and gave her some time to calm down. When she finally calmed down, Sasuke looked at her.

"Are you alright? You look upset."

"I…"

Sakura looked like she was going to tell him something monumental but her eyes gentled and she squeezed his hand and said, "I just had a really bad day."

"Do you want me to do something about it?"

Sakura looked at him dubiously. "About my day?"

"Yes," he said with a straight face.

"How will you do that?"

Sasuke looked at her seriously. "You'll know that after I shower," he managed to say without a hint of shame.

Sakura smiled more genuinely this time. "We haven't had dinner yet."

"Let' have dessert first," he said, finally giving in and smiling unevenly.

Sakura laughed at his attempts at mischief.

"Alright, go shower, I'll be here waiting."

Sasuke looked at her and frowned. "On second thought, forget the shower."

He dipped his head and kissed her, and she pressed her lips warmly back.

He lifted her over him and she kneeled astride his hips, hugging them with her thighs as his hands roamed over her. They smiled at each other as he held onto her hips, guided her onto his erection, and brought her down onto it.

She couldn't help the sound of pleasure that escaped her.

"Exactly what I was thinking", he said, and she braced her hands on his shoulders, lifted herself half off him and proceeded to ride him, rotating her hips at the same time in a slow, almost lazy rhythm.

Perhaps a minute passed before she realized that he wasn't moving. His hands were spread warm and firm over her outer thighs.

She opened her eyes and looked down at him. He was looking back, and she knew that she was riding him to pleasure too, that there was a mutual delight in it no matter which of them it was who was making the primary moves. She smiled down at him as she rode on, and his lips lifted ever so slightly at the corners.

But there was pain too. Or an ache that threatened to turn into pain. And a recklessness in continuing to lift herself off him only to impale herself on the pain again.

His hand came her back and drew her down, first to kiss her lips, and then her shoulders. Then both hands went lower, grasping firmly and holding her half off him while he moved at last, driving hard and fast up into her until he pulled her down and stopped all movement so abruptly that she cried out. But it was so complete and beyond lust that it felt like-

Happiness.

A few minutes later, they just lay down there, relaxed and a bit tired. He kissed the side of her face.

Sakura closed her eyes against the gentle gesture. She was about to reveal everything she knew but when it came right down to it, she couldn't. She really couldn't bear the thought of causing any pain for him. So even as she felt guilty to the depths of her soul, she remained silent.

Itachi thought he'd let Sakura stew for a few days, even a few weeks if that's what would ease her mind. So he was surprised when a maid announced her in the very next day.

"I thought you can't stand to see me," Itachi said the moment Sakura entered the room.

"Don't be like that, I didn't say that," she replied as she sat across him.

"You didn't have to," he said a little sadly.

"You're my Itachi," she said, gentling imperceptibly. "You are my best friend in this life and the next."

She didn't see the disappointed flicker in his expression that was gone as quickly as it came.

"I've told you before that I was illegitimate, that I had a brother."

"I know," she said with some difficulty, "I just haven't thought…"

"That you'd marry him," Itachi filled out for her.

"It's just that he's so mad at his mother. He' so hurt, so heartbroken about his family. I didn't think it would be you that…"

Sakura decided not to continue.

"That I was the source of that heartbreak all along? Don't mince words Sakura. I am not so faint-hearted that I can't accept these things."

"I just feel that I'm being a traitor being friends with you," she said finally.

Itachi suddenly straightened up and became formal.

"Is that so Mrs. Uchiha? Is it really that all those years of friendship, you are willing to throw away because I am a bastard?"

"No, Itachi, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," she hastily said, suddenly imploring.

"But that's how you really feel."

She suddenly stood up and sat beside him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I was impulsive. You know I love you," she said as she laid a hand on his arm.

"Clearly not by much," He replied, still bitter.

"Itachi," she said again, sighing, "Don't be like this."

"I have no plans of insinuating myself upon your husband's life, you know? I do not expect anything. I have no intention but to tell you the truth. Your husband is my brother, as he has been all along. You are my friend. The sky is still blue. Nothing changes. Do you really think so little of me that you'd worry I'll shatter your peace with him?"

"No, but it speaks volumes about me that I worried at all. I'm sorry Itachi, I was selfish," she said, offering peace.

He finally looked at her and saw her anxiousness. Itachi felt all his anger start to melt away.

He patted the hand that was still on his arm. "Don't be anxious, Sakura. I forgive you."

"Really, I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"Itachi!" A beautiful little girl ran crying to her friend.

His brows furrowed at the sight of silent tears flowing down her face. "Sakura,' he said gently, "Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

He knelt down so he was face to face with the sobbing six year old girl.

"I miss mommy,' she said tearfully.

"Of course you do," he replied as he gently wiped away her tears.

"But daddy….daddy says I can't cry. He says I shouldn't cry because mommy will never come back," she wailed in her little voice.

Itachi frowned at her words. He clenched his fists to suppress the rage that was suddenly overtaking him.

"Sakura," he said softly, "your mommy is always here with you."

"Really,' she asked him through her wet lashes.

"Really. You know that I never lie to you. Only you. Right?"

She finally nodded and stopped crying.

"And I will always be here," he added. "I promise you won't get hurt again."

She smiled tentatively as Itachi ruffled her hair.

"You little crybaby," he teased, "Stay here and I'll go ask your father to let you join me and my mom."

She nodded. "Thank you Itachi."

And with a resolve of a man older than his twelve years, he knew he'd never let this girl be hurt.

What he didn't know is that he'd protect her at his own expense.

AN: There are a few things I'd like to achieve in this chapter.

First is the Uchiha family drama. I'd like to give you guys an idea of what happened. What it was like for sasuke's mother too, not only his father…this of course will be explored more in later chapters

Second is Sakura's relationship with Itachi. Why are they as close as they are? What are the dynamics of their friendship?

And last is Sasuke's growing attachment to Sakura. How simple gestures show that he's really trying hard to commit.