Sorry, all of you. I forgot to add –chan in Sakura's name when Naruto voiced her name. bang head upon the wall How careless of me… sigh…

So much OOCness in my fic. Sigh… I know. But you know, it's so hard to keep Itachi in character. Let's take it easy. This is 'Itachi'. He 'falls in love'. One word: Impossible. And those rude words… it's from Inner Sakura. Well, to balance the very polite Outer Sakura (Uchiha-san, for god's sake) I made the Inner Sakura pretty rude. And this fic isn't as angst as my previous one. But still angst anyway.

Oh yeah, I found many people confused about the ending of my previous fic. Shortly, Sakura was crazy. Explained enough?

And about the very very super sucks grammar, I'M SORRY! And sorry before about this useless chappie, anyway...

Once again, I don't receive any flame about pairing.

Disclaimers: Yes, I own… nothing.

Chapter 4

The training was like hell.

Kakashi ordered both Sasuke and Naruto to train. First, they must do their push up just with one finger for three hundred times. "Just a warming up," the perverted teacher said. (Warming up!) Second, they trained with their trump card. Chidori and Rasengan. After those hellish training, they still had to do the taijutsu practice with kunai and katana.

The clink-clank sound from deflected those countless kunai with the blond boy's katana heard clearly by their sensei—who just stood and leaned to the nearest tree, reading his beloved Icha Icha Paradise. And yet his eyes never left his book, he always kept an eye to their training.

"Ouch!" The blond boy shouted.

Hearing this, Kakashi lowered his book. "What, Naruto?"

Sasuke who just landed was the one who answered that question. "Nothing, sensei. He was careless, and my kunai attacked him in five places at once."

Naruto—who began to pull all of the kunai out from his body—tossed his head up. "What did you say, teme? I'm awfully exhausted! And you aimed seven or eight places at once! I just could deflect one or two of them! You're still a teme!" he complained.

"And you're still a dobe." Sasuke replied. Before Naruto could reply, Kakashi spoke, "Stop, you two! Sasuke was right; you couldn't be careless no matter how exhausted you are. But…" Kakashi examined his wounds. "…these wounds are deep. But I guess no problem, considering you're a Jinchuuriki…"

"Kakashi-senseeei…!" Naruto whimpered like a four years-old boy. Sasuke was annoyed.

"Shut up, dobe. Sakura will be able—," Sasuke paused, realizing his mistake. "It won't be a problem. The wounds aren't a big deal." He continued quietly.

Kakashi stared at both boys who now were unusually quiet. Sasuke broke the silence. "Let's continue the training."

Naruto stared at the Uchiha heir without blinking. The one with the raven hair didn't have enough gut to stare back at those brilliant cerulean eyes.

"You miss her, don't you?" The blond boy asked quietly while walking to his position. The other boy didn't answer it. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't answer it.

"You miss her, don't you?"

He was afraid to answer that question himself.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Pardon me?" The question was unexpected. He stared the sea-green eyes in wonder.

"You heard my question."

"I don't feel lonely."

"Liar. If I listen to Sasuke's story about the clan murder, I really don't believe you do that. You were being loved by your family. Especially by your brother, I guess?"

"You've got a fever. Better I check your temperature."

"You know I don't get ill, Uchiha-san."

"Don't call me Uchiha!" He snapped. Sakura's emerald green eyes were widened by his sudden change. "I… I'm sorry," she apologized automatically. She then remembered.

"I'm Itachi. Not Uchiha!"

The anger in his face slowly ceased. A minute later, he laughed humorlessly. "Love? Why do you think my little brother love me? You're the weirdest person that I know."

"If someone you love hurts you, it would be more hurt than someone you hate hurts you. More love you give to ones, more hate them." She paused. "He loves you. That's why he hates you."

After a short pause, she stifled a laugh. "I wonder why did you kill your family. You were so loved. A mother and father who so cared about you, a brother who loved and adore you, friends who always by your side… and else. To be honest, I envy you, Uchi… Itachi-san. I even think that your brother is in love with you. Also jealous, if I may add." She said that calmly, eyes staring at the window—avoiding eye contact, although she was dying to see his face after she said so. She bit down her lips in purpose not to smile or laugh.

She was right to not stare at his face. He tried his best to prevent his jaw dropped all the way down to hell. His face was pale and no one in history of Konohagakure ever seen Itachi like that. If she did, even it did happen just during a second, she could be laugh until die.

"That was just to test my capacity," he said calmly as soon as he could put all of his face muscle back to the right place.

"…stupid reason," she said quietly. Her gaze was back to his crimson eyes which look like never black again.

"With or without them, I will be the same like this no matter what."

"You felt that you were lonely—it doesn't mean that you are alone. You felt that nobody wanted you—it doesn't mean that no one care about you." That soft voice was enough to surprise the Uchiha prodigy. The beautiful kunoichi who lay beside him seemed like know everything in his mind. And he knew that she knew that she was right. "You're such a pitiful creature of darkness."

"You dare to bet your own life since you saying like that, little flower."

"I don't care about my own life. Naruto will not come here because of his promise. Sasuke? Oh, he will come here. Not for me, but for you."

"…"

"Every time I look at you I don't understand… Why you let the things you did get so out of hand… And then, you join Akatsuki, right? I wonder why you joined them. No one would there for you, come for and kiss for you…" Suddenly, he grabbed her chin.

"Don't I have one now?" Before her mind could grasp what happen, a pair of hungry lips placed upon hers.

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"Aaargh!"

A silent groan had been heard from Uchiha Mansion. The Uchiha heir was mistakenly bandaged his injured arms too tight.

"Aww…," he whimpered as he loosened the bandage. Naruto gave no mercy in their kunai and katana training after his turn to deflect them. Usually Sakura always been able to heal them and they would walk home as if not even a starch had landed against them. He never thought that would be so many difficulties if Sakura didn't beside them.

I always ignored her, and now I just realize I need her. Great.

Why everything always clears when it was too late to fix everything?

In his heart now, he didn't believe if Sakura die yet. It was like… nothing change. His heart didn't have anything lost. It seemed… as if Sakura still beside him.

"As a prodigy, you're very careless, Sasuke." She once spoke with a frown while healing his wounds. "Their weapons are poisonous. You could easily dodge them, but you were too rushed to kill them. Aah… this is just waiting my chakra."

"Aaaargh!" Another familiar scream rang through their ears. She said, annoyed, "And now Naruto?" Two seconds after she checked the wounds again, making sure that everything will be alright, she walked towards Naruto.

He involuntary smiled when he remember that scene in his head. That always Sakura, although she always healing with some lecture, but she would heal it no matter what. And the lecture was for their own good, though.

Sasuke found himself thinking about Sakura. He shook and continued bandage his wounds. But somehow, she always haunted his mind. Suddenly, he felt something uncomfortable flipped in his stomach. And the one who came in his mind is:

Does Sakura okay?

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Her eyelids cracked open slowly. She felt shivering and naked. Sakura found herself on the unknown bed. Suddenly, she felt stinging pain spread through all of her body, and then she remembered.

"Virgin, eh?"

She was very terrified. Very afraid. She never remembered she was that afraid except when she tried to stop Sasuke from leaving. Not even one second in front of death could make her that afraid before. Her begs and tears were doing nothing for that situation.

She shut her eyes tight and managed to sit up. The ropes one was binding her wrist had gone. Along with her virginity, purity, and innocence. A tear involuntary slid down her cheek. She found no one beside her. The thing beside her is just a note.

I'm in an Akatsuki's mission. Don't try to run away.

-Itachi-

She sighed. She wasn't that stupid to run away while thousands of traps had rigged just for her. Besides, she didn't want to leave. I had nowhere to go, she thought.

She walked to the bathroom and picked a towel. She was disgust herself. She felt so… dirty, so… tainted.

And now I have nothing left…

After she finished taking a shower, she dried her long hair with the towel. Sometimes this long hair is annoying, she thought. Somehow, a memory played itself behind her closed eyelids.

"Hey, Ino-pig-chan! I heard Sasuke-kun like a girl with long hair, so…"

"…" For some reason, now she hated her long hair. She hated herself because she still remembered. She hated herself because somehow, she felt that she grew her hair for him.

She picked her clothes. Her katana still there.

"…"

She cut her hair carelessly with her katana. Now, her hair clung messily to her neck. This is the way better, she thought satisfactorily. She let her bangs still long, and the back side was rather tomboyish. Well, this hairstyle won't be matter. Guess what? I'm not Ino.

After dressing, she stepped out from the bathroom, and went to the kitchen. After finding some stuff to cook, she began to cook. When she was cooking, the door cracked open. Without even turning back, she could tell who was opening the door. "Welcome home," her sweet voice greet him.

"What are you doing?"

"Cooking. What was it looks like?"

"…you cut your hair." Even it was a statement; it was more like a question.

"The hair is getting annoying." She answered quietly while bringing the food to the dining table. "Eat." She ordered.

"How could I know that it's not poisonous?" he asked suspiciously. She sighed. "Well, because I cooked mine and yours at once, and I will eat as well."

"How could I know that you're not committing suicide? Especially after last night…" he said. Her face hardened slightly. "If I commit suicide, I will cut myself instead of die with you. If you don't want to eat, that was just fine by me." He's still a kind of shit.

She took her spoon and began to eat. Itachi didn't move. She stopped when eating because something else caught her attention. She walked towards the Akatsuki mukenin and opened his cloak. He surprised, but not doing anything.

"As I guess, wound." She stared at his shoulder. He smirked. "How do you know?"

"The smell, the way your muscle move, and many more. Sit." She ordered. This time, the older Uchiha obeyed her. She grazed her thumb over the blood, and observed it.

"The wound is poisonous." He was surprised, for he didn't know. And he was more surprised when she wrapped her lips over the shoulder without hesitation and sucked the blood out from his body. She spat the blood from her mouth and repeated her action. Until she felt it was clean enough, she gathered chakra to her hand and heal him.

"Why didn't you just heal with your chakra from the very beginning?" He wasn't stupid, and he knew exactly the ways to heal poisonous wounds.

"You just sucked my chakra dry, Itachi-san. I should do it if I want to heal you properly. My chakra just getting back at me."

"Why did you do that?"

"Huh?" She raised her gaze when she bandaged him.

"Why did you heal me?" He repeated his question. She replied calmly, "Do I really need a reason to heal someone?"

He sighed. This girl wasn't as he predicted. He already prepared if this girl is annoying, too much talking like the other girl, or else. "You exactly the same like my mother. Always bandaged my wounds after I was in the mission."

She stared him with funny look for a long time. "Itachi-san…, don't tell me that you…"

He frowned, "Don't tell me that I am what?"

"Mother complex?" Itachi was sweat dropped.

After his inability to speak for a long time, laughter exploded from his usually stoic face.

"WAHAHAHAHA…" His laughter didn't seem to stop. She stunned for a while, then she smiled seeing he laugh. This didn't go unnoticed by the Uchiha prodigy. When he finally could control his laughter, he asked, "Why do you smile?"

"No," she answered, still smiling, "it's just the first time I see you laugh."

She sighed, "So? Still not wanting to eat?"

He smiled. "Okay, little flower, you won."

The lunch went better than they thought possible.

Bah. So much OOCness… Itachi… was laughing. Impossible. Bah. But I wrote it anyway. Actually, I already finish this fic in my computer. So, more review, sooner update. Nah, so review!

Hahaha… I'm just sick writing lemon in my previous fic. (Eww… it's so sick knowing I myself who wrote it.) So I just cut the scene… I made 'that' as non-graphic as possible. (Work so hard so this is still a T rated fiction) I don't want to get banned, you know. So the rest… erm… I leave that to the readers' imagination. (Dirtier, better)

Have a nice day,

£exy The Thief