When Itachi returned from his trip, he was different. It wasn't something he did or something he said, but it was the way he looked at her. Before he left there had been warmth and kindness, but now Sakura could only see empty black eyes. She didn't know what had happened and was too afraid to ask, believing that he could further shut her away.

The afternoon sessions in the study resumed, but after a month of Itachi's experiments, he seemingly gave up, without telling Sakura anything. As such, despite all the pretty things around her, she felt alone. Lonely, Sakura found comfort in her garden, spending almost all day outside, among the flowers and plants, feeling that they were the only things that still cared about her.

The height of summer arrived, and as Sakura sat by her summer flowers, she wondered if she could visit Ino or her parents. She didn't know what to do about Itachi and his icy behaviour, and with nowhere else to go and nobody else to rely upon, Sakura thought that she was a rather unfortunate woman.

"I could have stayed in Capital City with mother… Maybe I could have just found a husband there and lived a simple life. But it would be wrong, you know?" Sakura talked to her flowers. "After everything he did for me, leaving him alone, especially when he has no one else…" Sakura tilted her head to the sky, watching the bright blue expanse.

"Sakura." Itachi's voice came from behind, startling her. Sakura hastily stood up, turning around to face him with a bright red face. She wasn't sure if he had heard her or not, and felt embarrassed at her words. "There's a letter for you." Itachi was holding out an envelope and Sakura rushed to take it, knowing there was only one person who would write her letters.

After securing the envelope and seeing Ino's handwriting on it, Sakura followed Itachi inside with a huge smile. She made her way to her room, to read it privately. She thought that even when she was so far away, Ino somehow still knew exactly when her presence was needed, and still managed to cheer her up. With a wide smile, Sakura opened the letter, immediately becoming suspicious when she noticed how small it was.

Ino always wrote as much as she spoke, and her letters always spanned several pages, so as Sakura collected the singular paper that consisted of Ino's letter, a feeling of great dread fell upon her. She couldn't explain why, but she felt as if she was about to see terrible news, a beginning that would herald terrible things.

Dearest Sakura,

It brings me great comfort to know that you are likely safe and happy, unaware of the current crisis facing our nation. A plague has spread through Fire, and our Mother and Father have fallen ill, I have been doing all I can to care for them, but it's too much even for me, and I fear I may soon fall to it myself. If you can come, your assistance would be greatly appreciated. I wish I didn't need to ask this of you, but after Mother took a turn for the worse, I thought that at least I shouldn't deprive you of the opportunity to be with her in what could be her last days.

Ino

Sakura let the paper fall to the floor as her eyes filled with tears. With trembling hands she threw herself at the door, struggling to open it. Her hands shook and her vision was blurry, but Sakura somehow managed to get the door to open, stumbling into the hallway. It was the afternoon and she knew he was always in the study during the afternoons, so she ran down the hallway, throwing all her weight to the door. It opened, and Sakura fell forwards. She was caught by Itachi, who had been the one to open the door, and was now shocked to find an armful of a sobbing Sakura.

Sakura mumbled incoherently as she cried, too distraught to properly process what was going on, still feeling hysterical. She allowed Itachi to guide her to a seat, and heavily fell upon the chair.

"Take deep breaths." Itachi instructed her.

Nodding, Sakura tried to follow his instructions, sobbing and hiccuping as she tried to calm herself. It took her several tries, but eventually she felt that she could properly think again.

"We have to go to Capital City." She spoke as soon as she could form proper sentences again.

"Why?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow. There was something about his reaction that caused Sakura to stop. He almost looked guilty, as if he knew something she didn't, and suddenly Sakura wondered if he knew about the plague.

"Did you know?" She whispered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Itachi stepped away, turning his back on her. Sakura knew he was lying, he never faced her whenever he lied.

"You knew, of course you knew, you know everything." Sakura smiled bitterly. He could have told her, she could have been prepared, she could have been with her family all along. Thinking of her family, she forced herself to focus on what was important. Being angry at Itachi could wait for later. "It doesn't matter, we have to go to Capital City. My parents fell sick and I'm afraid Ino will fall sick too and I must care for them."

"No."

Sakura blinked twice, not believing her ears.

"Excuse me? Why not?" She felt the sadness quickly turn into anger. "It's my family, Itachi. They need me."

"Your body is already weakened due to your curse, to care for three sick people is to needlessly put yourself in danger." Itachi still kept his back to her, and Sakura wouldn't stand for it. Standing up, she placed herself in front of him, looking him in the eye.

"All my life I have never fallen ill. I will not fall ill now. This is my family, I must be with them." Sakura could see emotion in Itachi's eyes for the first time since his trip. She saw the guilt that consumed him, and immediately knew what he was about to say.

"I will not allow it."

"That's unfortunate." Sakura sighed deeply. "It seems I must go alone then." She saw Itachi open his mouth to protest and she cut him off before he could get a word in. "I will go to my family, Itachi. And even if you try to stop me through magical means, I will fight you, even if it costs me my life." Sakura fixed bright, ferocious green eyes on him. She waited for him to say something, but he simply looked away from her, and Sakura left him, understanding he could not say anything else.

She packed her things in a small bag, and House supplied her with a large amount of travel rations. Sakura thanked it for its kindness, leaving it a small task for it to do when she was gone. Finished with her packing, Sakura carried her things downstairs, to find Itachi standing around by the living room. For a moment she hoped he changed his mind, but he did not look ready for travel, and Sakura realized he was trying to stop her one last time. She walked past him without saying anything.

"If you leave now, I will not allow you to return." He spoke in a low tone. Sakura stopped in front of the door, looking down. Despite the harshness of his words, they sounded more desperate than she felt, and she understood that he likely felt the same fear she did. Sakura smiled, as she understood she was as important to Itachi as her family was to her, but still she could not stay.

"Of all people in this world, I thought you'd know best how important it is to be with one's family on what could be their last moments." Sakura opened the door and stepped out, not looking back at the man she was leaving behind. The sun was still bright, and the day felt warm, yet despite this, Sakura felt cold inside.

As Sakura left the forest and took to the road, she felt thankful that at least her curse would make the journey not too painful. As long as she remembered to eat and rest, the pain of the constant walking could be ignored, and the exhaustion could be kept at bay. She walked until sundown, and seeing the moon in the sky, Sakura tried to find a place to sleep. She had already gone past Konoha, but not yet reached the next town over, and she worried about sleeping by herself near the road. However, despite her looking around, there didn't seem to be any particular places where a lone woman could rest for the night.

Sakura stood in the middle of the road, looking around her, fear starting to crawl into her mind. As she debated her options, the sound of hooves and wheels reached her, and Sakura looked back. A carriage guided by two horses approached her, and she could spot a singular male figure on it. For a moment she was filled with relief, believing it to be Itachi, but as the carriage drew closer, she quickly realized it wasn't him.

"What are you doing out here, Miss Sakura?" Sai, the unlikely driver of the carriage stopped by her side, looking at her with his fake smile. Sakura found herself happy and relieved to see a friendly face, knowing that she'd have a reliable travel partner.

"I'm headed to Capital City, if you're going that way, could I travel with you?" She asked. Sai nodded, and getting down from his perch, he approached Sakura, to help her atop the carriage. He nimbly returned to his seat, and the two of them set off.

"I plan on riding all night, but if you're tired and wish to sleep, don't mind my presence." He noted. Sakura nodded, but she wasn't feeling tired quite yet.

"Where have you been?" Sakura looked behind her at the empty carriage, wondering what Sai had been transporting.

"I was bringing food and medicine to some towns that had been hit particularly hard by Sound. Most of their supplies were destroyed in the war, and with the plague, the King felt it would be important to make sure they were well taken care of." Sai explained. Sakura wondered if there was more to this story or if it was even true at all, but decided to believe in the good of the King. After all, if Ino worked with these people they couldn't be all bad.

"That's good, I'm glad the King is thoughtful enough to remember those people." Sakura smiled.

"I doubt the King does remember them, it was Master Kakashi's orders." Sai smiled back, breaking Sakura's belief in their ruler. "But still, why were you out here alone, I didn't think Master Uchiha would let you out of his sight like this." It was Sai's turn to question Sakura.

"I left of my own volition. My family fell ill, and I must go to them." Sakura turned to look at the bright full moon.

"Your family… Is Ino ill too?" Sai asked in a tone Sakura hadn't heard him use before. She turned back to look at him, surprised to see his fake smile melt into an expression of real concern.

"In the letter I received from her, she wasn't yet sick, but taking into account the time it took for it to get to me, and that she is taking care of two people by herself, I wouldn't doubt it if she had fallen ill too." Sakura answered truthfully. She desperately prayed that she'd find Ino healthy, but deep down she knew it wouldn't be the case.

"That's rather unfortunate." Sai looked genuinely upset at the news, and Sakura looked at him with a different light. She was happy that her sister had someone who cared for her.

"Are you and Ino good friends?" Sakura asked, her sisterly sense telling her that there might be something more to this man.

"Friends? I suppose that is a word. I think partners might be more adequate. We work well together." Sai turned pensive. Sakura remembered the nature of Sai's work and suddenly felt worried. Had her sister killed anyone? She didn't believe Ino could hold a sword, much less decapitate someone.

"Has my sister ever… killed someone? For her work?" Sakura asked. Now that the possibility had been posed, she had to know the truth.

"Of course not." Sai smiled and Sakura felt her breathing become easier. "She simply tells me who, and I execute the order. I don't think your sister has ever held a sword."

Sakura stared at Sai's smile with mixed feelings. She didn't know how to properly process the idea that her sister was having Sai murder people for her. Yet, she was currently trusting Sai with her life, and she knew Itachi to be a leader of soldiers, and soldiers killed people. Sakura realized that somehow she was surrounded by dangerous people, and yet she had never felt that she was in danger, because those people were her people, and they'd never harm her.

"I hope you'll continue to look after Ino if we all make it through this." Sakura smiled at Sai, who nodded seriously.

Suddenly feeling tired, Sakura leaned against the side of the carriage, closing her eyes. Lulled by the rhythmic sound of the horses and the sway of the vehicle, she rapidly fell into a dreamless sleep.

"Miss Sakura. Miss Sakura." Sakura was being shaken by someone, who was calling her name. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking at the sun on her eyes. Sai was shaking her awake and Sakura sat up, realizing they had stopped. They were in front of the Yamanaka house in Capital City, and the birds were chirping brightly around them.

Startled awake by her circumstances, Sakura sat straight, running a hand through her messy hair and fixing her rumpled clothes.

"Oh, I hadn't even… Thank you, Sai." Sakura gathered her things, and with Sai's help, jumped down from the carriage, looking around. She walked to the house, and Sai followed her. The front door was opened, and Sakura walked in. She looked around the house, noticing the mess and how the windows were closed and curtains drawn.

As she made her way through the rooms, Sakura opened the curtains and the windows, to allow sun and fresh air inside. Sai kept following her, and the two of them stopped in the kitchen, where they found Ino at the table, sitting down with her head down, resting on her arms. Sakura rushed to her side, dropping her pack on the floor.

"Ino, are you alright?" Sakura shook Ino lightly. "You're burning up!" As soon as Sakura touched her sister, she could feel the feverish temperature and see the sweat pooling on her forehead.

"S-Sakura?" Ino mumbled, dazed by her fever.

"Help me get her to her room." Sakura turned to Sai. With Sakura's help, he picked her up following Sakura to Ino's room. The two of them managed to get Ino to her bed, and Sakura bit her lip as she saw how bad things were around the Yamanaka household. After Sakura quickly checked on her parents, she took Sai back outside. "Thank you for your help."

"I need to give my report to Kakashi but afterwards… If you need help, I don't have much to do and…" Sai looked nervous and awkward, and Sakura smiled at him.

"Of course you can come over, your help would be greatly appreciated." Sakura gently tapped him on the arm. He smiled the first honestly true smile she had seen on his face, and Sakura felt that despite being an assassin, Sai was a kind man.

.

.

.

It had been two days since Sakura left, and Itachi knew he had done her wrong, and yet he couldn't find the courage to properly face her and apologize. House had also been taunting him, by opening the door to Sakura's room every time he walked past it. He couldn't even stare out the window of his study without thinking that her presence at the garden was missed.

Itachi sighed deeply and closed his eyes, feeling the impending headache. He had been distant and cold, haunted by the knowledge that she was a product of Orochimaru's greed and research, yet he couldn't help but miss her bright presence around. He could feel the cold, empty void of loneliness creeping behind him.

He was alerted to the presence of a missive by the House. There was only one person who could use that means of communication and Itachi slowly made his way to his room. As soon as he left the study and entered the hallway, House slammed open the door to Sakura's room. Itachi glared at it, and pointedly ignoring the clear message, he resolutely walked to his room. Inside he walked to the small enchanted box. He opened it, finding a small piece of paper inside. Kakashi had the pair of that box, allowing them to easily pass objects to each other regardless of the distance. They used it only for small messages, in order to not alert other wizards of objects being teleported to and from the Capital.

Itachi reached inside and took the small rolled paper. He unrolled it to read Kakashi's short report.

Sai found Sakura on the road and escorted her safely to the Capital. What happened?

Itachi felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He had been worried about a single woman traveling alone in these times, and was thankful that she had been lucky enough to find someone trustworthy to help her. With the paper in hand he returned to the study, feeling marginally better now that he knew she wasn't alone. As he through the hallway, House once again opened the door to Sakura's room.

"What do you want?" Itachi growled exasperatedly. He crossed his arms, glaring at the door. Suddenly an object flew towards him, hitting him on the forehead before he could react. It startled him and Itachi looked down at the projectile, surprised to see it was an envelope. "Even my house likes her more than me." Itachi mumbled as he bent down to pick it up.

The envelope was addressed to him, in Sakura's pretty handwriting. Sighing, he made his way to his study. "I'm going to read it so just let me be." He told the House, hoping it'd actually listen to him once more. Itachi made his way to his favorite armchair, and settling down, opened the envelope.

Master Itachi,

It's regrettable that we must part ways as such. I apologize for reading your family's fate behind your back, which is the reason why I assume you seem to be upset with me. If I have done anything else to offend you, I apologize for that as well.

I hope that you will forgive and understand my desire to be with my family in what could be their final moments, my wish to hopefully make a difference and possibly save them. I understand your concerns about my condition and I will take them to heart, doing my best to look after myself.

Know that I hold no grudge against you, as I know your decision comes from a place of concern for my well-being, and I pray that you remain safe, and that we can meet again, hopefully as friends without any rancor in our hearts.

Sakura.

Itachi crumpled the kind letter in his hand. He closed his eyes, trying to suppress the angry tears that threatened to spill from them. He once again felt like the worst scum on earth. He had once hated Kakashi for the same thing he had tried to do to Sakura and yet the kind woman had seen past his childish selfishness and forgiven him unconditionally. Itachi suddenly felt very ashamed, as if he was once again a small child being chastised by his mother for stealing his little brother's toys.

Wiping the few tears that had fallen from his eyes with his sleeve, Itachi stood up. His mother was likely embarrassed by his behavior in heaven, he thought, and he should do her proud. Itachi rushed to his room, rapidly grabbing his pack and traveling cloak. Without caring for protocol he disappeared in a flurry of black feathers, using his personal teleport spell to transport himself to Capital City.

His spell took him to the outside of the Uchiha Household. He stared at the empty building. Without the transportation spell, it was an empty shell, with nothing inside. He didn't care to bring House over, and turning his back on it, he headed to the gate between the Noble's District and the Business District.

Capital City was very different from usual. The streets were empty and stores were closed. There were guards patrolling, enforcing a curfew. Itachi looked to the sky and noticed it was already sundown. He rapidly made his way to the General District, and wasn't stopped by any guards. They all recognized him as the Uchiha Duke, and his dark frown prevented anyone from approaching him.

He knew where the Yamanaka's home was, but it was the first time visiting the two storied green house. He reached it rapidly, and yet he could not find the courage to knock on the door. Itachi stood there, suddenly doubting himself. Would Sakura even want him there, he asked himself. Was it too late? Should he return tomorrow? Crushed by the questions plaguing his mind, Itachi stood there until the streetlights slowly turned on.

He was about to turn around and give up when the door opened itself. Sai stood on the other side, looking at Itachi with his usual smile.

"I believe that standing around like this makes you a stalker Master Uchiha." Itachi noticed how Sai's usually immaculate appearance looked rumpled, and wondered why. He suddenly felt a pang of suspicion affect his mind. Why did the spy help Sakura to Capital City? What happened during the journey.

Itachi walked past Sai to the inside of the house. He noticed the mess, with clothes hung on furniture and a line running through the living room, serving as an impromptu laundry hanger.

"Sai? I heard the front door open, who is it?" Sakura walked into the living room and stopped when she noticed Itachi standing there, looking around.

"Since you have help for the night, I'm going to head off. I'll see you again tomorrow." Sai bowed slightly and left, closing the door behind, leaving Itachi and Sakura alone.

"I… I'm… I…" Itachi suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He looked at Sakura, but couldn't speak. Her usually pristine hair was tied up in a messy bun, and her dress was rumpled under the wet apron.

"I'm sorry for the mess, we spent all day doing laundry, as you can see. If you follow me to the drawing room, we can talk more comfortably there." Sakura turned around, leading the way to another room. Itachi followed her, cursing himself in his mind. Once inside the much neater and normal-looking room, Sakura sat down, motioning at Itachi to do the same.

He sat down for a minute, putting his pack down, but soon got up again, to pace in front of Sakura. After he walked a few circles, he finally found the courage to face her, looking her in the eye.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to stop you. Please forgive me. If there's anything I can do, I will do it. Of course if you wish me gone I understand as well, and I will do so." Itachi tried to maintain himself dignified, but as the words came out of his mouth, he felt himself grow more awkward and embarrassed.

"I've already forgiven you. Now, insofar as things to do… How fast can you boil water?" Sakura smiled brightly at him, and standing up again, she took his arm, leading him to the kitchen area. Itachi allowed her to boss him around for the rest of the night, happy to follow her around the house, doing whatever she asked of him. Despite the three sick people and the potential risk to themselves, he felt at peace.

The Purple Plague: There is a saying that after every war comes sickness, and the war with Sound resulted in one of the most serious plagues that happened in the history of Fire Country. It was nominated the Purple Plague as it turned the tongues of those who were sick purple. Many fell to the disease, primarily the elderly and the young, spreading even to the nearby lands of Wind, Tea, Sound and Snow. The most notable death was of the King of Wind, which caused civil unrest in Wind's lands as the King's third son, Gaara took the throne. There were several rumors back then that the plague was spread by infiltrated Sound operatives as revenge for Fire's victory, but these rumors have long since been debunked.

To make up for last week's shorter chapter, we have a longer one this week. Perhaps writing about a plague during these days might be of ill-taste, but I had these events planned out long ago, and they're important for the progression of the story. I couldn't find anything else to replace them and I apologize if I've made anyone upset.