One second she was eyeing him unhappily.

And in the next, she was leaping on top of him. For a moment, Itachi didn't know what to think. Was she still pissed? Was she trying to hurt him? Was she actually crazy? He acted on instinct, reaching out to grab the weak spot just above her hips, but he hesitated once he had. Shit, he didn't want to hurt her.

But then her body melted against his and her lips assaulted his with skill he'd not known the small woman possessed. His body responded immediately, and he pressed his thumbs to where he held her, pulling her closer and fitting his mouth to hers. It had become natural so quickly. Itachi was hardly inexperienced, but by general standards, he kept his intimate encounters to a minimum. Yet there was nothing awkward or forced about the way his fingers found that small, delicate place beneath her breasts or how his blood lit on fire and rushed eagerly to his groin. The adrenaline was as satisfying as it was in battle, but there was something extra in the heat he felt when she licked his bottom lip like that, when she raked her fingernails down his chest like that, when she mewled so sweetly into his mouth like that. The pressure against his ribs and in his cock was something exhilaratingly new.

And then she jerked away, lifting her chin out of reach when he chased her lips. He nearly went after her throat in return, but her bright jade eyes caught him and pulled him in, and he stared, wide-eyed, nerves on the peak of exploding. Hell, she'd caught him off guard. That…that was dangerous. She couldn't do that. Oh, but he wanted her to. The rush it brought… His chest swelled as he throbbed beneath her.

"So?" she gasped, breathless, eyes calculating and seductive. He blinked, and as she reached up to caress his cheek gently, half-lidded eyes smoky and hot, she asked innocently, "What did that make you feel?"

"That?" he repeated, and was pleased to find he sounded relatively calm. Even with her looking like that, lying on top of him. She leaned in to him, nodding, gaze never leaving his, small breasts pressing against him. He opened his mouth. "Adrenaline."

She stilled. Then she lifted an eyebrow.

"Adrenaline," she echoed, voice low. And not in a good way.

So, that wasn't the right answer.

He paused and gave it some more thought, straining to fight the barriers that blocked such trivial things from his thought process. He didn't need emotions. But if she wanted him to feel them that damn bad… Pressing his lips in a line, he pieced together the way he'd reacted. Adrenaline. Heart thudding. Blood pumping. Hard. As hell.

"Excitement," he conceded, and while she still looked mildly disappointed, she nodded.

"That's appropriate," she sighed, and then moved to push away from him. He immediately coiled, locking her in place. Her eyes slanted to his, alert.

"Longing," he murmured, and the flush that word brought to her cheeks made him want to reach down to brush his nose against hers. So he did, and smiling, he continued. "Satisfaction. Gratitude… Hope."

"For what?" she gasped, and he loved that he could make her sound like that. He loved that he could make her feel that way. He hummed and kissed her quickly before drawing back.

"My success," he said quietly, and when she frowned at him in confusion, he almost fixed his statement. Our success. But he didn't. "Happy now?"

"Well, those are emotions," she laughed, peering at him peculiarly. "What'd you think they were?"

"Reactions," he sighed, leaning back on his hands. She made no move to stand or switch positions or do something other than straddle his legs. Any farther up and she'd discover the damn problem her investigating had created. "I know what they are, Sakura. But when I think of them as reactions instead of emotions, they're temporary and very easy to ignore. They become insignificant, and it's easier for me to function without them."

"Ignoring them isn't good for you," she said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms. "You're damaging your own brain, damn it."

"I sincerely doubt that."

"So what, you're just on autopilot?" she asked, and he shrugged. "Did your parents raise you to think like that?"

"I raised myself to think like that," he told her. "When I was a child, focusing on my emotions made things difficult for me. If I thought about the way things made me feel, I couldn't always carry out my missions or perform tasks to the fullest of my abilities. I knew lingering on my feelings was holding me back, so I shut them off. Thinking in black and white made me a better shinobi. It eliminated all the complications of politics, morals, and bonds and helped me focus on my training. I achieved the highest control over my own body and mind that I could find. I like it that way."

She looked horrified.

"That sounds awful."

"But, Sakura, that's the point," he said, smiling at her softly. She was just like the others. She couldn't understand. "I didn't care."

"Oh…"

"Although…I was never fully able to ignore the way my father made me feel," he continued, almost without realizing it. Her eyes snapped to his, large and watchful, but he wasn't bothered by it anymore. "He always expected me to give more, no matter how perfect I was. He singled me out and ignored my brother like he didn't exist. I became this way to train harder, to excel further…for him. But when I began to change, he shunned me... Like I had done something wrong by becoming his perfect tool... I hated him… I enjoyed killing him… He may be the reason I decided to finally defect. At the time, it just seemed like the logical thing to do. But maybe he motivated me to do it and I never realized. Maybe it was my hatred all along."

When he focused back in on her, she was crying. Jolting upward, he brought his hands to hers, where they lay cupped over her mouth. Even as his fingers brushed hers, she shook her head, flinching away from his touch. He hesitated, then drew his hand back. No… No, she couldn't do that. Not after everything he'd just done.

"No, I'm sorry, Itachi," she sobbed into her hands. The look on his face must have been serious, because she waved her hand, closing her eyes, signaling for him to wait. And after another moment, she flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck. He sat, stunned, frozen. "God, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Nobody did," he said unsurely, taking her shoulders and pulling her off of him. She sniffled and gazed at him demurely from beneath her lashes. "Sakura, it's fine. You don't have to pity me. I'm not the one who's dead."

"But you…that kind of life…" She sighed and deflated. "Black and white. I get that kind of terminology. But to think that a child could be so brilliant that he could understand that and think that it was a more effective way to be a shinobi…at such a young age… Itachi, you say you fight for life, but you haven't lived at all."

"Sakura…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. Her words…they alone woke parts of him he didn't recognize.

"Oh, Itachi," she whimpered, finding her place wrapped around his neck once more. In his ear, she whispered sweetly, "Please let me cry for you."

He couldn't help it that he hesitated. But he rested his chin on her shoulder and engulfed her in his arms. There was no fighting this woman. Not with her heartbroken for him. Not over him, but for him. Not now.

Not when she made him feel like this.

He tapped her shoulder lightly, and it was all she needed to stir awake. It wasn't like the night before, when she'd been ready and armed in the blink of an eye. Tonight, she frowned first, then blinked her eyes rapidly awake, slowly coming to. Her gaze found his and he put his finger to his lips in silent command, gesturing for her to stand with him. She did so compliantly, but she never stopped frowning.

"Are you ready to fight?" he asked, and the crease of her frown deepened. She eyed him questioningly until he said softly, "Sasuke."

"He's here?" she breathed, and even not touching her, he felt her coil. Maybe he was becoming that familiar with her mannerisms, but he knew that stance of hers. She was ready to strike. "Where?"

"Nearby," he promised, nodding. "If you're ready…we can leave now. He's not even a league away. You can decide what speed we travel at."

Her eyes widened slightly at his offer, but the initial shock of it quickly gave way to her excitement. She contained it impressively, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip and chewing slowly as she gave her options a thorough, quick search. With all of her fiery enthusiasm, Itachi hadn't known she could take the time to strategize. Yet another paradox.

"Not full speed," she whispered, brow furrowed in displeasure. "I need to reserve as much of my chakra as I can. I don't have nearly as much as he does… I can manipulate mine better and thus conserve it more easily, but I wasn't born with Uchiha genes… I can set us at a pace that will get us to him by dawn. I'll need to fight him in the daylight. I don't have his eyes, so I won't even stand a chance if I can't see him."

"As you wish," he murmured, catching her eye and pulling her effectively back to the present. Shit, that determination… She really wanted this.

He waited patiently as she adorned the rest of her uniform—she slept in just her shorts and the thin black shirt she wore beneath her red one. But she didn't take long to dress or equip herself with the standard gear he'd granted her a couple villages back. He watched her as she moved effortlessly through the motions of a kunoichi on duty, and as she tugged on her black cloth gloves, he lost control. Not knowing why he was suddenly overcome by her, he spun her around and pushed her against the nearest tree.

"Itachi!" was all she could gasp before his mouth was covering hers.

He didn't care that he couldn't help it. It was clear by now that no amount of evading his emotions could match the way she made him feel, and it was futile trying to resist that now. So he let go and let himself feel, faced it head on, and hurtled into it freely. She was his living, breathing exception, and he wasn't letting her go.

Hell, it scared him, the storm of emotions he felt for her, but he welcomed it and let it all from his lips to hers. Fingers tightening in her hair, he nudged into her mouth with his tongue, not taking the time to be gentle or slow or considerate. That wasn't how he felt. He felt panic and passion and power when she was in his arms, and hell if he didn't know what to do with it all. So he kissed the hell out of her and reveled in what it did to him when she kissed the hell out of him, too.

Before he knew he was doing it, his hand slid across her stomach as it once had before, lying flat across the womb that would soon nurture a part of him. His child. Their child.

That was it.

He couldn't let anything happen to this woman. Not her. Screw the rest of the world. Screw himself, too. But nothing could take her away from him. Possessed, he gripped her head tightly, his thumbs pressing open her jaw as he tipped her head back and towered over her. She moaned, letting him control her body, holding his arms tightly…

And then he pushed himself inside her.

She gasped and tried to jerk back, but he held on to her firmly, and continued to fill her with his chakra. He let it pour right into her, and he didn't bother with being gentle. She could handle it. He didn't stop. Forced his whole being past her lips, down her throat, into her, where his power merged with hers, where it transformed her strength, stretched her limits, gave her fuel, and he released it.

It was hers now.

When he let go of her, she jerked away so hard she nearly stumbled. He reached out to catch her but she held up her hand, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, face scrunched in either disgust or confusion. She glared up at him.

"What did you do?" she whispered, horrified. She looked…betrayed.

"I gave you my chakra," he explained. He wasn't expecting her to strike him. But she did. Right across the face. Hard enough to crack his head to the side, too. When he turned back to face her, astonished, tears were flooding her eyes and her lips were trembling.

"You idiot, you need that!" she cried. He gaped at her. "I don't know what to do with it all! What if I fail?"

"Sakura, I will recover," he said quietly, deciding to ignore the sting in his cheek. Damn…if he was letting her get away with that… "In fact, I'm fine. My chakra will regenerate over time, as it normally does, and even now, I still have much more than you. But I didn't just give you a little chakra boost. That jutsu enhanced your chakra permanently. From here on out, you're chakra will be tenfold what it was before. You have the chakra of an Uchiha. Now, you will be a fair match against my brother. Now…you're safe."

"You…" She had to stop and hiccup before she could continue. He still couldn't tell what she was feeling. Disbelief? Anger? Offense? "You did this to protect me?"

"Yes," he whispered, breathing out a tired sigh. Please let that be the right answer. He couldn't handle it if it wasn't.

"You…you idiot," she sniffled, glaring at the ground stubbornly. He was smiling before he wanted to.

"You're welcome," he said softly, and leaned forward to kiss her more gently, thrilling when she accepted him. Thrilling as he brushed his fingers across her stomach in eager anticipation once more.

She hadn't expected it to be like this.

He was more handsome than she remembered. The last time she'd seen him, his face had been morphed by shadows and darkness, but in the breaking dawn, she could see him as he truly was. His pretty lips in that usual scowl, his black hair framing his pale face, and those eyes black as stone. They weren't cold, not like they'd been when he'd broken her. Today, they were livid. Flaming. Engulfed in an inferno. His chakra flared around him in deadly warning, tightly controlled, and his sword gleamed unsheathed in his hand.

"Sasuke," she greeted calmly, exhaling slowly as she did. She moved her fingers experimentally in her gloves and tugged softly at her newly formed chakra. It came to her with as much ease as it always did, but she felt like the ocean was moving inside of her where before she'd only had a small pond. What lay inside her frightened her more than the man on the other side of the clearing.

"Sakura," he spat, through his teeth. It was satisfying to see him so angry, so out of sorts. Because of her. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, unable to help her smirk. His glower intensified. Yes, that's what it feels like to be mocked, Sasuke.

"You're with him," he growled, his dark eyes flickering to the figure behind her. Only she and Itachi had met with him. She hadn't seen Kisame since last night.

"I am," she answered softly, nodding. His answering glare made her smile again. Did he expect her to deny it? For his sake? "Itachi has been helping me look for you. He's much better at it than I am."

"I'm not coming back," he warned warily, narrow eyes skipping back and forth between the two of them suspiciously. They landed on her and stayed there. "What are you giving him?"

"I don't want you to come back, Sasuke," she said, shifting her right foot back, turning sideways as if she was moving to leave. His stare bored into her. But it wasn't the same. "I want you to die."

She hardly gave any time to register his surprise. As soon as his eyebrows flew up, she slammed her fist into the ground, and it gave way beneath her knuckles. Oh my. While before she'd been able to do damage, now… Was this what being an Uchiha felt like? Was this what housing a demon felt like? As the chakra exploded from her hand, the earth shattered as if it was naught but glass, and everything around them crumbled. In an instant, all within a twenty-foot radius was demolished. She jerked her head up to find Sasuke, unsurprised to see that he had evaded the attack. His Sharingan gleamed at her from his place in the air above her.

He readied his sword, and swept toward her.

Sakura had never been fast enough to evade the Sharingan, but today, she ducked his first swing with confidence and had a kunai out to block the second easily. At first, he looked shocked. Then he just looked pissed. He darted back for just a second, then slashed at her again. This time, when she parried, she forced her chakra through the kunai and let it detonate where their blades met.

The explosion threw them both back, and when the smoke cleared, Sakura had Sasuke surrounded by clones. They weren't shadows clones—only illusions. But they came at Sasuke with all the pretense of being deadly. He didn't take the time to notice the difference, or maybe he wasn't taking the risk. He spun wildly, deflecting every feint, every deceptive lunge. His Sharingan swirled angrily as he turned this way and that, searching for her in the crowds.

It wouldn't be long before he thought to look in the trees, so she had to be quick. Vaguely aware of Itachi crouching not too far away, she worked hurriedly as she wound bomb pouches to the tips of kunai, thread wires in and out of the handles, wove everything together in strategic patterns impossible to follow with the eye. The first jutsu she'd created on her own. And Sasuke didn't know about it.

It was his fault for never paying attention to her.

As he took out the last of her clones with a hasty fire technique, Sakura launched herself into the air. His head jerked up, eyes training on her body sailing over his as she twisted and sent the tangle of kunai downward, sparkling pink fluttering after them harmlessly, invisible behind the onslaught of gleaming black metal. As Sasuke deflected the first kunai, Sakura was diving into the brush again, landing cat-like on a thick branch. She flung the last knife, its bomb tag lit and sizzling.

Cherry Blossom Snow Storm.

There was a pause of silence. And then everything obliterated, which such a force she hadn't expected, it flung her backward as well. Catching herself on a trunk, she swung around and pressed herself to it, using its thick body to shield herself from her own attack. Why the hell had the explosion been so extreme? It wasn't a jutsu that called for chakra, so Itachi's gift couldn't have done it… Had she used more tags this time? No, she carried no more than the average shinobi. The way the bombs had been angled?

As the air stopped vibrating, she opened her eyes and focused. There was no time to worry about that. Now she just needed to find Sasuke.

She heard him before she saw him.

His blade cut through the tree like it was water, and even as she jumped away, the electricity spitting from his sword burned her skin. Wincing and clutching her arm where it had stung her, she moved to face him. But he was already behind her as the tree came thundering to the ground, his sword at her throat. She gasped, squirming backward into his chest, away from the furious chakra sparking at her nastily.

"Why are you with him?" he hissed, and she almost turned to gape at him. After all things, he was still worried about his damn brother?

"Jealous?" she breathed, but the promise of the blade's kiss as it came closer kept her smirk at bay this time.

"Tell me," he commanded, and she jerked her head away as his lips pressed to her ear. "Sakura…"

"I owe you shit," she snapped, closing her eyes and baring her teeth as he hissed in warning. "Why do you care?"

"I hate him."

"And I hate you," she bit, turning her head to meet Sasuke's eyes. She wasn't afraid of that Sharingan. She took a breath to steady herself for the next words out of her mouth. "Itachi appreciates what I can offer him, Sasuke. And I'm more than willing."

He literally snarled. Snarled like a rabid dog. It startled her, but she used the opportunity to duck away from his sword, avoiding his furious swing without much effort. That was one of his weaknesses. Sasuke was easy to bait, easy to provoke, and when he was angry—he was powerful, oh yes—but he was more careless. And for a medic-nin, it was no hard task keeping his strikes far from her skin.

But then her back hit something unexpected. Some large and obtuse and not Kisame.

"You shall not hurt Sasuke!" the giant yelled just as she whipped her head around to look at him, and as he lunged to grab her, she screamed.

She dropped away from his fingers and rolled out of reach, looking up from her crouch just in time to see the kick flying at her face. Instinct told her to block, but she grabbed the offending ankle instead, her new chakra making it easy to snatch the shinobi's limb and fling it upward. But her enemy was quick to regain balance, landing on her hands and spinning to kick with the other foot instead. Sakura blocked it, shoving it away with her chakra, and then swept her leg beneath the other kunoichi's arms.

She retreated before they could jump on her again.

It took only a few seconds to analyze everything around her. Where before, it had only been the two of them, she was now cornered by two new shinobi. The big man was huffing exasperatedly some distance away, his large form trembling as his curse mark convulsed. Sasuke still had his sword at the ready, not far from his teammate. But the woman was up and recovering only a few feet away. She was pretty enough, with a small frame, white skin, and large red eyes. Though a brush wouldn't hurt...

"You bitch!" she shrieked, cheeks flaming red beneath her glasses as Sakura sank into a defensive stance. She raised an eyebrow. The hell…? "How dare you try to hurt Sasuke, you traitorous slut!"

She stared at the girl.

"Are you kidding me?" she snapped, shaking her head at the girl in disbelief. "Sasuke betrayed me. He has no rights to my loyalty."

"But Itachi?" Sasuke suddenly said, and when Sakura looked at him, the pain in his voice, on his face, threw her off guard. Oh shit… No, he couldn't do that to her. He lowered his sword, dark eyes pleading. "Why? Just tell me why, Sakura."

"We made a deal," she explained shortly, pushing aside the urge to go to him. To apologize. To make it better. She removed another kunai and readied it in front of her. "He helps me. I help him."

"Helps you what?" he snapped, his glare returning. "Kill me?

"Yes."

"You stupid bi—"

"Karin!" Sasuke barked, and the girl fell reluctantly silent, her fuming eyes on Sakura. Sasuke turned to her. "Sakura, what did you give him in return?"

She couldn't think. How did she answer that question?

"She gave me," Itachi said, voice silky and dangerous as he materialized at her side. His fingers found her shoulder and squeezed possessively. "What you didn't want."

And then Kisame was at her other side, throwing something heavy and motionless to the ground at their feet. It took her moment to realize it was a person.

"Found the brat playing with this," he grunted, twirling a sword that matched his own in size through the air before reaching back and sheathing it with Samehada. Sakura knew that blade. She knew its shape, its color, and the distinctive hole cut into its metal. It had been a long time since she'd thought about Zabuza.

"Suigetsu…" Karin gasped in disbelief, and Sakura couldn't blame her for looking so shocked or terrified. Yeah…the guy really didn't look human anymore.

"Jugo," Sasuke growled tightly, and when the big guy stepped in Kisame direction, the older man laughed.

"Size for size, eh, little Uchiha?" he chuckled, grabbing Samehada. "If that's the way you want to play it…"

"Karin…" he breathed, and Sakura gaped as the girl turned and faced her.

"Woah, I don't think so," Sakura snapped, but Sasuke didn't even look at her.

His eyes were on his brother.

"Fight me, Itachi."

So, Itachi has definitely shown some changes. He recognizes that he cares about Sakura and is willing to open up about his past. This is another revision in the story. Before, I made Itachi actually think he had no emotions. Which was stupid, because that would make Itachi stupid. I changed it so that Itachi is aware of the inevitability of emotion, but has trained himself to be in a perpetual state of unawareness (with minor exceptions). This allows him to be in control and be perfect. Which in turn made him in human, one thing led to another, and boom, Uchiha Clan is dead. This horrifies Sakura, and he's astonished and touched that she cries for him. I found the revisions to this chapter particularly satisfying.

Yes, the "he pushed inside of her" is intentional. ;) Gotcha going there for a second, didn't I?

I made the scene with Sasuke more reader-friendly. Sakura wasn't as corny and stupid in it and Sasuke's character is portrayed as disturbed, pissed, and basically how he always is in Shippuden. Over the years, he's slowly lost it (which he basically has in the anime anyway, but for other reasons as we all know; sad face, but I refuse to put spoilers). Anywho, he ignores Sakura because he doesn't take her seriously. He doesn't know about Itachi's additional chakra, and he can't bring himself to believe he'd ever actually hurt him.

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