Thank you for staying with me! Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Shifting Sands (5)

The overhead sun had been blistering.

Itachi could scarcely believe that back home in Konoha, it was swiftly approaching subzero temperatures. But then, this was Suna. The temperature wouldn't likely align with his idea of tolerable until midwinter.

That said, there were more people present than Itachi had initially estimated, which cultivated the undeniable urge to find a quiet corner where he could find some solitude. His idea of an ideal locale would be somewhere secluded, heavily forested and mistily cool where he could enjoy a hot cup of tea or a glass of whisky or wine (depending on his mood) while listening to the sounds of nature around him and enjoying the presence of, at maximum, three to five close friends.

Somewhere like his private villa.

Unfortunately, Sakura was a social animal, and scarcely would a conversation be over before she would join another. Sometimes, she didn't even have to move. Her smile was so brilliant it effortlessly drew people in like moths to a flame.

Itachi was fully conscious of the fact that if he wanted some quiet, nothing was stopping him from making his way to one of the many cabanas that lined the beach. Nothing but her laughter, which was successfully keeping him tethered to her side.

And even then, Itachi was uneasy for two reasons, both of which had to do with his recently absentee cousin.

For one, Shisui was present, and two, the older Uchiha seemed just as tethered to Sakura's brilliance as Itachi was.

In fact, he had barely greeted Itachi at all. It was one thing to feel forgotten, but Shisui's behaviour was trending towards borderline avoidance. Itachi had been hard-pressed to see anything of him for the past several weeks. He knew they were on somewhat strained terms recently, but Shisui didn't even seem to be trying to close the distance.

It was making it seem as if something was wrong.

He desperately wanted to ask, but his cousin was an inveterate socialite and had not left Sakura's immediate environs since his arrival, providing Itachi with no opportunity to naturally pull him aside for a conversation. Itachi was aware that his and Sakura's was a contractual relationship, but even so, Shisui's unrelenting presence around her was beginning to rankle. Especially because Itachi had recently admitted to himself that he didn't want things to stay the same.

He wanted her, and in a different, deeper capacity than his original intentions had outlined.

Exacerbating his discomfiture was the knowledge that as he was not au courant with the latest social events or news, the majority of the conversations were lost on him. No one seemed to want to talk about business, and therefore Itachi was quite at sea.

Pun intended.

He was left to linger around Sakura, feeling uncomfortable, out of place and distracted. The thought that he was just as boring as Shisui had inferred earlier in the day caused a bubble of anxiety to linger in his chest. As mild as the comment had been, the jab had accurately struck a nerve. This niggling insecurity was magnified by Sakura's vibrance. She was adorable, funny and incredibly adept at social situations. He felt like a dense grey stone beside a kaleidoscope.

The feeling intensified when she removed her sundress earlier on the yacht to reveal the brightly coloured bikini underneath. Paired with her pink hair, she looked like a confection. A butterfly beside a moth. His eyes had been helplessly drawn to her skin, scattered with freckles across the shoulders and smooth and creamy everywhere else. His fingers had itched to trace the birthmark under her shoulder blade, but even so, he kept getting distracted by the gentle curve of her chest, the perfection of her cleavage, the roundness of her perky buttocks or her firm, toned thighs. The dimples above her butt cheeks had held his attention for a solid three minutes, during which he continued seeing them in his mind's eye even when he looked away.

Shisui's comparable charm was of no assistance to Itachi's frame of mind. As hard as it had been to deal with his own attraction, being cognizant of Shisui's attraction made things infinitely more difficult. This was because Sakura seemed to be responding to Shisui's particular brand of magnetism. Her comments and repartees, while innocent enough, were flirtatiously delivered. It was par for the course, but even though Itachi recognized this as the standard feminine response to Shisui, it did not make it any easier to witness. To make matters even worse, Shisui seemingly found a way to playfully vocalize every one of Itachi's overwhelmed thoughts.

As the sun started to set, Itachi reached the absolute end of his rope.

"Come with me," he murmured into Sakura's ear when Shisui was distracted by a rowdy group of his friends.

"Where?" Sakura asked, even as she gamely followed him. Itachi reached for her hand, smiling internally when her fingers wrapped around the side of his hand. He wordlessly led her to the far side of the hotel compound, where hot tubs were situated behind artfully placed shrubs, affording a sense of seclusion to the occupants while allowing for a view of the sea and the sunset.

"Oh, this is gorgeous," Sakura breathed, following him into the hot tub and nestling against his side. Having already taken off his shirt, feeling her skin against his under the hot bubbling water completely scrambled Itachi's thoughts. Exerting no small amount of effort, he schooled his thoughts and discreetly edged a few inches away from her. He wanted to talk to her, but now that they had finally found a moment alone, he couldn't settle on how to begin.

So they just sat there in silence, the hot water bubbling around them as they watched the sun make its descent. The sound of the moving water in the hot tub, coupled with the somewhat distant rush of the waves crashing into the shore, and the gentle breeze that had picked up over the resort made the tension slowly slide from Itachi's shoulders and evaporate in the steam. After about fifteen minutes of this, Itachi relaxed into the silence and stretched his arm across the back of the tub. At some point, a waiter appeared and discreetly took their drink orders, returning moments later to silently place their glasses down before disappearing again. Sakura took a sip of her chilled cabernet sauvignon before leaning her head back and sighing deeply. Her wet hair curled over his forearm.

"I needed this," Sakura breathed, her eyes sliding shut. "Just the change of pace, you know?"

"Hn," Itachi returned. He couldn't say the same. The social scene had exhausted him. Then again, it was interesting to do something different to his norm. Perhaps his monotony was what had eventually caused this distance between himself and Shisui. Itachi pushed that train of thought off his mental tracks; he didn't want to think about that right now.

"It was good to just have fun. You're really nice to be around, you know?" she continued after a moment. "There's just something really comforting about being around you. In the beginning, I never thought I would have thought that of you," she added with a soft chuckle. "Did you know that you emit this kind of… supportive vibe?"

"This is the last of the events," Itachi reminded her, ignoring her question and how pleased it made him feel. "Has your stance changed?" She was silent for a few long moments before she turned to face him, the water sloshing gently at her sides.

"No, I'm going ahead with it. With you," she said. The sunlight backlighting her face prevented him from clearly seeing her expression, but he felt the soft solemnity in her tone. He was thankful that she was serious and that things were still going according to plan, but he wished that he could make her laugh.

"I never really understood your reasons for agreeing to this. My motives were straightforward…" Itachi said, waiting for her to answer his indirect question. She put her back against the rim of the tub again, the sun once again painting her face with warm colour. As she stared out at the sea and the setting sun, she took a deep breath and expelled it in a soft whoosh.

"I think I wanted to create my own space. My own world where I truly belonged. As you may be aware, I'm adopted, and I've never once been able to forget that. I tried so hard to be perfect so that they wouldn't regret taking me in, but I never felt like enough. I've always wanted my own family, but as much as I wanted to do the right thing by my parents, I just couldn't foresee a blank life with someone I didn't choose to be with." She gave a mirthless chuckle.

"I thought I had found that perfect person with Sasuke. It was a bit of a stretch, I knew that deep down, but I could foresee some sort of a future with him. Apparently, I was the only one that was thinking that way. He made me unable to think. My vision was so clouded that I couldn't see back then how toxic that kind of relationship was for me. It was exciting and dramatic, but so exhausting and painful at the same time. That type of passionate fire always burns out and only leaves ashes behind. After thinking about it, after meeting you, I realised that I don't need passion so much as comfort. Security. The ability to think clearly and the space to figure out who I am and what I want. But unless I am a part of another household or somehow unavailable my parents will find a way to use me as a pawn to further their agendas and standing."

She looked down at the bubbling water, her eyes going distant. Itachi fought the urge to slip into his thoughts.

Perhaps even two weeks ago he would not have been enthused to discover that she didn't really see him as a man. He knew she had phrased it with more complimentary words, and it made sense that his insecurity would pick out that particular inference, but she had outright stated that she felt no passion towards him.

A few weeks ago he would have accepted that notion with less perturbation, but as it was, he had to admit to himself that Sakura could drive him to passion with little effort.

"I can't be controlled like that again. I felt like I couldn't breathe. As mercenary as it sounds, your proposal came at the perfect time and was the perfect combination of structure and freedom. The more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me. And you… I never expected you to be like this, but honestly, I would not have gone through with it if you hadn't been. I wouldn't have considered it this seriously if it hadn't been you, no matter what my objections were to you initially."

She turned to him sharply then.

"And before you ask, one of the main objections I had to you was that you were Sasuke's brother. I didn't know if I could live a life where I had to see him often, but something about you is so… sturdy and supportive that I'm not afraid of that anymore. After seriously considering it, your proposal seemed like an opportunity that I didn't want to lose out on. I don't think you realize how much of your personality was reflected in that contract," she mused softly, turning to smile at him. The waning sunlight settled on the planes of her cheek, and it was all Itachi could do not to take her by the chin and kiss her.

Her words had settled some of the nameless emotions swirling inside him, and he found himself humbled by and appreciative of her honesty. There was a simplicity to their conversations that made talking with her inherently appealing to him. Their relationship was made simple by extension. They were certainly friends, and fast ones, at that. Without their contract, Itachi knew that the possibility of ever discovering her as a friend like this was almost nonexistent. The preconceived notions they'd had about each other hadn't been insurmountable but had been enough to prevent them from making any sort of deep conversation.

"What about children?" he asked, wanting to see how far her honesty would go.

"Actually, that was one of the most intriguing things about the proposal; that you didn't include anything about children. I thought for sure you would have included a clause stating a time frame in which we were expected to conceive," she said with a short laugh. "I want kids for sure, but I also know I'm not yet in the right place mentally and emotionally for that right now. I'd love to be a bit more settled before bringing a child into this world."

She leaned forward then, the wet strands of her hair sliding from his forearm and slinking into the bubbling water. She looked down into the water, her eyes going distant and her expression turning pensive.

"I want to bring them into a warm, loving space, but I feel like I have to have my life together for that to happen. I'm definitely gaining success professionally, but there is so much more to life. No child of mine should grow up anxious for affection," she mused softly.

Itachi took a sip of his wine.

"I didn't believe that children should be a contractual obligation. I didn't think it would be fair to you or the child to contractually stipulate their conception. I'm aware that not everything can be controlled, and there is so much discussion about a child's rearing that should be had between both parents before they are brought into the world. Some things have no choice but to be taken as they come, because even the best plans can't take everything into account, however, in my experience, planning is never a wasted effort."

She was nodding as he spoke, a small smile on her face.

"It is weird to me that you didn't ask. I just felt like you would have mentioned it just to be certain, even if uncomfortably so. It's now so bizarre to me that I ever thought of you as cold," she said softly, turning to face him again with marvelling eyes.

Perhaps it was the warmth of her gaze.

Perhaps it was the alcohol that had been slowly warming his blood.

Or perhaps it was the waning light of the setting sun that only served to make her even more beautiful.

Whatever it was, when he reached for her, she came to him without hesitation.

He was absently conscious of the warm water dripping off his forearm and splashing onto her exposed shoulder and chest as he lifted one palm to her cheek and found the curve of her submerged waist with the other. Her wet arms looped around his shoulder and neck, the fingers of one hand sinking into the damp hair at his nape.

Their lips met easily, seamlessly, as if it was the only thing that made sense. As if commanded to by one mind.

Her mouth opened beneath his, and when her tongue slid slowly and sensually against the side of his, Itachi's heart, which had been beating steadily up until now, suddenly felt as if it were trying to break out of his chest. Immediately desperate for more of her, his hand slid down the smooth curve of her waist until it firmly grasped her hip. She sighed into his mouth when he pulled her closer so that she was draped across him, her wet chest plastered to his, and her fingertips tracing maddening circles behind his ear. The feeling of her fingernails, slightly softened from the heated water, gently scraping his skin sent a surge of heat to his stomach.

In response, his hands traced up and down the curve of her side and across her back. He ached to touch her more intimately, but still had the presence of mind to remember that this was only their second kiss, and she had not indicated that she was ready for anything more than this with him. This thought had him pulling away from her slightly so that he could catch his breath and maintain his composure.

When their lips separated, it took Sakura a second to open her eyes.

This kiss.

This kiss had been much better than the first one. This kiss had been less explorative, and more in direct response to the mood and the moment. It was probably because she felt so much more connected to him, but she still hadn't been overwhelmed with passion like she had when kissing Sasuke. The chemical electricity that she had with Sasuke was just not present with Itachi, but that was what she wanted. Objectively he was a good kisser. His lips had been firm, but surprisingly soft, and the masculinity and leashed strength of his hands sliding over her skin was stimulating but not necessarily exciting. He felt… safe.

Safe enough, but good enough, to try it again. And why not? The night was nice, they were alone, and she really liked the vibe they had achieved while bonding.

With this in mind, Sakura waited until his heavy-lidded black eyes, reflecting the whispers of sunlight still left in the sky behind her, opened to lazily scan her face. Sakura was experienced enough to know that unfocused expression, and the obvious signs of his attraction to her filled her with soft, warm pleasure.

So, she slid her hands from his hair and around his damp cheeks to frame his face. His eyelids slid even lower, damp, spiky black eyelashes fanning out over the planes of his cheeks. Sure, the deep tear troughs made him look more solemn than most of the men she found attractive, but as she knelt over him with his face in her palms, Sakura was struck by his beauty. She must have been admiring his features for some time because his eyelashes lifted and he looked up into the shadows of her face.

Maybe it was a feeling of feminine power. Maybe it was a feeling of safety and control.

Whatever it was, Sakura found herself smirking as she slid one hand back into his hair and the other by down his damp cheek to his chin, which she used to pull him closer to her so she could kiss him. His eyes slid closed moments before their lips met again, and this time, Sakura was conscious of the fact that she was kissing him. She was leading, and he was allowing himself to just follow.

She swung one knee over to the other side of his lap so she could get a better angle.

She showed him how she liked it, kissing him softly and smoothly, teasing his tongue into her mouth. His hands, which had fallen from her hips, grasped her by the sides of her upper thighs. She tilted her head for a better angle, feeling his hot breath puffing against her cheeks. He tasted like expensive merlot. A strained sound vibrated through his chest. When she pulled his lower lip gently between her teeth, his grasp on her thighs tightened for a second before his hands moved upwards to squeeze her hips. The tip of his thumb slid ever so slightly beneath the ties at the side of her bikini bottom.

Sakura was conscious that of the heat that built between them when she was the one that took control. She moved her hand down to the plane of his chest, where she could feel his heartbeat thudding insistently against her palm. She was about to deepen the kiss when she heard someone calling her name from the walkway on the other side of the bushes.

She pulled away from him, their lips separating with a damp sound that she was able to make out over the rush of the hot tub jets due to their closeness. Now that their physical connection had been broken, Sakura wasn't sure if she exactly liked how hot her skin felt or how breathless she was becoming.

'This is a good enough place to draw the line,' she thought, suddenly not feeling as safe in her detachment as before. It was still nowhere close to the incendiary heat she experienced with Sasuke, she reminded herself as she tried to slow her breathing. It wasn't the same, but she hadn't been exactly thinking clearly moments ago, and some small voice in her head told her that this was even more dangerous. This kind of simmering heat could be insidious; barely noticeable at first, and then overwhelming by the time she took stock of it.

Itachi's tongue slid over his lower lip as he too appeared to be trying to gather himself, and Sakura had to look away to avoid the temptation to kiss him just one more time. A breath filled his chest and he blinked as if trying to clear his vision.

Sakura set herself even further away from him, feeling the late evening breeze swirl in between them to chill the increased temperature caused by their proximity. She was so focused on regaining her composure that she didn't notice the shake in Itachi's hand when he reached back for his wine glass.

He didn't meet her gaze, even as her fingertips trailed from their place on his chest to drop harmlessly into the bubbles. The hot tub's roiling water seemed calmer than her stomach.

"Sakura?" the voice called again, sounding even closer this time. It sounded like Suki. She would never let it go if she caught them like this. Sakura pasted a smile on her feet, sucked in a fortifying breath and stood up.

When Sakura rose from the water, Itachi released an unsteady sigh and tried not to look at the water sliding from her body. He tried not to think about pulling her down for one more kiss, and he certainly attempted to get his frayed nerves under control. He shifted slightly to the side to allow her space to pass, and when she muttered something about joining her friends, and he nodded absently, hungry for time to himself so he could get his mind and body back into safe territory. His face and neck felt like they were burning, and his bones felt as if they had melted into a loose gel.

He heard when Sakura called out to her friends as she passed the boundary of shrubs behind him, but even then his heart had not ceased racing. He closed his eyes and tried to mentally recite the top hundred Uchiha Corp shareholders in ascending order.

"We're going to play volleyball on the beach. They've set up tiki lamps out there," someone said to Sakura, excitement obvious in their feminine voice. Even if he was in the frame of mind to socialize, standing up now would only point to the glaringly obvious signs of his arousal and embarrassment, so he just sat in the bubbling water and tried to force his breathing and heart rate under control.

"Oh, really?" Sakura's voice returned, a bit breathier than normal and chirpier than necessary. "Are teams set up yet?" Itachi didn't hear the reply, but he heard another voice chime in.

"You're so red. Did you get sunburned, Sakura-chan?"

There was a little chuckle.

"No, but the water in the hot tub was warmer than I expected," she replied, her voice gradually getting softer as she led the group of friends away.

Itachi sat in the water, pondering many things until long after the sun had completely set and the lights on the hot tub floor switched on.

AAACCKK Itachiiii ahahaha. I did say he would burn… Anyway, things are definitely moving forward!

I have a poll up on my profile about the upcoming arcs, so please do cast your vote! For those that primarily use mobile, unfortunately, the poll only shows up on the web version of Fanfiction. I intend to remove the poll at the end of the second week of November!