So I got a splendid review that definitely made me giggle about how I should kill myself. Well, Guest, I tried that years ago and it didn't work so I guess you're stuck with me. Sorry?


She woke feeling more tired than when she went to sleep. She stared listlessly at the ceiling, unable to make her body move. She was so tired and her body felt like lead. It didn't want to listen to her and she just wanted to close her eyes and go back to sleep. She always just wanted to sleep. Sighing and pulling herself up, she had lain in bed for an additional fifteen minutes and she had things she had to do before she could leave. She stretched her arms above her head and popped her shoulder back into place. Her shoulder always seemed to be mildly dislocated after sleeping.

She changed. She didn't have time to take a shower after lying in bed for so long. She left her room and went to the kitchen, making the usual eggs and toast for breakfast that she always did. She left her father's plate on the table and ate her own quickly. He was never up with her and she had told him he would make her late for school and so this was the only meal they didn't eat together. She ran back upstairs and grabbed her bag, heading out the door as quick as she could.

Sasuke and Naruto weren't around this early in the morning. She had about seven college courses she took only this semester. She was being pushed to finish this as quickly as possible and so took on much more than anyone else. She sighed as she got out of her car and shouldered her heavy bag. She walked slowly to her first class. It was a wonder how she even managed to find classes that took place at seven in the morning, but she managed it and was regretting having to get up so early every day.

She made it through her first couple of classes, boring as always, until she was bombarded with Sasuke and Naruto again. They always seem to have a sixth sense pertaining to her relative location to where they were. She waited patiently for them, Naruto running down the hallway and all but mowing people down and Sasuke following slowly behind, looking vaguely annoyed. Sasuke always looked vaguely annoyed.

"What's up, Sakura?" Naruto smiled, leaning against a wall. Sakura waited until Sasuke caught up and was standing in front of her, waiting for her answer. Naruto was a loud piece of shit and he had heard what he'd said. He wanted to know how she was doing as well, but he knew she wouldn't answer truthfully. She rarely ever did.

"Nothing really, just waiting to go home," she answered loftily. Sasuke thought she looked tired, more so than usual that is. She always looked tired. She was moving slowly and he knew her mind would never be as slow as her movement, but her words were lagging as well. It was a common sign that she was getting worn down at home.

"How long has it been since you last came over?" Sasuke asked, beginning to walk with her to her next class. She only had two more today and then she could go home. She couldn't wait to go home even though she knew she wouldn't get any more sleep than last night. She hardly ever did.

"I don't know, three weeks?" she didn't sound confident. She knew the Uchiha's Thanksgiving party was coming up very soon, that was for sure, but she didn't even want to try and talk her father into letting her attend. She was too tired for it and wasn't too sure she had in her to lie and finagle her way around her father.

"That's not good," Naruto looked worried as well. He had finally noticed she wasn't feeling herself when Sasuke had said something. Naruto wasn't known for his powers of observation and therefore missed a lot of things before Sasuke would point it out. It was a good thing his best friend saw and thought of everything.

"Shit happens," she deadpanned. She didn't really know what else to say. Would she like time away from her father? Yes. Did she have it in her to talk him into letting her stay away for a night? Nope. She just wanted to sleep for an eternity, but that was never happening. That's all she wanted lately, even before she had finally managed to get out that night.

"Are you going to the thanksgiving party?" Naruto asked loudly as they stood outside her classroom, waiting for it to start. She shrugged.

"Probably not, Naruto. Why would I even want to go anyways? There are way too many people I don't know and I can't tell any of them apart. Your entire family looks the same, Sasuke," she shrugged. Naruto laughed and Sasuke cracked a smile. They knew what she meant. Sasuke's entire family had black eyes and black hair and if you didn't know them, they all looked the same. Hell, Sasuke would get a couple of them confused every now and then.

"You should come," Sasuke said quietly. Sakura shrugged. She just didn't have it in her. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Was she becoming depressed? She would usually get a little despondent when the colder seasons came along, but nothing like this. She certainly seemed a little hopeless and he couldn't help but feel that she didn't want them to try and do anything about it.

"I'll talk to you after class," she said, pulling herself into the classroom. Naruto looked at his phone.

"Shit!" he began running in the other direction. Sasuke watched him go, knowing he was about to be late for his own class. Naruto was terrible when it came to time management. Sasuke walked down the hallway slowly; his class didn't start for another hour or so. He decided it would be nice to sit outside for a while. It wasn't too cold today and he hadn't just chilled outside for a while. He sat at a picnic table just outside the doors and leaned his head into his hands, thinking.

He didn't want to just leave Sakura alone, not when she was acting like this. It was a recipe for disaster and he wasn't about to let that disaster happen. He had known her far too long and had become far too invested in her as a friend. He wasn't even as close to Naruto as he was to her and it all revolved around the fact she understood his dark feelings when they came about. She validated them and made him feel less insane and he did it for her, too. It was a friendship built on mutual understanding and comfort on the matter.

"Hey." He was shoved from his thoughts at the sound of the female's voice. He glared up at the blonde he didn't quite know the name of, telling her that her presence was not welcome. She didn't seem to notice, or maybe she didn't even care, because she sat next to him and smiled at him with the force of the sun. His glare dropped, but the perpetual glower he wore around others did not. She, yet again, didn't seem to notice or care.

"What do you want?" he finally asked barely restrained annoyance in his voice.

"You're Sasuke Uchiha, right? I'm Ino. You're friends with the loud blonde guy with the whisker marks on his cheeks and the girl with pink hair?" she looked at him, expecting an answer and he sighed, nodding. What did she want with him? Did she just want to know something about his two friends? He wasn't in the mood to talk about himself or his friends.

"What of it?" he asked finally.

"Are they dating?" she didn't stop to think about her words. She was a lot like Naruto, huh? She just came right out with it and didn't beat around the bush. Certainly off putting, but he was more than used to it. He sighed and shook his head. "How do you know?" she narrowed his eyes at him. Sasuke rolled his own eyes.

"Sakura doesn't date people," he answered flatly. "That's just not how she is. Wouldn't you think I would have noticed if my friends had romantic feelings to each other?" he really just wanted her to go away. He didn't understand why she was asking these things. Did she like Naruto? If so he would have to find some way to murder her before she got to him. He would definitely murder her if she began dating him.

"Don't worry," she answered his glower, "My friend, Hinata, likes him. You know Hinata, don't you? She's also from one of the prominent families here." Sasuke vaguely conjured up an image of a dark haired pale eyed young woman. He had met her at one of his mother's various parties, he knew that much, but he didn't try to talk to her or get to know her. He had stood against a wall with one of her family members for a long while. He thought his name was Neji.

"Why doesn't she just talk to him and ask?" Sasuke asked, tone still flat. "We are far from middle school at this point." He didn't think he had needed to point it out, but obviously some people were stuck in a time that had long since passed.

"She's really shy," Ino shrugged. "Anyways, I told her I would ask for her, but I can't seem to find the kid anywhere." She certainly seemed annoyed with that fact, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"It's a school, where do you think he is?" Sasuke could not get over the idiocy of this woman. Surely, since they were in a school and she couldn't find the kid, he'd be in class, right? Ino scoffed.

"I meant I couldn't find him anywhere the past couple of days. I've been looking between classes and shit, dumbass." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her words. He didn't like being called that when, clearly, he wasn't the one being a dumbass in this situation. Before he could find himself more irritated, he pulled himself up. "Hey, where are you going?" she called at his retreating back.

"To class, where else would I go?" he shot back at her. He would be at least ten minutes early, but he couldn't care less. As long as he was away from the blonde, he couldn't care less. She was a hundred times more annoying than Naruto could ever be and he simply didn't have the patience within him to deal with her.

He found Sakura waiting outside the door to his classroom and he raised a brow in question. She only held up a slip of paper in response. He wordlessly took it from her, scanning it before handing it back to her. It was a message from her father. She wasn't allowed to have a cell phone; he didn't know about the one she kept secretly, and would instead call the administration building and they'd send her a note.

"So you're not allowed home until seven tonight?" he asked. She rolled her eyes at him and nodded.

"You know what that means," she said tonelessly. Indeed, he did. It meant her father was having company of the paid entertainment type during the afternoon and she wasn't allowed to be around for it. Not that she wanted to be, anyways, but it was a welcome reprieve from having to do her usual afternoon routine. "Oh well, it means I can go out with you and Naruto instead of having to go home," she shrugged. Both he and Naruto had a couple more classes after this and she didn't. She would just go to the library and complete her homework.

"You should tell Itachi, too," he said, knowing his brother would want to spend a little time with her. Sakura nodded.

"I'll ask if he wants to get dinner with me," she said simply. She wasn't about to try and invite him out with her and the other two. It would only put a damper on their conversation and the shenanigans they managed to get themselves into. It was easier and more enjoyable to spend time with him alone.

"Alright," Sasuke nodded. "I'll see you later," his class was about to start. She raised her hand in farewell and broke into a jog to get to her last class on time. She was excited, that was for sure. She still felt extremely tired and just a little hopeless, but with the free time she was allowed today, her mood was lightened considerably. She was smiling for the first time that day and didn't mind the boring math class she had to sit through.

Sasuke and Naruto found her in the library after their last class let out at noon. She nodded in response to their quiet hellos and finished the last few words on her English essay. She closed her computer and tucked it into her bag. She stood and strung it over her shoulder, following them out the door. The librarians were very aggressive about the silence here and would yell at them, mostly because of Naruto. He didn't really have an 'inside' voice and his whisper was just a toned down version of yelling.

"So, Sasuke tells me that you don't have to go home until late today," Naruto started the second they were out the door. Sakura only nodded in response. "So, what were you thinking of doing with us?" he asked, a huge smile on his face. He was excited he got to spend some time with Sakura, but was much more enthusiastic about it compared to Sasuke. That was usual, though. Sasuke wasn't much to show emotion.

"I don't know," she shrugged. She really didn't. She didn't know of anywhere to go or what to do in town. She wasn't allowed out of the house much and when she was it was usually under the guise of helping Mikoto. The Uchiha house was basically the only place she would go. It wouldn't get them anywhere asking her what she wanted to do.

"Let's go to the park and walk around the trails!" Naruto was yelling. Sakura wanted to hit him over the head, but stopped herself. It was quite cold out today and she didn't have the clothes to walk around in the woods. She was wearing her usual long skirt and small heels. She didn't even have a thick enough coat to stay outside for more than ten minutes or so. It was a little chilly today, so she didn't like the idea of staying out for hours.

"I don't have a warm coat, dumbass. How do you expect me to walk in mud and shit with this on?" she gestured to her skirt. Naruto looked sheepish and he scratched the back of his head, smiling stupidly. He had forgotten about her clothing choices and didn't think it would hinder her from doing whatever he and Sasuke decided on doing.

"Why don't we just go to the mall?" Sasuke asked, shrugging. He knew Sakura didn't have money for anything, but that wouldn't stop her from enjoying herself with them. He would probably get her a smoothie or something from the food court. He always tried to get her something that she liked on the odd day she actually got time to hang out.

"That's such a good idea!" Naruto was saying while they were walking to Sasuke's car. Naruto had totaled his car a couple weeks prior, even though it wasn't really his fault. "I need to get new shoes and I have to get a present for—" he stopped, flushing. "For someone I like," he finished lamely. He didn't want to let them know he was interested in a girl and wanted to flatter her with something. Even in Naruto's tiny brain, he knew he would never hear the end of it from his friends.

Sakura took the passenger's seat, mostly at Naruto's insistence. Sasuke drove a little more carefully than either of them and she and Naruto would often tease him about it, but he didn't care much about it. He drove the way he wanted to and that was the end of it. Before long, they were pulling into the parking lot of the small mall in town and Naruto was out of the car almost before it stopped moving, but he didn't seem to care much. He was far too excited. Sasuke and Sakura walked slowly behind him, laughing to themselves. Naruto was always so excited for anything and everything.

They let him pull them across the mall in search for shoes and he finally decided on a pair after six different stores and an hour of looking for something he liked and wanted. Sasuke, at this point, was getting tired and annoyed with him and so went in search of something to drink with the promise of coming back. Sakura only smiled at him and nodded, intent on staying with Naruto. If one of them didn't, he'd become lost for the next three hours.

She was trailing behind him in a little store that didn't seem like anything he would ever use. It was full of things that more pertained to girls and was definitely not something he would buy for himself. She stopped him, a curious look in her eyes. "What are you here for?" she asked and he instantly became nervous, laughing and scratching the back of his head, a common sign that he didn't really want to tell her. "No lies, Naruto," she sighed. "I can help you if you're telling me what you're looking for exactly."

"Oh," he laughed nervously again. "Well…there's this girl," was all he could get out before flushing. "I can't think of anything to get her to make her think I like her though," he finished. He knew the entire thing was stupid and that's why he didn't want to tell his friends, but Sakura was far more understanding than Sasuke ever was. He would have made fun of him for a couple hours before bunkering down and helping him. Sakura would think of teasing him, but never would. She would just help him and never say anything else about the matter.

"Here," Sakura picked up a small statue of a mermaid. It was certainly sparkly and looked pretty. "Don't get her any jewelry, that'll just throw her off. If she likes knick knacks like this, you can tell her that you saw it and thought of her." Naruto broke out in a huge smile and couldn't help but to hug Sakura excitedly, lifting her up for a second. She laughed and let him have the moment. She wouldn't allow his hugs on a regular day, but sometimes he just got way too excited.

"Thanks, Sakura," he was grinning at her and looked so happy she'd helped him. She didn't quite understand why. It was a simple thing; really, it wasn't like she was giving him words to ask her out or anything. It was a welcome thing to be appreciated, though, so she just smiled back at him and put the little statue in his hands. He went to go pay for it while she looked at the other things around the store. It was just full of knick knacks, really, and she could see why Naruto had chosen this store to walk into.

"You just have to tell me how it went," she said while they walked out of the store. Sasuke was waiting at a bench on the lower level of the mall and so she began leading the blond in that general direction. Naruto didn't seem to notice, he was just so happy and excited about the gift he managed to get for the unknown girl.

"Of course I'm going to tell you, Sakura!" he laughed. "I probably wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut even if you didn't tell me!" It was true, at least. Naruto had an issue keeping his mouth shut about anything good that befell him, like a girl enjoying his present or saying yes to a date. She and Sasuke were privy to a lot of things in his life only because he couldn't resist telling them about anything and everything.

Sakura only shook her head and spotted Sasuke across the room. She began walking faster; leading Naruto and they were standing in front of the black haired boy sooner rather than later. He handed her a smoothie, a bottled soda in his own. Her eyes lit up at the drink and immediately began drinking it.

"Have you texted Itachi?" he asked while they walked around. There wasn't anything they really needed to do anymore; they were just enjoying themselves at this point. Sakura nodded, pulling out her phone to see if he answered. Because she had to keep it hidden a lot, she frequently forgot about it. She remembered it eventually and answered her friends, even if it was a couple hours late.

"He says he'll come get me from the school at four thirty," she said, sending him a simple 'k' in response. Sasuke nodded and checked his own phone for the time. They had about another hour together before Itachi came to steal her away. There wasn't really much to do, though, other than homework, and Sakura had already completed hers. They just walked around the mall for the last hour, trading small talk back and forth. Sakura was quite surprised Naruto managed to keep his mouth shut about the girl he liked. He was really trying to keep this secret, huh?

The time seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and she was standing with Itachi beside his car before she knew it, saying goodbye to her best friends. Itachi's hand was on the small of her back, wanting to touch her in some way after being away for so long. She liked that he wanted to touch her. His touch made her feel warm on the inside even though it was cold as all hell on the outside.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," she smiled at them. Naruto gathered her up into another hug which she allowed. He was still just happy that she'd helped him and she put up with his affection. Sometimes, she just had to swallow her pride and allow it. Sasuke just nodded at her before climbing back into his car. Naruto stayed for a few moments longer.

"Remember to call us if you need us," he smiled at her before resting his hand on the top of her head briefly. She smiled under the usual goodbye he gave her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura," he grinned and went to sit in the car. Sasuke sped out of the parking lot, already in a bickering battle with the blond. Sakura knew they never stopped bickering when she wasn't around to mediate the conversation. She looked up at Itachi.

"So, where are we going for dinner?" she asked, resting her cheek on his shoulder for a brief second, his arms around her in that moment as well. Itachi was really the only one she would touch and didn't have a problem when he initiated it, either. It was a nice feeling having someone around that she didn't mind showing the smallest amount of affection to.

"There's a restaurant near here that has pretty good food," he said, opening the door for her. She had gotten annoyed with him once upon a time when he wouldn't stop doing this, but she had realized that he did this because he was a gentleman and had been taught to, not because of her father. She just grit her teeth and bore it at this point, knowing he wouldn't change even though she didn't like being reminded of her father's strictness when she was out of the house.

She didn't say a word while he drove, but she wasn't expected to and was quite happy about it. He reached silently for her hand she caught it, squeezing tightly. His brother had clued him in to how she was feeling today and it worried him slightly. He knew she always battled with depression, much like his brother did, but she wouldn't admit when she was feeling bad and wouldn't ask for help when everyone, including herself, knew it. He could only offer her his hand in place of the words he didn't have.

"Here," he pulled into a small parking lot of a neat little restaurant that was shoved between a gas station and an inn that had seen better days. She pulled herself out of her seat and was halfway out of the car by the time he was grabbing her hand and helping her steady herself. He led her inside and the hostess seated them with little wait. She didn't say much until the order was placed and then he decided to ask.

"How are you feeling?" this was the question she hated from him the most and he knew it, but he wouldn't stop asking. He needed to know. He wanted to make sure she was doing okay because he had an inherent need to make her feel better. It was a feeling he knew often because he often felt the same way around Sasuke when he was plagued by dark thoughts too. Though Itachi rarely showed much emotion, he still cared and wanted those closest to him to know that in so many words.

"Tired," she answered, staring at the table. "So tired. I couldn't get out of bed for a few minutes this morning." This is what he was worried about. When Sakura was feeling bad, she would have a lot of trouble getting out of bed in the morning and the exhaustion showed plainly on her face. She was always tired, but the word brought on a new meaning when she couldn't get out of bed.

"Can I do anything?" he asked, only slightly hopeful. She rarely asked for help and would hardly ever take it even when it was offered to her. She only shook her head and he narrowed his eyes. There must be something he can do. "Have you spoken to your father about the thanksgiving party?" She became very still, staring at the table. He knew he said something wrong.

"I don't have the energy to lie to him about it this time," she said softly, voice tiny. She simply didn't and she couldn't find the motivation within herself to do it. She really couldn't. He caught her with a deep stare.

"You don't have to," he said quietly, reaching across the table for her hand. She allowed him to grab her own and he squeezed, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. "You know I'll talk to him if you need it." Sakura hid her face from him. She didn't want to ask him to. He already did a lot for her and she hated when she felt like she was putting him out.

"I don't want to ask that of you," she said quietly. He shook his head and squeezed her hand again, waiting until her eyes lifted to his face. She looked tired. She looked worried about a lot of things and there was not even a spark of life in her dull eyes. She was feeling worse than she let on and he would have never known if he hadn't gotten her to look at him.

"It isn't much to ask," he said softly. It really wasn't. Giving her a break and a chance to strengthen her mental walls to weather through her life wasn't much to ask for. He knew from watching Sasuke from a young age that it was important to give that person a break from what causes those feelings. For Sasuke, he needed things to do and be stimulated so he didn't feel like he was doing nothing with his life. It wasn't good for him to spend more than a couple days doing nothing. For Sakura, it was taking her away from her father. He caused her dark feelings, it wasn't exactly hidden. She wouldn't leave him forever, they had all tried it at one point or another, but they did manage to get her away for a few days at a time.

"Fine. If you want to talk to him yourself, far be it from me to stop you," she gave in. He knew she did when wheedled enough. His brother and Naruto were much better at making her give up quite quickly, but he didn't have as much practice as they did. She would give into him eventually though, which was pleasant. He would have to call her father and ask to come over to talk to him about it, which was a lot of work honestly. If he wanted Sakura to go anywhere without her asking permission first, he had to get a written statement from his mother, stating what she needed Sakura's help for. Then, he would have to call her father and set up an appointment to talk to him about the matter, usually the night he would be taking her away for a little while. It wasn't usually hard to get her father's permission, at least for him. He was all smooth words and polite tone to the man, so he never had any problems.

"You could never stop me," he finally said after all those thoughts were chased out of his head. He caught the smallest smile just as it left her face and he sported a small one as well. She would smile around him every now and then, but not as much as he would like. The food finally came and she was glad. She wouldn't need to talk for a while and it was a welcome relief from the opinionated man.

Yet again, she didn't talk until they were finished eating and the plates were taken away. Itachi watched her for a long moment, wondering what he should say now. Her hand was in his again and she was looking at them. He couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking and he wished she spoke her mind more so he wasn't always guessing.

"Would you like to go back now?" he asked. She still had a little while, about an hour or so, but he didn't know what to do with her right now. He often came across this problem. Sakura shook her head vehemently. If she went back now, it would just make her mood worse. She would miss him more if he left early rather than leaving when she did. He didn't know what to say.

"Naruto has some girl that she likes," she finally said. He was glad she thought the mood awkward enough to warrant some kind of small talk. He was surprised though. He had heard nothing of Naruto being interested in a girl so he was slightly off put by her sudden words.

"That's interesting. Do you know who it is?" he finally asked after the surprise passed. He thought it was good Naruto was interested in a girl; it would keep him away from the house for a little while. He was a loud person and Itachi often sported a headache from him. Even though the house was huge, you could still catch bits of Naruto's voice at pretty much any hour of the day.

"No clue," she laughed at the blank expression on his face. Though she was laughing at him, he was still glad to hear it from her. "He wanted to get a present for her, though. I guess he wanted to let her know he liked her without having to say it or something," she shrugged. "I helped him pick something out because I didn't feel like following him to a dozen stores trying to make his bizarre brain happy." She didn't really understand the reasoning behind his wanting to give a girl a present when she wasn't even dating him yet, but she just accepted his way of thinking.

"Interesting," was all Itachi could say. He checked his phone. He didn't like that there was only forty-five minutes left of his time with her, but he accepted it. Time seemed to fly by when he was able to be around her.

"Sasuke seems worried about something," Sakura said quietly. She never knew why Sasuke was worried, but Itachi knew a lot more about his brother. He was worried about her. He could see the warning signs and knew when to be worried when the rest of them didn't.

"I wouldn't worry about it," was all he said. "Sasuke'll be fine when this semester's over. He's been working himself hard to get his grades up." Sasuke had never been the best at school and Sakura was very aware of that fact. She took his explanation wholeheartedly because of that fact, thinking that nothing was really off.

"Do you want to go for a little walk?" she asked, bored. They were never great conversationalists that much was true, and she would rather be walking in the chilly weather outside than try and find more stuff to talk about.

"Sure," he said, pulling himself up. He grabbed the check and went to the hostess to pay, Sakura waiting behind him. They left and he pulled her hand close to his side. He didn't want to stop touching her and she need to understand that and accept it every time she saw him. She held his hand tightly and huffed in the cold air.

"Are you cold?" he asked, looking down at her. She only wore a thin coat and he had caught the shiver that had started from her chest and made its way down her arm. She shook her head, not wanting to go back inside and struggle through a conversation with him again. She felt a heavy sweatshirt fall over her shoulders and she looked up at him, surprised.

"Won't you be cold?" she asked while she pushed her arms into the sweatshirt. It was warm from his body and she enjoyed it, holding it closed while she returned her hand to his. He only shook his head.

"It's more important that you're warm," was all he said. It caught her by surprise, like it always did, that he was really just a gentleman. He let her hand go and wrapped his arm around her waist instead, pulling her to his side. It wasn't often he would do this, but he did it under the pretense that she was cold. "Are you warming up bit?" he asked, hoping she was.

"Of course I am," there was a trace amount of amusement in her voice, "I'm wearing your sweatshirt and you have your arm around me. How could I be cold?" It was one of those very rare moments that would come out every now and again. He couldn't help the smile on his face. They had walked for about fifteen minutes, so he turned them back around, in the direction of her car. It was a short five minute ride back to the school and her car, but he knew she would want a few extra minutes to say goodbye to him there.

Sakura didn't feel so cold on the way back, but she still held her hands gratefully to the heater when they were back in the car. He noticed, but didn't say a word, and merely turned back to the college. She watched the scenery pass, his hand finding hers yet again, but that didn't help the hollow feeling that was growing slowly in her chest. She was going to cry again when she got herself alone, she knew it. She loved seeing him but hated when the time for goodbye came. She was always so silent.

He parked and they were standing next to the driver's side door of her car. He leaned against her car and she just stood there, staring blankly at the ground. She couldn't make the words come out of her mouth. She didn't want to goodbye and so those words wouldn't form on her tongue, she couldn't make the sound come out of her throat. Itachi seemed to know this and he only pulled her in for a hug. She planted her face firmly in his chest and stared at it. She didn't want to look at his face, she would only cry.

"Sakura," he said softly. It was almost time to go. He waited as she slowly lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "I'll see you soon," he promised, tightening his arms around her. Without warning, tears began falling rampantly down her face. Worry exploded inside of him, but he didn't know what to do. He wasn't usually faced with crying woman. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly, hoping she'd answer.

"I don't want to go home," she muttered, pressing her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close, trying to offer her comfort to stop her tears. "It isn't a place I want to be right now and I don't want to go!" she couldn't think of any other words to say other than she didn't want to go. She knew Itachi was holding her close, but it offered her little comfort knowing she would have to leave him in a couple minutes.

"Why not?" he finally asked. He didn't know why she didn't want to go home when half the time that's all she would talk about. She wouldn't answer for a long moment, her hiccups and sobs stopping her from being able to form words.

"It's a terrible place and it never felt like home," she answered honestly and the honesty was what pierced his heart. He didn't know what to do, though. Sasuke was much better dealing with these situations because he'd been there and would be infinitely more in the future. He didn't have the words to say to make her feel better, so he did what he could and hugged her close to him. It only made her sob and clench his shirt in her hands, press her face harder into his chest.

"It'll be okay," he finally answered. "I'll get you away for a little while," he promised. He didn't have anything else to say and usually these words would work if she was feeling sad. She took a few deep breaths and wiped her eyes, praying that she would stop sniffling before she had to go home. He brushed his fingers through her hair briefly before finally letting go.

"Thanks, Itachi," she said as she pulled away from him. She still didn't look good, still didn't look happy, but she had dried her eyes and put on her brave face. He had seen that face so many times, he knew what it meant. She was trying to fight her way through the bad thoughts and dark feelings, and that was all that mattered. As long as she still had some fight left in her, it would be okay.

"I'll see you soon," he promised again, brushing his thumb along her cheek. She closed her eyes, enjoying the intimate touch. He thought this would be a good time to kiss her, but pulled away without doing so. She had never said she wanted him to, so he wasn't going to. He opened the door for her and watched her get into it. She pulled out of the parking lot, knowing he stood there until she turned the corner out of sight.

She drove herself the few short miles home and stayed in the car a few extra minutes before she had to go inside. She felt like crying again, but she couldn't have a crying spell here. Her father would come outside eventually and check on her. She steeled herself and slowly got out of her car, stringing her back over her shoulder. She walked slowly up the stairs and changed her shoes just inside the door. Her father would have already had dinner without her and so she padded up the stairs, sitting heavily in her chair.

She didn't have any more work to do, but she didn't know what to do as she stared blankly at the wall. It was too quiet here and she hated it. She missed her friends immensely and finally realized that she still wore Itachi's sweatshirt. She hurriedly pulled it off her body and stuffed it beneath her pillows. Her father usually checked in on her before eight, and she would be dead if he caught her in a sweatshirt, especially one that smelled like a man. He would assume the worst.

She had just sat back in her seat when her father knocked twice on the open door before moving completely inside the room. His stern eyes watched her and she didn't look at him, merely stood and kept her eyes on the floor.

"Good evening, daughter how was your day?" he asked. Though his words were pleasant, his tone was not and she resisted the urge to flinch at his hard tone. It was always hard. There had never been an ounce of gentleness in this man, even when she was young. It bothered her immensely, but she didn't let him know that.

"It was good, father. I stayed in the library and studied," she answered evenly. She couldn't falter because then he would know she wasn't where she said she was. He noticed every change of body language and questioned her about it, every time.

"Very good, I hope you enjoy your night," he left and closed the door behind him, signaling that it was time for bed. He always did this. It was usually later at night, but he was in a good mood tonight. He always was after an afternoon with a prostitute. She only felt gratuitous for her luck today and fell into her bed. She pushed her hand underneath the pillow and made contact with the sweatshirt. It calmed her mind enough to put her to sleep hoping she wouldn't have as much trouble getting out of bed the next morning.


I'm not taking it down. It makes me laugh too much.