On one particularly stormy night in November, Haruno Sakura concluded she was an excellent friend.
When she had secured her apprenticeship with the Fifth, Tsunade had somehow neglected to tell her about the drawbacks of becoming the only medic in a large group of friends; namely that none of them would ever just allow another medic to treat them. It had to be Sakura, even if she wasn't working, forcing the hospital staff to fetch her even in the dead of night.
And so she braved the storm as she hurried to the hospital where a certain Uchiha awaited her. She swore she would punt Sasuke through the wall next she saw him; it was one thing for her to heal him and his every paper cut. It was another for him to tell his entire clan to ask for her.
The hospital teemed with activity and looked no different from how she had left it after her sixteen hour shift, not three hours ago. She stomped in and before she could ask where her latest patient was, a nurse at the desk stood. "Room A112," Minori said, holding out a case file. Sakura took it from her with a clipped smile and opened it, reading up on the injury as she stalked toward the room in question and slid the door open.
With Tsunade's stern instructions regarding excellent bedside manners in her mind, Sakura plastered a pleasant smile over her face as she tucked a dripping strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Uchiha Shisui. "Back again, Shisui-kun?"
"Haruno-sensei," Shisui said. He struggled to lift his arm, but winced as his injury hurt him. "Sorry to make you come here in the rain." Beside him, Sasuke's younger brother Itachi stood, looking unimpressed with his cousin's injury. He looked at her, a warm smile playing on his lips.
"Haruno-sensei," Itachi said in that smooth tone of his.
"Itachi-kun," Sakura greeted, stepping up to Shisui. "Lower your arm Shisui, before you bleed out all over this room."
She grabbed a stool and rolled it in front of Shisui, leaning over it to adjust its height. Next she turned to bring the tool tray over, taking the pair of scissors. "Hope this shirt doesn't have sentimental value," Sakura said. Shisui grinned at that and shook his head, helping her by straightening the fabric so that she could cut through with ease, exposing a sizable but shallow cut that bisected his chest.
"Rough night?" she asked, reaching for the tweezers.
"Caught me off-guard," Shisui said sheepishly.
Sakura arched an eyebrow. "You? Caught off-guard?"
"Somehow, you never expect your cousin to gut you like a pig," Shisui said with a breathless laugh as she blinked without comprehending, before raising her head to Itachi. The younger Uchiha withstood her glare unflinchingly.
"An accident during a spar session," Itachi explained. There was an unusual warmth in his dark eyes as he regarded her for a spell.
"You know sparring is supposed to be a friendly and safe match, right?" Sakura sighed, undertaking the arduous task of cleaning the wound. She listened as Shisui walked her through the entire spar session, which had commenced with taijutsu only before it devolved into an all-out battle. She eyed Itachi from the corner of her eye; he looked unharmed, other than the fact that his right eye was oddly twitching.
"Are you alright, Itachi-kun?" she asked as she searched for the rubbing alcohol.
"I think there's something wrong with his eye, sensei," Shisui said after a brief hesitation. She spotted the bottle she required and turned back just in time to notice the look they shared. Her brow furrowed as she observed Itachi for a moment while plopping down on the stool. He was giving her a rather inscrutable expression, but the warm smile was still present.
"What's wrong with your eye, Itachi-kun?" she asked while cleaning Shisui's wound, wondering why on earth she had ever agreed to be everyone's private nurse.
"It hurts, Haruno-sensei."
"Both eyes or just the right one?"
"The right."
"Sharingan?"
"Nothing so serious, I think." She could hear the amusement in his voice. How odd. Itachi always seemed like an introverted boy, and one of the least expressive Uchiha. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. Perhaps it was a sign of him growing up. Though if Itachi and Shisui were growing up to be as destructive as Naruto and Sasuke during their innocent sparring bouts, Sakura would have to sit them down for a lecture, or force them to pick another medic—any medic.
"I'll check it out once I'm done with Shisui."
"Thank you, Haruno-sensei."
Was it her, or was his voice lower than usual?
She ignored it, attributing her new awareness of Itachi to the fact that the main character in the romance novel she had been devouring prior to being summoned to the hospital was described as having long, black hair and dark bedroom eyes. 'Time to toss those out and keep reading Icha Icha,' she thought to herself. 'Much safer, plus Kakashi-sensei would appreciate it.'
The disinfection complete, Sakura held a hand over Shisui's chest, allowing green chakra to pool into the wound and knit the skin back together. A moment later, his chest was perfectly healed, causing Shisui to raise his eyebrows while looking down to admire her work. "You're a miracle worker, Haruno-sensei. Not even a scratch."
"Compliments will get you far, Shisui-kun," Sakura said, pleased with her handiwork. She pulled off her gloves and binned them, snatching a fresh pair while Shisui hopped off the hospital bed.
"I'll go home, if you don't mind," he said to Itachi. "Shirtless and all."
"Night, Shisui," Itachi replied.
"Night Haruno-sensei! And thanks again!" Shisui grinned, before he left the examination room.
As the door shut behind him, Sakura placed her hands on her hips. "Alright Itachi-kun. Your turn. On the bed, please."
Itachi sat down, long legs spread while his hands gripped the edge of the bed. She turned on her little flashlight and stepped closer to Itachi, shining the light into his eye while gingerly touching his cheek to open his eye further. At first glance, it looked like nothing was wrong with his eye. The intimate exploration of Uchiha Itachi's eyeball, however, revealed that his eyes differed greatly from Sasuke's. Whereas she had guessed his eyes to be black, the light revealed a myriad of deep blues, greys and browns as his pupil contracted to counteract the light.
There was something in his eye, though—a lash. She was about to carefully take it from his eye when she noticed his eyes were drawn elsewhere, drifting deliberately over her entire body before landing back on her eyes. Unsure of what just happened, Sakura stopped her ministrations as his cheek dimpled. 'Is this little shit laughing at me?' she considered, self-conscious.
"Something the matter, Itachi-kun?" she asked, voice clipped.
"You're dripping, sensei."
The tips of her ears burned bright as she digested what he said to her, chakra making its way toward her palm before she realized she was, in fact, dripping. Her wet hair had slid over her shoulder and dripped into his lap. She tossed the offending ponytail over her shoulder with a wet sound and opened his eye wide again, a little more aggressive than she normally would.
"That's what you get when I get summoned here in the middle of the storm," she groused, checking his eye one more time before concluding that Uchiha Itachi was wasting her time with a damned lash in his eye.
"I apologize," Itachi said, sounding anything but repentant.
If anything, he sounded like he was flirting with her.
She blinked several times and determined there was no way.
A curious gleam was in his eyes as she removed the lash and held it out for him to see, ignoring the blush that crept up her throat to her cheeks. "Feeling better now?"
"Much," he said with another smile.
"Who knew a stray lash would fell the mighty Uchiha Itachi, hm?" Sakura huffed and turned to move away, but Itachi's hand had shot up and curled around her wrist, holding her in place as he blew at the lash while observing her. His breath washed over her gloved hand and naked wrist, smelling like dango. The lash came free from her latex gloves and drifted into the air, where she promptly lost sight of it.
"Had to make a wish."
Unsure what to make of Uchiha Itachi and his apparent dive headfirst into adolescence, she nodded mutely, not trusting her parched throat to let any words through. She shed herself off her gloves, deposited them in the bin and sucked in a breath. "Well, if that's all. Have a good night, Itachi-kun."
"Sleep well, Haruno-sensei," Itachi said, his gentle voice floating through the room. She slid the door shut with a firm hand, took a deep breath, and stomped through the corridor to the hospital entrance.
'That little shit.'
Over the next few days, Sakura was determined to forget the incident with Uchiha Itachi. She had known Sasuke's little brother since he was five years old and asked her extremely politely whether her pink hair was a naturally occurring phenomenon; it was right then that she knew he wasn't a normal boy. No doubt his puberty was just setting in late and he had fun teasing his big brother's best friend. Vowing to herself to also punt him through the wall next time she saw him, Sakura made for her office and commenced the day's tasks.
She had worked through only two files when a knock came to her door. Mika, a new nurse, stuck her head through the opening. "I have a patient who is asking for you," Mika said, lifting an eyebrow.
With a profound sigh, Sakura slid from her chair and seized her white coat, punching her arms through before approaching the door. "Who is it?" Sakura questioned.
"An Uchiha."
"Of course it is. Which one?"
"Uchiha Itachi," Mika said, handing her a folder. "He has a throat ache."
"A... throat ache?"
"Yes, Haruno-sensei, and he's declined to see anyone but you."
It seemed Uchiha Itachi hadn't bored with his little game yet, she thought as she flipped through the file. Everything in his symptoms pointed to the common cold. He didn't need her to diagnose him unless he had ulterior motives.
Still a bit baffled that Itachi—Uchiha Itachi—was the playful kind, Sakura masked her annoyance with her best fake smile and swept into the room, thanking Mika before closing the door.
Itachi stood near the window, dressed in his white ANBU vest. He perked up when she entered and let his eyes travel the length of her, something she pretended not to notice. 'Two can play that game, Uchiha, and you haven't spent the last twenty-five years in the vicinity of one Uzumaki Naruto.'
"Good morning," he said, warmth touching his eyes as he met her gaze.
"Morning," Sakura greeted, closing the file. "Throat ache?"
The corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk that sent a spontaneous rush of butterflies against her stomach. 'Get it together, Sakura. He's sixteen or some other wildly inappropriate age. You need to get laid and stop reading those novels.'
In fact, his file had revealed he turned twenty-three years old in June. But he was still Sasuke's younger brother and there was absolutely no reason for her to get excited over his being here. Even if that was a cute smirk. All the parts she loved about Sasuke's, but with a dollop of mischief. 'Mischievous little shit, that's what he is.'
"It would seem so."
"You realize the common cold is going round these days?" Sakura asked, tossing the file onto the examination table. "There's no need to get it checked every time you cough."
"I've been practicing my Fire jutsu," Itachi said smoothly. He closed the distance between them with ease and leaned against the table, arms crossed. "I feared I might have overburdened my throat."
"Fine," Sakura said in a manner she hoped conveyed disinterest. "Please take a seat."
She turned from him to take the instrument she needed from the tray beside the examination table and moved closer to him. Itachi widened his legs for easier access. She swallowed, refusing to get distracted by the proximity of his body to hers, and attempted to ignore the body heat that radiated from him as she told him to open up.
He complied, revealing rows of white, straight teeth and a pink tongue that darted out of the way as she inserted her mirror, checking the status of his throat. His breath smelled again of dango, this time overlaid with the faint whiff of cinders. 'At least he was honest about using Fire jutsu,' she reflected idly. Her eyes flitted to his, only to find his dark gaze intent upon hers. His long lashes touched the tops of his cheeks and for just a moment, Sakura wanted to reach out and straighten them for him. Then, bewildered by her own thought, she hastily pulled away. She reached for the file and grabbed a pen from her breast pocket.
"Your throat looks fine," she said, jotting down that Uchiha Itachi was in perfect condition with enough force to tear through the paper.
"I see," Itachi said, voice low. The inflection of his tone drew her attention and as her gaze found his, Sakura suddenly felt like the tiny and well-ventilated exam room was sweltering hot. The darkness that teemed behind his eyes was back as he cocked his head to study her, heat prickling in her neck and over her chest as she realized he was still smirking that infernal smirk of his, which caused his cheek to dimple and her current bout of breathlessness.
'Twenty-three. Sasuke's brother. Twenty-three!' she continued telling herself, like a mantra, as she desperately sought to recover her composure. She cleared her throat, tucked the folder under her armpit and made to move out of the room.
"Haruno-sensei," Itachi called out just as she thought she could escape the room.
"Yes, Itachi-kun?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.
He offered her a smile and between the rows of perfect teeth, she glimpsed that pink tongue she had laid eyes on earlier. Faintly, she wondered if he would taste like fire too, only to abruptly restart her mantra of 'Twenty-three!' and 'Sasuke's brother!'
Itachi pushed himself off the table and strode toward her with confidence, slowing only when he was right in front of her. He leaned over, hand brushing over the small of her back while his lips neared her ear. "I'll see you soon," he whispered, silky and dark in her ear with a quiet intensity and promise that had her knees buckling beneath her weight. The tips of his fingers slowly slid across her back, the heat of them sending shivers down her spine. Then they were gone as Itachi departed from the room, leaving her breathless and uncomfortably excited by Sasuke's twenty-three-year-old younger brother.
That night, Sakura found herself wholly unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, Itachi was standing beside her, smelling like fire while his words poured magma down her spine, letting it pool inside her belly as he inflamed her entire being with just four words and a smirk.
She found her fingers inching toward her center, aching to release the tension, all notions of him being five years younger and Sasuke's brother driven from her mind as she slipped two fingers over her sensitive pearl and stroked herself, thinking back on the heat that enveloped the room and the mysterious promise in his eyes when she stood between his legs.
Embarrassingly, it didn't take her long to reach a climax, back coming off her mattrass as she came to the thought of him slipping his fingers between her legs while she examined him and commanding her to come in that curious deep voice of his.
When she came down, a heat crept onto her cheeks she was sure could be seen all the way from Hokage Mountain. Grabbing a pillow, Sakura pressed her face into it. 'Get it together, Sakura. He's just paying you a little attention and you're playing right into his hand. Sure, he's handsome and has a sexy voice. Half the shinobi in Konoha do. There's got to be someone more age appropriate for you. Somewhere.'
Sakura nodded to her ceiling with a conviction she did not have before falling into a fitful sleep.
"Ino, we need to go out," Sakura announced at lunch the following day.
Ino raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh?" A sly grin formed. "About that time, huh?"
"Yep," she said, not having the energy to deny the implication.
Ino's mouth dropped in amazement before she leaned over the table. "Forehead, I'm so proud of you for finally admitting you need to get la — "
"Shh," Sakura said, clamping a hand over Ino's mouth. She furtively looked around the restaurant before letting go of Ino's mouth. "Are you insane? Just because I'm comfortable telling you does not mean you have to announce it to the whole of Konoha."
Ino laughed. "Sorry. My bad. Did something happen?"
Sakura searched Ino's face. "Between you and me?"
"Sure," Ino said, laying her cheek in her palm.
Sakura took a deep breath. Ino was a notorious gossip, but she knew when to keep her mouth shut. "There's a patient— "
"Ohh, doctor-patient stories. My personal favorites," Ino grinned.
"Never mind."
"Oh, don't be like that forehead."
"Fine. There's a patient— "
"And he's hot?"
That gave her pause. Was he hot? She had never seen him in that kind of light before—he was always the cute kid who chomped on dango and followed Sasuke around like a cat begging for attention. He had grown up without her realizing it. She thought back at how tall he had become, how lean his powerful body was, the lop-sided smirk and the infinite amount of colors hiding in his eyes. And that voice. She resisted the urge to shudder in pleasure. Sakura licked her lips. "... Yes."
"Knew it."
"Where else was this going?" Sakura questioned.
"Sh, don't get bogged up in the details," Ino said with a wave of the hand. "Continue."
"That's the story."
"'There is a patient' is the entire story? Good thing you pursued medicine and didn't aspire to become Konoha's next big novelist."
Sakura glared at Ino. "He's attractive, but he's out of bounds for several reasons." She dithered. "He flirted with me."
"Dish!" Ino called, now wholly engrossed.
The blush crept back onto Sakura's cheeks. "He stroked my back, and he's giving me all these smiles and he's suggested he'll see me again soon."
Ino groaned. "Doctors have all the fun."
"Generally we remove lightbulbs from nondescript places and sow up patients," Sakura said with a sigh. "I wouldn't necessarily call that fun."
"But he's off-limits? Is he still a patient?"
"No..."
"Then what is the problem?" Ino's eyes grew. "He's shinobi?"
Sakura closed her eyes. Leave it to the intelligence expert to wheedle all the details out of her most succinct story ever. She suddenly knew Ino would know within the next five minutes who it was she was referring to. "Let's just leave it at that."
"Please don't tell me it's Genma, though. That guy gets around." Ino drank from her tea before slamming the cup down, leaning closer to Sakura. "Is it Yamato? I heard he has a huge co—" She stopped herself, but that was only because she was too busy making a fist and stroking herself from her balled hand to her elbow with a saucy wink.
"INO!" Sakura exclaimed, glowering at her best friend, who now sat giggling in the booth as she rattled off all the names of their colleagues. Much to her chagrin, Ino named most Uchiha, except for Itachi. Small favors. Even Ino didn't think Sakura crazy enough to go wild over Sasuke's younger brother. And for good reason—what was she thinking?
It was at that particular moment that the door of the restaurant slid open and Uchiha Shisui stepped in, accompanied by Uchiha Itachi. Ino, thankfully with her back to the door, didn't catch the fact that Itachi's eyes found hers within an instant, like she drew him to her without him even knowing she was there. The sexy smirk she had enjoyed so much formed at the corner of his lips as he gave her a nod, and she fought hard not to blush as she returned it.
Across the table, Ino narrowed her eyes at Sakura and turned to the door. Sakura held her breath, but Itachi had already looked away from her and followed Shisui into a booth. Even so, Ino looked like the cat that got the cream once her eyes met Sakura's. "Uchiha Itachi, hm?"
Sakura closed her eyes and vowed never to speak to Ino again.
"It is, isn't it?" Ino said, delighted. "The world is a remarkable place. Eliminates my competition for the hot older brother."
"He's all yours," Sakura grumbled. She hadn't looked at Sasuke that way since before they had become Chuunin. It was clear he wasn't interested in her—Sakura had determined there was no accounting for taste and evidently Sasuke didn't have any. His younger brother, however...
Inevitably, her eyes were drawn to the booth where he sat with Shisui. She had planned only a short peek at him, but found their gazes meeting as he toyed with his teacup, long fingers tracing the rim of the cup while he nodded at Shisui, who was busy perusing the menu. Itachi halted his movements and gave her an affectionate smile that provoked the butterflies inside her to flare back to life. She pressed a hand against her stomach, hoping to quell them, averted her eyes and snagged a menu of her own, though how she was supposed to eat with a stomach that seemed turned upside down, she didn't know.
"Well, Itachi is cute enough. Just fuck him once," Ino remarked off-handedly. "You get to experience what it's like with a younger man and can cross one off your list."
"I don't have a list and I'm not going to fuck," she hissed the word, "Uchiha Itachi."
Ino hummed behind her lips. "Why not?"
"He's Sasuke's younger brother. Emphasis on younger."
"He's—what? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? Old enough."
Sakura buried her face in her hands. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"You're right," Ino laughed. "But okay. If you refuse to hide his snake in your bush—"
"Ino."
"Entangle the lower beards?"
"I—No."
"Do the mattrass mambo?"
"INO."
"Fine. If you don't want Itachi to negotiate your forest chasm," Ino brightly grinned, ignoring Sakura's withering glare, "I suppose we can go out. Tonight?"
"That depends on how many more sexual euphemisms you're planning to toss at me."
"Oh, I have about four hundred of them. Just waiting for one of them to stick."
Sakura groaned as she rubbed her eyes with her palms. From across the cafeteria, she could practically sense Itachi's stare upon her, no doubt wondering what this conversation was about. She supposed she could count herself lucky—at least in this setting he couldn't switch to Sharingan and read their lips. The idea of him sitting there and seeing her talk to Ino about hiding his snake in her bush would be mortifying.
"Alright, I'll stop," Ino said with a giggle. "Let's meet at that new bar on main street. Tonight at eight? We'll find you a hot, older man in no time."
"Great," Sakura said, slamming the menu shut once she decided on a tempura soba bowl. As Ino placed their order with a server, Sakura found her eyes sliding toward the booth where Itachi and Shisui sat. This time, Itachi wasn't watching her, but he was laughing over something Shisui said. The dimples she had spotted during the lash-incident had made a reappearance, his mouth pulled into that smile she enjoyed so much. His eyes were warm, even from this distance, and she wondered how she hadn't realized before Itachi had turned into a handsome young man.
He could feel her staring at him, dark eyes meeting hers in a heated gaze that rivaled the one he gave her during the last visit. More than a little self-conscious, Sakura trimmed her eyes back on Ino, who had regaled her with a tale about Team Ten and resolved not to look at him again. This was nothing—just a cute guy hitting on her, and her deprived soul yearning for that kind of attention. She nodded to herself and drank from her tea, deciding on an outfit for the night.
Somehow, when Ino told her about the new bar, she hadn't quite expected so many people standing round the entrance.
Sakura took a deep breath and glanced down at her outfit—her pink skirt reached halfway down her thighs, long enough to be classy, short enough to showcase what she considered were her best features. She opted for an off shoulder black shirt and black boots with a medium heel. As she waited in front of the bar for Ino, a man who smoked looked her up and down. She turned from him. Definitely not her type.
Thankfully, Ino was making her way over. She envied the way Ino's curves filled up the black dress she wore, even though she'd sooner be dead than admit that to Ino herself. "Sorry, I was running a bit late," Ino said as she reached Sakura. She inspected Sakura's outfit and, after giving her off-shoulder side a tug to reveal more skin, nodded in satisfaction. "Let's get your mambo on."
"I will turn around right now," Sakura hissed.
"Then who is going to slap sloppies with you?" Ino laughed, pushing Sakura toward the door with a sure hand on her back.
"Just for your information, I'm thoroughly disgusted with you."
"Stop, you flatter me."
The bar was precisely what Sakura predicted it to be—loud, bright, and while the stink of alcohol hadn't quite settled in yet, Konoha's finest sure had. Genma and his usual crowd had found one corner, noisily playing darts together with a few civilian women. Gai sat in one booth with Raidou and Aoba, playing some sort of game with a flipping coin while Lee (wisely drinking a rootbeer) loudly cheered Gai on. The real shocker here was Kakashi, who had been very clearly dragged in by Asuma and Kurenai. Her silver-haired teacher noticed her, giving her a swift wave of the hand, before returning to his conversation. And of course, right behind the booth were Naruto and Sasuke, conspicuous even by their standards, but Sakura could tell this was another attempt to unravel the mystery that was Kakashi's face.
There were also a few shinobi she didn't know—a group of Chuunin stared appreciatively and both herself and Ino, and a cute jounin she had treated before was drinking a beer by himself at the bar. "Well, there's potential," Ino said over the music. Her blue eyes strayed to where Sasuke sat, no doubt wondering whether tonight would be the night. Sakura didn't have the heart to dissuade her—plus, who was she to stop Ino from embarrassing herself?
"Yep," Sakura said, checking out the jounin. He was wiry and lanky with sturdy thighs and wavy dark hair. He felt her staring at him at that moment, brows furrowed as he searched the bar until his brown eyes settled upon hers. Within an instant, he recognized her, then he spun half-way toward her on his stool, a straightforward invitation to sit on the vacant stool beside him.
"Get me a wine, would you?" Ino said into her ear, no doubt noticing the look Sakura had shared with the jounin—Shizuo, she recalled. She nodded and wove her way through the crowd, reaching the bar with a timid smile as she wrapped a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Two red wines," she said to the barkeep, holding up two fingers.
"Haruno-sensei," Shizuo said to her, brown eyes playful. "I haven't seen you outside of the hospital for a while."
"Such is the life of a doctor," Sakura said, wishing it was a joke.
"Glad to see you have the night off," Shizuo grinned.
"Me too."
"Care to join me? Your friend has abandoned you for the Uchiha."
Sakura looked over his head to find Ino standing near the booth where Naruto and Sasuke sat. Naruto was gesturing toward Kakashi and pulled Ino into the booth—like Kakashi hadn't already noticed they were there and like Kakashi wasn't toying with them. Sakura shook her head at their antics and seated herself on the barstool beside Shizuo.
Shizuo, it seemed, used to be part of Yamato's team. She listened to him as he spoke about his last long-term mission that had him in the Tea Country for a prolonged period. He listened to her (admittedly boring to the layperson) stories about toxicology and he even tried his best to appear interested.
Three drinks in Sakura ended up laughing over a lousy joke and Shizuo had gathered sufficient courage to lay a hand on her knee. She wasn't sure whether it was her notoriety for punting fools through walls that had him hesitant, or whether he was trying to be gallant. Either way, she welcomed the care with which he massaged the inside of her knee with his thumb. The wine had set in and while normally she'd burn it away with her chakra, she found the buzz alongside with her increasing interest to Shizuo to be an exceptional companion for the night.
"My apartment is close by," Sakura said, leaning toward to make herself heard over the music.
Shizuo grinned, a drunk flush staining his cheeks. "Yes, I would like that."
"Good," Sakura said. She drank the last of her wine and waved at Ino, who was now playing the coin game with Gai. Ino narrowed her eyes at her catch and gave her the thumbs up before signing the words 'snake' and 'bush' to her.
"Why is Yamanaka warning you about a snake in a bush?" Shizuo wondered.
"Don't ask," Sakura said with a nod to the door. He slipped from the barstool and accompanied her out, past the smokers near the entrance and into one of the smaller alleyways that peppered the city here.
He took her hand and led her into the shadows of the alley, pressing her against the wall. Sakura pushed her palms up his chest, reveling in his muscles beneath his jounin sweater, and wrapped her hands around his neck, allowing her fingers to twine with his curly hair. He was tall—taller than she remembered, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to get her lips within range of his. His warm eyes met hers as he leaned forward—
A presence suddenly appearing near them tore them apart like two frightened cats.
"Ahem," nurse Mika said, sounding wildly discomforted. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Haruno-sensei, but we have someone at the hospital asking for you."
Sakura balled her fists and gritted her teeth, instantly sober as she looked from Mika to Shizuo, who looked regretful. She wanted to tell Mika to instruct whoever it was to go to another doctor and figure it out—she wanted to tell Mika never to disrupt her when she was about to do the mattrass mambo and above all, she wanted to kill Ino for using all those sexual euphemisms on her. "Is it a cough?"
"No, a kunai wound."
"Gods," she bemoaned, shoving herself off the wall and giving Shizuo a final, apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, Shizuo-san. Perhaps next time."
"Good luck, Haruno-sensei," Shizuo said, pocketing his hands in his pants before shifting away, no doubt into the direction of his own home.
She gave Mika a devastating scowl, but to her credit, the young nurse didn't falter. "Who is it?"
"Uchiha Itachi."
"Of course."
Sakura stood before the door, inhaling deep breaths. Itachi was behind this door and that was no reason for her heart to quicken the way it did, or for her to become flushed. He was her teammate's younger brother, for heaven's sake.
Yet when he looked at her with those dark eyes and that sexy grin of his, it was hard to remain professional. Besides, if she were honest with herself, she actually liked his attention.
Sakura gritted her teeth, sucked in a breath, and entered the examination room.
"Okay, you little shit, what are you playing at?" Sakura demanded, banging the door behind her.
Itachi sat on the table, attired in his ANBU uniform. He held a hand against his arm, rivulets of blood dripping from between his fingers. It had soaked through his glove and besmirched his armguard. At least this time it seemed like a legitimate reason to visit the hospital. Instantly, she felt bad about calling him a—
He raised an eyebrow. "Little shit?"
Sakura pursed her lips. "I'm sorry. I'm having a bad night." She found her stash of rubber gloves and selected two from the pack while burning away her alcohol buzz.
Somehow Sakura was sure he knew exactly what she had been doing. He looked contrite and ducked his head as he scooted further onto the table. "My apologies."
Sakura heaved a great sigh. "Don't. I'm just on edge these days."
"Any particular reason?" Itachi asked.
'You,' she thought, but she shook her head. "So what is it this time? Mission gone bad or another spar session with Shisui?"
Itachi smiled. "The latter."
"It's not like you to be in here so regularly," Sakura pointed out, determined to maintain her amiable but distant doctor face on.
"I find myself distracted more and more often these days."
Well, so much for that poker face, Sakura thought, as a blush crept up her face. "Is that so?" she asked, imbuing her voice with indifference while she went through her tools. Even without looking at him, Sakura knew he followed her through the room, eyes intent on her.
Itachi let out a quiet laugh. "Yes."
She rolled her stool toward the table. "Take your armguard and glove off please."
He raised a gloved hand to snap the arm guard loose, letting it slip from his forearm with practiced skill. His long fingers caught the piece of armor before it dropped to the table and laid it down beside him before rolling down his elbow-length glove with care and attention. Sakura watched in rapt attention, pretending not to notice how nice his arm looked as she leaned in to check the wound.
'It's just because the ANBU uniform is sexy,' Sakura told herself. 'I'm not getting excited over Uchiha Itachi.'
Thankfully, it seemed to be clean for the most part—she used her tweezers to pluck out some stray chunks of grass and a small clump of dirt before going over it with disinfectant.
While she worked, Sakura tried her hardest to ignore what a nice arm it was. A really, really nice arm. His forearm wasn't overly muscular, like Naruto's, but it was steel underneath his warm skin, silky black hair dusted from palm to elbow. A vein ran from his fist to the inside of his arm, and she resisted the urge to follow it with her finger, curious to learn whether his heart was pounding as hard as hers was.
"So, what has you so preoccupied?" she asked before she could stop herself. She took a lip between her teeth, knowing the subject was an exceptionally dangerous one. Even if he was just playing a game with her, Itachi was unquestionably attracted to her; she was touch-starved, not blind.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Sakura blinked, then blinked again before shifting her eyes to him. Big mistake, she realized, as Itachi's deep and hungry gaze captured hers. Lightning thrummed through her veins at the sight of the heat that lurked behind his eyes. "Sure," she said, trying for a breezy tone. It was a wonder her mouth even functioned now that her throat had turned drier than the Wind Country.
"A woman."
"A woman, huh?" She asked, still feigning disinterest, but any fool could hear her voice stutter and break, like a teenage boy on the verge of puberty. 'Dammit voice.'
"Mmhm."
'Time for the counter attack.'
"Must be some woman for you to be so distracted," Sakura said, wiping some of his blood to continue the disinfection process.
"She is. I'm having a hard time getting her to notice me."
Sakura bit her lip. "Well, what have you been doing to get her attention?"
"The usual. Eye contact. I smile at her whenever I see her. I tried touching her the other day. I'm not certain if she appreciated that." A reflective hesitation. "I'm positive she would inform me if she didn't."
He was giving her an out, Sakura realized, still fixated on his wound and the vein that ran from his wrist. Careful not to reveal her intentions, she let her pinky slip as she cleaned the tail of his injury, pressing it against the vein. It was heightened, beating steadily against her skin. And that should have satisfied her, really, if not for the fact that she had underestimated the effect he had on her—throughout all her recent experiences with Itachi, she had gloves on and was careful not to unnecessarily touch him. The sensation of his skin sliding against her sent pinpricks of pleasure awash over her entire body, her stomach in disarray as she reeled from the effect just that brief contact had.
Her eyes traveled to meet his, breath freezing in her lungs as Itachi observed her; a scorching heat burning behind midnight. Temptation swirled between them, potent and smothering the air in the examination room. She clamped her thighs as her brain, her traitorous brain, took that exact moment to besiege her with the imagery of what she had pleasured herself to.
She had forgotten she wore a skirt, but Itachi hadn't, eyes drawn to where her knees met for a long moment. No doubt he had seen her press her thighs together. Her cheeks blazed with embarrassment as Itachi ducked his face and studied at her, all signs of his congenial smile gone. "What do you think, Haruno-sensei?" he asked, voice rough and throaty.
"I—whu—" she uttered, unable to comprehend exactly what he was referring to until her brain finally rebooted and recalled what they had been talking about.
Right.
This was the moment she was going to subtly let him down.
Just inform him she wasn't interested although he obviously excited her; even a blind person could tell as much. She was just going to let him down easily and ensure that another medic would take his cases if he wouldn't take the hint.
Somehow, she was sure that he would. That, if she told Itachi she didn't want his attention, he would stop showing up at the hospital. Stop giving her those grins. Stop making her feel like she was all he could see when he gave her those looks.
'It's fine,' she told herself.
"She would definitely let you know if she didn't enjoy your attention," she found herself saying.
Itachi let out a soft sound of relief. "Is that so?"
Sakura swallowed hard, unable to grasp why her brain had so much effort following her cues, but she needed to get out of this room before she would do something senseless. Like kiss him.
'Oh god, he's not going to try to kiss me now, is he?' she thought, keeping her eyes trimmed on his wound and as far away from his face as she could manage. She finished cleaning the cut in record time and concentrated on sealing the wound as soon as possible. She needed to get out of here, away from him, and let some actual oxygen back into her brain because it was obviously malfunctioning on her.
Then, she was going to go home and please herself with that ridiculous glittery unicorn vibrator Ino had bought for her several weeks ago after it had become clear Sakura was caught in a dry spell with no oasis (or man) on the horizon. And she was absolutely not going to think of Uchiha Itachi in any way, shape or form.
Even while keeping her eyes averted from him, she could still see him cocking his head at her from the periphery of her vision. The next moment, his fingertips brushed against her naked knee, and she nearly gasped as his thumb began stroking her, like Shizuo had done earlier that evening. But where Shizuo's hand was pleasant, Itachi's felt like he burned her even through the fabric of his glove.
"Itachi..." she said with a shudder, every atom of her being begging for her to drop her fingers from healing him. In that moment, there was nothing she desired more than to sit in his lap and allow him to touch and kiss her all over.
"Tell me to stop, Haruno-sensei," Itachi said, adding a second finger to his caresses.
She had to tell him to stop. She knew she had to. If she would let him go on, he would end up with his fingers beneath her skirt and while the prospect of it thoroughly pleased her and produced a fresh flood of arousal to coat her now sticky center, Sakura knew that this wasn't a good idea.
Just then, the wound fully closed.
Itachi scooted toward the end of the table and hooked a finger under her chin, lifting her head. The warmth in his fingers sent another unexpected tremor across her frame as she blinked up to find Itachi leaning closer. He dawdled, giving her ample opportunity to extract herself from his grasp, and the thought both endeared and frustrated her.
He laid a full hand on her knee, the fingertips teasing the inside of her thighs, but it was the dango lingering on his heated breath that drew her toward him, one hand holding onto the arm she had just repaired, the other clutching at his white vest. Her head swam with arousal and excitement, allowing Itachi to guide her closer to him as he crossed the distance, lips now so close to her she could practically taste him.
A faint tapping sound came at the window.
And just like that, the spell broke.
She extricated herself from his grasp, burying her hands in her hair as she watched Itachi turn his face to the ceiling before pushing himself off the examination table and heading toward the messenger bird that had come for him.
Without giving him another glance, Sakura hurried out of the room.
Itachi tossed his armguards onto his sofa and pulled his white vest over his head, depositing it into the hamper before divesting himself of his clothes and stepping under the cold shower.
If that message bird came one minute later, he would've kissed Haruno Sakura.
Itachi shuddered beneath the icy spray, palms on the tiles as he let the water cascade over his head and neck, hoping it would take his mind off her perfume... or the way she gasped when he caressed her... or the way her eyes held heat for him...
He angled his head up, allowing the water to cool his head, washed up and made his way to the bed, dropping on top of the sheets with an unceremonious grunt. The cold shower did little to diminish his erection—his cock was back at full mast and urging him for attention. He ignored it, using his infamous willpower to will it down and drum on his stomach with restlessness as it gradually lessened, counting the tiles on the ceiling. Jerking off wouldn't help him and his predicament one bit.
At least his plans led him this far, Itachi thought. Catching Haruno Sakura's attention was harder than he bargained for— he had spent much time of his time running into her by accident, trying to talk to her only to be regarded like Sasuke's little brother time and time again. Getting her to see him as a man was the tricky part—until Shisui mentioned Itachi needed to get her alone.
From there, everything spiraled. Itachi pressed a hand against his head as he thought of all the stupid things he had done in his life (which were remarkably few) and the things he had done in just the previous week.
Purposefully putting a lash in his own eye was harder than he expected. Mostly because eyes had the nasty penchant of cleaning themselves and it forced him to fish it out and stick it onto his eyeball more than once, hoping to get her attention and ensuring she would notice it bothered him. Shisui's master plan had been for him to woo her while she worked his eyes—that backfired. She looked irritated, and even more so when she found out that the lash was all that bothered him.
Next was the cough. A wave of inspiration hit him when he found that most of the Konoha elite were coughing—a clear sign of the changing seasons. Unfortunately, she was less than impressed by his second excuse to be alone with her. Of course, Itachi noticed his smiles and attention flattered her, but he wasn't sure she appreciated it until he chanced touching the strip of skin on her back. The sigh she let out and the look in her eyes had kept him up all night. As did the fact that she couldn't keep her eyes off him during her lunch—stroke of luck, that was. He needed to thank Shisui for that one.
But then he had been walking home after a mission and spotted her in a bar with Shizuo—Shizuo of all people. He looked like a discount version of Shisui, but had the hygiene of a toad and the reputation of a horrible lover. Itachi had heard the gossip. Everyone except Sakura had heard the rumors.
The idea of Shizuo touching her, combing through her pink hair with his fingers or touching her… The idea of Shizuo fucking Sakura and hearing her moan was enough to drive him mad with jealousy. He had gone off to do his usual kunai training session in hopes of distracting himself, only to find that in his distraction, the final kunai slipped from his fingers and slices cleanly through his skin. At least now he had a decent excuse to call her to the hospital and interrupt her night. He figured she would forgive him once she saw the cut was legit—though not before calling him a little shit—and he'd have another, longer chance at talking to the woman who had stolen his heart.
Instantly, his cock hardened as he remembered the breathy way in which she uttered her name. No Itachi-kun. No 'younger brother of'. Just him.
Unable to stop himself this time, Itachi gripped his rock hard erection.
He fantasized about her hundreds of times over the last years—what she would taste like when he kissed her. How she would sound when he pleased her. How her face would flush if he touched her. Itachi tugged harder as he remembered the way she pressed her thighs together—he wondered how aroused she had been and the knowledge that he had made her wet caused him to groan as he stroked himself faster.
Next time, he vowed as he smoothed his palm over his length, next time he would kiss her. He would bury his fingers beneath those tight skirts she liked wearing and draw a moan from her lips. He imagined thrusting his fingers into her, how her walls would try to pull him deeper as her juices overflowed his hands. How she would look when she came below him...
Itachi breathed hard, digging his heels into his mattress as pleasure spiked through his body, gripping the base of his cock as he came—cum dribbling down from the head onto his fingers. He permitted himself a moment before returning to his strokes, prolonging the pleasure as he imagined himself sliding into Sakura, drawing out another few spurts before leaning over to grab a tissue from his nightstand and clean himself up.
He wasn't satisfied.
Not at all.
Next time, he vowed, next time he would kiss Haruno Sakura.
"No," Sakura said, crossing her arms.
"Haruno-sensei," Mika pleaded, clapping her hands together while making a bow. "Shizune-san has the flu, and she explicitly asked for you to take over her annual check-ups for today."
Sakura's eyes fluttered shut at that as she contemplatedthe ways in which the universe screwed her over. The yearly exams were the worst. Simply the worst. Though it depended on which rank shinobi she had to ask to strip, breathe, and ask invasive questions, it ranged from uncomfortable to wildly inappropriate—exacerbated by the fact most male shinobi did everything in their power to avoid the exams. Most doctors at Konoha Hospital could skip the tedious task every other year.
Last year was supposed to be Sakura's year off. Of course, that was the year Tsunade skipped on the exams and throw Sakura under the bus, who not only drew Naruto—notorious for farting when anxious and gods, was he anxious during physicals—she also drew Kakashi and had subsequently devoted most of her day chasing the man down.
"I'm supposed to be off this year," Sakura said, exasperation tingeing her voice. "Ask Shina-san."
"She has a cold too."
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Convenient, that."
Mika gave her a look that rivaled Pakkun's best puppy dog look before Sakura reluctantly sighed. "Fine. When is the first one?"
"Half an hour," Mika said, chipper as she scurried toward Sakura's desk and dumped the case files. "Emi-san will be there for observation. We told her she could learn from the best and should enjoy this opportunity."
"Flattery will get you far," Sakura sighed, waving Mika off as the young nurse made an exit. With a pinch to the bridge of her nose, Sakura took the first case file and opened the folder, at which point, her name fell upon a very familiar name and Uchiha Itachi's shinobi registration picture.
"Oh fu—"
Then matters got worse.
"Sakura."
She turned round to find Sasuke leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "Please tell me you're not due for an exam because out of Team Seven yours is the only one I haven't seen, and I'd like to keep it that way."
He looked almost offended, arching a brow. "What is going on with Itachi?"
"Why, what is going on with Itachi?" she asked, mentally facepalming at how obvious she was that something was going on. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her as he cocked his head in that infuriating way that revealed her she wasn't fooling him at all.
"He's been here three times this week. I assume you treated him."
"Please, the first time was because he cut up Shisui during training," Sakura said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face as she moved him into more comfortable territory. "The second time, he thought he was getting sick. He's not."
Sasuke's delicate eyebrow nearly approached his hairline by now. She was bizarrely curious to see how high he could lift it. Could it actually merge with his hair? He was cutting it close. "Then yesterday, came in with a cut and I healed it. Do you check up on all your clan members like that?"
"He's my little brother."
"On that note—I'm off to do his physical today."
"You did physicals last year," he pointed out.
"I know," she said through clenched teeth.
Sasuke considered that for a moment. "Tsunade-sama?"
"Shizune has the flu."
He snorted in a way that told her he felt the same about Shizune's alleged ailment. "Well, I'll leave you to it."
She gave him a dirty look. "By the way, stop telling your clan members I'm their personal medic. Sometimes, I actually enjoy being at home for once and not getting summoned for a cut that any first-year medic can handle."
Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "You do a good job. Tezuka still looks like he came out of some sort of horror novel—his nose is about three centimeters from where it used to be."
"Well—" she began, but clamped her mouth shut. "That bad, huh?"
"He scares aunt Uruchi whenever he enters the district."
"Fine, keep sending your clan members," Sakura relented. "But you're cooking during missions for the next six months to make up for it."
Sasuke looked unimpressed. "Like I'd trust you or Naruto with my meals." He turned to leave, but something caught his attention as he halted mid-stride and considered her. "Itachi hasn't gone out for a mission in a while."
"He got injured during a spar session with Shisui," Sakura explained, internally begging for Sasuke to stop asking questions lest she had to tell him that Itachi got distracted and that the reason for his distraction was the lovely pink-haired lady in front of Sasuke and that would just open up a whole new—
"Shisui has been gone on a mission since Monday."
'Ohoho, the plot thickens,' Inner Sakura cackled with glee as Real Sakura stood agape. "Come again?"
"Shisui left for Mist on Monday morning. He's not due to return for another week."
Sakura cleared her throat. "I must have misunderstood."
"Hn," Sasuke offered. He shrugged, shook his head, then disappeared from the hallway.
A full five minutes before her exam with Itachi was supposed to start, Haruno Sakura was doing the most adult thing one could do when faced with the man one was now (secretly) crushing on, and hid in a supply closet. So far, she had done one valiant attempt to lecture herself that she was not being professional, that Uchiha Itachi was 'twenty-three!' and 'Sasuke's younger brother', followed by a resounding slap on both cheeks as she ventured to slap some sense into herself and a strict promise she could not have dango for an entire month if her brain failed her again.
At least Emi would be present during the physical. How Sakura was supposed to survive Uchiha Itachi stripped down to his underwear when the sensation of her finger against his wrist caused her to blush like a housewife reading Icha Icha, she had no idea. But there was someone else there who could hold her accountable for her actions and Sakura always did well when she needed to teach. She would be the most clinical doctor there was.
With a resolute nod at herself in the grimy mirror, Sakura straightened her white coat, clutched the clipboard that held all of Itachi's information and traipsed out of the supply closet like she hadn't been in there for the last fifteen minutes having a panic attack.
'Right. I'm just going to have a look at Uchiha Itachi and his physical condition and his penis and it's all fine. It's just another penis,' she told herself, maintaining a casual tone as she strode toward the exam room where Itachi would surely wait for her. 'Just me, Emi, and the penis I've daydreamed about. Isn't the first time, won't be the last. Only thing that's different is that Itachi knows.'
She stopped in the middle of the hallway. 'Oh god he knows.'
Emi, fresh-faced with an enormous smile, stood waiting for her outside the room. Sakura wondered if she could pretend to faint, or to have come down with a spontaneous form of plague that would compel her to stay home for at least until physicals were over. She sucked in a breath and straightened her shoulders, marching in.
Itachi looked surprised to see Sakura. "Itachi-kun," Sakura greeted while doing her best impersonation of Sasuke. "Unfortunately, Shizune-san has fallen ill. I'll be conducting your physical today."
'I should've given him some warning,' Sakura realized belatedly as a myriad of emotions passed behind his eyes within the span of a few seconds. "Please strip down to your underwear and take a seat on the table when you're ready."
Proud to have gotten through the initial exchange with little more than a heart that skipped several beats at the sight of Itachi and clammy hands, Sakura closed the door behind her and gestured for Emi to be seated beside the table. "Emi-san will observe today," Sakura said, keeping her eyes averted as Itachi took his shirt off. She persuaded herself that the rustling of his pants did nothing for her as she picked up a pen and tested it on the paper. It wasn't until she heard the paper sheet swishing that she turned around to face him—only for her mouth to run dry at the sight of him.
Uchiha Itachi was gorgeous. She had seen Sasuke shirtless before and more than enough of Naruto and Kakashi, not to mention all the other Konoha shinobi she had conducted tests on, but Itachi was something else. 'Or perhaps that's the hormones,' she thought, only slightly less rational than usual. A cursory glance from the corner of her eye told her Emi was slack-jawed and eyeing Itachi with the same energy Chouji would eye his beef on the grill.
If Itachi was conscious of Emi staring at him like she wanted to map out all the ridges of his sculpted abdomen, he didn't show it. Instead, he was entirely fixated on her, a small, amused smile playing on his face. 'Little shit,' she thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him. She cleared her throat, startling Emi out of her muscle-induced trance and walked up to Itachi.
"Alright Uchiha-san, we'll be start with some quick check-ups, draw some blood for the annual test later and we'll have some questions for you," Sakura said, clicking her pen. "Questions?" she asked while hooking the pen onto the clipboard.
"I've gone from Itachi-kun to Uchiha-san in the span of five minutes," Itachi said, speaking for the first time that day. She pretended not to be affected by it. "Have I offended you?"
Sakura laughed her best fake laugh, hoping to telepathically send the message that she thought him to be a little shit. "I wasn't aware," she lied through her teeth. The look in his eyes informed her Itachi knew she was lying, and he wasn't having it. Then a slight smile formed. If there was any good left in the universe, the message about him being a little shit had arrived.
She took her stethoscope into her hands and turned over her clipboard to Emi. Itachi had spread his legs enough for her to stand in between, the warmth of his body radiating and quickly turning up the heat in the room. She tried to feign indifference as she pressed the diaphragm of her stethoscope directly to his chest, relishing the brief hiss he let out as the chilly steel touched his chest. 'Serves you right,' Sakura thought, tuning in to his heartbeat.
Itachi's pulse was elevated yet again, thrumming against his chest, despite his outward calm appearance. That he was this anxious just being near her produced a slight smile, which he reciprocated when her eyes flickered up to meet his.
"Everything looks fine," she said with an acknowledgment to Emi. Sakura withdrew from his warmth and circled round the table to check out his lungs next, instructing him to breathe in and out while she listened and told herself she wasn't paying attention to the way all the muscles in his back rippled with each breath he took. Instead, she kept her eyes trimmed on the crimson swirl of his ANBU tattoo on his shoulder and droned the results to Emi.
She monitored Emi as she drew blood from his arm, quite proficiently too, and instructed her on how to handle the vial, explaining to both that the bloodwork would be done by the laboratory and only in case of something aberrant would Itachi be notified. She allowed Emi to go through the questionnaire they had prepared for each patient and tried her hardest not to listen in to the questions regarding his sexual history—instead opting for a poker face that would make Kakashi proud while staring at the window.
"Okay, Uchiha-san," Emi spoke up, clicking her pen. "That's all the questions we have for you. We... uhm... need to check your—" she coughed, looking to Sakura for help.
"We'd like to examine your genitalia," Sakura said, pretending Jiraiya, Gai, Raidou or anyone else was sitting on her table, proud that she managed the words out without stammering and while still sounding like herself—a 28-year-old, professional woman who had seen many a phallus in her life.
A knock on the door.
"Haruno-sensei," a male voice called—Izaya-sensei, no doubt—"Is Emi-san conducting the physical with you? Do you mind if I steal her from you? We have an emergency surgery and I could use an extra pair of hands."
Time slowed as she first caught the expression on Emi's face. She looked relieved not to have to look at Uchiha Itachi's penis, which was both juvenile because all doctors needed to get over that hurdle at some point, but also understandable because Sakura was very much opposed to seeing his penis and, most likely, for entirely different reasons.
Then she noticed Itachi and the temperature suddenly spiked thanks to the scorching look he gave her.
Sakura swallowed, rueing the fact that she woke up this morning. "Of course," she said, taking the clipboard from Emi. "Good luck, Izaya-sensei."
"Thank you, Haruno-sensei!"
Emi gave Itachi a quick bow before hurrying out the room. As the door fell closed with a click, Sakura took one deep breath and forced herself to remember all the un-sexy moments she had lived through doing these physical exams. "Alright, Itachi-kun."
"Yes, Haruno-sensei?"
His voice had dropped another octave, the low timbre of his dulcet tones reverberating throughout her entire being. She closed her eyes and pleaded for the universe to intervene—send someone inquiring after her, have Naruto take a kunai to the face, anything—but nothing happened as she spun around to find Itachi still half-naked, scrutinizing her with a quiet intensity.
"Do I make you uncomfortable?" he asked, voice soft.
She licked her lips. "Yes."
"In a good way?"
"No—yes." She sighed and pressed her palms against her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Itachi offered, and it sounded sincere. The next moment, the rustle of clothes caught her attention, and she watched as he put his shirt and pants back on. "I promise to return for my exam at a later time and ask for another physician."
Then, irrationally, anger set in. "Yes, you should."
Itachi raised his eyebrow at her, which reminded her of another irksome Uchiha. "And furthermore—why are you lying to me?" Sakura seethed, tossing her clipboard away as she crossed her arms. "Shisui is gone on a mission. How did you get injured?"
"A training accident," Itachi reluctantly admitted, rubbing one hand over the place she had healed the previous day.
"Because you're distracted?" Sakura scoffed. "Listen, I'm sure there are a lot of girls in Konoha for you to chase after and bed. I'm not sure why you've chosen me for your little game, but stop it."
He closed the distance between them, chest pressing against her back while his warm breath fanned over her neck, goosebumps forming on her skin. She wanted to tell him to back off, but the heat of his body against hers was both comforting and thrilling. He reached out to smooth her hair away from her neck, sending shivers down her spine and turning her stomach into a molten heat. "Is that all you think this is?" he whispered to her.
She turned to him, legs unsteady as her eyes met his. "Yes," she said, mouth feeling like ash.
Itachi let out a humorless sound and averted his eyes for a moment. Then he cupped her jaw and took a step closer, their chests now touching with every breath they took. "Sakura," he said, and she took a quick breath at the sound of her name falling from his lips. "I've watched you for nearly twenty years. At first, I adored your pink hair," his free hand combed through the locks of hair that had slipped loose from her bun, "and your green eyes and smile. Then, I learned you were brilliant. I watched you succeed where others failed, watched you win in battles against nii-san, listened to your jokes and your banter with your team." He reached and took both of her hands into his, her brain melting as her fingers sliding between his. "I've watched you take lives and bring them back with these hands."
"Itachi..." she whispered.
"This isn't a game to me, Sakura," he continued, ducking his head to find her eyes. "This isn't just sex. Yes, I want to taste you and touch you, but that is not all I want."
His word shot a bolt of desire sizzling deliciously through her veins as he crowded her against the wall of the examination room. His gaze lifted toward hers, a second of hesitation, as though he wondered whether she would let him kiss her. Itachi was so close that she could taste the dango on his breath, lips a fraction from hers and when he leaned in to kiss her—briefly, softly, tenderly—before leaning back and assessing her reaction, Sakura pushed her hands up his chest and folded her arms around his neck, pulling him in.
Their lips met in slow and hungry kisses that caused her to whimper and him to groan. He had placed his hands on the wall, caging her with his body and controlled every brush of their lips and every tilt of the head as he devoured her soft sounds. Sakura melted in his embrace, legs feeling too weak to stand on as she let out a soft moan, allowing Itachi to slip his tongue into her mouth.
He tasted like she had expected and yet better than anything she had ever tasted before.
Her hands itched to touch him, fingers sliding into the base of his ponytail, the other falling between them, searching for the hem of his clothes. The feel of his tongue slipping sensuously against hers fanned the arousal that sunk hot into her lower belly, turning their kisses more frenzied and needy as she curled her digits beneath his shirt and touched the hard plane of his abdomen. The tips of her fingers found the stripe of hair she knew was there, brushing her knuckles against it as she sought the waistband of his pants.
Itachi lowered one of his arms to her rear, pressing her against his arousal as his other hand cradled the back of her head to guide their kiss. He pulled gently away from their kiss, breathless as he observed her for a moment longer, thumb finding her kiss-swollen lips.
Unable to stop herself, Sakura allowed her fingers to dip into his pants, below the waistline of his boxers, and whimpered as she found what she was looking for. Her body buzzed at the feel of him, hot and thick in the palm of her hand. Itachi was breathing hard, eyes darkened with desire, and he let his head fall back with a groan. "Sakura..."
Sakura's heart pounded hard against her chest as she slipped down to the floor, kneeling before him. Gods, how she wanted to feel him, taste him... she wanted him to lovingly fill her up while repeating all he said to her before. Itachi was looking down at her, brow pinched as he worked out what she was about to do. "You don't have to," he whispered, voice hoarse.
She raised her eyes to meet his while she pulled his waistband down, his cock bobbing free from its confines just in front of her face. Sakura sucked in a breath at the sight of it, following the trail of dark hair from his bellybutton to the base of his cock. She curled her fingers around his shaft and breathed in, her mouth watering at the scent of his arousal and the faint scent of his soap. She looked up his body, finding Itachi staring at her with intent, eyes rolling back as she pressed a kiss onto the tip before flattening her tongue against him. He released a breathy moan, the sound of it sending a burst of heat and arousal coursing through her body.
Itachi had placed his forearm against the wall, forehead leaning against it as she began stroking his length with her tongue, tasting him and suckling at his balls before running the tip of her tongue along the thick vein that throbbed from base to tip. His free hand shot down, finding its way under her shirt and into the cup of her bra. She whimpered as he began rolling her nipple between dextrous fingers, taking him fully into her mouth.
Sakura leaned back, deliberately swirling her tongue around the head of his cock before pushing him back into her mouth, her hand stroking at whatever she she couldn't fit. She repeated the move over and over, looking up to find him breathing hard or gritting his teeth in order not to make sounds. The sight of him, this powerful shinobi under her spell, was more arousing than she had expected. She was certain she had soaked through her panties, moisture smearing the inside of her thighs.
Within the confines of her mouth, Itachi grew harder, breath stuttering as she increased her movements, hands finding his ass and pushing him deeper until he hit her throat over and over as his hips buckled. She could tell he was getting closer to the edge. He reached for her, cupping the side of her head as she looked up, and sucked and lapped until he left out a stifled groan and released into her mouth. She swallowed around him, moaning as she tasted him and slotted her tongue against the tip of his cock, swallowing the last drops before releasing his softening length and looking up to face him.
An incredulous smile painted Itachi's face, as if he couldn't quite comprehend what just happened, before he leaned down and lifted her from the ground. She swallowed a yelp as he carried her to the examination table and sat her on the end, his talented fingers slipping beneath her skirt to feel where she had soaked through her panties. "Your mouth is incredible, Sakura," he said lowly into her ear, lazily stroking her through the drenched fabric. "Are you this wet because of me? Did you enjoy sucking my cock?"
"Yes," she hissed, clutching at the front of his shirt.
He let out a low groan, reaching over to cradle the back of her head as he leaned in for another kiss. Itachi eased her lips apart, touching his tongue to hers, tasting himself on her tongue. Letting out a shuddering breath, Sakura stilled as Itachi's fingers traced the rim of her panties, fingertips teasing, and moved to slide under—
"Sakura-san!"
In less than a second, Itachi had pulled her skirt down and leapt to a safe distance as Emi knocked on the door again. "We have another emergency in ER 2. Are you done examining Uchiha-san?"
She breathed hard, straightening her skirt and hair before marching toward the door, opening it to find Emi behind. "I've finished Uchiha-san's physical. He's cleared on all levels," Sakura said, and strode out of the room.
Sakura wasn't sure how she had gotten through the complicated surgery when all she could think of was Itachi's hands on her... Itachi's mouth on hers... Itachi's cock sliding between her lips... but somehow she made it through. Thanking her eidetic memory for the help, Sakura made her way back into her office and closed the door behind her, eyes closing as the recollections of that afternoon washed over her.
She had let Uchiha Itachi kiss her.
Not only that; she had sucked his cock.
Swallowing a desperate sound, Sakura buried her face in her hands as she tried to stow away the memories, but the more she tried, the more she found herself enjoying little details from their encounter—like the way his entire body tensed before coming. And the way he said her name without honorific.
'This isn't a game to me, Sakura. This isn't just sex. Yes, I want to taste you and touch you, but that is not all I want.'
She felt dizzy with desire as she pushed off the door to her desk, intent on grabbing the flask of sake she had hidden away for emergencies. She felt feverish and light-headed as she plopped down in her chair and opened drawer after drawer in search of her stash, only to find it missing. 'Tsunade-sama,' she thought, gritting her teeth as she resurfaced over her desk, only to find she wasn't alone in the room.
"Emergency over?" Itachi asked, fingers slipping over the lock on her door.
"Stop looking at me like that," Sakura grumbled even as her thighs involuntarily clenched. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about his fingers, so close to where she wanted him to touch her.
"How am I looking at you?" Itachi said, closing the distance between them. Sakura got out of her chair and circled toward the far end of her desk, causing him to stop in his footsteps.
"Like I just gave you head."
A shy smile broke out on his face. "Well-"
"Don't say it," Sakura groaned.
He observed her for a long moment, dark eyes flickering back and forth between hers. "Do you regret it?"
"No," she said, surrendering a breath as she leveled him with a stare. "No, I don't regret it."
"Can I kiss you?"
"Now?"
He chuckled. "Whenever you like."
His smile was infectious, she decided, as a matching one tugged at her lips. "Okay."
Itachi moved round the desk faster than she had prepared for, wrapping an arm around her waist while the other tangled into her hair. She gasped, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, and then she was lost.
He kissed her like a ravenous man, spilling all the desire and temptation he felt for her in every stroke of his tongue against hers while pressing himself hard against her. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of her mind, the doubt and worries that she had about Itachi all faded for a sense of happiness that filled her with giddiness. She beamed as he kissed her, stroked her hair and her shoulders and her back.
Itachi pulled back, an identical emotion playing out on his face, but then he began tracing his fingers over the tops of her breasts and her giddiness faded for soft whimpers as he unhurriedly mapped her body with his fingers, tilting her head back so he could kiss and lick and nip at her throat and collarbone. "Itachi-" she sighed as she clung to his vest.
"I like it when you say my name, Sakura," he breathed into her ear. He maneuvered them around and forced her against a wall, his hands steady as he brought her arms up and followed the stretch of them, fingers interlacing above her head as he pinned her. Sakura angled her head up to his, melding her lips against his, starving for more of his eager kisses.
"You're so lovely," Itachi said. He eyed the door from the corner of his eye. "How are the chances of us being undisturbed for a while?"
"Medium to high, I'd say," Sakura said, tilting her head back to look at Itachi's hands intertwined with hers. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"
"I have to report for a mission in thirty minutes," Itachi said, regret tingeing his voice as he leaned forward to press his lips against hers. "But I thought I'd come tell you I'll be away for a while... and see if I can repay you for earlier."
"Ita-" she began, but Itachi interrupted her by turning her around. His hand dipped into her shirt, caressing the tops of her breasts before slipping under the cup of her bra, stroking her nipple with his thumb. She sighed, feeling how hard he was as he pushed against her, as Itachi's other hand found the hem of her skirt and lifted it up.
He took his time, running his fingers up and down the inner parts of her thighs while he nibbled at her earlobe and kissed her neck with so much abandon she felt like she was about to drown. There wasn't sufficient air in the office, the arousal-induced dizziness causing her knees to crumple beneath her weight as Itachi's fingers feathered the rim of her underwear. Behind her, his cock twitched against her as he grazed the seam between her thigh and outer lips, pulling her drenched underwear to the side.
Itachi pulled her cup over her beast, the weight of it falling into his one hand as he kneaded and fondled it and her nipple until it pebbled beneath his capable fingers. "Itachi..." she implored, fingers pressing hard against the wall of her office.
"Yes, Sakura?"
Faintly, she comprehended he was delaying for this—he was waiting for her to lose control and beg for his touch. 'That little shit,' she thought, but it was toothless, as she laid her head back on Itachi's shoulder. "I want you."
The sharp intake of breath gratified her, even more so when it was followed by Itachi's finger tracing the length of her slit and slid back up with agonizingly slow movement until he pressed his fingers against her clit. He stroked her with sure movements, making tight little circles that had her heart throbbing like mad in her chest as moisture dripped past her folds. Itachi nipped at her neck, his hard cock rocking against her as he moved along with her movements, drawing gasps and whimpers from her as he brought her closer and closer to the abyss.
"You're so wet," Itachi said darkly, sucking harshly on the skin above her collarbone as he sank two of his fingers into her folds. The sensation of him breaching her with just his finger drew a whine from her throat. "Sh, Sakura, do you want people to hear you?"
That they were in her office in the midst of a full hospital should have horrified her, but it only served to pour oil on top of the flames of her desire. She rolled her hips against his hand, clit bumping against the palm of his hand as he continued his actions, the wet sound of her arousal filling the room.
His second hand left her breast, only to find her clit. Itachi pinched and circled her clit, dragging his fingers almost entirely out of her before driving them back in, curling inside of her to reach that perfect place that stole the breath of her. The wet slick of her body only intensified as he worked, his heated breath against her neck, holding her so close to him as he manipulated her body skillfully, fingers dancing across her hot flesh as he edged her on and on until the stars burst behind her eyes and she came.
Itachi wrapped a hand around her mouth, stifling her sobs as she climaxed over his fingers, desperately clenching for something that wasn't there. He curled his fingers to draw out the pleasure and contractions that wracked her from within. Itachi moaned low in her ear, enjoying her release as he coiled his hips harder against her, his cock thrusting between the valley of her rear, taunting her with the fullness only Itachi could offer her.
Her body squirmed in his arms as Itachi held her in place and released her when it was over. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, hugging her against his body while the fingers that lingered deep within her slowly continued fucking her, pinpricks of pleasure hot over her sensitive skin. "I love seeing you come, Sakura."
Dazed, she twisted in his arms, finding a soft smile on Itachi's lips even despite the heat dancing behind his dark eyes. He swallowed, smoothing a hand over his arousal before leaning in to seize her lips in a toe-curling kiss that overwhelmed her with its intensity.
"I loved watching you come," she retorted, flattening her hand against his cock. His eyes fluttered shut, undoubtedly in an attempt to stop himself, but Sakura wrapped her hand around it through his pants and gave it a few hard tugs. He clenched his teeth, hands finding the wall and opened his eyes, dark desire fanned with each movement of her hand.
He laid a hand over hers. "If you don't stop now, I'm going to bend you over the desk and have you right here, Sakura."
Sakura licked her lips, uncomprehending how she had just come more intensely than she had in years, but he had managed to turn the desire right back on. She wanted him to fill her, to know how deliciously his hard cock would stretch her—to see his face when he spilled himself into her, but the rational part of her, though buried far away, warned her they were in a very public place and that thanks to Itachi's older brother, another Uchiha could ask for her at any given time. With reluctance, Sakura pulled her hand away from his erection and looked up to meet his gaze.
"Stop looking at me like that," Itachi said.
"How am I looking at you?" she answered.
"Like you want me to bend you over and have you."
"Little shit."
Itachi chuckled as she straightened her bra. Just as she was about to pull her underwear out of her ass, Itachi kneeled before her and pulled up her skirt. "What are you doing?" she asked as he hiked it up high enough to explore her drenched center and leaned forward.
"Getting a taste of what I'll be missing for the next few days."
He didn't give her enough time to be self-conscious as he ran his tongue up and down her folds at that exact moment, teasing her sensitive clit with the tip of his tongue before grabbing her hips and pressing her aching center against his mouth. He suckled on her clit, cleaned off her dripping center and with a last caress over her lips, stood to his feet and licked his lips.
"I'll see you soon, Sakura," he promised, taking her face into both hands and laying a kiss on her lips. "We'll continue this when I return."
The next moment, Sakura was alone in the office.
"So, how was your amorous congress with Itachi?" Ino asked, a few days later over drinks.
A drop of her drink promptly slid down the wrong hole and Sakura coughed as the drink came back through her nose, reaching for the napkin Ino so generously handed to her. "What?!"
"Y'know. How was burying the weasel?" Ino said, before bursting into giggles. "Burying the weasel. Because, you know—"
"I know," Sakura groused. "I haven't slept with Uchiha Itachi."
In the privacy of her own mind, she added: 'Yet.'
"Please. I saw him leave the exam room after you rushed out, all blushing and sweating and he was looking a very, very happy man. Then, of course, when I later tried to corner you in your office, I noticed him slipping in." Ino's grin widened. "Is that a coincidence, Ha-ru-no-san?"
"Complete coincidence," she lied through her teeth.
"Oh, come on, Forehead," Ino pled.
Sakura eyed her best friend. "Can I count on you to be discreet about this?"
Ino looked offended. "Listen, I might gossip with you, but I'd never gossip about you. Who the hell do you think I am? Tenten?"
"He fingered me in my office and I gave him head."
Ino's smile fell as her face turned into a prime example of what 'incredulous' looked like—eyes wide, mouth hanging open, and agog. "You what?"
"You heard me and I'm not saying it again," Sakura said, sipping from her purple cocktail. She liked this one. She was also determined not to be ashamed of what she had done—she was a grown woman and she happened to be attracted to a younger man. So what? It wasn't as if he was still underage, or even a teenager. Itachi had graduated from the Academy when he was seven and turned ANBU and jounin before she had, or even Sasuke who secretly loathed that it was taking so long for him to be cordially invited to ANBU. He was smart, handsome, ridiculously sexy and Sakura was going to fuck his brains out when he returned.
Nodding to herself, she sucked another sip from her straw and let her gaze meet Ino's, who was undoubtedly imagining the straw in Sakura's mouth to be Itachi's penis.
Ino gulped back the rest of her drink and lifted her glass at the bartender, tapping the rim before setting it down on the edge of the table. Dead serious, she leaned over and eyed Sakura, all humor gone from her face. "Sakura, I'm going to ask you a favor. The most important favor I'll ever ask you. As your best friend, you can't refuse me this."
"I'm not going into details."
"Argh," Ino said, clawing at her cheeks. "Light details. LIGHT. Like... How was his dick?"
'Long, thick, throbbing and smelling deliciously of him,' Inner Sakura cackled.
"It was nice."
"Nice. Nice, she says," Ino said with a hysterical laugh as the server reached the table with her drink. She plucked it deftly from his hands and took a few big sips. The server gave her a worried look but departed when Sakura smiled and nodded at him. "Was he good?"
"He was great," Sakura said, tracing the rim of her drink as she thought about Itachi's hands all over him and his voice in her ear, edging her on. He told her he would be back within a few days—a week had passed since.
A week was nothing in a shinobi life, nor was it a big deal. Most missions ended when indicated, but sometimes they ran for longer. It was fine—there was no doubt in her mind Itachi would find her the moment he returned. But she couldn't deny that she missed him. Even before his little plans to catch her attention, Itachi had been around all the time. It wasn't until he had left that she realized exactly how often she had seen him, supposedly checking in on his team mates in the hospital, or stumbling into her at the grocers, or accidentally at the same restaurant as her. How long had he been trying to catch her attention, and how had she not noticed how often Itachi was around?
Ino raised her eyebrows. "What's that tone?"
"What tone?"
"Are you falling for this kid?"
Inwardly bristling at the word 'kid', Sakura scoffed at Ino.
"No, don't brush me off like that," Ino said, keen eyes scanning her face. "Are you?"
"I—" she sighed. "I don't know. I thought this was just a game to him and it turned out it wasn't."
"Go on."
Sakura sighed and pinched her brow. "I confronted him during his physical and told him to stop the games. He told me he had been watching me for years and all the things he liked about me and-" she met Ino's inquisitive gaze. "It's more than a game to him, Ino."
Ino laid her cheek in her hand. "Is it more than a game to you?"
"I don't know."
"Well, go get his banana peeled and find out!" Ino said enthusiastically. She bit her lip and looked Sakura over. "Did he make you come?"
"Get another drink for me and you might find out."
"Bartender!"
Another two weeks passed by with no sign of Uchiha Itachi.
She thought about surreptitiously asking Sasuke whether his younger brother had returned from his missions, but she decided against it in the end. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke was sharp. Even an innocuous question like 'when is your brother returning so I can do the mattrass mambo with him' would set him off like a hound.
And so Sakura found herself frustrated and with her emotions in a jumbled mess on top of her sheets.
"That little shit," she said to her ceiling, pushing her hands into her hair. First, he makes it so that all she can do is think about him and long for him because that ridiculously hot moment in her office and his exam room was definitely not enough, then he had the gall to make her wait for over three weeks and counting?
The worst thing was that nothing was enough.
After a week and drinking way too many drinks with Ino, who was dead-set on pumping her for information, Sakura had tried to bring herself to climax with her fingers as she imagined Itachi sliding himself into her in her office and pounding her over the desk as she had hoped he would. The fantasy was good, the climax happened, but then... a feeling of dissatisfaction came over her. It wasn't enough.
Next, she had tried filling herself with that fucking unicorn vibrator (same size but without Itachi's thickness) and found that while it did the job, the moment she came ended like it did before—with her being bothered and vexed.
This time, she had taken the entire night and stroked herself so much her clit was stinging by the end. Several climaxes, but nothing like the one Itachi had given her with only his fingers. Her body seemed to hunger for him and it was then that she had given up on getting a good night's rest until the return of the illustrious man with the fingers.
Still, as her eyes gradually became heavier, Sakura couldn't deny she was getting a little worried. Missing him was one thing; being unable to fall asleep without him there was another. Even if she had never fallen asleep in his arms before, somehow she knew it would be the best night's rest she would ever have.
A soft knock on her door woke her after she had fallen into a fitful sleep. Groaning, Sakura rolled herself out of bed, tossed on a shirt that would cover most of her, and padded to the door. Preparing herself for yet another summons to the hospital, she opened up the door just enough to stick her head out.
On the other side was Itachi.
She stared at him.
Within three strides, he had entered her home and pushed the door shut behind him, hands on her hips as he crowded her against the door and melded his lips with her. She whimpered, grabbing his arms as arousal shot through her midsection. He laid his forehead against hers, dark eyes looking back and forth between hers. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," she admitted shyly.
He let out a soft, happy sound. "Did you?"
"Yes, you little shit. Now kiss me."
Itachi brushed his nose against hers, allowing their breaths to mingle together. "Yes, Haruno-sensei."
With that, he slanted his mouth over hers.
She arched her body into his, tongues sweeping and exploring. She took his tongue between her teeth and licked it, giving it a quick suck before releasing him. Itachi groaned at that and held her closely to him as he brushed against her lips, tasted her mouth, nibbled her lips, and caressed the corner of her mouth with his. With every kiss and stroke of the tongue, the fire in her belly grew, the spot between her legs slowly drenching with her juices as Itachi lavished her with his attention.
Itachi groaned as she pressed herself harder against her, hand slipping from her neck to her breast, where he thumbed her nipple until it became erect, and moved to do the same with the other. With a heady look in his eyes, Itachi ducked his head and drew it into his mouth, laving it through the thin material of her shirt. She whimpered and took hold of his ponytail, rubbing her legs together as he held onto her waist while suckling on her chest. She reached down, finding his cock straining against his pants, and gave him a few tugs.
The effect on him was instantaneous. He grabbed her hand and pinned her against her door with sufficient strength that she would normally punt him through a wall for, but now it only aroused her more as he breathed hard and slipped his fingers between her legs, no doubt expecting to find panties. Dark eyes lifted to hers, an all-consuming hunger pooling behind them as he groaned and leaned in, close enough to whisper in her ear: "You're not wearing underwear."
"I guess they don't call you a genius for nothing."
There was a moment in which he was stunned, chest pressing hard against hers with every breath he took. She could see he was desperately trying to reign himself in, but she had waited too long for this to happen and wanted nothing more than for him to lose his control and make the sounds he had made when she sucked his cock.
Then the moment passed.
He wrapped his hands around her thighs, hoisting her up against the door. A second later, she heard the rustle of his pants as he freed himself. Unable to breathe, Sakura looked him in the eye as he followed the line of her slit with the tip of his cock, collecting her dew, breaths mingling, frenzied heartbeats synchronizing before Itachi pushed past her folds and filled her in one magnificent stroke.
She gasped as though all the air was driven out of her lungs, fingers clawing at his shoulders as she searched for purchase, but Itachi adjusted his grip on her legs and began pushing into her with deep, mind-blowing thrusts. He shoved her entire body against the door with each push, grabbing her hands and pinning them above her head while her thighs locked tight around him. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that Itachi—Uchiha Itachi—was fucking her against her door and that anyone who happened to pass by would be sure to know what was happening, but she entwined her fingers with his and surrendered to him and his talented hands and mouth and— "Oh," she cried out as he hit that sweet spot within her.
He moved them away from the door then, lifting her up and then letting her slide down his member while he carefully walked through the hallway with her. The sensation of him keeping her in place with only his powerful hands near overwhelming her. Her fingers crept under her shirt, removing it from her body and exposing her breasts to him. Itachi stood still with her in the middle of the corridor, eyes darkening further as he admired her before kissing her sternum, down to the tops of her breast until he sucked a nipple into his mouth, teasing her sensitive tip with his dextrous tongue.
She wrapped her arms around him, holding his face close to her as he suckled at her, still lifting her up and down on his cock until they reached the bedroom. "You feel so good..." she said to him, eyes screwed shut as she allowed the pleasure wash over her. Itachi let out a masculine groan as he licked and sucked on her, releasing her nipple to find the other as he lowered her onto the bed.
As her back hit the mattrass, Itachi lifted his gaze to look at her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders. "Look at us," he whispered hoarsely, then returned his eyes to where their bodies met.
Even in the dark, she could see the moisture that coated his cock every time he withdrew until just the tip remained in her, only to drive himself forward with enough force to move her up the bed and make her breast jiggle deliciously. The sight of their coupling had her clenching harder around him, mumbling nonsense at him to get him to go faster, but Itachi kept at it with his slow but powerful pace, licking her from belly button to the valley between her breasts.
She touched him everywhere, kneading his shoulders and biceps and his strong chest, wrapping her arms around his neck, thighs around his hips as she gasped with every push of his hips, keened with every movement that hit that spot deep within her.
Without warning, her orgasm hit her.
She clung onto him, crying out her pleasure as he reached that delicious spot deep within her, walls trembling around him as her body tried to pull him in even deeper. He drew out her climax with long, slow thrusts that had her losing her mind as he circled her nipples with his tongue. She clawed at him, back arching as white-hot stars combusted behind her eyes and left her sated in exactly the way she had hoped for.
As her orgasm ebbed away, Sakura cracked open an eye, finding Itachi on his haunches. He smiled at her, maneuvering a leg over his shoulder, and kissed her thigh while watching her with care. He was still rock hard and moving inside of her, her sensitive center begging for him to stop, even as it pleaded for more. "Exactly how I imagined it," he said, licking a stripe from knee to ankle.
"Is that so?" Sakura said with a laugh, embarrassed.
"Yes," Itachi cocked his head at her, hand caressing her belly. "I think I need to be inside of you like this all the time."
His words shot a pang of arousal throbbing through her body like lightning. In return, Itachi twitched within her, fingers tickling a path down to her curls. Sakura couldn't help but smile giddily at him; in his arms, she felt beautiful, like she was all he could see in the world. She stretched her arms over her head and took hold of her pillow. "I think you should be inside of me like this all the time."
"Excellent idea," Itachi said, punctuating his remark with a slam of his hips that stole her breath.
The move caused her to cry out as Itachi began crashing into her, one hand on her clit, drawing tight circles that build her arousal again and even higher than before. She moaned with every stroke, hands moving over Itachi's chest, her thumbs flicking over his nipples. "I don't know how much longer I can last," Itachi warned, slamming into her, rougher and harder with each snap of his hip, pulling her into him with all his might.
"Yes," she said over and over. Only half-aware that Itachi had taken hold of her, she felt herself lifting off the bed as he took her into his arms and began pounding into her with such abandon that she could hardly catch a breath—and then she was shouting his name as a burst of pleasure erupted inside of her, her nails scratching over his back..
"Sakura—" Itachi groaned, pulling her back to earth. "I'm close..."
"Come inside me, Itachi," Sakura said with a satisfied smile, taking hold of his shoulders as he let out a shuddering breath at the sound of her words. "I want to feel you come inside me..."
His voice cut off, his thrusts becoming sporadic as he jerked deep with her and released with a long, desperate sound. A warmth spilled into her, coating her walls with Itachi's essence. With one last thrust, Itachi buried himself to the hilt and stopped moving. She smiled and clenched down on him one last time, pressing him against her chest as she enjoyed the feel of his weight over her body.
"Was that how you imagined it?" she asked as she waited for her heart to return to normal. With Itachi pressed against her, it almost felt like both their hearts beat in unison. Her cheeks burned, but she didn't voice her thoughts—he would no doubt laugh at her cheesiness.
"Better," Itachi mumbled, kissing the sweat off her breasts.
"Same."
Itachi lifted his head, kissed his way up her chest to her neck and finally kissed her lips. "I'm glad," he said, his softening member slipping from between her legs. She felt the rush of moisture coating her center, but Itachi took her in his arms and rolled to his back, taking her with him.
"I'm a mess," Sakura warned, even as she sidled up to him, fingers darting over his chest.
"Give me a few more minutes."
She lifted her head. "For what?"
"Round two."
Sakura laughed. "You're insatiable."
He cracked open an eye at her. "I wasn't joking when I said I need to be in you like that all the time." A satisfied smile pulled at his lips.
"Fine. But this time, I get to go on top."
"Hmm," he acquiesced.
Somewhere in between the bliss of her orgasms and the satisfaction that penetrated even her deepest cells and pores, Sakura had fallen asleep until Itachi roused her for round two. She returned his kisses sloppily and whimpered at his caresses as he woke her. Drunk with sleep and arousal, Sakura put her knees on either side of him and took his cock into her hand, lowering herself onto it until there was nothing left to fit inside.
The sensation of him filling her so completely stilled her, hands on his abdomen as she let out a long sigh, walls clenching around him. As she opened her eyes, Itachi had taken hold of her hips, stroking her tenderly with his thumbs. She breathed in and pushed herself off until only the tip of his cock remained inside, and slid back down, gasping as his cock hit her right where she needed him most.
Before long, she was bouncing on top of his cock, watching Itachi as he looked at her as though entranced by her every movements; half-lidded dark eyes taking in the erotic bounce of her breasts and the place where they came together, watching her as she rocked herself against him, clit rubbing against his pelvis. He reached for her breasts, kneading them and weighing them as he rolled her nipple between his fingers and twisted lightly, causing her to take his hands into hers and pin him against the mattrass, using her chakra to keep him there.
His eyes darkened at that, seemingly turned on by her strength, as he lifted his head enough to press a kiss onto her sternum and suck a nipple into his mouth. She bit her lip and fucked him faster, alternating between bouncing hard on his cock and then softly rocking herself to completion.
He dug his heels into the bed then, thrusting upwards when she went down. "That's right, Sakura, ride me..." he said to her, licking her breasts as she took her pleasure from him, riding his body to build her orgasm. Her inner walls fluttered as she leaned forward and melded her lips against his, the taste of him on her tongue addictively good.
She let him go, steadying herself as she frantically continued her pace, letting him grab her waist and slap her ass hard enough that the pain made her gasp even as it sent a fresh flood of arousal coursing through her center—and then there was only the wet slap of their bodies meeting each other and the look in his eyes and the way he clenched his teeth to stop himself from coming and Sakura gasped as it washed over her like a tidal wave, her thighs quaking as she made herself come over his cock.
Boneless, she collapsed on top of him. He reached over to place his hands on her ass and slammed into her until he emptied himself within the confines of her tight folds. For a moment, they lay in quiet, Itachi's fingers caressing her back. He pushed back a sweaty strand of hair and looked at her, kissing her nose and cheeks as he held her face in both his hands. The look in his eyes melted her from within—it was a different one than the ones he had given her before; the desire and temptation were still there, but there was something else, something intenser than all of that.
A thrill raced through her body as Itachi kissed her and all the warmth she had seen in his eyes spread through her entire body, making her heart beat even faster against her chest. "You're beautiful," he said, and the emotion hidden within his hoarse voice near overwhelmed her.
He was still deep inside her, despite softening, pressed against every inch of her body, hands roaming over her and his eyes soft with an emotion she was afraid to mention, even though he had already made it clear how he felt about her.
In his arms, she felt like she belonged, and that both frightened and exhilarated her.
"Sakura," Itachi said, voice tinged by sleep.
"Hm?"
"We'll figure out the rest later."
She exhaled a breath that was more like a laugh and nodded at him. "Okay."
"Just one thing..."
"Hm?"
"If you call me 'little shit' again, I will use Sharingan on you."
"Is that supposed to be a threat or a promise?"
Itachi smirked. "Say it and find out."
"I'll save that for a special occasion."
"I can't wait."
- F I N -
E
This was the best, Uchiha Sasuke concluded, as he traversed the forests near Konoha with his new ANBU team. Sure he would miss Team Seven (though he wouldn't ever let them know that), but becoming ANBU was all he had dreamed of when he was younger, and to finally don that white vest after his younger brother joined over a decade ago left him both bitter and ecstatic at the same time.
"See that?" one of his team mates, Daigo, said in a low voice to Hiro.
"At it again, hm?" Hiro said with a laugh.
"Sh," Junpei said. "It's his little brother, you know."
That piqued his attention. Frowning, Sasuke turned to whatever it was they were looking at, only to freeze atop a branch that gave him a perfect view over his old training ground sixteen. It looked remarkably the same, even the pole where Naruto had been tied up by Kakashi, if not for the fact that his younger brother was currently fucking someone with all his might into that very pole.
Shocked, Sasuke felt his mouth drop. He staggered back, not knowing what to do and made to escape the scene and think about this later, when the sight of pink hair came into view and the face of one Haruno Sakura as she clutched onto his younger brother and screamed her release.
'Ah,' Sasuke realized, thinking back to a few days earlier when Itachi had poked his head into Sasuke's bedroom.
'Nii-san, congratulations on joining ANBU,' Itachi had said, looking genuinely happy for him.
'Thanks, Itachi,' Sasuke had said with a smile, waving him to come on.
'I just wanted to give you this,' Itachi had said, sliding a box over the tatami floor and laying it down in front of Sasuke. 'And to warn you—ANBU members like to play... jokes on new recruits. Test their mettle.'
'I'm sure I'll survive,' Sasuke said, reaching over to his younger brother to ruffle his hair. 'But thank you for the warning.'
Sasuke forced a chuckle from his lips as he observed the elaborate genjutsu his team had created for him, quelling the shamed feeling of seeing his brother and best friend (though he would never admit that to her) coupling. The rest of his ANBU team had stopped along with him and gave each other glances. His reaction wasn't what they had been expecting. Good.
Never let it be said they could rattle Uchiha Sasuke.
