Chapter 25 – I Accept

She woke to soft, languid kisses brushing along her jaw and throat, accompanied by a large pair of hands that were slowly stroking the bare skin that was on show.

Smiling and breathing out a sigh of content, Sakura raised her arms, wrapping them around Itachi's shoulders and pulling him impossibly closer, nuzzling her nose into his neck when his lips moved to her forehead, pressing a tender kiss there.

A single glance at the clock informed her that it had just gone three in the morning and vaguely, she wondered what had gotten into her boyfriend, as he usually disliked being awake at such an hour. Had something happened? Or was he merely feeling the need for contact? Was it a nightmare?

Green eyes fluttered shut once more at Itachi's ministrations. His hand was half under her nightshirt, raising it higher and higher until her lower half was on show, revealing her white underwear decorated with pink bows. Damn it, she should have listened to Ino and bought more… mature underwear. Gods, the ones she was wearing were so childish! He didn't seem to mind too much, however, because Itachi's hand remained in its place on her hip, gently massaging it.

So relaxing!

"Is something wrong, Itachi?" asked Sakura quietly, not wanting to disturb the intimate mood.

His eyes were hooded when they met hers, but with what emotion, she couldn't tell. "No," he replied softly.

The reply did not soothe her worry. In response, she sighed and brought his lips to hers by pulling down on the back of his head.

Like everything else about him at that moment in time, his kiss was a mystery. There were so many different emotions being shared with her that it made it difficult to pinpoint which was the one causing him pain. Perhaps not pain, Sakura thought after a second or two when her hands were taken in his, their fingers entwining, but something heavy was weighing him down.

Maybe he was feeling guilty?

For the better half of the day, Sakura had also been feeling a large amount of guilt because of the way they'd more or less ditched Sasuke. He'd been suffering for who knows how long while they were all busy with their love lives. But why now? It felt inappropriate to ask. Like the question would shatter everything surrounding them and that was the last thing she ever wanted to happen. He was vulnerable. Just looking into his eyes before they slid shut told her that. For some reason, Itachi was more vulnerable than ever.

She accepted his kiss without hesitation, easily growing aroused when one of his hands reached up beneath her nightshirt and cupped her breast, squeezing softly. Her response was to loosen her hold on him so that she could investigate his back with restless, wandering hands. There was the briefest falter to his movements as her fingers traced his scars and Sakura realised that it was because of how vulnerable he felt at that moment. Understandably, he would be feeling more anxious about rejection.

Breaking the kiss, she whispered into his ear, "I love you, Uchiha Itachi."

His forehead rested against hers, though his eyes remained shut. "I love you."

He was aroused, Sakura noticed belatedly.

Could they really do such acts with others in the apartment? Not only was Naruto home, but Sasuke was staying over. Halfway through her surprise party, Kakashi (along with Obito and Shisui) had to leave due to having the night shifts. What if the boys were still awake?

"I love you," Itachi repeated and went back to kissing her throat, his tongue joining in on the action and making her sigh shakily. Once more, he took one of her hands in a firm grip, pinning it to the bed and at the same time, his teeth nipped at her neck. "I love you."

Something had definitely happened, she decided. For now, however, she would hold her tongue and allow her boyfriend to find comfort in her body. This would only be their second time together, but after getting to know each other and sharing so much about their pasts, Sakura had accepted the fact that sometimes, people sought comfort from sex. It was about intimacy, or feeling close to somebody. Feeling human.

One of her thighs shifted, lifting to wrap around his hip, but Itachi shook his head and stopped the movement.

"Not yet," he murmured. "I want to take my time with you, Sakura."

Her heart was breaking for reasons she couldn't even understand.

She allowed him to worship her body, carefully removing her clothing like she was a present he was unwrapping slowly, wanting to cherish every moment. And when Sakura was bare beneath him, he littered every inch of her skin with tender kisses and caresses, leaving her to melt against the mattress, sighing and moaning quietly. The gentleness of his touches, from the way he massaged and kissed her breasts, to the way he cupped her most intimate area, had Sakura feeling dizzy and breathless, but it had nothing on the feeling that overwhelmed her when he lowered his face, suckling softly on that one particular spot that had her seeing stars.

"Itachi," she gasped and ran her fingers through his hair, holding his face against her body as her hips rolled upwards. Oh Gods, how was such pleasure possible? "More, please," she whined in complaint when he paused.

But he didn't.

Instead, Itachi raised himself above her so that they were eye to eye again, holding himself up by resting his weight on his hands by her head. "You're beautiful, Sakura."

Had she not already been blushing, she would have been by now because the intensity of his stare made it impossible for her to feel anything other than beautiful.

This time, he did not stop her when Sakura reached for the bedside table and opened the top drawer, picking out the box they'd bought earlier that day. Itachi didn't stop her when she opened the foil packet and hesitantly put the condom on for him. When the packet was discarded, thrown over the side of the bed and forgotten about instantly, Sakura once more shifted beneath him, parting her thighs more widely and accommodating him without pause when he nestled between them, rubbing the blunt tip of his penis against her opening.

His lips were drawn to hers again, kissing her with the same intensity she'd seen in his eyes and effectively taking her breath away. During the kiss, he pushed inside of her, pushing and pushing until he was so deep that she could feel it in her hips once more. Was that normal? Would it ever not hurt? She didn't utter a single complaint and instead arched into him, biting her lower lip when Itachi moved his hips back and then thrust into her again. Her hands moved to his back, clinging onto it tightly and she noticed that he grimaced in such a beautiful way when her nails dug into his skin.

The intimacy of the moment, the intensity of it and the sheer amount of emotion she could feel bubbling away inside of her, had something building. What it was, Sakura couldn't tell, but she knew that she'd caught glimpses of it when Itachi's head had been between her thighs, pleasuring her in such a sinful way and-

Oh Gods!

She threw her head back, hips bucking upwards and meeting Itachi mid-thrust, causing them both to moan breathlessly. His face was pressed into her neck, arms wrapping around her tightly, while Sakura could do nothing but hold onto him, returning his loving embrace just as desperately.

But why were they feeling so desperate?

And what was building inside of her?

Whatever it was, it continued to grow in size. With every thrust of his hips, every kiss and lick and nibble against her throat, every loving whisper in her ear… It only occurred to her what it was when it finally claimed her.

Orgasm.

And it was just as amazing as the books made it out to be, enough so that it brought Itachi down with her, succumbing them both to panting and shaking, clinging to each other and riding out the waves together. Even after their orgasms subsided, he did not release her. Instead he continued to kiss her softly, massaging her body, until Sakura felt exhaustion taking over.

His hand came to her cheek, cupping her face delicately. "I love you, Sakura."

It was painful pulling away from her and leaving her there, laying in the mess of bed sheets. Carefully and silently, Itachi lifted the covers around her, making sure Sakura wouldn't get cold without his presence in the bed and just in case it wasn't enough, he then went on to shutting the bedroom window.

The meeting would be starting shortly. To avoid suspicion, he would not be wearing his ANBU gear, but instead plain clothing and outside, there would be a car waiting for him. If it was a mission the leader was assigning to him, then he would be given a spare uniform. That had been explained to Itachi in clipped sentences during the brief phone call he'd received over an hour (almost two hours) ago.

He dressed in hushed movements, already having noted all loud floorboards when moving in. Fortunately, unlike Naruto's bedroom door, his and Sakura's did not make a noise when opened, so it allowed him to leave the room without disturbing his girlfriend's sleep.

More than anything, Itachi wished he could stay with her. He wished he could disobey the leader of ANBU and sleep by her side, holding her close. But to do so would be classed as treason, which was punishable by death. They would class his lack of answer as him going AWOL. And they didn't particularly care who became collateral damage as long as their secrets remained secrets.

Outside the bedroom door, waiting a little way down the hall, was Pakkun. The pug was still half asleep as he dragged himself out of Kakashi's bedroom (the door had been left ajar for him, so he would be able to get in and out whenever he wanted) and when he spotted Itachi, he froze and eyed him suspiciously. How long had he been living there? A while, yet the dog still wasn't used to seeing him walking around late at night.

Not for a second did Pakkun's eyes leave Itachi's form, even as the Uchiha picked up his keys, grabbed his jacket and made his way to the door, glancing over everything to make sure all was secure before he left. It gave him a small peace of mind to know that his brother, girlfriend and roommate were safe in their beds as they slept.

Light footsteps followed behind quickly, coming to a stop when Itachi paused. A whine. Slowly, his eyes moved to the dark set at his feet. Another whine. And even though he was an animal, Itachi felt as though he could understand what Pakkun was trying to get across.

What about Sakura?

"I will be back," he told the dog quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Until then, please look after Sakura and my brother, Pakkun."

The dog growled at him suddenly and faintly, Itachi's lips twitched into a smile.

Of course he would look after those who looked after his master.

The meeting area was cold and dark, with only the bare minimum of light guiding his way to the specific room. Many of the other operatives nodded in his direction, muttering his codename with the added suffix of 'senpai' or 'taichou' and in response, he acknowledged them in return.

Unlike with the police force, Itachi had earned the respect of the other operatives. He had earned his titles and he had earned his role as a captain of his own squadron. Nobody, as far as he was aware of, despised him for his rank because they all knew how hard he'd worked to get to that position and for how long. When Itachi first joined, he was the youngest ANBU operative they'd ever had and the only way that would change was by somebody who was just as greatly skilled as himself, turning up.

Before reaching the room that held his leader, Itachi was stopped by two other operatives. They were in full gear, including their cloaks and masks and at their advance, he came to a stop in his walk, waiting for them.

"Leader-sama would prefer for you to be in uniform, Crow-senpai."

He held his hands out, accepting the pile of clothing and his old mask. They even had his katana. "Understood."

Already knowing his way around, Itachi wasted no time in going to the nearest changing room to change into his uniform. It was linked to the dojo, where the operatives trained and sparred with one another and from the sound of it, it was half-full.

The two operatives remained standing outside and took his civilian clothes from him. "We will put them in your quarters."

Itachi nodded once in understanding before turning to the door.

After a fleeting and hopefully unnoticed moment of hesitation, he raised his mask to his face, covering it.

He was no longer Uchiha Itachi.

He was now Crow, an ANBU captain.

The bed was cold, Sakura sighed as she turned around, bringing the covers even higher around her otherwise naked body. It was also much too large for just herself. Why was she by herself? Peering through a single eye as she cracked it open, she pouted.

It was still dark. More than likely, Itachi was reading in the living room, or possibly taking a shower to relax himself. That was something he did often when he found it impossible to sleep, though since Sakura couldn't hear the shower running, she guessed it was the former. He'd come back to bed eventually. Sometimes, her boyfriend needed time to himself to think through those complicated thoughts of his.

With that sorted, she turned once more to lay on her stomach, snuggling deeper into the bedding that smelled strongly of sex and Itachi.

As always, the meeting room was cold and devoid of anything other than artificial light. Unlike the setting in the hallways, this particular light came from a single light bulb that hung directly above them in the centre of the ceiling. The leader of ANBU had never cared for any fancy designs or anything of the sort, as there was no point. They were there to protect Konoha, not to have a vacation.

For the time being it was just himself.

All walls were a plain cement colour and the same went for the ceiling and floor. If a person focused on it too much, then they would possibly start to feel rather claustrophobic, but that was the intended reaction. The leader wanted the others to back down from him and fear him, going as far as to using a room's design to give him that reaction. After all, his appearance wasn't anything special and it certainly wasn't intimidating. Then again, it was the reason behind why so many had underestimated him and died because of it.

The aura surrounding him was unpleasant, though and that memory was confirmed as the door opposite him slowly opened and said man entered the room. His robes slowed his movements further than what his badly healed leg already did and the sound of his walking stick tapping against the floor filled the otherwise intense silence. A good fraction of his body was covered in bandages and apparently, nobody knew the real reason as to why.

"Uchiha Itachi," the leader acknowledged when he finally came to a stop several feet in front of him.

There was no hesitancy as Itachi removed his mask and knelt down on one knee, bowing his head respectfully. "Danzo-sama."

"I have a mission for you."

Yes, he had already thought as much.

The old man's voice was slow and gravelly, expressing his age in ways his appearance did not and as always, his aura made him uncomfortable to be around. "It has come to our attention that you have encountered the s-classed criminal known as Hidan several times since returning. Confirm this."

Again, he did not hesitate, since it was the truth. "That is correct."

"Good," Danzo muttered, his single eye heavy. "Then your next mission, Uchiha Itachi, is to assassinate him."

Indecision rippled through him so strongly that it almost took Itachi's breath away and he was grateful for the fact that his bowed head meant his bangs covered his expression (in front of the leader, unless in public, it was considered rude to continue wearing your mask). How could they ask such a thing of him? Granted, there was no truly leaving ANBU and you should always be prepared for a sudden mission, but this…

Hidan, despite not being a real relationship, had once been with Sakura. In a way, she cared for him – or for his safety.

How could he kill somebody Sakura knew and cared for?

"Do you not understand your orders, Uchiha?"

It would do no good to show emotion before this man. He raised his head and nodded once. "I do."

"Then what is the problem? I shouldn't have to repeat myself since you already know this, but Hidan is an s-classed criminal, one who is a threat to Konoha. If he continues to roam the streets freely, since your father is too useless to build a solid case against him, then more people will be injured or worse, could die. Do you want the past to repeat itself?"

This time, rage flashed through him. Pure hot rage. Despite their differences, his father was not useless. Hidan was a very intelligent man, despite how he came across to many people. He knew exactly what he was doing, which would be why he was given the mission and nobody else. Danzo knew that Itachi would have no difficulty with completing the mission. Not after the last time.

"Have you been informed on who Hidan harmed, Uchiha?"

He resisted the urge to frown. What was Danzo getting at? "I was not aware that he harmed anyone while in Konoha, Danzo-sama."

It wasn't a complete lie (since he'd killed those who attacked Sakura). After his supposed break up with Sakura, Hidan seemed to have disappeared from all radars. Either he was keeping his head down, or he'd left Konoha without any of them realising. In all fairness, Itachi had been grateful that they hadn't heard from Hidan again after the deal ended. What reason would he have to continue contacting Sakura?

"Oh?" This seemed to amuse him for some strange reason and dread began to trickle down his spine, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. "He may not have been the one to attack her himself, but he was the one who ordered the attack."

Her?

No… It couldn't be.

Danzo's eyes narrowed and the amusement in them turned deadly. "One of the many people he has harmed, Uchiha, is none other than your partner, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura…

Itachi's fists clenched tightly and it felt like his heart was about to shoot straight out of his chest. Keeping up his poker face was damn near impossible and he knew that it was cracking under the pressure of his emotions. His eyebrows were twitching, attempting to mash together, his nostrils were flaring and his upper lip was trying to curl.

Hidan had ordered that attack on Sakura in the flower shop. He had been the one to put her in the hospital. Whether or not he attacked her himself was not important to him at that moment in time – it never would be. What mattered was that he had ordered somebody to attack his girlfriend at that time. But for what purpose? Why would he want Sakura harmed? And why would he kill his own henchmen afterwards?

When realisation hit him, it felt like a blow to the stomach.

Their deal.

In return for being his trophy girlfriend, for making him look good, Sakura was to be protected. To her, she foolishly believed that she was untouchable because she was with Hidan. He would protect her.

He had been reminding her of that fact. That she needed him to protect her.

Why hadn't he realised any of this before?

Only when his mask was back in place, only when a cold feeling of nothing but numbed anger washed over him, did Itachi look back to Danzo. His eyes were flat, dead, yet at the same time, somehow alight with murderous anger.

Hidan had put Sakura in the hospital. He had harmed her.

That was unforgivable and he had to be punished.

"I accept my orders, Danzo-sama."