Notes:

So glad I finally decided to write this fanfic, after so many years! I hope you guys can enjoy it! 3

I had the plots many years ago, but I kinda got inspired by this one I read on Tumblr for this first chapter:

post/163381754892/summer-thunder

btw I'll add more characters on the tags when they show up.

Oh yeah, this fanfic has a very "light" story, so my writing is very light too. Maybe it's similar to what a "light novel" is, with a lot of dialogues. Do not expect something complex, although there is a plot development, romance, fights, drama etc.

Please enjoy!

...

The sky was dark. So dark you could think it was already night, but it was only the announcement of a terrible storm that was about to hit the forest where Itachi was. That was bad. On his actual condition, he needed to hide as fast as he could. An ill man like him getting wet, especially on a cold day, was not an option. So Itachi ran, looking for somewhere to hide. It could be an inn or even a cave – anywhere would be better than being under the rain. Fortunately, he found a small cave near there before it started raining.

"It looks like someone stopped here too… "

The man thought as he saw a pile of wood. It was already burnt, but it seemed like it could be reused, so he started a fire with his chakra, using the Fire Ball no Jutsu, and sat near it. He was carrying a bag, with some supplies, like a change of clothes, a towel, a blanket, some konbu onigiri – rice balls with seaweed, his favorite –, water, and, of course, the most important item: his medicine.

He heard a loud thunder, which judging by the sound intensity and the time it took to reach Itachi's ears after the lighting, it fell nearby, and seconds later it started raining heavily. He took a breath and reached for his bag, to drink some water and eat an onigiri. But before he could do that, someone entered the cave, running. That person was indeed running away from the rain, which got them for about some seconds. They did notice that someone was already there, but they had no choice but enter the cave.

"You…" They looked at Itachi with a serious expression.

"Haruno-san… " He said to the pink-haired Kunoichi while looking at her. - What a coincidence.

"Yes…" She did want to leave, but when she looked outside, another thunder fell near there. She jumped as she got scared, and looked at him again.

"Relax… I have no reasons to attack you. Trust me."

His gaze was peaceful, and she noticed that. Although she was covered in fear and adrenaline, not only because of the thunder but also because Itachi Uchiha was in front of her, Sakura had to trust him.

"I'll kill you if you try anything."

"I don't think you can, but relax. Have a sit. " Itachi said in a low voice, closing his eyes.

She looked down and sat in front of the fire, far away from him. They stood in silence for a couple of minutes. Sakura watched the fire, changing her gaze to him from time to time, being careful not to look into his eyes. She could not get into a genjutsu in a situation like that. She felt her heart beat fast. She was anxious and uncomfortable, close to her enemy in a place where she was trapped. Well, there was a way out, but the rain was too heavy. Although he really looked like he wasn't going to attack her, she couldn't be sure. So, even with the Uchiha assuring her, she couldn't contain her anxiety. Sakura preferred to be prepared for any attack coming from him.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" The silence was awkward, so she decided to start a conversation.

"I don't like rain, that's it."

Of course, he had to lie. He had no reason to tell her about his illness.

"I see… - She said as she looked down to the fire."

"And it seems like you don't like it either." He gave her a smirk.

"I… Well, it's dangerous, you know. There's a lot of thunders, and..."

"Yeah… " He said before Sakura could finish her sentence.

Silence again. Then Itachi felt something on his throat. He needed to cough so bad. But he could not do that in front of her. Itachi knew she was a medical kunoichi, and he couldn't let her know about his illness. If she found out about it, his enemies could use it to their advantage. But it was painful to hold, so painful his face started writhing. He tried to hide it, but Sakura, Sakura who facing him so she could defend herself if he tried to attack her, realized it and lifted an eyebrow.

"It's nothing."

Itachi noticed Sakura was looking at him and said when the cough finally stopped. But then Sakura noticed a dripping liquid on his hands.

"Blood…?" Although he was an enemy, she was a medic. It was natural to worry about. Well, and who wouldn't be curious about it? A person in front of your eyes suddenly starting to cough blood wasn't something normal to see." Are you hurt?

"I'm fine."

He closed his eyes and tried to relax, avoiding talk more about it.

"Here." Sakura threw to him a piece of cloth.

"What's this?"

"You don't want to have blood in your hands forever, do you?" Sakura said harshly. She did not want to be kind to a murderer, but she also did not want to be rude.

"Thanks… I think." He said, accepting the cloth and picking it.

Itachi cleaned the blood from his hands and reached for the water bottle on his bag. He also took his medicine, which he would prefer to avoid showing her. But his throat was starting to hurt again.

"Medicine?"

"It's just a cold." He said as he drank the water with the pills.

"I never heard about a cold that makes people cough blood. Can you teach me about it?" Sakura said, lifting an eyebrow and smirking.

Itachi narrowed his eyes toward her and sighed. All he wanted was for the rain to stop so he could get away from her. Well, and so did Sakura. He wanted to avoid any kind of conversation. First, because talking made his throat hurt, but also because he had to play evil and stay away from everyone.

"It's nothing. Trust me."

"You can't hide things from me, Uchiha Itachi."

"Yes, I can." He replied.

"So you are hiding something."

Well, she got him. Itachi was already tired, and he ended up saying something he should not have.

"Yes, I am, Haruno-san. And it will remain a secret. So stop bothering me, will you?"

Itachi closed his eyes one more time. This time he reached for an onigiri and started eating it. He did not want to have someone near him. He only wanted to listen to the rain, relax, eat, sleep and go back to his business as soon as the rain stopped.

"Why are you carrying a bag with so many things? Are you moving?" Sakura noticed the change of clothes. "Are you running away from home?"

Itachi didn't have any particular business around there. He wasn't on vacations either, obviously. The reason for his bag was because he was far away from Akatsuki's hideout, so it was only normal to carry those items. Sometimes Akatsuki members would walk around the world, even if they weren't on a mission. Mostly because they had free time, or because they had some particular business, after all, they had their own life as well. In Itachi's case, it was both of them. He wasn't on any mission, but his brother could go after him at any moment, to finally kill his older brother. Well, he had no reason to tell Sakura about it.

"Don't mess with me, Haruno-san. You wouldn't want to see me mad."

"Hm… If you say so."

Itachi snorted. He was losing his patience when suddenly that painful feeling hit him again. This time he could not contain the coughs. He curved his body, with a hand on his stomach, and the other on his mouth. His heart was hurting too, which recently were becoming more and more constant, and he grabbed his shirt. As soon as he started coughing, Sakura did not think twice and got close to him. Itachi was vulnerable, and could not get away from her. She held the arm which was hiding his body, and run chakra through his lungs.

"What on earth…?" Sakura widened her eyes. His lungs were terribly injured. But she was unable to examine them much longer, as the Uchiha, feeling uncomfortable, took the girl's hands away from him, preventing her chakra from continuing to pass through his body.

"Please… Don't…" He spoke when he calmed down a little. "I don't need your help." Itachi tried to stand up but fell onto his knee. Whenever he had a coughing fit and he felt the symptoms of his illness, he felt very tired and his whole body hurt a lot.

"What happened?"

"I said it's nothing. Why would you care about a criminal?" He sat down again, slowly, in pain.

"I… I just can't help. Maybe it's my medical instincts." She giggled, and soon become serious again. Itachi stared at her for a while, then he looked away.

"Don't. I'm not worth being helped."

"What kind of illness is it?" She went straight to the point.

"What?" Itachi was still trying to hide it from her, but it seemed like she wouldn't give up easily.

"Even hating you to death, I don't think Sasuke-kun would like to know you're ill. Or at least he would be frustrated he couldn't kill you before an illness killed you." She giggled again. Itachi remained silent, without knowing what to say. He did not know whether she was joking or being serious. "Okay, I understand you don't want to talk about it. I'll leave you alone." Sakura stood up and went to the place she was before.

Itachi snorted again and ate his onigiri. He wondered if the kunoichi was hungry, but showing more kindness was dangerous. He should remain the villain he had become the past 10 years. But it was that instant. A cry coming from outside. A loud, sad, desperate cry. Not from an adult for sure, it was a kid's voice. Kids were Itachi's weak point. Maybe because it reminded him of his little brother, or because of the innocence. But no, he could not show more kindness. He did not allow himself to do it. Even so, he could not stop worrying about it.

As soon as Sakura heard the cry, she looked toward outside. Of course, she would worry as well. The cry wouldn't stop. And they seemed to be lonely. The pink-haired girl stood up, but before she could move outside, the man also stood up.

"Don't." He was fighting himself. He should show no mercy, but again, it was a kid's voice.

"What are you doing? It's still raining. Wait… You don't plan to kill them, do you?"

"Why would I?"

"Because… " Sakura contained her voice. She looked at him, and then away." You're a murderer, remember? I cannot allow you to kill such an innocent life. Or more than you've already killed."

She was right. That was not who he really was, but he turned into that monster. But again, he was no heartless man to leave a child in the rain crying out.

"I will not hurt them. Trust me. I'll be back."

Before she could say anything, he was already gone, at an unbelievable speed. He activated his sharingan, so he could see better out there and find the kid. Then, in a matter of seconds, he was back again, carrying a little child in his arms. They seemed to be confused, and the cry stopped. Itachi put the kid on the ground and kneeled, getting closer to them.

"What happened?" His tone of voice was completely different. He looked like a completely different person. Sakura just stood up there, watching everything.

"I… I…" The child was speechless. Their black hair was dripping, and their clothes were soaked.

"What's your name?" He asked softly.

"Y...Yuki…" She replied, sobbing.

"Yuki-chan, huh… How old are you?"

She said nothing but showed 3 of her fingers to him. Itachi was shocked. Such a little girl lost in the middle of the rain. And almost at the same age as when he went to the war for the first time with his dad. Itachi was, of course, too much mature for his age, and it was normal for a kid at that age to be fragile and helpless.

"I see… Where are your parents?"

It was then when she started pouring tears again and crying aloud.

"Are you lost?" Sakura got close to them and kneeled too. She was confused with that attitude from the Uchiha, but that was no time to question it.

The girl shook her head, crying. Being lost did not seem to be what was going on there.

"A bad man… He… He…" The poor girl could not finish her sentences.

Sakura could not help but look at Itachi. She did not want to believe he killed someone there, but she knew he was dangerous. Maybe he killed her parents without knowing about the kid? Or he did that on purpose? The instant she heard the girl's words, she got shocked.

"I know what you're thinking. But trust me, it wasn't me. I know it's hard to believe, I understand. But I was here with you all this time."

Itachi was right. Although he could use a Shadow Clone to kill them, the time when he was coughing blood the clone would for sure be gone.

"I… Don't know. For now, I'll believe you. For now." She relaxed a little.

Itachi did not take his eyes off the kid the entire time he was speaking to Sakura.

"First, let's take off these clothes. We don't want you to get a cold, right?" The girl nodded to Itachi.

"Wait! I'll do it." Sakura stopped him, yelling.

"What? Is there any problem with me doing it?" Itachi looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You're a man, she's a girl."

"She's a kid. What makes you think like that?"

"She's a girl! That's what matters!"

"She is a three years old kid. Are you insane?"

Sakura could not agree with the fact that a criminal man was going to undressed a girl, even if she was just a child. No, being a child only made it worse. Who knows what was going through his mind? But, before she could reply, Itachi picked the girl up and took her away from Sakura. The girl looked scared, so he tried to calm her, hugging her and kissing her forehead. Then, he grabbed a kunai, and Sakura couldn't help but be scared. Itachi noticed it, and, tying a rope on its hole, he tied the other side on the wall next to him, and threw the kunai on the other side of the cave, making a clothesline near the fire. He gazed at Sakura for a while, knowing what she was thinking about. Sakura, ashamed of thinking he would warm the little girl, looked away, and Itachi sighed. He gently undressed the kid, dried her hair and body with the towel that was inside his bag, and wrapped her on his blanket. It was raining and freezing, so using a warm blanket was the best option. He stood up and hung her clothes and his cloak and towel on the rope.

As the child's stomach growled, he offered her an onigiri. She accepted and started eating, sitting on his lap, turned to him, warm and happy. It was almost like she had forgotten what happened minutes ago. She was calmed down, after crying that much and being in despair. That's how a kid should be like, Itachi thought. Suffering is not for kids. No one actually should suffer, but mainly children should avoid this kind of feeling. Itachi was also in peace at that moment.

Sakura watched Itachi with the little girl in his lap. He had such a gentle gaze. Was him for real the same man that killed almost his entire clan? It was then when she remembered something.

"Wait… Shouldn't you dry yourself? You can't get wet in your condition, right?"

Itachi forgot about the time, he was only watching the child, relaxing, enjoying his time. He even forgot about Sakura, who was there with them. He widened his eyes and looked at her.

"Don't worry. I'm not that wet, I'll dry out with the heat of the fire." He turned his gaze to the child again, who apparently finished eating the onigiri. "Do you want more?"

She shook her head, saying nothing. He picked a wet wipe and cleaned her hands and mouth, which were sticky because of the rice. The girl giggled, and so did Itachi. He grabbed his water bottle and gave it to her, when Sakura, once more, stopped him.

"W-wait!" She yelled at him, and Itachi sighed.

"Is this the only word you know? I mean, you should stop it. Really. What is it this time?"

"A, are you giving her your water?"

"... Are you really asking this? Isn't it obvious? What's the meaning of this question?"

"I mean! You're ill!"

"Oh, I see what you mean. But don't worry, it's not contagious."

"How do you know?"

"It's obvious."

Sakura shook her head and threw at them her water bottle.

"Here, take mine. I can't risk her getting your disease."

Itachi sighed but did as she said. He knew his disease wasn't contagious, otherwise, he would get a lot of people infected back then. But it would be useless to discuss it, so he gave the little girl Sakura's water and watched her drinking all of it, who yawned next.

"By the way, you didn't say your last name. What is it?" He asked the girl.

"I… don't know." The girl looked down.

"I see… Don't worry about it, it's just a name. It's not important." He said almost like he was confessing his feelings.

The girl gave him a painful smile, and then looked at the fire, yawning again.

"You should rest, so much happened today." He said at the child, who nodded as she yawned, and closed her eyes. She lied on his lap and soon got asleep.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked him, shocked.

"What I'm doing? Why do you make such weird questions with obvious answers?"

"No, I mean… Why are you doing it?"

Itachi took a breath and answered her.

"For god's sake… It's a child. How could I let her there?"

"That's weird. You a mur-" Sakura interrupted herself. She could not say those words in front of a 3-year-old child, even if she was asleep. "You know what I mean. It's… Unnatural."

"Unnatural, huh?" He closed his eyes and giggled. That was for sure an interesting situation.

"Yes it is. This is not what people like you would do. They would just ignore it."

"How are you so sure about it?"

"It's obvious. People who kill with no regrets, just like you, wouldn't mind a little and innocent life out there, crying."

Itachi gazed at Sakura, and closed his eyes. Hearing that was very painful to him.

"No regrets, you say."

"Yes, of course! You don't even care about other persons' lives! Otherwise, you wouldn't-"

"Haruno Sakura-san." Itachi interrupted her.

"Huh?"

"Stop talking. You refer to me in a way it looks like you know me and everything about me, but you don't. So just shut up and sleep."

"What are you talking about? I surely know you!"

"What do you know about me?" Itachi lifted his voice, and looked away, realizing he had said too much. "Just sleep, okay?"

Sakura frowned at Itachi. What the hell was going on there? Why was he acting like that?

"No, I'm fine. Besides, I can't trust you and sleep. I'll be defenseless."

"You still think I'm going to do something to you? Well, it's up to you. But those dark circles in your eyes are not a good sign."

Sakura got shocked and blushed, facing away and murmuring.

"Fine… But if you try anything…"

Sakura, instead of laying down, just leaned back against the wall, holding a kunai, and closed her eyes as well. Soon she was asleep too.

"What a day…" Itachi said. It was indeed an unusual day, for everyone. Itachi, who met with Sakura, stood with her in a cave and saved a child. Sakura, who stood with a murderer in a small cave and watched the man who she thought be the worst man in the world, saving a kid and being kind to them. Yuki, who had her parents killed by a bad guy and met with a man who saved her life, and now she was asleep on his lap. He wondered what else could happen. Itachi was tired, but could not sleep, it would be irresponsible. He had to take care of the girls.

While he watched them, he thought about everything that happened that day. No, not only that but about his past too. It was something that he used to do every day, something he just could not take off his mind. What if he took a different decision? Could he have saved his entire clan and the village? Could he have turned into Hokage and ended with the wars and battles? Could he have turned that cruel world into a peaceful world? Could he had lived with his beloved girlfriend Izumi until the end of their lives, with children, in peace? Every day he dreamed about his past, and the future he could have had. Sometimes it was a nightmare, where he woke up in fear and breathless. Sometimes he woke up crying, sometimes smiling. The poor man had the worst life. He wishes he could make it different, but it was too late. Wait… Was it? He thought while looking at the child. No. He shooked his head and took a deep breath. He shouldn't have that kind of thought. His destiny was already clear. Dying by the hands of his beloved little brother, that was all. That's how he could rest in peace.

After so many thoughts he looked outside. The rain was getting lighter. Soon he would get back to his cruel reality. It was not what he wanted, but what he must do. He had no choice. Had he? No. He shook his head again.