A/N: Here I am again with the next installment. Not much to say here other than to thank those who continue to read, and also to those who review. I'm sorry for the shortness chapter. Really after all this time there is no excuse, other than I've been having a bit of writer's block. However, I did want to get something out in time for you, Callmelover. Thanks for the nudge to see if I was still alive. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sakura, or Itachi or... well you get the idea.

Chapter 14

It was a very grumpy and irritable Sakura that arrived at the Uchiha residence that morning. Her feline companion who had been kept awake half the night due to Sakura's constant tossing and turning, was also in a sour mood herself. It didn't help that Hana had no idea why she was being dragged along in the first place. The cat sat huddled in the cage, grumbling to herself.

Sakura's fingers gripped the handles of her suitcase, and the cat carrier tightly when she noticed all of her in laws standing on the porch awaiting their arrival. Fugaku and Mikoto she could understand, but when she noticed Sasuke sitting on the steps, his chin propped on the top of his palm, nonchalance etched in the lines of his face, her brows furrowed.

She noticed the blank way that they were staring at her, and Sakura realized that she hadn't seen any of them since the meeting with the clan elders. She squared her shoulders. She hadn't felt shame of her actions then, and she didn't feel any now. She doubted that she ever would.

"Good morning. Thank you for having us," Itachi's monotone broke the frigid silence.

Mikoto's mask finally cracked into a small smile, "You have nothing to thank us for. Your father was the one who suggested it."

It was all Sakura could do, not to roll her eyes. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to the way her husband liked to leave out half the details of just about everything he decided to tell her. Must be a ninja thing, she reasoned. It really wasn't a big deal either way, but it was hard not to be suspicious of his motives sometimes, because of that peculiar little habit.

"What's with the cat?" Sasuke jerked a thumb in Hana's direction.

"What's with the chicken butt hairstyle?" Hana's retort was swift, and merciless.

Sakura eyebrow ticked, and her lip twitched. It was really too bad that no one but her could understand the feline. She arched a brow at Sasuke, "What do you mean 'what's up with the cat?' I couldn't have left her alone at the house by herself, now could I?"

"It's alright. Itachi already informed us that you would be bringing your pet. I would only ask that you keep her in your room during your stay here." Mikoto waved a dismissive hand at Sakura.

"Of course," Sakura mumbled, knowing full well that Hana could go wherever she wanted to go. It wasn't like Sakura could stop her even if she wanted to.

"Come inside, there's breakfast on the table, and we still have more to discuss," Mikoto said as she turned to open the door to the house.

Everyone filed inside. Itachi gestured for Sakura to follow him. He explained coolly, "We'll be staying in my room."

Even though Sakura would never admit such a thing out loud, she was suddenly very curious to see what Itachi's room looked like. She imagined something austere, lots of navy, and probably a clan emblem here and there. The corner of her lip threatened to turn up into a smile.

When he opened the door, Sakura was greeted with almost exactly what she imagined. She grinned. She couldn't help it. Tucked against the wall, a queen sized bed with a navy blue comforter, similar to the one at the house sat against the wall with a square oak headboard. To the right side was a dresser, the same hue as the other wooden furniture in the room.

Over the bed, was a window with matching dark blue curtains to match the comforter on the bed. To the left was a small closet with a square mirror hanging on it. There was no clan emblems in the room, she noticed thoughtfully. It seemed he didn't keep anything that had no use. There were no family pictures, or anything else for that matter. It was kind of boring to look at, Sakura thought to herself idly.

Setting the cat carrier down, she opened the cage door and watched as Hana emerged, stretching each of her limbs with each step. She sat on her haunches, and she informed Sakura briskly, "I'll make certain to keep an eye on the shrine in your place. I'll make sure to check in here every so often to see how you're doing."

"I figured as much," Sakura leaned over and slid open the window for the cat. Hana dipped her head gratefully, before leaping up into the sill and hopping down onto the gravel, only to dart into the bushes. Sakura couldn't help but wonder, what went on in that cat's mind. Hana was truly the most mysterious creature she knew.

Sakura glanced back at Itachi, who was watching her with a thoughtful expression. She could tell he wanted to ask her about what she and the cat had talked about. Well that was too damn bad for him! She tore her eyes away from his and turned to settle her suitcase next to the dresser. She cleared her throat, feeling a little awkward speaking to him since she hadn't since their argument the night before, "I guess, I'll unpack all our stuff a little later."

When she glanced back at him, she noticed the way his hard countenance softened slightly at her small attempt to be at least semi polite.

He just nodded in response.

Sakura finally looked him in the eye, and noticed the pink blotches in the whites of his eyes. He must have not slept very well last night, she mused thoughtfully. In the end of it all, Sakura had come to the conclusion that there are no real winners in an argument between spouses. She was still a little upset by his highhanded nature, and the way he had demanded she do what he wanted her to do. But in the end, she knew that it was because he was trying to protect her. After all, it wasn't like he wanted to live in the compound either.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she bumped into his back when he suddenly halted in the open doorway, just outside of the dining room.

Sakura mumbled a quick apology, red-faced.

Itachi stepped aside, to let her go first. She glanced quickly at his face, taking note of his shuttered expression. She sighed softly before looking towards the table. The rest of Itachi's family had already started to eat. Sakura went to sit down, tucking her legs beneath her. They all ate in awkward silence. When everyone was finished eating, Fugaku finally spoke to her, "I'm sure my son has already explained why you're expected to stay here for the week..."

"Yes, he did."

"Good. We want nothing to interfere with Itachi's chances. Therefore, during your stay here, you will be expected to stay within the perimeter of the Uchiha compound. Until the announcement of the next Hokage, you are not to step one foot outside the clan walls," Fugaku explained in a cool, brisk tone.

"Aye aye captain." Sakura mock saluted the older man. She was satisfied by the irritation that flashed in his eyes. He turned his face away, having nothing more to say to her. That was more than fine with her.

"You never change." Sasuke smirked across the table at the hardheaded woman. Not for the first time, he found himself relieved that he hadn't been the one chosen to be her husband. He could only imagine what Itachi went through with such bull-headed, and stubborn female on a day to day basis. He suppressed a shudder at just the mere thought of it.

Sakura let out an unladylike snort, "And apparently neither do you." She took up her plate, and headed to the kitchen to put it in the sink.

"Please relax and try to enjoy your stay here," Mikoto suddenly said from behind her. "Believe me, I do understand that you aren't pleased about being forced away from your home."

Since she was still facing away from Mikoto, Sakura finally allowed herself the indulgence of rolling her eyes. Setting the plate down in the white basin of the sink, she turned around to face Itachi's mother, "I really don't expect you to understand." The young woman's frown slowly morphed into a small smile, "But I do appreciate the fact, that you at least try for my sake. And you're right about one thing; it's only a week."

The grim lines pinching around Mikoto's eyes disappeared. After that, both women worked to get the table cleared away, and the dishes cleaned. Just as Sakura was washing down the surface Mikoto came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. She asked softly, "Do you make lunches?"

At Sakura confused look, Mikoto elaborated further, "For Itachi, at least on his in-city work days?"

She shook her head, "No, I don't." Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. "It's too hard to keep up with his schedule. One day he's not supposed to be on duty, but they send someone for him anyway, or he's gone for weeks at a time."

"I guess it can't be helped. You do know where Itachi goes when he's on duty in Konoha though right?"

"Uh – maybe in a tree somewhere wearing his bedsheets and animal mask," Sakura smirked at Mikoto cheekily.

Sakura watched the older woman pinch the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

Mikoto breathed out a deep sigh, shut her eyes and shook her head, "I see. So you really don't know anything about what he does when he's here, do you?"

Sakura shook her head and finally gave Mikoto an earnest answer, "He just doesn't tell me about it. I don't pry either. I don't want to. It's not that I don't care, but I'd rather he tell me something important, because he really wants to." She had niggling feeling that Itachi probably never told her, because he didn't feel that it was important for her to know. He was a, 'on a need to know basis kind' of man. She chalked it down to the fact that he was a shinobi.

A contemplative look crossed Mikoto's features. Finally she replied, "I see." She paused and then asked, "You do know that the Uchiha clan does head the military police force?"

"That I do know, because when I met the Hokage for the first time, he mentioned it."

She would never forget that day, she thought to herself sourly.

"My eldest son and his team are the ones who work between the Hokage and the Konoha Military Police Force," Mikoto explained in a kind voice.

That was something, Sakura didn't know. She frowned and the nibbled on her lower lip as she thought about it. She inquired curiously, "So what does the military police force actually do?"

"They strive to keep the peace, and the citizens safe from any outsiders that may try to bring harm. They work solely inside the city for this purpose."

"And so what you're saying is, Itachi is like the errand boy for the Hokage and his father." Sakura was actually doing her best to make sense of what Mikoto was talking about. She still knew next to nothing about shinobi and their ranking system. Or whatever the hell it was.

"Well I suppose you could put it that way," Itachi's mother frowned before adding, "But it's a position that requires a lot of responsibility."

"So what does all this have to do with lunch?" Sakura crossed her arms, perplexed by the conversation taking place.

"I thought that perhaps you might want to take him a lunch today, because he'll be at the military police station with his father," Mikoto finally smiled then.

Was Itachi's mother trying to play some kind of matchmaker? They were already married for kami's sake. Sakura was blunt in her refusal, "Nope, not today. I'm still a little upset with him."

"Well," Mikoto faltered unsure of what to say after such a curt response. "If you happen to change your mind, let me know. He'll be working with his father all this week."

Grateful that the woman wasn't pushing too hard, Sakura forced herself to smile. "I will. I think I'm going to go for a walk and check out the neighborhood." She picked up the damp cloth in her hand, and took it to the kitchen.

"Okay dear, just remember what my husband told you."

"Yeah, sure," Sakura responded quickly, and rolled her eyes again. She rinsed off the dishrag and laid it folded nicely over the silver divider in the sink.

Hurrying past Mikoto, she went to the hallway to head to the front door. Fresh air would do her some good, she decided. She blushed when she noticed that Itachi was standing at the front door, discussing something with his father in a low voice.

The conversation between Itachi and his father stopped as she approached the door. She decidedly ignored both men. She quickly slipped her feet out of the house slippers and into her sandals. Out of the corner of her gaze, she noticed Itachi's eyes following her. Finally, she glanced over at him. She crossed her arms and grinned saucily at him, "As far as I'm concerned, you can buy your own damn lunch."

Itachi blinked thrice, confused by her sudden outburst. Didn't he already buy his own lunch almost everyday? Before he could ask her what she meant by that, she was already long gone.

He looked back at his mother who was shaking her head and muttering to herself, "Oh dear."

Outside, Sakura jumped off the porch, forgoing the steps completely. She decided that if she had to be stuck here for a week, she'd make the most of it. Tilting her chin at an upward angle, the breeze picked up and the wind spirits greeted her in their way. It made her feel a lot less alone.

As she walked, she scanned her surroundings thoughtfully. She remembered when this section of town, was nothing but greenery. It had been full of trees, and right now, there would have been patches of reds and oranges with the summer wild flowers.

Now it was nothing but rows of houses, a few apartment buildings, and a few Uchiha family merchants who kept a couple shops. It was almost like its own miniature village. She couldn't even imagine having so many blood relatives around and practically all in one spot. The whole concept was a foriegn one to her, having been orphaned so young. She wondered absently not for the first time, if the Hyuuga clan compound was similar to all this.

She ignored the curious eyes on her, continuing on her way and winding down the street. Her eyes skimmed the compound walls, noticing that they had added the Uchiha motifs on the light beige painted brick. Everything looked just about completed, except for a few more homes that were still in the middle of construction.

Her village had changed so much. It was actually rather amazing how fast things could change. She almost felt like if she had blinked, she would have missed it. Fortunately, the thought didn't bother her like it used to. Just a few months ago, the villagers had been scared of her. They had tagged her as the village witch. It was something she had embraced whole-heartedly to protect her heritage from prying eyes. Now everything in her life was so different that it was almost like the opposite between night and day. She had a husband, and in a sense a family of sorts. Her cheeks reddened just thinking about it. Of course she'd had her aunt, but even just knowing that she was blood related to that old crone was still kind of new to her.

It wasn't like she could go visit Koharu right now anyway.

Sakura halted in her steps when she noticed that she had wound her way down through the compound to the exit. She looked at the pale archway leading out and after a staring at it for several moments, her lips firmed.

Squaring her shoulders, she marched straight to it. A feeling of rebelliousness stirring in her chest. Who did the Uchiha men think they were anyway? This was her village dammit! She stopped in front of the exit with a bit of hesitation. Finally, she took two large steps outside into the street. She planted her fist on her hips and she cackled almost manically to no one and everyone, "I'll take as many steps as I want outside old man!" She took another step for good measure. It was petty of her, and she knew it. However, that didn't detract from the enjoyment of her actions.

"Um Sakura," a familiar male voice suddenly asked uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

The shaman looked up, noticing that she had garnered an audience of curious onlookers. People on both sides were staring at her wide eyed. When they realized she was staring back at them, they started whispering instead. Oops, she thought to herself privately. She must have made that little announcement much louder than she realized.

Green eyes met vibrant blue. A friendly grin touched her lips, "Hey there Naruto. It seems I got caught. What are you doing around here?"

"I'm just waiting for Sasuke. We're supposed to meet up here. Sai's already waiting at the training grounds. Wanna join us?"

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, that she couldn't. Sasuke spoke from behind her, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin, "She won't be able to today," the Uchiha sent her a side glance full of hot warning, "Go on ahead, I'll catch up with you in a few."

"Sure. I guess," Naruto nodded, giving Sakura one more curious look before turning to leave.

Once the blond was out of sight, Sasuke gripped her upper arm tightly and yanked her back inside the compound.

She gasped loudly when Sasuke shoved her none too gently against the wall. Sakura returned his burning glare, "What the hell was that for?" She was working up a good static shock to give him, when he tightened his hold on her arm. She winced noticeably, "Ouch! Is this all necessary? Let me go! I get it already. I was just..."

"You were just...?" Sasuke mocked her, his voice icy. His countenance was grim. He added with a sneer, "not thinking."

"Why are you so angry? I wouldn't think that you'd even care. You don't even like me to begin with dammit!" Sakura snapped back at him, angry that he was manhandling her. The brothers were more alike than they knew, she thought bitterly. Annoyed by his behavior, she hissed at him, "You can let me go now."

Sasuke finally released his bruising grip on her, "If I disliked you, then I would have just let you wander off. With some luck, someone would have taken you. After all, if someone killed you off, my brother could keep the land around the shrine. That would free him up so that he could marry someone far more suitable for him."

Her eyes narrowed on his face. "So why didn't you just do that then?"

"Because, I don't dislike you. What I don't like is your idiotic, and thoughtless behavior." Sasuke's gaze grew even fiercer, "But that's besides the point. I know you don't take shinobi seriously, which is very stupid. If you keep behaving so carelessly, it really will end up getting you killed. Father should have just had someone keep an eye on you."

"I wasn't going to go anywhere, anyway." She argued back heatedly, disturbed by the thought of being followed by someone all week. "I was about to come right back inside..."

Sasuke drew in so close they were almost nose to nose. He ground out in a low tone, "All it would take is a moment." He pulled back, his eyes still cold. "If you care at all about my brother, then you wouldn't choose to behave so foolishly. Would you want to be the reason he lost his chance at Hokage?"

Sakura could argue back that Itachi didn't want to be Hokage in the first place, but she held her tongue knowing that Itachi wouldn't appreciate her interference. She finally capitulated, "Fine. I understand."

"Good. I won't say anything about it to my father or Itachi this time." Sasuke warned her before walking away. He added coolly with a deceptively nonchalant wave, while not bothering to look back at the vexed female, "Just make sure you don't do it again."

She rubbed the spot where he had grabbed her and winced again. That had hurt dammit! What was it with the Uchiha siblings and pushing helpless maidens against brick walls? She wouldn't be surprised if there would be some bruising later. It was then that she realized that Sasuke had just admitted that he liked her. Well, sort of anyway.

A small smile twisted her lips. She called after him cheerfully just as he was about to step through the exit, "Enjoy your spar with Naruto..." She paused, waiting for him to glance back at her and when he did, she added jovially, "My dear, brother-in-law."

Sasuke's eyes widened substantially for several, long moments as if he couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard. Then when what she had said registered, he sent her a dark, irritated frown. In response, she gave him a small, happy wave, wiggling her fingers cheekily.

His eyes narrowed at her over the top teasing but instead of reacting further, he pivoted sharply on his heel and left her standing there, still grinning wildly. Maybe she could make the best of this week after all, she decided.

She turned back towards the house, wondering absently where Hana could have gone. Perhaps she should beg the feline to take her with her next time. Somewhere else far away from the Uchiha compound, in a mulberry bush, Hana sneezed.