Chapter 21 – I Know You
"You stupid, awful boy!"
Kushina's anger could be heard throughout the entire Hokage Tower and Sasuke wouldn't even deny that he pitied Naruto, as he himself almost shrunk back slightly at the pure malice in her voice. It was the screech of a mother who was worried sick, yet angered beyond belief at the stupidity of her son.
"Look at the state of you," she yelled. "Look at yourself!" It seemed as though she struggled for a moment, her hands grabbing at the air until she reached forward and gripped her son's shoulders, shaking him. "Don't you understand how dangerous it is to trust the Kyuubi, Naruto? We could have lost you! Your father and I would be lost without you, you know!"
"Kushina-san." Rin frowned softly.
By her side, Obito placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head, his lone eye watching the scene before them silently.
They must have just returned from a mission, Sasuke thought as he took in the sight of their team. As always, Rin was untouched, though the same couldn't be said for Obito and Kakashi, whose uniforms needed to be stitched back together again. He wasn't sure as to why they didn't just buy new clothes, but then again, if they always had to buy new stuff then it would cost a lot of money. Kakashi was stingy as hell.
The only reason why they were there was because Uchiha Fugaku had all but frogmarched everyone into the office, throwing Naruto in front of Minato with a fierce glower and disrupting their meeting.
"This is the last time I am saying this, Hokage: your son must learn how to control the Kyuubi, or else we will seal its power within him permanently so that he will be unable to use it."
It probably seemed unfair, because they weren't saying the same about or to Kushina, who was the vessel of the other half of the Kyuubi. However, the only time she ever relied on the Kyuubi's power was in extremely dire circumstances, one where she had no other choice. On the other hand, there was Naruto, who always allowed his emotions to get the best of him, effectively giving the Kyuubi leverage. Granted, he'd been doing his best to help the blond take control of the Kyuubi's chakra, to harness it and use it whichever way he pleased, but… It wasn't as simple as that – they'd found that out today.
"Kushina," Minato's voice was serious as he spoke to his wife, "Naruto and Sasuke-kun had my permission to try and control the Kyuubi's chakra."
At the narrowing of his own father's eyes, Sasuke resisted the urge to scowl. How the hell had he known about the situation, anyway? Shisui had sworn to him that he hadn't told Fugaku and since Itachi had more or less abducted Sakura the moment the battle was over, he was willing to bet anything that he hadn't, either.
"If it weren't for Shisui, there is no telling what would have happened," Fugaku snapped in response. "You risked the entire village by allowing such a thing, Hokage."
That had actually been one of Minato's greatest concerns and why he put off their idea for so long: them training in such close proximity to the village. It was why all of the training grounds were out of bounds, despite the fact they were using Team Seven's old grounds.
Team Seven…
Sasuke gritted his teeth. Team Seven was done. It was over. Without Sakura, there was no Team Seven. He knew better than to hurl accusations at that moment, however. It would compromise Sakura's position in ANBU if he let it slip in front of so many people that she was now an operative for them. It could risk her life and even though he was pissed that she had made it to ANBU, that was the last thing he wanted to happen.
But how could she abandon their team?
"This was only supposed to be temporary," Minato replied coolly, his blue eyes narrowing fractionally. "It seems the Kazekage's son, Gaara-kun, is now in full control of the Ichibi."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing about the psycho.
He would be on a whole other level of dangerous now.
"In order to strengthen our ties with Suna, I was intending on sending Naruto to Suna to train with Gaara-kun."
Naruto broke eye contact with Sasuke as his eyes went comically wide, snapping to his father's. "Are you crazy? He'll slaughter me!"
"Naruto," Kushina scolded. "Don't interrupt your father."
"I understand that there is history there. The Kazekage and I were discussing such in our latest correspondence. To try and steady the situation, we have both agreed on sending two teams alongside Naruto and Gaara-kun."
As expected of the younger blond, he narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest, muttering daringly, "I want Sakura-chan on that team."
Shisui glanced down at the two younger men before his eyes moved back to the Hokage, nodding once.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes when Minato looked to him.
"Where is Sakura?" Kakashi questioned conversationally. "I heard this started because of my favourite, adorable student."
"Like hell it did," Naruto snarled, spinning quickly and glaring over in Shikamaru's direction. "This all started because he can't accept things for what they are. He attacked Sakura-chan!"
By just the faintest amount, Minato's eyes narrowed as they shifted over to Shikamaru, who was standing in his usual slouch to the side of the large group. "Is this true, Shikamaru-kun?"
He nodded once, answering simply, "Yes."
His response only pissed Naruto off further. "Ino died for all of you, Shikamaru. It wasn't Sakura-chan's fault. Why can't you see that? Why are you still blaming her?"
His fists shook minutely before they were shoved into his trousers and Sasuke had to clench his jaw in order to hold back his own words. Only, he wouldn't hold back as much as Naruto currently was. Believe it or not, this was tame for the blond. He was capable of going way above his current level of anger. He was capable of being much harsher than he currently was.
The Uchiha noticed Kakashi's eye also narrowing, but instead of angrily, he appeared thoughtful. What did he have in mind? What was he planning?
"If I may?" Rin raised her hand, leaning forward so that everyone could see her. When Minato nodded his head at his former student, she stepped forward and turned to face the group. "I think it would be best to hold your tongue, Naruto-kun. I know Sakura-chan is your friend and you care for her, but that is how Shikamaru-kun felt about Ino-chan. How would you feel, had your roles been reversed?"
That wasn't a fair question, Sasuke thought angrily and like he'd been expecting, it pissed Naruto even more. The sight of him getting angry had Obito glaring over at him with a look that promised pain, daring him to talk back to Rin.
Kushina nodded, her hand over her heart. "Ino-chan was dear to a lot of people, but the Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi clans are almost inseparable. A lot has changed since her death."
Lifeless brown eyes stared straight ahead. "Is that all, Hokage-sama?"
Part of Sasuke couldn't even help but sympathise with the guy in that moment, even though they'd never seen eye to eye. Since Ino's death, it was like he'd been trapped in a world of depression and anger. He simply… wasn't who he used to be. He couldn't imagine being stuck in such a horrendous place.
Minato sighed. "Yes, Shikamaru-kun. You are dismissed."
He left without another word, without a backward glance.
"Something must be done about Nara-san," Shisui stated seriously. "According to Itachi, he attacked Sakura without warning and with killing intent."
Naruto nodded quickly. "That's why I lost it, Dad. She wouldn't even fight back with her full strength. He could've killed her."
"Itachi wouldn't have allowed that to happen," Sasuke muttered and rolled his eyes. "Not under his watch."
"But why was he watching her?" questioned Fugaku.
Why indeed, he agreed.
Unless…
No, it couldn't be.
Discreetly, he looked in Shisui's direction. From what he'd gathered, they were on the same team. He'd seen Shisui with Sakura a few times around the village and they were always heading in the direction of the training grounds. It was a strange sight, but if he was helping her improve, who was he to judge? The older Uchiha wasn't stupid enough to share their clan's secrets and jutsu and he knew from personal experience that he was a good teacher.
His brother also spent a lot of time with Shisui and he knew for definite that Itachi was an ANBU captain. However, wouldn't it have made more sense for Shisui to be captain of the team?
"Kakashi," Minato sighed and glanced over at his former students, "I expect a full report tomorrow morning. It may be best that we cut this report short, I think."
He nodded and smiled cheerfully, single eye creasing.
They all knew he was going home to read his porn.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
He was gone in a matter of seconds, whereas Obito's upper lip curled at his friend's bad habit and the fact he didn't particularly care about others knowing of it. Small hands wrapping around his arm took his attention away from Kakashi, however and his eye warmed at the sight of the brunette.
"Shall we go for tea and dango now, Obito?"
He smiled. "My treat."
That was a relationship Sasuke still couldn't fully grasp. Why would a woman like Rin settle for a loser like Obito? Then again, she wasn't all that powerful herself. She wasn't able to fight on the front lines and at best, her medical ninjutsu was just above average. She was the weakest member of that team.
Many within the Uchiha Clan held a strong disliking for Obito for so easily handing over his Sharingan to a non-Uchiha. So what if he was dying (or thought he was dying)? Under no circumstances were you allowed to hand over the clan's secrets or jutsu and that included their most prized possession. He was a traitor to the clan in their eyes, but because he was the Hokage's student, he was untouchable and unpunishable. Honestly, Sasuke sometimes thought that it would have been better that he had died under that boulder. At least Obito wouldn't have to experience the hatred of the clan elders and many of the other clansmen.
"Fugaku-san, thank you for bringing them to me. It is fortunate that you happened to be close by and heard the commotion. You are now dismissed."
Fugaku's eyes twitched, like they were about to narrow and against his biceps, his fists clenched. "Hokage-sama."
Was it just him… or did it seem like his father was hiding something? Something that Minato knew about? It was in the tension in the air, in the way they worded their sentences.
Sasuke stored the knowledge away, determined on looking further into it. For now, however, they had more important matters to deal with and he wondered how long it would take his teammate to explode with rage.
But there was no anger as Naruto looked down at his father, waiting until the door was shut behind Fugaku. There was no murderous rage. All that showed on his features was betrayal and hurt. "How could you?" he murmured the second the door was shut and his eyebrows knitted together.
"Naruto, I had no-"
"Bullshit!"
Ah, there was the anger.
"Naruto," Kushina scolded him, but she was cut off from saying anything further.
"Sakura-chan… She isn't cut out for ANBU," he snarled harshly and his fists slammed down onto the desk, causing Minato's now cold coffee to spill. "She hasn't got the heart for it." Naruto was soon gripping the desk, almost as though he was holding himself back from attacking his own father. "Her death will be on your hands," he spat. "And that's something I'll never be able to forgive."
Sasuke remained silent, but he liked to believe the look in his eyes told them all that he agreed with Naruto.
If ANBU didn't physically kill Sakura, then it would emotionally and mentally and he couldn't decide which was worse. He'd rather Sakura died than lost herself to that darkness.
"He may be your father, Naruto-kun, but he is also the Hokage." Shisui's eyes were serious as the blond turned to face him, narrowing as blue connected with dark. "You will show our Hokage respect."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"Stop acting like a spoilt brat, then," he retorted coldly. "What Sakura is involved with has nothing to do with you."
Where were the honorifics? Sasuke inwardly questioned.
"And what about Itachi, huh?" Naruto snarled, fists clenching and trembling. "Why the hell was he watching Sakura-chan? Why did he run off with her?"
Minato looked up at his wife, who frowned down him worriedly.
"Let me reiterate my previous sentence. What or who Sakura is involved with has nothing to do with you."
Sasuke's eyes went wide and he felt his stomach twist sharply in disgust. "What does that mean?" he spat. "Are you saying they're together?"
She was the same fucking age as himself!
"Do not raise your voice at me, Sasuke. You know better," Shisui told him simply, eyes cold and unmoving. "You are both acting like children. Grow up. It is unbefitting of shinobi to behave in such a way."
After a pause, Kushina spoke up and when she did, her features were set into an unimpressed glower. "Either way, this is Sakura-chan's life and while you're her teammates, you-"
"We're not, though. Are we?" Naruto questioned quietly and looked over at his father. "We were, but then you put her in ANBU. You tore our team apart."
"There's no more Team Seven." Sasuke shrugged, but couldn't deny that, despite his indifferent display, something tugged at his heart.
What were they supposed to do now?
"Naruto-"
"Save your bullshit," he snapped angrily and stomped over to the door, throwing it open. "I don't wanna hear it!"
Sasuke, while angry himself, chose to be less dramatic as he followed the blond. When passing Shisui, however, he couldn't stop himself from glaring up at him, from gritting his teeth and then clenching his jaw. All the while, the older Uchiha stared him down, not fazed in the least.
And it pissed him the hell off.
"Mm…"
Looking up from the book, Itachi sighed and turned back to it. Another false alarm.
How long had she been unconscious for? At least an hour. What was keeping Tsunade? Itachi thought that she would have been there in seconds to check her student over. Maybe that meant it wasn't serious, though? Perhaps the fact that the blonde was taking her time meant Sakura fainted often?
Her seal – Sōzō Saisei, to be more exact – had healed them both of all wounds, meaning there would be no internal damage and or head injuries. However, Sakura had been in a frightful amount of pain before collapsing and her seal vanished from sight. For some reason, she'd continued to talk with him, wanting to get everything out in the open.
Stubborn.
Why was she so stubborn?
A small smirk pulled at his lips. Sakura's stubborn nature was something he wasn't sure on how to handle, but somehow managed to in the end (or when it really mattered, at least).
They were situated in her home. It had taken a moment to enter the property, as the genjutsu had been surprisingly complex – another thing to compliment her on. Not only had she handled the situation with the Kyuubi admirably, but also the protection of herself and her home.
Instead of focusing on herself, Sakura had acted on her instincts and those instincts were to protect others. Even while fighting the Kyuubi, she was mindful of the fact that it was still Naruto's body and any extensive damage, he would feel later on. She had risked her life by pushing Sōzō Saisei so far. Even after all he had put her through.
Itachi sighed and shut his eyes momentarily, but soon looked up at the plain ceiling, the book he was reading long forgotten about as it sat in his lap.
It was impossible, but he felt as though he'd been there before – in her bedroom, he meant. Leaving her on the sofa hadn't felt right and not knowing where else to take Sakura, he brought her home and put her to bed, where she could rest and recover comfortably and in peace. The feeling in his gut… It reminded him of déjà vu. But it was impossible. He'd never entered Sakura's bedroom before and until an hour ago, hadn't even known what it looked like. Whatever it was, while annoying, it was also comforting. It felt like a… almost like a safe haven. Somewhere safe, where they could be themselves without the added troubles of being elite shinobi and members of ANBU no less.
A swift knock at the front door stole his attention from his absurd thoughts and, recognising the chakra signature with ease, Itachi stood, leaving the book in his chair and making his way to the door, opening it without pause.
"How is she?"
Tsunade brushed her way passed him, heading straight for the bedroom. Behind her, her haori floated in the air, a clear indication of how fast she was walking. Itachi shut the door silently and followed after her, not bothering to rush.
"She is still unconscious."
The blonde nodded and sat down on the side of the bed once in the bedroom, her hand coming out and removing the damp wash cloth he'd placed on Sakura's forehead. The way she tenderly brushed the pink hair from her face and took note of the lack of seal stunned Itachi for a moment, but he didn't allow it to show. For such an angry, strong woman, she was acting incredibly gentle with her student.
"Stupid girl," she sighed. "Stop making this old woman worry about you."
Green chakra enveloped the hand that was now placed over Sakura's forehead and Tsunade shut her eyes in concentration, but then glared over in his direction.
"Get rid of those idiots, will you? Sakura needs to rest."
So she had sensed their fast approaching chakra, also? "Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Itachi headed towards the front door once more, catching it without pause as it burst open. The next thing he caught was the back of Naruto's orange jacket when he tried to rush by him and into the apartment, throwing him backwards and back out of the door, straight into a surprised Sasuke. They grunted at the collision, falling back into the wall opposite and during their startled, angered outbursts, Itachi remained silent, waiting patiently while they righted themselves.
Then, he told them in simple terms, "Tsunade-sama is currently examining Sakura. You will have to return later, when she has awakened, if you wish to talk with her."
Naruto caught the door as he began to shut it, staring up at him with a vicious glower. "Just tell us one thing, Uchiha Itachi."
He didn't need his Sharingan to predict what would happen next.
When Naruto paused, Sasuke spoke, his eyes narrowing, "What is Sakura to you?"
He raised an eyebrow fractionally. "What Sakura is to me is none of your concern."
"The hell it isn't!"
"Oh?" Itachi questioned softly. "Do tell me why you feel as though you have some form of ownership over her, Naruto-kun."
"She…" The blond gritted his teeth, growling, "She's my friend."
"I see." He nodded once and looked to the hand still gripping the door. "Please remove your hand before I do so forcefully."
Blue eyes shot to his, narrowing dangerously. "Is that a threat?"
It was instinctively that his Sharingan activated and wisely, Sasuke took a step back, understanding that he was not to push his luck any further. "You tell me, Naruto-kun."
After a long pause, one where Naruto seemed to weigh up his options and odds at winning in a match against Itachi, the blond growled under his breath and pushed off from the door, yanking his hand back to himself.
"Don't think I'm backing down," he snapped. "I'm only listening for now because Sakura-chan needs to rest."
Itachi remained silent. As he had thought when Tsunade confronted him earlier: he owed no explanations to anybody about his and Sakura's relationship – or lack of. Whatever was happening was between them and nobody else, just as Shisui had told him. They would never figure things out for themselves if others were always getting involved.
Before they could say anymore, Itachi shut the front door, deactivating his Sharingan as he walked back to the bedroom.
Tsunade huffed with amusement the second he returned. "They're as possessive of her as ever, I take it." Honey brown eyes narrowed in a way that made it obvious she was enjoying the tension. "What do you make of that, Uchiha?"
It annoyed him, in all honesty. They truly believed that Sakura belonged to them.
How foolish.
He stayed quiet.
Realising she wouldn't get a reply, Tsunade stood up once more and tossed the damp cloth over to him. He caught it without having to think about it.
"There's no brain damage. Get another one of those and make sure it's cooler than that. Sakura's body temperature is higher than usual, but that's just because of the pain she's in at the minute." There was a pause, one where she regarded him seriously yet coolly. "You should feel thankful – no, honoured that she has put her body through such distress to keep you safe."
How could Tsunade possibly know of what happened?
"I'd say it will take at least twenty-four hours before the pain subsides."
"How long until she regains consciousness?"
"Who knows?" She shrugged. "Could be minutes, could be hours or it could be days. Even after waking, she could faint again due to the extreme depletion of chakra. She risked a lot by using Sōzō Saisei against a beast bomb, of all things. It should have blasted you both to smithereens in all honesty and I'm surprised my jutsu can withstand such pressure."
Helpful.
Like moments before, there was no reply and it was clear Tsunade was growing annoyed with his silence. That annoyance was forgotten as he sat down in his previous seat and reclaimed the book he'd been reading.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, hands on hips.
"As you said: Sakura is in this state because she took the risk of saving my life. Had it been just herself, there is every possibility that Sakura would be awake right now, or that her chakra wouldn't be as badly depleted."
Her left eyebrow twitched as her annoyance grew, but Itachi paid no attention. "So you're going to sit here until she wakes up, regardless of the fact it could be days?"
"Sakura is stubborn." A ghost of a smirk crossed his lips. "I doubt she will be unconscious for so long. There are more important things she could be doing."
It seemed Tsunade agreed, for she hummed with amusement. "Even though she is my student, I have no say in what she does with her personal life. All I can say, Uchiha, is that if you hurt her, or cause her upset again…" She looked down at him, a glint of malice in her honey brown eyes. "I will deal with you personally."
He turned the page of his book, eyes skimming the page as he murmured distractedly, "Of course, Tsunade-sama."
She gritted her teeth and spun on her heel, storming out of the apartment with clenching, trembling fists.
"Damned Uchiha!" He heard her snarl before slamming the door shut behind herself.
She didn't seem to be a fan of his clan, did she? Itachi held back a smirk. It was amusing winding her up, though, because she had the same temperament as Sakura and it was something he secretly enjoyed.
His dark eyes moved over to her and he frowned at the tension in her body, in the twitches of her features and the faint trembling that was soon taking over her. How much pain was she in?
Itachi felt disgusted with himself – even more than before – for the way he had treated Sakura. Not only was she definitely not that kind of person, but on top of that, despite everything, she had risked her life to save his. There had been every chance that Sōzō Saisei would only be able to save her if she was using all of her concentration and chakra on herself, but she still took the risk and saved his life. That was a debt he would never be able to repay.
And he was worse than scum, to be blunt.
Leaning forward and adjusting the covers around her body, he sighed and got up, placing the book down on the bedside table that was already cluttered. He had almost forgotten to change the face cloth. The process of doing so took mere seconds and once he returned, he was glad that the tremors had died down for the time being. Itachi gently placed the damp cloth on her forehead, brushing her hair backwards and away from her face before doing so.
Was it strange to admit that she looked prettier with her hair off her face?
He shut the thoughts down. After the past two days, it was hardly appropriate to be taking note of such things. And realising that his hand was lingering too long, he pulled it back, sitting down in his chair and going back to his book.
Soon enough, his eyes drifted back to Sakura when she shook once viciously, but what made him move was the tear that slipped down the side of her face and into her hair. It was the soft whimper that left her lips. It was like his body moved of its own accord as Itachi moved the chair closer to her bed, book dropping to the floor and he took her hand in his, trying his best to offer whatever possible comfort his cold, guarded heart could offer.
"Forgive me," he asked of her quietly.
More than anything, in that moment in time, he wished he could take her pain away, but he knew he wasn't able to do that. The best he could offer Sakura was training himself harder, was pushing himself even further beyond his limits so that the next time, he would be the one saving her. He would be able to prevent a next time. Itachi's other hand covered the back of hers, holding it between his hands gently.
All the while he was completely unaware of the red and black eyes staring into the apartment from the building opposite, narrowing fractionally at the latest developments.
It was during the night when she woke and Sakura almost wished she hadn't.
The last time, after a long sleep, she had woken up feeling fairly refreshed and with only a muted ache from being still for so long. This time… It felt as though her entire body was on fire. It felt like Tsunade had broken every single one of her bones and was leaving them to heal naturally, without the use of any painkillers or healing chakra to numb the pain. Just summoning the strength to move her hands seemed impossible, Sakura inwardly whined as she wiped under her eyes, annoyed to find she'd been crying in her sleep.
A pause.
Why couldn't she move her right hand?
Terror washed through her but Sakura soon took a deep breath to calm herself when she realised that the reason she couldn't move her right hand was because Itachi was holding it. Gods, for a moment there she'd thought that-
Wait…
Why was Itachi in her bedroom, holding her hand?
He was looking down at their joined hands in deep thought, appearing lost in thought and Sakura couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. Moving hadn't even caught his attention and she bit her lip worriedly, hoping he never did such a thing while on a mission.
Of course he wouldn't!
"I…" She swallowed hard and winced. Dehydration had kicked in a few hours ago, apparently. "…'tachi."
Languidly, his eyes moved away from their hands and met hers.
Green eyes blinked heavily.
He shook his head minutely and part of her snickered, amused to have seen him so out of it. "Forgive me, Sakura. I-"
Her free hand fell to their joined hands, weakly patting them. "W-Water."
Itachi nodded and stood, leaving the room and returning without breaking stride. Glass in one hand and a jug of water in the other.
Much to her surprise, he helped her to sit up, moving her slowly and allowing her to take her time. Then, once Itachi was certain she would be okay, he aided Sakura in drinking the water, holding the glass to her lips and tipped it back. His other hand was on the back of her head, offering more support. But still, his eyes were distant, like he was lost in a memory. She raised a hand with the intention of holding his hand once more.
The hand holding the glass disappeared, gripping the one reaching out for him and only too late did Itachi realise what he had done.
"Forgive me," he repeated.
What was that about?
"I will change the bedding," Itachi offered. There was no embarrassment, though. There was no blush or stammering or humiliation. He was stating things matter of factly. "Use me as support," he ordered while pulling back the covers. Honestly, she hadn't even realised they were soaked. The agony her body was going through was still too intense. "Hold onto me."
She did as she was told, legs weak and barely able to hold herself up. If it weren't for the support of holding onto Itachi's arms, leaning heavily against him, then she was certain she'd be on her ass and it angered her. Pushing her body to such extremes was dangerous – no, it was suicidal.
But…
They were alive because of it.
Just as Itachi was about to sit her in the chair by her bed, her hand once more reached out and this time, he didn't stop her as she cupped his cheek, tilting his head downwards.
"…Exhausted."
"I am fine."
No, he wasn't. "You should've…" She sucked in a breath and breathed out slowly as a stab of pain shot through her. "Should've gone home."
He shook his head.
"Fine." Even while in pain, Sakura managed to roll her eyes. "Wardrobe. There's an extra futon."
Fortunately for her, talking was growing easier, as was breathing. Itachi hovered for a moment, waiting to see if she was capable of sitting up without assistance before following her instructions of going to the wardrobe. As well as a futon rolled up at the bottom of it, there was also folded bed sheets.
He forced himself to be as quick as possible with changing the bedding, leaving the extra futon against the bed.
The now empty glass sat on the bedside table and Sakura tilted her head to the side, watching the Uchiha. He seemed… not exactly on edge, but something had definitely spooked him. No, not spooked. Startled. Yeah, that was a better word to use. Had it been while he was in deep thought? Or was she the one who had startled him?
Itachi sighed and turned, looking down at her. "I was meditating when you woke. Forgive me for reacting in such a way."
"With your eyes open?"
He nodded.
"Oh." Sakura wrapped an arm around his shoulders, deciding not to put up a fight as he snaked an arm under her knees and lifted her effortlessly just as he had earlier that day after the fight. Then, he settled her on top of the covers. "Itachi, don't beat yourself up over it. It's just water." Keeping hold of his shoulders, she shifted, trying to find a position that was comfortable. There wasn't one. "I'm curious, though. What were you…?"
Again, there was another sigh. "I was reminding myself of why it is important to keep pushing myself in training. Due to how frequent our missions are, I haven't had as much time to train." Reminding himself how? Before she could ask, he spoke, asking, "Are you hungry?"
No, but it would be best to eat something and she could tell from the look in Itachi's eyes that it was a rhetorical question. Memories of being force fed flashed through her mind and she smirked. "Starving."
The pain was easing. Not completely and she certainly wasn't comfortable, but for the time being it was manageable and for that, she was grateful. If it could just stay that way for while she was eating, or until she'd fallen back asleep…
It was silent as Itachi left the room, heading towards her kitchen and she bit her lip. There was definitely food in there, because she had bought some yesterday – he'd helped her carry it home, in fact. At least three and a half minutes went by before he was returning with a bowl and two cups of…
A blush stained her cheeks.
Two cups of instant ramen.
"For a medic, you eat rather unhealthy foods, Sakura." Despite his words, he took the time to pour her instant ramen into a bowl for her, making it easier for her to rest on her lap. Having to keep hold of the cup, even if it was light, would have been painful. "You should be taking better care of your body."
"It's my body," she muttered stubbornly under her breath. There was a pause in handing over the bowl as Sakura held out her hands. "I want to try and put it on my lap."
"Do not rush your recovery," he chided.
The look she settled him with was dry.
He sighed, holding onto the bowl until her hands brushed along his, taking the bowl carefully.
She smiled brightly and looked up at him, proud of herself and he returned the grin with a small smile.
"Now eat, Sakura," Itachi ordered and sat down, about to reach for his own ramen which was sitting on the bedside table.
However, right at the last moment, her body tightened and loosened all at once, causing her grip to loosen and she dropped the bowl, body tensing horribly. She didn't hear the bowl falling to the ground, clattering loudly and spilling the food and she didn't realise until he was holding her hand that Itachi had moved forward. A tortured cry left her lips, barely muted by her gritted teeth and clenched jaw and it felt like her entire body was tearing in half.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
It was so much worse than any time before.
Another hand joined in holding her, though she realised too soon that Itachi was trying to put her back into bed. Sakura shook her head quickly, harshly, though soon regretted it and another pained yell escaped her.
"Sleep through it, Sakura," he murmured to her, keeping his tone soothing. "I can put you to sleep for a few hours until the worst of it is over."
She'd already slept through the worst of it.
A sweat broke out over her skin and she gripped at his shirt, her other hand returning his hold desperately.
"Please, Sakura." His voice held a small plea. "You're in too much pain."
She shook her head, a tremor running through her body. "N-No…"
Itachi frowned but didn't fight her, instead pulling her closer until her face was buried in his chest and his hand was in her hair, threaded through the pastel strands and keeping her still as another vicious, heavy tremor shook her. He did his best to hold her still, to keep her from hurting herself. It felt almost like a seizure. It felt like she had absolutely no control over her own body and she prayed and begged that that wasn't what was currently happening. The longer the spasms controlled her body, however, the more her heart quickened. The fact that she was still able to think clearly made it obvious that she wasn't actually suffering from a seizure, as did the fact she was still clinging to Itachi.
"Breathe," he ordered, his words no more than a whisper into her hair. "Breathe, Sakura."
Realising too late that she was holding her breath, which was the cause for the increasing of her heart rate and her panicking, Sakura sucked in a deep breath. Another spasm shook her and instinctively, she moved close to him, like a child desperately searching for comfort. Part of her even wanted to cry out for her mother.
There was no telling how long the spasms lasted for, but once she was able to catch her breath, to sit still for longer than two minutes, Sakura sighed, keeping her forehead pressed to his collarbone.
"Thank you for staying," she whispered gratefully with her fingers tangled in his shirt. "Thank you for not leaving me alone."
Hesitantly, after a moment of obvious thought, Itachi shifted his arms, the hold on her becoming more comforting than restraining.
A bloodcurdling scream had him on his feet before his eyes were even open, had him reaching into his half destroyed thigh holster and grabbing a kunai. Once he realised they were not about to be attacked, however, Itachi calmed his racing heart and glanced over to the bed, frowning at the sight of Sakura writhing on the bed, a tortured expression on her face.
A nightmare?
He walked over to her, regarding the movements of her features and body. Yes, definitely asleep. Itachi sighed and put the kunai back into his thigh holster.
It had been twelve hours since that terrifying episode that had seemingly taken over her body – and yes, that was him admitting to being afraid. There was no denying that he'd been scared. He was no medic. He had no way of helping her or easing the pain like she could do for everyone else. Also, during those twelve hours, he'd cleaned the mess of instant ramen that had been spilt.
Like earlier, the sight of her pain struck him hard and he sat down on the edge of her bed, just as Tsunade had and reached out. The sleep wasn't too deep, though, because Sakura's tear-filled eyes snapped open and she gripped his wrist with bruising strength. At least her strength was back, he thought, holding back a grimace of pain.
A simple pinch of her nerves broke the hold and he captured her wrists, forcing her to make eye contact.
"What happened?" he asked.
The tears that suddenly streamed down the sides of her face were not like earlier and she lunged for him, breaking the hold on her wrists and grabbing at him desperately.
"He's not going to make it," she cried, shaking against him. "There isn't much time left!"
A/N - I got this finished much sooner than I thought, so here you go everyone :-)
I recently made a Tumblr account, for those of you who also have one. Feel free to follow me, my username is hlm-ff-x
The title of this chapter is the song I Know You by Skylar Grey. It seemed fitting, but it's mostly because of the fact that I've had it on repeat for the majority of the day.