Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Kiba drove her to the hospital, staying in the car until she had gotten up the steps and disappeared through the main doors. It was purely precautionary, but Sakura was done believing that anything was impossible. Just two nights ago, she had unlawfully drugged, groped, injured, humiliated, and nearly kidnapped.

Enough said.

She ignored the slight stinging in her scraped palms as she chatted with Shizune, who she found speaking to the receptionist in the waiting room upon entry. Sakura tried to refrain from appearing too relieved at the presence of someone else. Every low-pitched voice that brushed past her made her obviously jumpy, even catching Shizune's attention after less than a minute.

"Is something wrong?" the older woman inquired, concerned eyes examining her.

Sakura hesitated. Would it be smart to speak now? She still had no memory of what exactly happened. There were just a lot of blurry images and when her head had finally stopped hurting, the only thing she could think about was what she could've told Sasuke over the phone.

With him on her mind, there was no room for deciphering the mystery of her night out. In the end, Monday had reared its ugly head and she was faced with a dilemma. For a fact, Kabuto had done something, but with such unclear details, it would be foolhardy to accuse him of anything. The best she could do was avoid him and bide her time. The chances of her memories coming back were low, but perhaps she could catch him doing something else incriminating – something worthy of expulsion from the hospital indefinitely.

"No, nothing," she finally shook her head, smiling. "It was a rough weekend."

"Ah, to be young and alive," Shizune joked, picking up her stack of files. "Well, I won't keep you. I'm sure Tsunade will want to see you immediately. It seems like she wants an update on your ophthalmology work."

Sakura winced internally. That was another thing she had failed to make any headway on. Swallowing a sigh, she trailed after Shizune as they both headed toward their boss's office. At lightning speed, she raced through her thoughts, trying to recall where she had left off on her ponderings about the Mangekyo Sharingan. There was something she had been attempting to—ah! An original copy!

Whipping her backpack off her shoulder, she pulled out the slim tablet she kept for taking notes. Laptops were too clunky and heavy for all day storage, or well, hers was at least. Sakura pulled up an email, pleased to find that she still had him saved in her contacts.

"What're you up to?" Tsunade's assistant questioned.

"Forgot to do something," she mumbled absently, fingers tapping away.

To: Uchiha Itachi

Subject: Hello! This is Haruno Sakura

Hi Itachi,

I hope you're doing well! I'm currently studying overseas in America. Although I realize how sudden this message must be coming to you, but it's crucial for my research project. If you have any time, I would be very grateful if you could spare me some time to chat.

With Warm Regards,

Sakura

Sent!

"Good afternoon, Sakura." Goosebumps rose up on her flesh. Kabuto ambled toward her, the cool undertones of his voice hiding nothing.

She stared at him, stunned into silence for a long moment. Beside her, Shizune stared on, unsure of why the air had grown so thick. Stepping back instinctively, she clutched the tablet to her chest, arms crossed as if it might put more distance between them. "Yes," she acknowledged, curtly, never letting her eyes fall away from his own.

"Ah, what happened to your hands?" he asked casually, hands deep in the pockets of his lab coat.

"I fell."

Kabuto tilted his head sympathetically. "Are you alright? If you'd like, I can give them a look."

"No," she retorted bitingly, "I took care of it."

His smile didn't touch those chilly black eyes, yet she caught his unspoken taunt. You don't remember a thing. "I see. Well, be careful in the future." And then he dipped his head in polite excuse.

Sakura returned it stiffly. Once he rounded a corner, she released the breath she had been steadily holding. Shizune opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but then thought better of it. If the young girl wanted to talk about it, she would. Furthermore, it seemed like Sakura had a whole plate of things to worry about. Explaining herself probably wasn't high on the list at this point.

Ding!

Eyes snapping down, she flipped the tablet back on, see a new email.

Subject: Re: Hello! This is Haruno Sakura

Hello,

It's good to hear from you, Sakura. I will be in New York City until mid-October for work. Perhaps we could meet for lunch in person, if that is convenient for you.

Sincerely,

Itachi

She grinned triumphantly.

Sasuke stood calmly, staring down at the girl shrilly telling him off for being "a tease" and a "bad fuck anyway" as well as "lucky that he's hot because his personality is shit". For the third time that day, he was forced to listen patiently as they unloaded their humiliation driven fury. He knew it was partially his fault for entertaining so many women's desires, but he was more than sure that each one understood he held them in low regard.

The news of his rumored change of heart spread like wildfire in a matter of days and by Saturday, he was exhausted from the sheer number of confrontations with past bed partners. As if solidifying those whispered stories, Sasuke hadn't been seen with any girls. However, that quickly evolved into a new rumor in which maybe he wasn't suddenly abstaining, but instead had come out of the closet. That one was by far the most popular currently, but the worst part – note, the only part – that annoyed him was the false belief that Naruto was his lover.

Although he would silently admit that life without Naruto seemed impossible, he also didn't need people taking that the wrong way. The blonde was his brother, not someone whose unwashed pants he wanted to get into.

Shivering at the thought, he turned his attention back to the now crying girl who had hunted him down during the break between classes. She had demanded to know why he refused to sleep with her anymore, thought Sasuke wondered if he had ever slept with her. All of their voices sounded the same after a while, as did the heat of their bodies, and the cold night air when he would leave them satiated and himself temporarily distracted.

"I don't believe you're gay," she sobbed, "you're too great in bed to be gay…"

That's the issue? He wanted to scoff, but withheld it. Sighing softly under his breath, he glanced around to see that no one else was around. For once, he somewhat wished there was a crowd here so he could clear up some rumors about himself and a certain ramen-loving idiot.

She suddenly crushed herself against him and he staggered back, surprised at the force. Instantly, he grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her off. "Don't get so close."

The tears came down harder. "Why are you like this?" she demanded. "You can't just be a player! That's not possible," her voice lowered, "every girl I've talked to agreed. You're rough and domineering, and you try things that most guys wouldn't have the confidence to do."

Sasuke listened half-heartedly, trying to ignore the fantastical description of his sexual prowess. It sounded highly exaggerated, even to his large ego. Most of these women went to him because it was convenient, or at least, he had believed that to be the case. The more times he was confronted by his past hook-ups though, the clearer it became that their emotions were playing a bigger role than they should.

"But…," she hesitated, gnawing at her lip, "but we saw it."

He perked slightly at her tone and words, confused. What could they have possibly seen?

"When we finish, you always look sad."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

She licked her lips, ignoring his growing tension. "Your eyes look far away. It's like you're remembering something painful."

He hardly thought he needed a stranger to be telling him these things. Things that he was well aware of. Every time the lust cooled to embers and he remembered where he was and who he wasn't with, how could he stop those feelings from surfacing? She should've been the one who shared his bed every night.

She was supposed to be here with him. They would have made good on their engagement immediately following high school. After university, they would have returned to Kyoto where she could comfortably carry their first child, a step toward filling the Uchiha estate with precious life again. Everything had been carefully planned with every blessing received.

And then she left without any promise of coming back.

Tsunade-sama wants her to return to Japan in the spring.

Sasuke resisted the urge to sneer at the message. And what if her dear teacher chose to remain in America? Wouldn't Sakura stay as well? Where else would she go? Clearly, being with him wasn't worth remaining in Japan.

I'm sorry...sorry for hurting you all the time.

His gaze softened, shoulders losing some of their rigidity. There was a reason he was refusing these women now. He had to stop trying to hurt her – trying to make her feel like she was missing out. Of course he always knew that it was petty revenge, but it didn't stop him from thriving on the destructive acts.

But hearing that man answer for her…hearing the fear in her voice… None of it was acceptable. Pride wasn't a good enough reason anymore to run away. She had to realize that an apology was meaningless. Her words could stop him, but she herself was the important thing.

She gave him love and hers was the only love he would ever accept.

Brushing past the girl before him, he walked away.

"Is it Naruto that you're always thinking about?" she cried after him.

Sasuke twitched. I'm going to kill you, usuratonkachi.

XXX

Naruto was gasping for air. "Oh, oh god, I'm gonna die," he guffawed, sides cramping and he rolled around the living room. Their ajar balcony door allowed a warm evening breeze in. After a few weeks, October's chill would cease the sweet scents of summer. It was best to get as much of it now before it disappeared.

"It's not that funny." Sasuke glared at him, kicking the over exaggerating blonde. He yelped and the dark haired man lounging on the couch smirked.

Wiping at his eyes, Naruto sat up, brimming with far too much joy. "Aw, c'mon, you have to admit it's pretty funny. Who would've thought they'd actually think you're my type."

"You've got it backwards, loser," he blanched.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto dismissed, much to Sasuke's increasing chagrin. "Anyway, was that the last of your legion? No more hoes to row your boat? No more random women banging against my wall?"

"We don't even share a wall," he rolled his eyes.

"We might as well," he muttered, making a face. "And I never asked, but why do you pick the screamers? They don't seem like your cup of tea."

Sasuke just smirked.

Naruto chucked a pillow at him, watching as the cocky man dodged, letting it sail somewhere behind the couch. "God, you're so full of it! No way in hell can you make every single one scream, teme."

"You heard them."

He flopped down on the carpet, burying his face in a fallen blanket with a disgusted groan. "Anyway, are you going to call Sakura-chan? It's been a couple weeks since that night." Naruto peeked up at his friend, searching for any reaction. "I know Ino said that Sakura doesn't remember anything, but I still think you should try contacting her. It'll probably be good for you two to start catching up again."

"Hn."

Naruto frowned. "Don't be so stubborn. That's what got you into this mess in the first place. Besides, I know you've been thinking about it a lot. She called you. Not Ino, or any of her other friends. Even though you wouldn't have been able to save her, she still thought of you first." Sighing, he scratched at his head in frustration. "You two are seriously idiots. It's obvious neither of you are over the other."

Sasuke still said nothing, onyx gaze inclined toward his friend as if debating the merits of keeping him around.

"Y'know, when she first left and you started hooking up all over the place, I wanted to stop you but it was just," he shrugged, "well, you're my best friend. I knew you were hurting and if those one night stands somehow made you feel better, then I wasn't going to do anything. It was better than you dropping into a hateful, brooding mess – which I totally thought was going to happen." Naruto ignored the pointed offense on Sasuke's face. "But then after three years, you were still at it. I didn't know if it was just habit or what, but I started to panic that you would forget about Sakura…that you were going to end up leaving her alone."

His immediate reaction was to lash out and put the dumbass in his place. What did he know about the pain Sakura had put him through? Why was he worried about her? He was the one that got left behind. He never wanted her to go. So where was the concern for him?

As if reading his mind, Naruto smiled grimly. "When I saw that you could easily pick up any girl, I figured that if you were ever needy, it'd be no big deal. If there was a reason for it, I could see you marrying someone out of convenience," he admitted honestly.

Neither of them had to voice the other half of that claim.

Sakura would never even look at another man if she didn't love him. There was faith there and a type of love that most people would never understand. The very fact that she hadn't gone on a single date since they separated was proof enough of such unwavering loyalty. However, the sheer depth of her feelings went much farther than mere romance.

He had realized that a long time ago. Accepting it was another issue.

She had said it herself. Sasuke could still hear her telling him that she loved him more than marriage. At first, the statement was so ridiculous – so completely dumb that he brushed it off. Looking back now, what did she mean?

To love beyond that…what was beyond marriage? Family? Life together?

Sasuke absently threaded and un-threaded his fingers. Her love transcended the confines of a contract. But it seemed like there was more to it. Something he couldn't grasp. A part of him still blamed her, wanted her to understand how her change of heart had undermined everything. How she had accepted and then rejected the future they could've had.

Was it something he had done in a past life? What could he have possibly done to deserve his family's deaths, those years of anguish, and then for the woman he loved to walk away?

"Teme, don't go dark."

Sasuke looked up, see Naruto way too close. Shoving that stupid face away, he scowled. "What are you doing, dobe?" he ground out.

"You got that haunted look in your eyes again," he explain, rubbing his aching cheeks. "I figured you were gonna get all brooding on me, so I just tried to cheer you up."

He scoffed at the sentiment. Getting up, he headed back to his bedroom.

"Why do you have to be such a sour puss?" Naruto called after him, grinning.

Sasuke couldn't help the uplifting of his lips. "Go to sleep, usuratonkachi." Yawning, he left to take his own advice, shutting his bedroom door quietly.

He was almost painfully aware that should Sasuke ever know, his foolish little brother would come after him with pure betrayal and that incredibly forceful pout. Most would claim that the younger Uchiha was frigid and scary, but Itachi hardly saw it. He would always be his baby brother, the tiny little thing that used to slumber in his arms, radiating vulnerability and peace.

But there was at least one other person who could see the softness beneath gloom and fiery emotion. If there was ever an Uchiha who followed his heart, it would be Sasuke. In fact, Itachi sometimes mused darkly at how his brother was so completely consumed by emotions that to others he became something of an icy rational. Really, the prospect was ridiculous. After all, they were opposites in that respect.

Itachi understood duty and honor, as well as serenity. Sasuke would abandon all of that to fulfill his emotionally-driven ideals, regardless of who could suffer in the aftermath of his rampaging.

And that was the main reason he could not allow the brooding young man to learn that he had agreed to a lunch date with the love of his life. Despite the meeting being purely platonic, Itachi held little doubt that Sasuke would still find some way to be angry.

"Thank you for meeting me," Sakura smiled across the small café table. A crisp white umbrella shaded them from the high noon rays.

He absently noted her choice of long pants despite the grueling heat of the early September day. It wouldn't have normally caught his attention if it weren't for the way she seemed to pay extra care in shielding her knees from various objects, in a way that someone injured might subconsciously do. Furthermore, the poorly concealed bandages around the junction between wrist and palm hinted at some sort of accident. If she had sustained injuries on her hands and knees, it was likely that she had fallen sometime in the past few weeks.

Did Sasuke know?

"You made the effort to travel several hours to New York City," Itachi stated, sipping his iced tea, "I would be obliged to receive my younger brother's loved on." He watched her reaction with a flicker of amusement, highly convinced that Sakura was indisputably head-over-heels for his sulky sibling.

Clearing her throat and ducking her blushing face, she rummaged around her purse before pulling out a handful of notes. The white sheets were neatly clipped together, appearing to be hold a compilation of observations. "I've been researching the Uchiha clan's degenerative ocular disease," she explained, offering him the papers.

Itachi took them, curiosity surfacing on his handsome features. He leaned back, crossing long legs as he perused her research. The dip of his black V-neck stretched across the flat planes of his chest, settling loosely across his broad shoulders.

Taking his silence as a chance to continue, she folded her hands atop the table. "Sasuke-kun gave me his copy of the Tale of Heaven's Eye and after I thoroughly read that, I found another story called the Tale of the Mangeyko Sharingan." Sakura caught his minute reaction, but it was enough to urge her on. "I only found a copied version online, and I'm sure there's something missing that only an original could provide me with."

"…what do you hope to accomplish?" He lifted his gaze from the documents, withholding any emotion.

She didn't waver, lips setting in a firm line. "I know that I'm capable of finding a way to slow and maybe even reverse the deterioration of your eyes. My surgical training under Tsunade-sama was done in concert with advanced university studies and in a few years' time, I'm confident I'll be capable enough to heal your eyes."

"To trust such a young girl to tamper with my sight is risky, don't you agree?" Itachi challenged mildly.

"Not if that young girl was born to heal."

His lips grudgingly pulled into a smile. "So, can I rightfully assume that you require my copy of the Tale of the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Her face colored faintly. "Uhm, well, yes. I mean, if it's not too large of a request."

"You must know that not everyone knows about that story. Uchiha children were rarely, if ever, given a copy to read," Itachi murmured, sliding her papers back across the table. Her surprise shone brightly in the green of her gaze. "You're theorizing that there are clan secrets within the book, yes?" At her nod, he chuckled. "I suppose our ancestors were not so clever if they failed to trick you into believing it was merely a children's story."

"Then there are—!" Sakura cut herself off as Itachi pressed a warning finger to his lips, eyes twinkling with discretion. Dropping her voice, she glanced around. "Sorry. What I mean is, there really is something behind it all?"

He nodded faintly, eyes wandering as he spoke in a hushed voice. "I confess that even I haven't uncovered everything there is to know. However, it is dangerous to continue speaking out in public. If you are not opposed to it, would you mind continuing this discussion in a secure location?"

Sakura was already gathering her things, heart racing at the prospect of hearing more about the clan. When a hand closed over hers, she glanced up to see Itachi smiling in amusement. For a split second, she wondered if he had been cruelly playing her, but then their waitress appeared with two plates of food. A loud growling rumbled her stomach and she flushed deeply.

"Let's eat first before hurrying off, hmm?" Itachi chuckled.

"Oh right," she cracked a smile, willing away her embarrassing eagerness. Turning to the plate of food before her, she dug in.

They ate in content silence for nearly half the meal, only to be broken by Itachi prompting her.

"I visited Sasuke a week or so ago," he had his steady red eyes on her, giving nothing away, "he informed me that you two had a falling out."

"Ah…yes," she replied lamely.

"Does this have anything to do with your interest in our eyes?"

Sakura smiled wryly. "You're too smart for your own good."

"He's far too rash," Itachi deadpanned, seemingly exhausted.

"No, no, it was my fault," she waved her hand, feeling the onset of a similar exhaustion. Explaining herself to so many different people over the years had really taken a toll. "When Tsunade-sama told me to go study under her in America, I had already accepted Sasuke-kun's proposal."

He proposed? Itachi rifled through his memories, trying to recall anytime that his brother may have mentioned such an important thing. For him to make such a bold move meant more than the girl before him could understand. Sasuke who had been destroyed when their parents died, had only managed to further deaden his heart by consequent events – largely due to a now deeply remorseful Itachi.

To think, he had clawed his way back from Hell's door to love the young woman before him.

It was a good choice, though. Anyone less than her would've been unacceptable, or rather, incapable of healing the sorrow and anguish that had infested his tattered heart.

"I knew staying in Japan where Tsunade-sama couldn't train me would be futile," Sakura bit her lip, fingers curling in lap, "I had to find a way to save him. He's already lost so much, but you know better than most people." Her lip curled up humorlessly, eyes firmly planted down.

Itachi did not comment.

Slowly, she relaxed her shoulders, fingers twitching. "Losing his eyesight would only make the darkness that much more literal. If he's already tormented when the world is bright all around him, how much worse would it be if he couldn't even have that? How much harder would it be to push back the pain if he could no longer see Naruto? The moon? The first snow fall? …and you too, Itachi. He worries a lot about how quickly your sight is failing you. I know it still bothers him and he's definitely one of those people who would start to think of all the negative possibilities."

"You left out cherry blossoms in the spring."

Sakura's head lifted in surprise. Itachi was gazing at her thoughtfully, elbows resting upon the warm table. His soft tenor was careful, yet blunt. "Though he is in danger of losing all that you spoke of, I'm sure he feels that he has already lost the precious sakura of spring."