Authors Note: I would say you're welcome for this update but I'm sure most of you are going to want to throw something at me for it lol. Enjoy! Thank you all for the support. I am estimating about 24 chapters being the earliest ending and 30 being the longest this story could be. It just depends on how everything goes lol. We are about to get into the last "arc."

Warning: Assault. Stalker. Violence.

The following morning, Sakura woke up with a start. Placing her hand on her blanket, ready to throw it off of her in a hurry should she need to, she listened in to the kitchen quietly. Hearing another noise, she slowly gets out of bed and tiptoes towards the kitchen with her weapon of choice: a brush, in hand.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here this early?" Groans out Sakura in relief. She has been on edge lately and it was starting to make her feel ridiculous. "Actually.. How did you even get in?"

"The door was unlocked," Gaara says as he shrugs and takes a moment of pause to place the egg carton back into the fridge. At that moment, Sakura's stomach rumbled lowly as the scent of bacon and eggs wafted into her nose. "Hungry?" Gaara teases and Sakura rolls her eyes. "Today is the new release of the new season for the new season of the bachelor, or did you forget?"

The bachelor was something that she and Gaara had taken to watching together. They hadn't watched it together since they broke up, but they were also all caught up on the episodes anyway. She was glad that he still wanted to do things like that with her.

"Of course not, I'm just not awake yet!"

They eat together and eventually find themselves on the couch with the t.v. remote. Once the intro to the show plays, Sakura situates herself. She knew that Gaara hated when she constantly moved during the show to get comfortable so she may as well find that position now. As the show started, Sakura couldn't help but zone out. She thought about how tired she was the night before, but she had never forgotten to lock the door before. That was weird and she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Was my door really unlocked?" She finds herself asking and Gaara looks at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, did you not mean to do it?"

"No, I didn't realize it was unlocked at all," Sakura says and bites her lip. She was a little worried now.

"Maybe you were so exhausted after driving last night that you forgot?" Gaara supplies and Sakura just shrugs.

"I guess it ended up being alright.."

And they let the conversation die there.

A couple days later, Sakura and Temari were on their normal morning jog. She was glad that this was a kept tradition between the two since the older woman had gotten married.

"Are you ready to circle back?" Temari asks as they stop by the water fountain in the park. She was breathing hard and was drenched. Sakura had noticed she hadn't had as much energy as of late, she hoped that she was okay.

"Sure, I have quite a bit of homework anyway," Sakura laughs and they refill their water bottles. Taking in a decent sized drink, she hums before they take off. The morning air felt nice and she welcomed the breeze. Summer would be coming in a couple of months and she was more than ready for it. Spotting her apartment complex, she picks up her pace a little bit. Turning her head to look for Temari, she stops suddenly and bumps into someone when she notices that Temari had stopped and was puking in a bush.

"I'm so sorry," she says hurriedly to the person in the hoodie as she rushes over to where Temari is. She could feel their gaze on her back but she was more concerned with her friend who was puking her guts out. "Are you okay?" She asks softly once the blonde had stopped.

"I will be.." She sighs out as she straightens up her back. "Do you mind if I chill at your place for a little bit? I don't want to drive when I'm still so nauseous, I'd really rather not have to clean puke out of my car." Temari and Shikamaru had gotten a house together during Spring break. They lived on the outer sections of the city, not quite country but not too busy for their tastes.

"Of course, here lets get going." Sakura and Temari make their way up to her apartment. Once they are there, Sakura sets to work in the kitchen to make a drink to help with her nausea. As she was working, she kept a watchful eye on Temari who was laying down on her couch. She looked a little pale but mainly tired. "How long has this been going on?" Sakura calls out, wrapping up the drink.

"A few weeks," Temari answers and takes the drink from Sakura. "Thank you," she smiles and Sakura nods as she sits on the chair adjacent to the couch.

"Any idea on the cause?" Sakura asks after a moment.

"One, but I'm not sure I'm ready to entertain that idea just yet."

Sakura could guess what that was. They had been married for a year and trying for a baby for half of that year. They were successful twice but unfortunately lost the baby both times. It was a sore subject and Sakura could understand not wanting to entertain the idea less something were to happen. So, instead, she only nodded her head. She wouldn't push it and would instead change the conversation.

"Hey, did your dad say anything about any new tenants?" Sakura asks after a moment, remembering the person from earlier. Their complex was pretty small and most of the occupants were either related to Temari's family, family friends (like with Ino and Sai), or they were staying temporarily for Akatsuki purposes. It was rare to bump into someone new, though Sakura didn't get a good look of the persons face so maybe they weren't new? She didn't know.

"Not that I'm aware of but I also don't really talk to my dad much. Why?"

"Oh, earlier I ran into someone that seemed a little unfamiliar. It wasn't anything big, really," Sakura shrugs and Temari hums in thought.

"Yeah, I don't know. They could just be visiting someone though."

"You have a point there," Sakura laughs and the conversation switches to something else. They spend a good hour just talking with each other while Temari slowly feels better. After a while, she must have finally felt better because Sakura was hugging her bye and waving her off as she drove away from the entrance of the complex.

Turning back to head back upstairs to her apartment, she sends Itachi a quick text. Just something to show that she's thinking about him. She missed him terribly and he was all she was thinking about as she approached her door.

"That's weird," she comments quietly, "I don't remember leaving my door open." Sakura eyes it suspiciously before deciding she wasn't going to risk anything. She has made her fair choice of dumb decisions, she wasn't going to willingly walk into getting murdered or kidnapped like that. Slowly backing away, she heads down the hall and goes over to where she knew Gaara was: at Sasori's. Knocking on the door, she eyes her own apartment suspiciously as she waits for someone to answer.

"What can I do for you," Sasori comments dryly as he opens the door. His hair was more mussed than normal and Sakura figured it was from trying to teach Gaara how to paint like the younger red-head had wanted. From what she has heard, Sasori wasn't very good at handling stress or being patient, especially with others.

"Uh," she stutters and he narrows his eyes in annoyance so she quickly tries to regain her confidence, "Can I speak to Gaara please? Inside?" She gives a quick glance to her apartment and she notes how it appears to be the same as she left it.

"I suppose."

"Thank you," she says quietly as he lets her in. If it weren't for how stressed she felt about her door, she could have laughed at the amount of paint Gaara had all over his arms, face, and even his hair. He looked ridiculous and she ultimately figured out that the painting in front of him had bested him one too many times. No wonder Sasori looked so exhausted.

"Hey," Gaara says as he meets her gaze. Seeing the troubled face she has on, he is up in an instant. "What's wrong? Is it Itachi?" His voice dips lower, eyes narrowing, "Did he do something?" He was right there, trying to comfort her.

"No, no, nothing to do with Itachi," she says and his shoulders relax and his mood changes. "I.. I think someone is in my apartment," Sakura admits. "I don't want to go check by myself in case.. You know.."

"Don't worry, I'll be right there with you," Gaara says softly and Sakura relaxes, letting out a breath of relief she didn't realize she was holding. "I'll be back tomorrow, Sasori," he says as she and him exit the other red-heads apartment. Together, they walk towards her apartment.

The door was just as it was when she came back. With a deep breath, she watches Gaara go inside first. Following after him, her eyes take in the sight of her living room and kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place and that settled her a bit, but they weren't out of the woods just yet. Cautiously, they explored the spare room, the bathroom, and then with a nod to one another, they stepped into her room.

There wasn't anything out of the ordinary and for some reason, that unsettled her more. Still, she sits on her bed cautiously as Gaara checks her room thoroughly. Once he was done, he sits down next to her.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asks her as he takes in the expression on her face. She never could get anything past him, he knew her too well. Taking in a deep breath, she nodded.

"I'll be fine. Maybe I left it open without thinking when I was telling Temari bye."

"First you left it unlocked and now opened?" Gaara raises an eyebrow, "You need to either start paying better attention or getting more sleep."

She playfully smacks his shoulder and they sit there in silence. Eventually, he leaves, and Sakura is left alone with her thoughts. She was unsettled by all of this. It wasn't like her to forget to do things especially when she was sure she already did them. Sakura always does.

Her phone rings and she quickly answers it.

"Itachi," she breathes and a wave of calmness washes through her at the sound of his voice, "hey." Sakura couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face at the sound of concern in his voice when he asked her if she was okay though it was only slight. She could tell just from the sound of his voice that he was tired and she didn't want to worry him too much more. "I'm okay, I promise."

They talk for a while and soon the daylight turns into night. She hadn't gotten to do much school work but she didn't think she would be able to be very productive no matter how hard she tried. Once he whispers his goodnight over the phone, Sakura gets ready for bed herself. Sitting on her bed, she hums as she looks out the window.

She enjoyed windows though her current view was nothing compared to her old bedrooms or even the view from Itachi's new room. There was no better view than of the ocean … Itachi didn't count, according to Ino. Letting out a sigh, she runs her fingers through her hair. An itch in her throat had her slightly irritated though, so she headed out to her kitchen.

The apartment was quiet outside of her footsteps and her worries from the morning were long settled from Itachi's phone call. He just had that effect on her - he made all of her worries and troubles wash away. Humming quietly, she flicks on the light at the end of the hall as she enters the kitchen. Moving towards her water dispenser with her chosen glass, she zones out in her thoughts. Looking over at her computer, she figures she may as well get some school work done as she wasn't tired.

Settling down on the couch with her headphones on and her laptop ready to go, she doesn't notice the quiet creak of her front door nor the footsteps of someone nearing her. As her eyes focus in and out on the words on her screen, she does catch the reflection of something odd on her screen. As a hand clamps down on her mouth and pulls her head up by the chin, roughly, she meets the cold glare of Sasuke head on.

Despite her fear, her eyes narrow and she tries to think of her options. Her lap was occupied with her laptop, so she couldn't get up too carelessly. Her coffee table was in front of her and she was sitting on the couch in an odd angle. Not to mention he was directly behind her. She couldn't just run. She had limited options.

As he was about to open up his mouth to speak Sakura opens up her own mouth and clamps down on his hand hard. He lets go quickly and she hurriedly gets up, knocking her laptop onto the ground with a loud crash. The back of her calves hit the coffee table but she didn't have time to think about. She eyed the door and quickly tried to make a break for it. She wasn't on the track team for nothing in high school.

Still, so was he.

"Ow, you fucking bitch," he seethes and cuts her off. She screams, loudly, as his arms wrap around her arms to keep her from swinging at him. The door was cracked just slightly and the complex wasn't sound proof. She was hoping enough of a ruckus would catch someone's attention. "Stop fucking moving!" Sakura only thrashed harder and it just pissed him off further when she tried to lift her knee up to get him in the crotch.

At a particularly harsh movement on her part, he gets frustrated and pushes her away from him and straight into her coffee table. She could feel it break underneath her weight but she didn't care because he let her go. She could feel cuts littered across her arms and could feel a small amount of blood, but that didn't stop her from getting up hurriedly and making another break for it.

This time, he hooked her by the ankles. She continued to try and crawl away but he stepped forward on her foot hard. She could feel her bones break underneath the weight of his boots and she tried her best to push forwards with a cry. The pain was present as she continued to try and crawl or get up. Sasuke pulled her back by her broken foot, squeezing tightly and she couldn't help the tears leaking from her eyes.

"Why are you trying to run away? We're going to have fun tonight, just like we used to," he gives her a cold smile and chills run down her spine as she makes eye contact with him. She struggled even harder, trying to kick at him with her leg. He caught it and twisted, pulling her leg down roughly. As she tried to back away, he only tugged harder. Eventually he was back on top of her just like all those nights ago. She could feel her heart in her throat and her breathing was erratic. He kept her pinned underneath him, pressing in all of the right painful spots and adding more weight if she squirmed a little too much. His hold on her was firm and strong. She wasn't going to be able to get out of it in one piece.

"You were always so beautiful, every part of you." He hums out as he caresses her face. Tears were streaming down them as the time wore on and help wasn't coming. He held onto her face, forcing her to look at him. She wanted to spit in his face so badly but she was terrified. "I don't like sharing what belongs to me. I need to break you so that he won't want you anymore," he says in a matter-of-fact tone as if it were the only logical thing to do. "Then we can be together forever." It was terrifying and she let out a scream when he blocked a hand she freed from pushing him off and simply broke her fingers one by one the more she struggled. Sakura lashed out, desperate, and she was sobbing.

"We need to do something about that mouth of yours.." He tsks, eyeing her like she was a child that he was reprimanding. "And these hands of yours, I don't think just breaking the fingers will work.."

Fear courses through her body as he reaches into his hoodie, the same hoodie of the person she bumped into that morning, and pulls out a hammer and a bandana. He ties the bandana tightly around her mouth creating a gag. He handles the hammer gently and his eyes wash over her. She continued trying to scream but not many noises could escape from the makeshift gag. His eyes glazed over into amusement at her predicament.

"You're really annoying when you struggle, but you'll see soon enough." She doesn't have long enough to think over his words before he brings the hammer down on her collarbone. She cries out in pain. "You'll think back to this and thank me, you know," he says and she rolls her head to the side as he swings the hammer next to her head. He was mad and she knew she might very well die here and now. "Stop crying," he eventually says, irritated. "You brought this on yourself!" He shouts as he brings the hammer down again, this time on her other hand and then again on her right kneecap when she jerks harshly.

She couldn't see much from the tears and the pain clouding her eyes. She could feel him grabbing her face roughly and pressing kisses to her face in between his assaults on her body with the hammer. Her mind drifts away from the situation at hand and instead towards Itachi. If she was going to die, she wanted to go thinking about the man she loved.. The one she should have gotten with long ago.

Sakura was saddened by how her life was going to end. She found her mind drifting to all of the things she would never get to experience and it both disheartened her and also made her enraged. She wanted to so badly fight against him but it was hard when he was holding her down and rendering her body useless with that stupid fucking hammer.

"I love you," he whispers in her ear as he pulls away and raises the hammer again. This one, she figures, would be the last swing. He was going to kill her now and she couldn't find it in herself to care anymore. She just wanted relief from it all. She didn't want to feel anything anymore.

So focused on the hammer and lost in her thoughts was she, she didn't notice the slamming of the front door or Sasuke being thrown off of her. The shouts of a couple of voices. She didn't even register being lifted up into someone's arms. She couldn't think of when it ended nor when it started anymore. The pain was just constant until..

Until the pain was gone.

Sakura wakes up a couple of times but it was never for long. The lights and the ceiling of wherever she was were too bright for her eyes. They stung everytime she opened them and so she would just close them again, surrendering back to unconsciousness.

She didn't want to wake up anyway.

It would make it all too real.

"Sakura, please, wake up.."

Sakura couldn't. It was all too much for her. She could feel all of the medicine in her system and the amount of casts and wrapping she had. She was sure she had her fair share of stitches, too. Sakura didn't want to find out the result of it all. If she were to wake up, she hoped it would be in her own bed and that the whole thing had never happened at all.

"Any luck?" Asks another voice, Ino, as they opened the door and entered the room.

"No, she's being stubborn.. Like always," jokes her mother.

"She'll pull through," Ino says determinedly. "Have you heard from Itachi?"

"Yeah, he'll be back up here soon. He went to meet Gaara to find out what happened exactly that night."

Itachi? How could she face him after this? Sasuke said he was going to make sure he never wanted her after he was done with her.. What if he didn't want her?

"Sakura, you need to eat something," says Ino as she places her hands on her hips. "You should know, out of all people, how important you taking care of your needs is to getting better."

Sakura doesn't say anything and instead stares out the window of the hospital room she was in. She has been here for two weeks now and she hasn't spoken a word to anyone outside of the police officers who came to talk to her about Sasuke. She didn't know what to say to anyone. She thought she was going to die that night and a part of her wished she would have so that she wouldn't have to deal with the aftermath of it all.

Of course, she knew that was selfish and childish.

"Fine, be that way," huffs Ino as she sits back into her chair. The blonde goes back to picking at her nails and telling Sakura of all the stuff she has missed being in the hospital. Sakura didn't mind the company. She didn't like being alone anymore. Being by herself made her skin crawl and put her on edge. At any moment she half expected Sasuke to come up from behind her again.

The door opens and in steps Itachi.

Sakura only looks at him for a moment before she snaps her gaze away and focuses on a wall instead. She still didn't have the courage to look at him, much less talk to him. She knew he was getting frustrated with her, but she couldn't find her words. Sakura could hear Ino leaving to give them some time alone and Sakura almost wanted to open her mouth to beg her to stay. Alas, that would involved talking though.

"How are you feeling?" He asks as he takes Ino's seat. She could feel his eyes on her and it made her squirm in the bed. She wanted to fiddle with her fingers but she knew she wouldn't be doing that anytime soon thanks to his idiot brother. At the reminder of the lost movement in her fingers, she is saddened. He absolutely wrecked her body - she didn't know how much healing was going to fix some of the things he did. Only time would tell.

"Could you please stop ignoring me?"

She lets the silence spread in the room and she hears him take in a frustrated groan. He smelt strongly of cigarettes and a part of her felt guilty because she knew he was smoking even more because of her.

"Damn it, at least tell me how you are feeling," he says and she looks up at him at the break in his voice. "I just want to help you." Itachi was looking down at the floor and his fingers were threaded in his longer hair (he started growing it out again). She could see tears coming out of his eyes and her heart broke. "Please, help me help you." Sakura knew he felt guilty because he wasn't there to protect her. She knew that it was killing him what would have happened had Gaara and Sasori not came to her rescue when they did. He could have lost her.

Sakura's eyes soften and she sniffles slightly. Maybe she should stop trying to shoulder all of the pain after all.

"I was terrified," she admits and Itachi looks up at her. They lock eyes and she feels just the slightest bit more safer than she has in weeks. He always had that effect on her. "I thought I wasn't ever going to be able to see you again," she cries out and Itachi is cautiously approaching her. He gently wraps her up in his arms, mindful of her arms, collarbone, and leg. He presses kisses to her face and she is reminded of Sasuke doing the same. She bites back the bile in her throat and allows him to do so. Slowly, she was sure, he would erase the feeling of Sasuke's lips on her skin. "He," Sakura pauses, "he told me that he was going to make sure you never wanted me again."

She felt so small, frail, and weak in that bed.

Sakura was vulnerable and she was starting to hate that feeling. She wasn't able to fight back as much as she wanted to, which is how she got into this position. But at least, she was alive.

"I couldn't live without you, much less not want you."

Sakura finds herself looking up at him through teary eyes. He presses a kiss to her lips.

"I love you too much to lose you."

Months have gone by since the incident and thankfully, Sasuke was finally locked behind bars. He should have been there after the first assault all those years ago, but they were all naive in the amount of crazy he was hiding from them.

Sakura had many scars from their encounter, but she paid them hardly any mind anymore. For the most part, she was healed, but more importantly, she was alive and that was what mattered.

Sakura didn't feel safe living alone and with a heavy heart had ultimately decided to move back to Konoha. Her parents offered to buy another house and move back there but she waved them off. She was in her mid twenties now, she could be just fine out on her own and she knew just the place for her to stay. Itachi had welcomed her into his home with open arms. They practically lived with one another anyways.

Itachi presses kisses along her collarbone. He was being careful in his daily worship and she appreciated it. He kissed away any reminder of Sasuke ever having touched her or hurt her and that was enough for her. Itachi made everything better.

"I love you," she says softly as he moves back up to her lips and presses a kiss to them.

"I love you, too," he replies quietly before getting up. "What are your plans for today?" He slowly started getting dressed. He had work today and it left an unsettling feeling in her stomach. She still didn't like being home alone even though Sasuke wouldn't ever be bothering her again.

"I have a lot of school work that needs to be done. I think I'll call over Hinata and spend some time with her and Boruto while I do so."

Itachi nods, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Alright, be careful. Don't overwork yourself, your bones are still weak."

She only rolls her eyes, watching him leave.

Living with Itachi was like a fever dream but it was even more unreal to her knowing that she was living back in Konoha. She swore a few years ago that she would never return but now it was, once again, her escape. Currently, she was sitting on the beach with Itachi by her side. They were sitting on her favorite bench and watching the sunset. It was beautiful.

"I will never get tired of this," she sighs as she rests her head against his shoulder. The wind felt nice and still pretty warm considering fall was settling in Konoha in about a month or two. It was the perfect beach weather and that was where she and Itachi spent much of their free time now, much like when they were younger.

"Of what?" He asks amusedly as he watches her close her eyes.

"Being with you and watching the sunset or sunrise."

He doesn't say anything in return, instead pulling her closer into his side. For them, few words were ever necessary to tell them what the other one was thinking. It was their special bond and Sakura wouldn't change it for anything. To be able to have someone that completed her so much, made her feel so safe with just a glance, and calmed her down like no other was like nothing she could have ever hoped for in her dream journal.

She may have craved that perfect high school romance as a teenager, but she wasn't prepared for the full and unadulteratedness of what true love was like.

Sakura had never felt more wanted and loved by any other person. Every moment with Itachi, good or bad, made her feel like she was in a whole other world. They understood each other in ways no one else could and they were able to support one another in ways they knew others couldn't.

There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that Itachi was the very man she wanted to be with for the rest of her life; no matter how short or unpredictable it may be.