Sorry for the delay; a research paper took over my life.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any characters in Naruto. Said characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
"You what?"
Sakura didn't hold back- well, she didn't scream, or shriek… but tone of voice she used clearly conveyed her feelings. Her voice had a hint of anger, a pinch of frustration, and a whole lot of killing intent.
The young medic had been requested to visit Tsunade's office this afternoon. The past few days had been blissfully Uchiha-free and Sakura felt no problem with that. She had helped out in the hospital and thus, earned some good money. After all, it didn't seem like missions would be in store in the near future, but the rent needed to be paid. And so, she returned to tending the injured.
It was like a breath of fresh air. No stiflingly obnoxious and arrogant bastards breaking into her home and draping themselves all over her furniture. No infuriating intelligent mind games and conversations. Truly, it was a wonderful few days.
In fact, she really hadn't given the Prick much thought over the time being. After the second night of not being graced by his stupid presence, she may have thought about him for a moment or two, but after which, the dark-haired jerk left her mind completely.
She really wasn't too surprised at him leaving for several days straight. Sakura imagined that he had to check back in to Akatsuki Headquarters, so as to keep himself under the radar of suspicion. It made sense and the last thing Konoha needed was the rage of Akatsuki based on the list of actions Uchiha Itachi decided to appoint himself of.
Really, Sakura was worried on some level. If Akatsuki found out about Itachi's multitude of lies and web of deceit, it wouldn't look good. She'd rather not think about it.
So she didn't. For several days.
That is, until Tsunade called for her to step into the familiar office and from there, Sakura's relatively cheerful attitude took a turn for the worst.
The Hokage stared at her disciple and sighed. "Really, Sakura. Those dramatic moods get old after awhile."
The apprentice hardened her glare. "I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" Sakura didn't even need to open her mouth; somehow the words came out through mashed teeth. Tsunade didn't pay her attitude any mind.
"You heard me. Uchiha Itachi is going to be reinstated. It's not done yet, but Shikamaru's taking care of it." With indifference, the Godaime waved her hand. Sakura didn't appreciate the carefree aura her teacher was giving off.
"That's not what I'm talking about, Shishou." Sakura said darkly.
"Oh, you talking about how he's going to give us information about the Akatsuki, amongst other orders I give him?" came a nonchalant response.
"No. The other part. The last part which you mumbled rather quickly." Sakura's eyes were now an incredible dark green. Tsunade recognized the look, as one she herself could give. Knowing exactly what to do, the Fifth picked up the replacement paperweight from her desk and began tossing it up and down throughout the air.
Sakura caught on quickly. It seemed that her mentor was going to keep the first paperweight in the wall as a warning signal, she noted. However, Tsunade seemed to be playing the same game Sakura played with Kakashi so long ago, but Sakura had done so with her gloves. The pinkette and the blonde prided themselves on the ability to speak loudly without words. A simple action was often enough- and it seemed that Tsunade was just as willing to throw the new paperweight into something as the first one.
Somewhere over the years, Sakura knew that she had, or was dangerously close, to surpassing Tsunade. But there was just something about the blonde that told Sakura to never doubt her Shishou's abilities. It seemed such circumstances had happened many times, but each one again reminded her that Tsunade was a deadly force to be reckoned with.
Tsunade was pleased to see the glare lighten, slightly. It was unfair tactic, really. After all, Sakura's mannerisms and temperament were very much like her own- in fact, they were probably equal. Stopping such tempers were very well within the Fifth's capabilities. And she'd be damned if she didn't use it to her advantage.
With Sakura now calmed down enough to hold a decent conversation, the blonde explained herself.
"Now, let me share the other night's happenings- the part you're asking about. I'll be blunt. He likes you." Tsunade waited a moment for Sakura to recover and put the new paperweight back on the desk.
"You mean- he. What?" A pink eyebrow rose up.
"Don't play stupid, you heard me alright. I said he likes you. He admitted it in front of me. He even said you were lovely." Sakura opened her mouth, but was cut off. "Shut up until I'm done. He knows what he's getting into, believe me. But know that I told him that the final decision is yours. If you say 'no,' then by all means, he should realize provocation is not a wise path. And the bastard knew what that entailed, too."
The Godaime sighed.
"You see, he knows exactly what he's doing, and frankly I can't keep up with all his shenanigans. I pick up the important stuff; the bullshit about the Akatsuki, the whole Orochimaru business… but I figure you can at least handle this matter on your own. But damn, he's a prick." Tsunade rubbed her head.
Sakura laughed. It was funny how her teacher would use her own favorite word to describe him, as well.
"I wouldn't be laughing so much," Tsunade let out. "Just be warned, you have a dangerously handsome man coming after you- even I can't deny that. But he's certainly perfect for you and I'll be damned if he's not persistent."
"I think I've figured that out by now, thanks." Sakura stated acidly.
"There's no need to get sassy with me, Sakura. At least I decided to give you forewarning about it." The blonde bit out.
"Yeah, but it certainly took a few days, didn't it?" the pinkette huffed.
"I felt you could use a break from all the hysteria, didn't you? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy having some time by yourself." Came the Fifth's response.
"If I enjoyed having so much time by myself, then why even bother? Clearly I prefer being alone than to being chased by an older man!" Sakura yelled, bitterly.
"Oh hell, Sakura. You just don't understand yet, but you will. Now, be reasonable. He's only a few years older than you, so calm the hell down and stop fussing." Tsunade rubbed her head harder. So this was what it was like to argue with yourself, she mused.
Sakura crossed her arms and shifted her eyes to the left.
"Whatever."
Tsunade took advantage of the moment.
"Glad to hear it," she deadpanned. "Now, shoo. Go away unless you have something interesting happen." With that, amber eyes focused back down to the desk, with one hand making a gesture for Sakura to leave.
With a snort, the pinkette left.
It was still light out and Sakura enjoyed that fact.
Why? Because nighttime usually was the favorite time for her favorite person to show up and she didn't feel like bothering with him again. Looking up to the sky, the sun was still out, and Sakura figured she had another hour or two before darkness would overtake the village. Walking back to her apartment, the medic sighed in relief when she found out that there was no Uchiha occupying her couch.
Really, the simple things were starting to please her.
Sakura shut her door, locking it, and proceeded to her bedroom where she changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She hadn't planned on going anywhere later, so it was perfectly fine by her to walk around like a lazy bum. Besides, it might even act as a deterrent for one of her pursuers.
Putting water on the stove, Sakura gathered a tea cup and sugar. After hunting around the kitchen, it seemed to be the only drink worthwhile at the moment. That's because you drank all the alcohol the other night. Oh, right.
Leaning against her counter, Sakura realized how childish she'd been acting. Why was she being so defensive? It was true that she didn't mind have some time to herself, but she felt something was off.
She felt bored.
How dumb was that? With some time to actually get work done and focus on herself, all she could think about what how dull everything was. Sure, operations of various sorts were always a challenge or self-gratifying to know you helped someone…
But in essence, she was left in a world of indifference.
Pouring the now hot water in the cup, Sakura then fixed her tea.
The kunoichi noted that she was full of contradicting emotions. It was like inside of her was chaotic and she didn't appreciate that. She needed to figure this all out, or it'd be the death of her. The pinkette slammed her palm into her face, hoping the abrupt action would knock some sense into her. Unfortunately, it didn't. There seemed to be an unknown force screwing up her thoughts and it refused to go away.
Sitting down at the table, teacup in her hand, Sakura felt entirely confused. In the end, she decided that she would just have to let everything run its course. She'd know the right time to do the right thing.
Stupid, attractive brat. He just had to waltz into her life and mess it all up, didn't he?
A frown worked its way on top of her face. He was nothing short of irritating.
Sakura glanced up toward the couch. It was still unoccupied.
The medic focused back down to her tea cup and drank a few sips.
"Ow, goddamnit!" She mumbled, rather loudly. Without realizing it, she just inhaled boiling water, and she was less than thrilled. Standing up, Sakura walked to the freezer and pulled out two ice cubes. She shut the fridge door and turned to the table.
Somehow, she kept a look a surprise and aggravation on hold. For leaning against her front door, was an Uchiha Itachi.
Scowling at him, she growled out, "Are you aware of how incredibly creepy you are? Is there no other place for you to go but than to plop yourself in my apartment?"
Itachi looked at her, holding ice cubes in her hand, dark blue sweatpants and matching top, which barely covered her abdomen. It was an odd sight, seeing her so casual, but it didn't bother him. It merely added to the complexity of the woman he was so interested in. He glanced to the table, where a lone tea cup stood, steam clearly radiating from it.
"Sakura, this appears to be the safest area for me to reside at the moment and have contact with you." He calmly said.
Plopping the two cubes into the cup, Sakura sat down, rather forcefully. "Well, you could have knocked or something. Besides, it's still light out; it's a little bit dangerous to be sneaking around in daylight, don't you think?" Sakura huffed.
"Clearly, it was not a problem, which is unfortunate and fortunate at the same time." Itachi then walked over and took his seat at the table. Meanwhile Sakura digested his words, it was true that it was a bad thing he could get in here undetected… but then, who else could? She wouldn't think about that.
"I see you had a nice little chat with Shishou." she stated.
"I did."
Sakura saw where this was going: Nowhere.
"Why are you here, this time? What more do you need from me?" she asked.
"A few things." Sakura took a sip from her now perfectly warm tea. She raised an eyebrow at him. Fine, if he didn't want to talk, then she wouldn't either.
A smile crept on the Uchiha's face; she was being stubborn again.
"I wanted to ask you something." He commented, rather quietly. Sakura perked up and stared at him. Her focus on him was the indicator for him to continue. Itachi, however, almost laughed at her subtle motion. It seemed he was rubbing off on her. But that was not of importance, now.
"Is it possible, you could tell me what Sasuke was like, growing up?" He delicately asked.
The pinkette blinked. It seemed he had a mood swing; one moment, he looked like he was enjoying something. Now, a solemn tone in his eyes took over.
She thought about it… Shock of Sasuke's take-over had now worn off for the most part… of course, it still hit her heart somewhere deep whenever she thought about it, but she had accepted his fate and believed that she was able to move on. But Itachi had never known what Sasuke was like in his pre-teen years, or anything like that. At those particular times, when Sasuke was a good person… with some issues, yes, but he was still a good guy, no question. No one would have suspected what would become of him years later… Sakura figured the least she could do was fill Itachi in- after all, the guy had gone through so much and it was a small request.
Itachi saw her mood lighten slightly, as her mouth's corners turned upward. She looked him straight in the eye and answered his question.
"In the academy, he was always driving himself… I guess I understand why. But, he pushed himself in every way possible. Of course, I had the higher scores in written exams, but he was brilliant, too. Shikamaru was clever, as well, but he figured it was 'too troublesome' to even answer the questions… Anyway. Your brother was the heartthrob of the class; girls were always fawning over him." Sakura decided to not put herself in that category.
"And then, we were placed on the same genin team, with Naruto. What an odd trio we were, really… Naruto had incredibly awful scores everywhere, while Sasuke was a jack of all trades. I was just… book smart and couldn't contribute anything more than that. And despite Naruto's poor grades, he was still a much better fighter than me. But then Kakashi became our Sensei, and truth be told, we actually did work well as a team. It was funny though- on our first mission, Kakashi had us do the chakra tree-climbing exercise. It was weird to see Sasuke do just as badly as Naruto on something." She continued.
Sakura sighed. "But those two were always going at it. They were both constantly driven to best each other in every way. Kakashi and I just watched." The medic added.
"It's just odd. To think that it will never be like that again… you know?" she glanced at him. He blinked at her. "Oh, of course you know. You're been through hell and back more times than I can count." With that, Sakura took another sip of tea.
Itachi thought about her words.
"So, he was loyal?" he inquired.
Sakura tilted her head, "Yeah, until Orochimaru decided to shit all over everything."
"Aa." And he looked down at the table.
The kunoichi stared at her table companion. She couldn't imagine what he was going through. Itachi had tried so hard to make everything work out, but in the end, he lost everything. But his salvation came in his little brother, who he had gone at lengths to provide a decent life. Then everything…just fell apart.
He was forced to kill his clan. His Uncles. His aunts. Grandparents. Cousins. His own father. And his mother… How more devastating could it get? He had saved his little brother, in hopes of a good life, but Sasuke had turned it down and become consumed by rage- and not the way Itachi had intended it.
Sakura realized Uchiha Itachi's life was just a monsoon of crap on his parade.
She didn't know what made her do it, but it was probably her inborn nature to help. To heal.
Sakura stood up and walked over to him. Without a word, she leaned over him and laced her arms behind his head. She buried her head next to his neck and mumbled a barely audible, "I'm sorry."
His eyes widened. She had willingly come over to him and embraced him. She felt sorry for his pain and agony. And… and when was the last time someone had wrapped their arms around him? Surely, it had been his mother… Yes, it had been a long time.
Sakura was trying to be discreet… Whilst putting her own head on his shoulder, she could now detect his natural scent. What was it? As best, she described it as burnt wood. It smelled good. Very good. She needed to stop inhaling so deeply, really…But if she stopped breathing, she'd probably pass out, and waking up on the Uchiha's lap would not be fun.
Sakura was debating about letting go, when she felt his own arms wrap around her back. It was odd, to give a hug with one person standing, and the other sitting, but it was the right thing to do. If he was ok with her touching him like this, then by all means, she'd suck it up. And it looked like he could use a hug, anyway. It was then she felt his own head rock forward into her shoulder, while his arms moved down to her waist.
He sighed.
That was all she needed to hear. He wouldn't outright tell her he appreciated her gesture, but the sigh was good enough. It was the small amount of comfort she could do for him right now. His wounds were deep and emotional and the simple embrace was all she could do to help him. It was sad to think that not even the most skilled of medics could heal his scars.
But Sakura also noticed his how warm his hands were on her back. In combination with his scent, Sakura felt truly comfortable and at peace, and something else… She had a hint as to what, since Inner Sakura was practically screaming words like, "physically attracted," "you're into him," and "arousal." The medic forced herself to shut up mentally.
Itachi now realized his arms were on her back. He had unconsciously done so, a habit deeply ingrained from the past, which seemed to show up again. It seemed he still remembered what it was like to share physical contact without being overly perverse, but friendly. Itachi was aware that her top had ridden up because she was leaning over- in fact he was touching her bare skin. He stopped himself before he could go any further and do something he might regret; after all, his mother had taught him proper manners. As much as he wanted to get closer to the kunoichi, he would do it tastefully and to his own liking. And so he slid his hands off her.
Until he felt something.
It was on her lower back. The left side. He ran his finger over it out of curiosity- it was about half an inch thick, and three inches long. She pulled back from him and looked at him hard in the face. His unspoken question was clearly written in his eyes.
Sakura straightened and turned to show him what he was touching. An angry mark on her back stared back at him. The way she had rolled her shirt up had shown him that there was a twin on her stomach. They were the same length and width; mirror images of each other.
He looked up at her.
She gave a half-hearted smile and answered him, honestly.
"I guess you'll be glad to know Sasori didn't go down without a fight, huh?" she joked, uneasy.
Itachi reached out his hand and traced the scar on her stomach. Sakura suddenly became aware of how close they were. He was touching her. Indeed, this had progressed to the next level and she was going….
Well, she didn't know what she was going to do. In fact, his hands were drawling warmth to wherever they touched and were delicately dancing over the sensitive skin on her stomach. She fought down the distracting emotions and tried to focus on something else. But, damn, it was proving hard.
He was slowly moving his finger down the aggravated line, tenderly; as if he wasn't sure it would hurt her. It was like… he cared.
Itachi was currently mulling over this new discovery. Sasori had… impaled her? Yet, she was still alive. Sasori had died about five years ago, and from what he heard, it seemed it was Sakura and Sasori's grandmother were alone in fighting him. That meant… Sakura had healed herself of the wound? Or she had least dealt with it long enough before Sasori was defeated and healed it afterward.
Either way, that meant she was incredibly skilled medically at her age, which he guessed to be about 15.
"I should hope he wasn't an easy opponent. Despite the fact that he was part of an illegal organization, there are some qualifications to be met in order to be a member. Sasori was formidable in many respects." Itachi claimed.
Sakura gave him a dry look. "You think I don't know that?" With that, she shoved her top back down, covering the memento from the monstrous battle. She then forced herself back into the chair.
"I am quite aware you know how dangerous he could be. I was merely stating a fact." He commented.
"Well, you weren't the one thrown about through poisoned thickets of weaponry. I actually got hit, but thankfully I had made an antidote. You know, Chiyo baa-sama and I thought we got him at one point... Then he played his stupid little game of 'hide and go seek' and that's how I got this little surprise." Sakura drawled out, while rubbing on her stomach. "So, your little fact was redundant."
"It was not. I was acknowledging his power."
"Bullshit. You're just making excuses." With that, Sakura took several gulps of her tea. She slammed the cup back on the table.
Itachi narrowed his eyes at her.
"See, now you're pissed." Sakura smirked.
"You know, Sakura, I believe I'm rubbing off on you." He tilted the corners of his mouth upward; the beginning of his own smirk.
"Well, when you decided to implant your ass in my kitchen several times, I would think something would stick. So stop being obnoxious." She took a breath. "What's it like in Akatsuki?"
He blinked at her.
The medic sighed. "Oh, come on. You heard me. How'd you get in, anyway? Did you just waltz in through the door and say, 'Hey, everyone! I just did a really bad thing! Can I join your club?'"
Itachi's face remained impassive.
"Yeah, you're right. You probably just made some dramatic entrance and stared everyone down. Bet you didn't even say a word." She laughed.
"You seem to know me better than you think." He implied.
"Well, what can I say? All this one-on-one time has allowed me to figure you out. You certainly frustrated me in the beginning, but now I think I've got a good foundation of you." The rosette kunoichi leaned back in her chair, confidently.
"Is that so? Do you not think that information gathering goes both ways?" He added, slyly.
Sakura narrowed her own eyes at him.
"I know what you're doing. You're trying to piss me off again. Remember what Tsunade told you…" She cautioned.
The smirk showed up in its entirety. Sakura almost threw her tea cup at him.
"I am well aware of the threats you and your mentor pose. But, I think you need to worry about yourself more so than me." With that, Itachi leaned back in his own chair, just as confident.
Sakura let his words sink in, but they didn't register.
"Explain yourself." The medic responded, rather coolly.
Itachi nodded and stood up from the chair. He ever-so-calmly took off his Akatsuki cloak, staring at her the entire time. His hands had emphasized each button that came undone and Sakura watched as he put his cloak on one of the unoccupied chairs.
Oh, he got you good. Inner Sakura chortled at her. Sakura couldn't really disagree.
It was the first time she had seen him, or probably anyone had, without the bulky, large, un-exposing cloak about his form. Here he was standing in front of her, face completely smug with satisfaction as she looked at him, with considerably less fabric about his person.
He had on a tight black shirt, which was still capable of accenting the numerous abdominal muscles in his torso. He sat back down in his chair, and folded his two toned arms in front of him, leaning back once more.
Sakura noticed that he really wasn't that big… as in he wasn't disgustingly brawny, but his physique still demanded attention. There wasn't an over-abundance of muscle… he was just… really good to look at. Inner Sakura was currently wondering what was under the shirt and the rest of his wardrobe.
Forcing herself to stop looking at his newly revealed form, Sakura looked back in his eyes. His delight in her perusal was clear on his face.
"I think I made my point clear." Itachi cocked his eyebrows quickly.
And then it hit the fan.
Sakura's world came spiraling into focus. It became all too apparent; she was admitting it to herself and it shocked her to no end. And it just so happened, that she didn't need to say it out loud for the jerk to know it, as well.
Sakura was attracted to Uchiha Itachi.
Sure she had told herself he was good-looking and yes, he was a good match for her. But, she hadn't ever said she was attracted to him. At least, so definitively.
It truly was a miracle her jaw hadn't dropped open in front of him. She thought she had done a good job at pretending like nothing happened, but Itachi was nothing less than a master at detecting subtle cues from actions. But she wouldn't let him win, no sir.
"Ok, fine. Whatever. It doesn't matter." She claimed, a little higher pitched that usual.
Itachi noticed her quick defensive response. It only added fuel to the fire.
"On the contrary, Sakura, it does." His eyes glinted with amusement and excitement. She had just told him what he wanted to know so badly. At this point, it would only be a matter of time…
She refused to acknowledge his comment. Sakura lifted her tea cup to her lips again. It was cold at this point, but that was beside the point. It served as a deliberate action to ignore him. Blatantly.
"Aa, you can ignore it all you want, Sakura, but you just admitted it." Charcoal eyes hinted at triumph. But the pink-haired woman didn't say a word.
"You know," he started again. "It would be better if you just accepted it, out loud."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Came a matter-o-fact reply.
It seemed she was in denial. But no matter, Itachi mused. The seed had already been implanted. It would only grow at this point and he would be waiting for her when she realized it.
"You are rather hell bent on denying it. I am confident that will not be the case forever." With that, Itachi stood up from the chair. Sakura immediately stood up from hers, as well. Staring into his face, she saw his eyes change. The amusement drastically changed into a somber tone.
He spoke delicately, "Sakura, I apologize for intruding so many times. But I thank you, for talking with me… about my brother and your teammate." He needed to leave again, thus bringing the conversation to a full circle. The tone change came with it.
Suddenly, all previous emotions escaped her, but were replaced with the sorrow she felt from before.
"Of…course." She mumbled, softly. And her feet moved her forward, without thinking.
He wasn't paying complete attention to her. At least, not until he felt her arms wrap around his person again.
With them both standing up, Sakura could now properly embrace him. Her head fit in the crook of his shoulder, with her arms around his waist. She felt his arms lace around her upper back. And for once, Inner Sakura stayed quiet.
"I know he's gone… I do. But it's just so hard…" she talked into his shoulder. "I say that I've accepted it. I understand he's not coming back. But when I finally face such a person again, I can't help wonder at how things will turn out…" she trailed off.
Itachi understood now. It appeared she had kept her emotions bottled up inside her and needed relieving. Pushing his other thoughts aside, he joined her in the same notions.
"I do not know, Sakura. But if I had some way to look into the future, I would have used it long before now…" his voice saddened. He felt her arms tighten around him. This was truly remarkable. She was seething at him, no longer than a few moments ago, but now she was practicing leaning on him.
He could tell she was distressed. But had she no one else to talk to since he told her the news? Was he really the first person she could let her emotions run so freely with? Surely, there had to be someone out in the village to whom she could confide.
But it looked like that wasn't the case. She was entirely independent and tried hard to be that way. Until now. Instead of keeping to herself, she found her body tangled in the arms of the last person she ever expected. How twisted fate seemed to be, that their two tortured souls found each other.
As much as he wanted to continue the holding of her, he knew he had to leave. Sakura must have thought the same idea, as she started to pull away from him.
Taking a step backward, she forced herself to say, "Sorry, about that. I got carried away for a moment."
"I believe we both needed it."
She nodded at him, unsure of what to say. So he talked for her.
"I will be going now. Please, take care, Sakura."
"You, too." Was her reply. He gave her a sad smile in return.
"I shall." And without another word, he grabbed his cloak from the chair and disappeared from her kitchen and out of her apartment.
Sakura sat back down in her kitchen chair and sighed. What a night. How did this all happen? She realized she was attracted to him and then had a heart-to-heart moment with him? Since when did life get so complicated? She certainly was a myriad of emotions today, but the true colors came through in the last few moments.
Sakura looked at the clock in the kitchen. Had it really been several hours since he dropped by? Wow, time certainly flew.
Sakura stood up, placed her tea cup in the sink, and got ready for bed. Laying down in between her sheets, she tried to think about something that would calm her down enough to fall asleep.
We both needed it. He had said. It was strange, that she found comfort in his arms, like that.
She had kept those emotions inside for awhile now, but tonight's meeting broke down walls and barriers, that all she could do was hold on to him to let all the emotions pass. And it seemed he was in desperate need of human consoling, as well. He just less apt to do so, but it seemed that barrier of his broke down, too.
Sakura had to admit, she felt comfortable with him. True, she was sarcastic as hell, or variations of it, but behind that, she now realized how she felt towards the man.
As she fell asleep, Sakura agreed with her friends; Uchiha Itachi was a good match for her.
Ok, first of all, Chapter 489. Gasp!
And once again, I apologize for the delay. School work took priority and thus, a twelve page paper was born.
Let me know what y'all think! Hopefully, this wasn't too corny...
-Kiwi
