A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone reading my story! I appreciate every review, follow, or favorite! You all keep me inspired. :D

Chapter Fourteen

Itachi's grip was firm, his fingers tight around her upper arms.

"Where are you off to, blossom?" He smirked just like Sasuke...or, rather, Sasuke smirked just like him?

Sakura felt like a fly caught in a trap. She tried to break free from his hold on her, but only got out because he decided to let her go, rather than her being able to get away herself.

He took in the look on her face and stopped smirking. "What's wrong?" His tone was dangerous, showcasing equal hints of enmity and malice.

Sakura took a step back, not particularly wanting to discuss her friendship or relationship problems with him.

"What do you care?" she bit out, making to move around him to make the long walk down the driveway. A walk around the neighborhood sounded like the perfect thing to clear her head.

He stepped in front of her, his frame completely towering, intimidating on any other day. But today, Sakura wasn't having any of it.

"Itachi, get out of my way. I'm not playing around with you right now."

He stared down at her for a couple seconds before stepping back, opening his shoulders and extending his arm to the path before her.

She stomped past him, not giving him a second look. But what she didn't expect was for him to follow her, or even to walk side by side with her.

"I told you to leave me alone," she bit out, keeping her stomping pace up as she followed the paved driveway, perfectly groomed trees linch side.

He chuckled. "What happened to get you all in a huff?"

She was silent.

"Trouble in paradise?" he guessed, his voice filled with fake empathy.

She shook her head. She couldn't give a damn about Itachi guessing, but she didn't want him to think that this had something to do with anything Sasuke had done.

He took her reaction though as something of an agreement.

"What did my little brother do now?"

"It wasn't Sasuke," she snapped. "Get that through your thick skull."

She glared at him, her fury pouring into this one look. She was somehow grateful that it was It's hi Bessie her in that very moment as she could at least unleash the full amount of rage she was feeling. She just threw it at him like a storm.

He met her gaze with every bit of power that she threw at him herself, their eyes clashing together for the upper hand.

"Keep looking at me like that," he suggested darkly, his voice every bit of the silky thunder that always seemed to lay just beneath the surface of their exchanges. "See what happens."

She was frozen, her legs stopped working. She could only stand there and stare into his eyes, fully captivated and afraid for how his challenge reverberated through her, his voice leaving an imprint as it replayed in her mind.

He stepped closer and she had to crane her neck back to keep their eye contact connected.

"You can tell me," he spoke.

And Sakura didn't know what it was - maybe it was the way his voice dripped with actual concern, or maybe it was the way his features softened as he looked at her - but, she could feel that he wasn't messing with her, that he actually wanted to know what was wrong, really wanted to know how to make her feel better.

"It's just," she sighed, biting her lip trying to figure out how she wanted to put her thoughts into words. "Hinata's my best friend, and I'm hers. So why does she not tell me anything, she won't open up to me. I'm always the one that has to keep finding out information after it's already happened."

There it was, her reason for being upset hung there in the sliver of space that separated her from Itachi.

His face remained the same, concerned, open, intense. Sakura wanted so badly for her legs to work again as she craved more than anything to be able to take a step back, felt it deep in the marrow of her bones, but was simply unable to do so.

He brought his hand up, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. As his fingers brushed against her skin there, her body jolted, finally she was able to move back, severing that physical connection.

He didn't look offended or even awkward that such an exchange took place. He just moved his arm back to his side, continuing to look at her in that honest, alluring way.

"You understand her nature, yes?" he reasoned, words flowing from his mouth lazily. "Is it so hard to realize she isn't one to open up that easily? I have had no interaction with her at all, other than seeing her at dinner, and yet I can see that she isn't the type of person to share."

"I know that-"

"Then why is it that you are upset?"

He took a step closer to her, and she mirrored it by taking on back. But, she didn't realize where she was and backed into a tree.

She saw in his eyes the moment he realized he could exploit her situation for his benefit, the moment when they came alive as he stepped even closer still.

"Understanding a person's difference from oneself," he started, eyelids lowering, "is what makes humanity so beautiful. Understanding someone - family, friend, lover - doesn't come naturally, but the more you're with a person, the more you get to know them, the easier it is to piece together why they do what they do."

It clicked in her head, what he's been trying to get her to realize.

And when she finally got it, she smiled, wide-grin beaming up at him.

He was taken aback as she did so, seeming frozen in his spot now rather than the other way around.

"Thank you," she said and took off, ducking out to the side of him and running back to the lake house.

But that look on his face after she smiled at him was still burned into her brain, she couldn't shake it. Surprised, conflicted, amazed. Sakura couldn't pin down what it was exactly, so she stored it away, only to be taken out when she was ready to dissect it properly.

XXX

Hinata was still at the patio table, but she was slumped over, face in her hands, shoulders slightly shaking.

Sakura stood at the side of the house, looking at her best friend in such a state. She was pulling herself together there, composing her apology in her head, so she wouldn't mess it up.

"Hinata!"

But, that wasn't her voice. Her mouth lay open just before she shouted the name, but someone beat her to it.

Naruto rushed over, kneeling before Hinata's crying form. "Hinata, what's wrong?"

Hinata shook her head, hands still covering her face.

He put his arm around her shoulder, and the other guided her into a standing position. They walked further into the backyard, down to the lake where there were some benches near the water.

Sakura was torn. She wanted to run after them, but the way Naruto was taking care of Hinata gave her second thoughts.

She shook herself out of it and ran after them. They had just sat down when she reached the bench.

"Hinata," she pleaded, "I'm so sorry!"

Naruto looked confused for a second and then he turned accusatory eyes on Sakura. "What did you do?"

Sakura ignored him and kneeled in the grass before Hinata, bringing her hands up to Hinata's wrists to pull them away from her face.

Hinata was forlorn, eyes red and puffy from crying.

Sakura had never seen her like this before, and it made her feel absolutely horrible. "I am so sorry, I'm an idiot. What I said before…" Her voice trailed off as she fought back tears. "It was selfish of me. That's your life and I don't want you to share anything with me until you are comfortable to do so."

Hinata made an indistinguishable grumble, and then a sniffle, and then she threw herself into Sakura's arms.

The two of them sat there on the ground hugging and crying.

"What happened?" Naruto said after a while, utterly confused as to how this entire situation transpired in the first place.

Sakura opened her eyes to look at him. "You take care of her," she warned, the only answer that Sakura was going to give him.

Hinata nudged out of the hug and looked at Sakura, a slow smile gracing her features. "Thank you, Sakura."

Hinata just needed to be understood, that's all it was. Her state of being needed to get through to Sakura as to why she wasn't sharing things with her. It's not that she would never have opened up to her about kissing Naruto, it was that it wasn't her time to tell it.

And who understood this more than she did?

Fucking Itachi Uchiha.

XXX

Sasuke eventually meandered down to where the three of them were. By then, the girls had stopped crying, and the three of them were talking about their travel destination wish lists.

Sakura waved him over to the group, while saying, "I've always wanted to visit New Orleans."

"How come?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke took a seat on the bench that Naruto was occupying, as both Sakura and Hinata had remained sitting in the grass.

Sakura smiled and wiggled from side to side. "It just seems so festive! The music, the art, the colors, the festivals." Anyone could tell she was smitten with this idea just from the way she gushed on about it.

"Why haven't you gone then?" Sasuke asked,

Sakura shrugged. "I haven't had the money. Traveling's expensive."

"Hear, hear." Naruto nodded solemnly and raised his hand in agreement.

"What about you, Sasuke?" Hinata asked politely, as she and Naruto already spoke about their dream destinations. "Where would you like to go?"

Sasuke was silent as he thought, even closing his eyes for a bit. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked a little confused, perturbed even.

"I don't think there's anywhere else I want to go."

The way he said it was so matter of fact that it made Sakura tilt her head. "You don't want to go anywhere?"

"Sasuke's already been everywhere," Naruto groaned. "His family's been going around the world since he was little."

Sakura's eyes popped open. "Really? That's so exciting!" She could feel her jealousy flare up, but she tried her hardest to keep it at bay. "But, that has to be an exaggeration. There's no way that you have been everywhere in the world."

Sasuke smirked and sat up. "You willing to bet on it?"

Sakura shook her head. "No thank you, I don't want to get involved with anymore of your dealings."

Sasuke laughed, turning to go to the house. "Come on," he said to the group.

He lead them to a random room in the house, and looking around Sakura identified it to be a sort of study. A worn leather chair sat in the corner, and an impressive wooden desk stood proudly in the center of the room. There were a couple of bookcases, but the main aspect of the room would have to be all the pictures adorning the walls.

There were so many, hundreds of photos seemed to act as the room's wallpaper, covering whatever color paint lay beneath.

She looked to the nearest one. It featured the Uchiha family just in front of an ocean. Sasuke looked to be around ten years old, and Itachi a brooding teenager, with their parents looking just a bit different than they do now.

"Where's this one?" she asked, pointing to the photo.

Sasuke replied with, "Panama City Beach in Florida."

The longer she stared at it the more that she wished she could reach out and feel the ocean for herself. "I've always wanted to go to the ocean, to see if it really do smell as salty as everyone says it does."

Sakura's eyes lingered for only a few more seconds before moving on to the next one.

"Hey, that's-"

"San Francisco," Sasuke finished for her, following where her finger had pointed to next. "It was really cold that day." His face scrunched up in distaste.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh because his expression was almost a perfect match to the one he wore in the actual photo.

Picture by picture, Sasuke explained where each one had been taken, and a majority of them, Sakura couldn't help but notice that Sasuke and Itachi appeared to have a close relationship.

Sakura felt nosy, but she had to ask. "Were you friends with Itachi when you were younger then?"

Sasuke stilled at her question. The very mention of Itachi put him visibly on edge, and Sakura immediately felt guilty for putting a halt on the fun atmosphere.

"We were very close," Itachi spoke up upon entering the room.

Sakura bristled and took a step nearer to Sasuke. Itachi looked at her and smirked, no doubt satisfied by her reaction.

Sasuke grit his teeth, jaw visibly flexing from the strain.

Itachi continued. "But then Sasuke became irritated and wanted nothing to do with me."

"You know what you did," Sasuke seethed.

Itachi raised his eyebrow. "I assure you, I do not. You have failed to tell me of my alleged actions every time I bring it up."

Sasuke remained silent.

Sakura couldn't tell if this was a joke. How could he not know after all these years? How could Sasuke not tell him?

She looked back and forth between the brothers. They honestly can't be this stupid, can they?