Itachi's squad was 15 days late.
They were late, and he wasn't even supposed to be on the mission.
A simple mission, Itachi had explained to her. Sakura had pouted slightly for the principle of it, but she wasn't worried. She wasn't worried when they missed their due date – at least, not for the first two days.
By the end of the third day, her concern was growing, and the reassurances were falling flat. Sakura could feel that something wasn't right. She busied herself with hospital work and refused missions so she could be in the village when Itachi came home.
The shadows under her eyes grew darker as her face became paler, worn with worry. Any other squad would have been declared killed in action at the week's mark, but Sakura wouldn't allow it. The fear that had her pulse fluttering in those first few days had now crystallised, her blood freezing until ice had enclosed Sakura's heart. But at the centre of this new, cold calm was hope – as it always had been, because she never doubted that Itachi was still alive.
At Day 14, she told Tsunade she was going to bring him back.
The Hokage only sighed and told her to bring Kakashi.
Itachi's squad had done their job well; the deep cave they had found was near-impossible to find, save for Kakashi's nin-ken and Sakura's determination. And it was fortunate that they did, because Itachi was nearly comatose in the back. Both his eyes were nearly swollen shut from Sharingan overuse. One of his arms was secured in a sling and the rest of his body was covered in bruises and cuts, all hastily bandaged. There was a streak of blood by his mouth that someone had missed.
Sakura gently wiped it away before she lay glowing green hands over his eyes to soothe them. She spent half an hour healing the worst of the damage before she left him to rest. But by the time the rest of his squad had had their major injuries treated, Itachi was stirring and blinking his eyes awake.
In a flash Sakura was back by his side, her hands frighteningly tender in comparison to the icy rage in her green eyes. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, seething with barely-restrained fury. "Who did this to you?"
She let him stay awake long enough to answer before putting him back to sleep, and once his breaths had evened out, she stood and turned to the entrance.
Itachi woke slowly to the familiar sensation of Sakura's chakra sweeping through his body, her hand resting on his chest. She was kneeling beside him and smiled shakily when she saw his eyes open. "You're stable for now," she told him quickly, "but there's still a lot of internal bruising, and your shoulder will need surgery."
He nodded and used his good arm to sit up, bringing him closer to Sakura. He could see that blood was speckled on her arms and face, with some soaking through the tips of her hair. Most of the blood had been wiped away from her armour but he could still see traces of it on her body, especially on her hand, which she rested tenderly against his cheek.
"The mission was a success, so let's get you home and fix you up," Sakura said gently. With careful manoeuvring on her part, Itachi found himself leaning on her back, his legs wrapped around her waist and one arm clinging to her shoulder and his face pressed into her neck. The heavy metallic scent was unmistakeable, almost overwhelming, but neither said a word. Sakura only readjusted her grip, securing him firmly as she strode out of the cave to bring him home.
a random prompt I found and felt compelled to make it into yandere!Sakura because as much as I love overprotective/scary!Itachi, he is a little overdone. title and summary are from the song Break the Ice by Britney Spears. hope you enjoy and are staying safe ❤