I KNOW BUT IT'S FLUFF AND I LOVE IT.


Sakura woke slowly, finding herself wrapped up in Shisui's arms. She blushed when she realized, but didn't try to push away. He had a habit of pulling her closer when she tried to push away. She only returned her head to his chest. It must have been particularly cold the night before if he had pulled her to him. He didn't often unless he was particularly cold.

"Good morning," she heard his soft voice. She peered up at him from his chest and smiled, finding his hand with hers. She still wasn't talking much, unless she really, really needed to. Her injuries had long since healed. "Do you remember what we're doing today?" he asked. Her smile fell and she hide her face in his chest.

"I don't want to go," she whined softly. They had to go to the police today. She had gotten through the psych evaluation, Shisui at her side, a few weeks ago, but now she had to go to the police. She still hadn't seen Itachi, but had started texting him with an old phone Shisui had given her. He was happy that she was finally communicating with him and she was happy too. She missed him and the others quite a bit, but still couldn't bring herself to see him.

"I know, but I'll be with you every second, Sakura," he said softly, pressing a kiss to her head. He had begun to enjoy her body against him and couldn't help drawing her close when the nights were cold. He had found he would pull her close when the nights weren't so cold. It was beginning to bother him with how much he liked her close. He convinced himself it was just his physical reaction.

"Thanks," she said softly, face still hidden in his chest. He sighed and patted her waist.

"Come on, we should get up," he said. She sighed and rolled off of him, shivering when the cold sheets on the other side of the bed hit her. Shisui only laughed and wrapped her up in a hug again. He liked having her around. He liked having her in his bed and having someone to hold. He wasn't going to like when he had to give that up.

"It's cold," she whined. She curled into his embrace and wanted to stay there for a great deal longer. He laughed.

"I know, there's a sweatshirt right there, if you can reach it," Shisui said, pointing. Sakura pulled it over the edge of the bed and shrugged it on, letting it warm before she finally got out of bed. She felt Shisui press another kiss to the top of her head before hopping out of bed. "You can have the shower first, cream puff."

"What are you going to do?" she asked as she finally lifted herself out of bed. Taking a shower meant she had to go through the bags still in the other room to find something nice. She left quickly to do just that. She rifled through clothes for long minutes before finding something she liked. She gathered it up into her arms and went to the bathroom.

Shisui was just finishing breakfast when she got out. She sat at the breakfast bar as he placed an egg sandwich in front of her. She dug in quickly while he sat next to her with his own. She was always so hungry lately and she was getting her weight to where it should be. He was happy. She was healing and that was definitely good. He just hoped her progress wouldn't take a step back after today.

"Why don't you go watch something for a little while?" he asked, patting her shoulder. She only nodded and pulled herself up, watching him go to the bathroom. He was about to take a shower now, too. She went to flop back down into bed, knowing she wouldn't want to get back up when she got too warm.

"You are so silly," Shisui found her buried into the blankets. "Come on, time to go, cream puff." Sakura groaned and buried deeper into the blankets. He only laughed and shook his head, pushing his hands underneath her to lift her up. "Come on, you," he said. She whined again. He pulled her into his arms and she shivered at the cold, pressing close to his warm chest. He laughed.

"I don't want to go," she whined. He shook his head and set her on her feet, handing her a jacket. She shrugged it on, a pout on her face.

"Too bad, cream puff. You've put this off long enough," a month to be exact. She was able to wriggle out of it for so long because Shisui had a soft spot for her, but her time was running out and he wasn't about to let her father get off scot free. She sighed.

"Fine, fine," she sighed. "Let's go." She slid her feet into some flats and waited by the door for him. He put on his own shoes before grasping her elbow and guiding her out of the bedroom. She hadn't been out of the apartment in the month and a half that she'd been here. It was February now and she hadn't even thought of going back to school, either. She couldn't. There was just too much going on right now.

"You'll be okay," Shisui said softly. "I'll be with you every second and you won't even see your father. It'll all be alright." Sakura was still not in the mood. She didn't want to speak about that night or anything that had led up to it. She had finally told Shisui not even a week ago and he had held her for long, long hours while she cried. She didn't want to cry again.

"I know you'll be with me," she sighed. "It's just hard having to remember everything." Shisui brushed his hand over her arm, trying to calm her. They had gotten to the door of his apartment building and she was hesitating, hand on the door. She was always hesitating. "There's still snow," she said softly, happily. She hadn't even looked out the window lately to see there was still snow everywhere.

"There is. It's going to snow tonight, too," Shisui said, fondly remembering the snowstorm a couple weeks ago. There had been a lot of snow and the roads had been closed. He'd been shut in with Sakura for three days playing board games and talking about anything and everything. It had been a total bonding experience.

"Oh," she breathed. She was still hesitating. He grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly for a long moment, and pushed open the door. Sakura followed him closely to his car and was shivering while he turned it on and waited for it to warm up. She shivered violently and held her knees to her chest, trying to conserve warmth.

"For someone that likes snow so much, you sure seem to get cold easily," Shisui laughed. Sakura only shrugged. She didn't care much. The car finally warmed up and she allowed her legs to fall. He pulled out of the parking lot and made his way to the police station. Sakura was silent as she stared out the window and he knew she was worrying. He grasped her hand. "You'll be okay, cream puff."

"I like it when you call me that," she said softly as she stared out the window. He smiled. "Don't stop calling me that, ever," she sighed. He stroked the back of her hand and squeezed gently. She was still worrying and he knew it. He didn't quite have the words to calm her worrying because he had never been in that situation.

He parked in the police station's parking lot. "Come on, Sakura," he said gently, pulling her hand in an attempt to get her to move. She bit her lip and stared down at her legs. "Hey, it'll be okay." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her head. "Come on, you know you're safe with me," he smiled down at her, but she still looked scared. She sighed and nodded. He got out first and went to her side, opening the door for her. She reached for his hand and he helped her out of the car, though he knew she didn't need it anymore. She did it out of need to know he was still there for her without the words.

"Promise you won't leave my side," she said softly as they walked to the door.

"I don't need to promise," he smiled down at her, "I would never leave your side anyways." She flushed and nodded. She walked close to his side and had a death grip on his hand as he opened the door and led her in. He could feel her face pressed to the back of his shoulder as they walked. She was so shy and scared. It bothered him slightly. Was this how she was before? He didn't quite know.

"Is Fugaku around?" he asked at the front desk. The woman behind it nodded and went to find him, knowing exactly who Shisui was. Shisui tightened his hold on Sakura's hand and kept her close to his side, knowing she was scared. She seemed to calm minimally at being pulled close to him. Fugaku was walking towards them, looking slightly surprised at the head of pink hair only just visible behind him, but Shisui only smiled.

"Hello, Uncle. You said you wanted to talk to Sakura. I've brought her," he said with a smile, though didn't bring Sakura out from behind him. "Want to go to an interview room now?" he was trying to be pleasant and make this as comfortable for Sakura as possibly, but she was horribly tense.

"Of course, just follow me," Fugaku didn't smile, but he wasn't being unpleasant either. He led them to his office, though, instead of an interview room. Obviously he was trying to keep Sakura comfortable as well. He opened the door and let them in first. "I have to get the psychiatrist." Sakura tensed and gripped his hand tighter. Shisui only smiled and nodded at his uncle.

He led her to sit and held her hands in his. "Don't worry about the other psychiatrist, cream puff," he said softly. "He's just here to write a report. I can't do that. I'm not leaving you, Sakura," he aimed for a kiss on her head, but she went for a hug and he ended up kissing her cheek instead. She flushed crimson and backed away from him.

"Sorry," she said softly, watching him with large eyes. He only laughed and held her head still to kiss her cheek again.

"You're okay. It wasn't what I was aiming for, but it has the same effect," he laughed again, trailing his fingertips down her arm before sitting in the chair beside hers. She had her hand in his again, gripping tightly. She flinched when she heard the door open and watched the two men walk in warily, watching them with terrified eyes. Shisui tightened his hold on her hand.

"We have to record this conversation to bring up later in the court," Fugaku said shortly, pulling out a tape recorder. Sakura was terrified, Shisui could already tell. He didn't know what he could do in this situation to make her feel better. They were usually alone and comfort came easily then. It didn't come easily when there were people she was frightened of around. She finally jerkily nodded in answer to Fugaku, far later than she should have.

"So, Sakura, can you explain what your early life was like?" Fugaku asked. He could see she was uncomfortable. He could see that she didn't want to open her mouth. He looked to Shisui, willing him to do something. Shisui was looking at her, but didn't want to do anything in front of the other two men, but he knew he had to. He could see Sakura folding back into herself. She was beginning to hide herself behind her walls and barricade herself. It wasn't good in this settling.

"Sakura," Shisui pulled her close to him and into his lap. She flushed. She hadn't thought he would do something like this, much less in front of the others. He held her face between his hands and stared into her eyes. "Pretend I'm the only one here and you're telling this to me," she had told him everything before. She darted her eyes to the side and he brushed his hand over the side of her face, guiding her vision. "Close your eyes. Pretend it's just me and you on my couch." The psychiatrist with Fugaku was watching them, interested. He knew what Shisui was doing and found it intriguing.

Sakura submitted to Shisui and closed her eyes, concentrating on his hands. Once she closed her eyes, he wrapped an arm around her waist and the other was in her hair, his chin on her head. This was how he had comforted her when she had finally told him and she felt calm in his embrace now. Her tenseness was melting away and she felt a hundred times more comfortable when being pressed close to him.

"He didn't start beating me until I was five, when my mother left," she started after a shaky breath. She focused only on Shisui's calm breathing and his hand brushing through her hair rhythmically. "He blamed me for her leaving and beat me almost every night for it. He told me I was worthless and that no one would ever want me, especially for my hair. He made me start cooking then, too. There were so many times I burned myself or got an entire pot of hot water on myself. He would beat me every time I screwed up."

Shisui warned his uncle with his eyes not to try and ask her anything. Fugaku slid a sheet of paper towards him and he read it over quickly. The questions he needed to ask her. He waited a few moments, wondering if she was done, but she didn't open her mouth yet.

"What do you mean by that? How did you screw up, cream puff?" he asked softly, brushing her hair from her face. Her eyes were open now, but they were focused on his face and her hands were clenched in his shirt. He was certain she only had eyes for him and was completely focused on him now. "You can answer, you know it," he softly gave her support and she bit her lip, staring at him. He took a chance and kissed the top of her head. It calmed her enough to speak again.

"If the food wasn't good, he'd throw it at me. I wasn't a very good cook in the beginning, so he would throw hot food at me a lot. I suffered a lot of burns and I still have the scars. When I wasn't cleaning up after meals quickly enough, he'd come in the kitchen and break the dirty dishes over my head," her voice was getting shakier and shakier with every sentence. She was about to start crying, he was sure. "When I cleaned and he checked it, he would find some imaginary speck of dust and beat me over it until I vomited. He would shove my face in it and make me clean everything up after," she was crying now and he was quick to brush away her tears. The psychiatrist tried to give him tissues, but he shot him a warning look. Sakura wasn't one to use tissues, she rather just cry.

"So that was the normal beatings?" he asked softly, lifting her face to look him in the eyes. She nodded, sniffling. "I need you to say yes, little cream puff." She said yes, though watery and small. He smiled gently and brushed away her tears again. "What about other things that happened? Can you tell me about that?"

Just like before, she hesitated. He gathered her close to his chest again and pressed another kiss to her head. Her face hidden in her chest, she felt safe and could speak again. Shisui was keeping her safe and helping her ignore everyone else in the room. He waited patiently for her to speak again, just as he had those couple of weeks ago. This was a patience ordeal.

"I guess it started because I got older and prettier," she said, voice a little louder than she meant it to be in the quiet room. The tape recorder was in the back of her mind, though, so she knew she had to be loud. "His friends would come over almost every weekend and he would call me down. He'd let them fondle me and would make me undress in front of them. I would have to…" she gagged before she could continue and the tears were quick to return. She pressed her face into Shisui's neck before continuing, though her voice was still loud enough to clearly hear. "I would have to service them with my mouth at first and, when I got older, he made me bend over and take them." Her voice sounded as though she hated herself and Shisui clenched his teeth, his hand stopping for a moment in her hair. She hadn't told him that. He remembered he had to keep her calm, though, so he started running his fingers through her hair again.

"What else?" he asked quietly, voice barely constrained. He was angry, she could tell, and she pulled back to stare at his face, brushing her fingertips over his cheek. He calmed at her touch and gave her a soft smile. "It's okay, Sakura, just keep going," he said softly, hugging her tightly.

"When I was sixteen, I was expected to be married," she said thinly, her voice on the verge of breaking. "I applied to go to college instead and it was granted to me because of how smart I am. Because of this, I was chosen to be a 'golden maid' in my church, a beautiful girl that exceeds expectations of all the other girls in the age group." She had to stop for a moment. She took a steadying breath and looked at Shisui. "Can I have some water?" that would help, definitely. He smiled warmly and reached for the pitcher on the table. She didn't take her eyes off him and he handed her a glass.

She gulped it down and handed it back to him so he could put it on the table. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and pressed her close to his chest. "So what did that mean, cream puff?" he asked, needing to know both for himself and his uncle. Sakura was having trouble with this, he knew, but was having an easier time with him. It was good the other two weren't talking at all.

"I had to go to special classes with the pastor," she said, looking at the ground. This was humiliating and mortifying. She didn't want to tell Shisui about this, there was no doubt he would look differently at her. He only brushed his fingers through her hair and pressed another kiss to her head, telling her to go on. "My father would be present too. In the rectory, I would be made to do my duties in front of them. If I didn't do it well enough, I would be whipped and made to do it again. If I screwed up enough, I was made to perform sexual favors to both of them, usually orally," she said, her hand tightening in his shirt as she spoke. He quietly disentangled her fingers and let her grip the life out of his hand.

"Was that all they did?" he asked, trying to soothe her while he did.

"No," she muttered. "There would be group sessions where we would all have to perform on each other's fathers and have sex with them. The pastor would watch and tell us what we were doing wrong, whipping us if we didn't correct it." She sounded like she hated herself and he couldn't blame her. That was certainly a rough time. He cradled her and hugged her tightly, hoping she wasn't about to fold in on herself. "If we missed a class, he would strap us into a contraption and whip us. He would film it sometimes." She shuddered at the memory. "The classes are still going on. They go on until the golden maiden is married."

Fugaku wrote that down, eyes narrowed.

"Where was your church, cream puff?" Shisui asked, knowing his uncle wanted to write it down. Sakura gritted her teeth.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked, voice hard. She really had forgotten about the others in the room. He brushed her angry tears away and smiled.

"Please just tell me, little cream puff." She softened at his words and told him, Fugaku scribbling away. When he was finished, he nodded to Shisui to continue. Shisui smiled down at Sakura again, brushing a kiss to her forehead. She was really loving the attention she was receiving and wasn't really thinking about why she was getting it. She knew why, was just putting it out of her head. "So why were you put into the hospital?" he asked gently, knowing this was the topic that was the hardest for her.

"My father got arrested for assault and when he came home he demanded something to eat. I made it for him and he didn't like it, so he threw it in my face, and then beat me. That was at the beginning of the week. The week after, I was waiting for him to say goodnight and allow me to go to bed when he came in my room drunk. He told me he came to get what was his and he threw me to the ground, hurting my ankle and my wrist," Sakura was trying to say it all as quickly as possible so she could get it out. Shisui knew this and didn't want to try to stop her. "He tore my clothes off and held my arms so I couldn't fight and choked me so I couldn't make a sound," she was crying now, staring at Shisui's chest, "He raped me and left, breaking the bottle on the way out. He kicked me and kicked me and I heard my ribs crack and my shoulder hurt like nothing else when he left."

She was crying and he was brushing her tears away as quickly as they came. She was cradled so closely to his chest and her legs were hanging over the side. She sobbed and held her hands close to her chest. She was hurting and pulled his hand from her face, gripping it tightly and pushing her face into his chest. He tightened his arm around her waist and held her tightly.

"I took a broken piece of bottle," she continued on, voice thick with her tears, "I cut myself again and again until I passed out. I woke up in the hospital all bandaged up and that's it," she finished, head falling to Shisui's shoulder while she cried and sobbed. He brushed his fingers down her back, trying to soothe her, just as he'd been trying to this entire time.

"Shh, cream puff," he said softly, weaving his fingers through her hair, kissing her forehead again. She was grateful for his tight hold on her body and that he didn't mind her face pressed so harshly into his chest. He looked to his uncle, wondering if he needed anything else. He did, but this wasn't the moment. Sakura had to calm down first. Shisui went back to comforting her, hushing her and brushing his fingers through her hair.

"You're not in that nightmare anymore," he said softly, gently, near her ear. "You're here with me, cream puff, its okay." Sakura looked up at him and flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Her sobs were already fading away and he only hugged her, brushing his hand down her back again and again. She calmed down a little more quickly after that. "You ready to talk to my uncle now?" he asked after a long minute. She nodded slowly and pulled back from him, looking to the calm man behind the desk. She was sure she wasn't looking pretty right now, but he didn't care.

"Why didn't you run away from home, Sakura?" Fugaku asked, watching her quizzically.

"My father needed me. He didn't know how to cook and couldn't clean up after himself," she said quietly, repeating the same story she'd been telling for years. "He loved me, I'm sure," she said, staring at the floor. "He got the pastor to allow me to go to college after all and I always had a roof over my head and anything and everything I needed. He just got drunk a lot and didn't know what he was doing. I thought that until he raped me." Shisui was hugging her waist, his chest pressed to her back, giving her strength.

"And you believe that?" Fugaku didn't sound condescending. Sakura knew she had to ask this.

"Yes," she said.

"Why did you try and commit suicide?" Sakura stopped for a moment. Shisui brushed fingers through her hair. He knew this was hard and she'd been crying so much. She would be very tired tonight.

"I felt hopeless," she said. "I felt like there was no way out of my situation and the only way was to take my own life," she didn't sound motivated about life at this moment, anyways, but she had a strong voice. Fugaku only nodded.

"Do you know that you will have to appear in court?" Sakura tensed. She wouldn't be able to sit in Shisui's lap at a court proceeding. Her breath quickened and he wrapped his arms tight around her, pulling her against his chest.

"You can do it, cream puff," he said softly, in her ear so no one else could hear.

"I understand," her voice was shaking. Fugaku only nodded and Shisui released her from his tight hold.

"We may have to call you in later, but for now you can leave," he said. She only nodded and gingerly pulled herself off Shisui's lap. He rose right behind her and wrapped her hand in his.

"I'll see you soon, uncle," he said, giving him a strained smile. Fugaku only nodded and Shisui led Sakura out of the room. He knew what the psychiatrist was going to say. He would say Sakura wasn't able to be in a courtroom with her father, that she was unable of speaking of the events unless she had someone she trusted with her. It would do well for the case against her father, but not well for Sakura come time for her to be in a courtroom. She would never hold up against the lawyer for her father.

"Shisui," she stopped him just as they left the station. She was looking miserable, more tears slipping past her eyes. "Shisui," she said when he didn't turn to her. "Please look at me," she felt like she was breaking and she just wanted him to look at her, but the time between her words was much shorter than she realized. He turned to look at her, worried. "Do you hate me, Shisui?" she asked.

"Sakura, let's get you warm in the car, alright?" he asked gently, leading her easily to the car. He got in and started it, noticing that she was shivering again. He waited for it to warm up before speaking. "Why do you think I hate you, cream puff?" he asked softly, reaching over to grasp her hand. She wouldn't look at him and he didn't like it.

She didn't answer so he just drove home. She didn't get out of the car for a long while and he just turned it off, picking her up when she still didn't get out. He carried her easily up the stairs and into his apartment. He went straight to his room and climbed into bed with her, lying on his side. She was still crying and her tears slid into his pillows.

"I don't hate you, cream puff," he said quietly. "I honestly don't know why you think I would."

"Because of all the things I've done!" she said loudly. "There are so many things I've done, things that I'm not proud of, and I hate it! I hate it so much! I'm so dirty and I'm not good for anything. Why should you like me? Why wouldn't you hate me?"She cried, letting her face fall into his pillows. He wanted to laugh at her actions, but knew better than that.

"Nah, cream puff," he said softly, pushing his arms underneath her to pull her to him. She curled into his body and pressed her face into his neck. "You didn't do those things because you wanted to, sweetheart," he was trying to calm her down and she seemed to be taking it. "I don't hate you, okay? I do think you need a nap though. I need one too," he said. He really needed a nap. This morning was hard on both of them, really, but she was safe here with him and he could rest a little easier now.

"I think I need a nap too," she said, sounding far better than she had a few moments prior. He smiled and settled close to her, a hand on her head and the other on her waist. She was comfortable and happy in his embrace and he was glad for it. It made it so much easier to calm her down and keep her calm.

"Go to sleep then, cream puff," he said gently. She nodded slowly and closed her eyes. He was doing the same as well. Fuck, he was tired. He made sure she was asleep before allowing himself to sleep as well.

Dd

When he woke, she wasn't in his arms anymore. He reached out with closed eyes, trying to find her, but she wasn't on the cold side of the bed either. Sighing, he finally opened his eyes to the dark room, but she was nowhere to be found. He blinked and pulled himself up to walk through the apartment, but didn't see her anywhere until he looked to the balcony outside the living room. She was standing out there, sans coat, and he thought she might be pretty cold.

Grabbing a heavy sweatshirt for her, he pulled on his shoes and his own coat before quietly sliding the door open and joining her on the balcony. She didn't give him any notice and he leaned against the railing next to her. He laid the sweatshirt over her shoulders.

"I could jump," she said softly, peering over the railing. "I could jump and I wouldn't wake up tomorrow." Shisui grasped her shoulders and spun her around. Her cheeks were red with the cold and snowflakes stuck to her hair and her eyelashes. She looked so beautiful and it broke his heart. How can she look so beautiful and sad, all in the same moment?

"How can you say that, Sakura?" he asked, anger making its way to the forefront of his mind. "I have spent too much time and I've broke my back trying to make sure you feel better and that you aren't sad anymore! Was that all for nothing, Sakura? Why do you just want to throw it all away?" She didn't react much to him, didn't show much emotion.

"I don't want to live." His heart sunk and he wanted to shake her. He was so annoyed.

"Why? Everything's better now, why do you want to kill yourself now? You're safe here, with me. Stay with me, why can't you just do that?" he asked, tears almost falling, but he tried his hardest to keep them from doing so. He wasn't the one who was supposed to be crying, she was. She was always crying and he had to be strong for her.

"I'm trash. No one would want me. I'm tainted," she said, staring at his chest. He did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her harshly to him as he connected his mouth with hers. He wanted her. He liked her. He wanted her to be around, but knew she wouldn't believe him unless he did something drastic like this.

"Stay here, with me," he said softly. "You're safe here and I want you. I'll always want you, cream puff." She sighed, tears slipping from her eyes. She hadn't expected that. She didn't know he would want her, either. She didn't know what to feel about Shisui now. She loved Itachi, didn't she? Why was she letting Shisui kiss her? She didn't know. Perhaps it was because she loved him, too? She couldn't love two people at once, that wasn't how it worked. Now she felt guilty and she didn't want to look at him. She didn't know what to say.

Then, he was kissing her again, holding her tightly to his body. Her fingers were clenching his shirt and she was returning the kiss without completely realizing why she did. She loved these two in completely different ways. She had never kissed Itachi and he had never kissed her, but she was completely engrossed in Shisui. Warmth blossomed in her chest, the type of warmth she'd only felt around Itachi. This was too confusing, but she was still kissing him and his hands were pressing her as harshly as he could into his body.

"Stay here with me," he repeated, leaning his forehead against hers. She finally nodded and he hugged her tightly. As long as she would stay with him, she was safe and that's all that mattered. He would be there for all her sleepless nights and all her bouts of depression and flings with suicide. He would be there and that was all that mattered. He could keep her safe and alive while she was here and that's all he wanted. He had fallen for her so easily and hadn't realized when it had happened, but now she was one of the most important people in his life.

"Come on," he finally said, "Let's get out of the cold," he continued, gently pulling her back to the apartment. She shrugged off the sweatshirt once inside and he looked at her worriedly. He brushed his fingers along her exposed skin, thinking her skin was cold to the touch. He pulled her to his warm body and rubbed any skin he could get to.

"What are you doing?" she asked, staring at his face. There was a worried look in his eyes and she couldn't understand why.

"You're cold," he said, focusing on warming her up. She was shaking slightly and he was sure she didn't notice.

"I didn't realize," she said, looking down at herself. She had grown numb to the cold after standing outside for so long. Shisui sighed and pulled her into the bedroom, pressing her into the sheets. He pulled off his shirt.

"Take your clothes off. Keep your underwear on if you want, but you're freezing and we need to warm you up," he said quickly. Sakura moved slowly as she took her clothes off, doing her best to keep herself hidden from him. She was finally starting to feel the cold he was going on about and was shivering now. How had she not noticed? He was beside her in the next moment, pulling her body against his and wrapping himself around her.

"You're too warm," she complained, trying to get a little space between them. He was scorching and she was so cold she could barely stand it. He wasn't letting her go; though, only pressing her closer. "Please, you're way too warm," she whined, trying to get him off her.

"No, Sakura," he said, quietly but sternly. "You're too cold. I know I'm too warm to you, but wait a few minutes and it'll get better." He brushed his fingers down her back. She stopped fighting him at least and he turned the TV on, hoping it would distract her enough to stop fighting him so hard.

"Hey Shisui?" she asked for his attention after a few minutes. He had been right. He was still a little too warm, but she was getting a little more used to it now. He looked down at her. "Can I kiss you?" she asked, voice tiny. He wanted to laugh. She didn't have to ask for his kisses, she merely had to take them. He leaned down and kissed her.

She pulled him on top of her with a strength he didn't know she had. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him to her, kissing him harshly. He was surprised at her roughness, but didn't mind it. She finally released him and pressed his head into her shoulder.

"What was that about?" he asked, though he couldn't help but grin. He hadn't expected that. She was so cute, too. He didn't try to move from on top of her, face in her shoulder. She didn't seem to want him to.

"It was the simplest way to get you on top of me," she laughed. "I was still cold as all hell and wanted you on top of me so I could warm up faster. I just wanted to have a little fun with it." He couldn't help but laugh either. She had just wanted him on top of her? Why didn't she just ask? Did she really just want to kiss him for a few moments?

"You could have just asked," he teased her lightly.

"I wanted to kiss you again," she admitted shyly. "I've never been kissed before and I really like kissing you," she was so quiet and her voice was so shy. He thought she was being adorable and couldn't help it, not in the least. He turned his face to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He was glad he kissed her, though he knew he was definitely going to be dead when Itachi found out about this. How in the hell did he managed to fall in love with the same girl as his cousin?

Just as he thought that, there was a knock on his door. "Shit," he breathed, pulling away from Sakura. She watched him go, upset, and he threw his clothes back on. "Get your clothes on, cream puff, it seems like my darling family is here to annoy us," he pouted. He finally got to kiss her; got her to kiss him, and his lovely night of keeping her warm and half naked in his bed was ruined.

"Alright," she was up in a moment, throwing her clothes back on. She didn't even care that Shisui saw her in her under things. Just as she was throwing on a thick sweatshirt of his, he was crossing the apartment to the door. She went to the living room and grabbed the book off the coffee table to read. This was normal. They didn't want Shisui's family to catch them together in his bed so they had this all planned out to the last detail. No one thought anything was weird, so they were doing it very well.

"Hello, darling family members," Shisui said, the sarcasm in his voice heavy. He didn't really want to deal with them, not right now, but it didn't seem like he was getting out of it. Itachi and Sasuke were in his house, a plastic bag presumably full of dinner from Mikoto in Sasuke's hand. Shisui closed the door behind him and turned on the kitchen light.

"Where's Sakura?" Itachi asked immediately.

"Couch," Shisui pointed. He wasn't happy Itachi was here and wanted to hate himself for it, but couldn't bring himself to it. He was a rival to his little cousin now and he could feel disdain that he was here, trying to move in on his territory.

"The fuck is up with you?" Sasuke whispered angrily, thrusting the plastic bag into his hands.

"I was woken up. You know I hate it when that happens, cousin," Shisui said. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him, but took it. He certainly did seem grumpy and was prone to taking people's heads off if he was woken earlier than expected.

"How are you doing?" Itachi was asking Sakura, his eyes worried. His hand was over hers and she was staring at him. He missed her luminous eyes on him and he reached to her to bring her into his embrace. She came easily enough and he was breathing a little easier now that she was comfortably in his arms. It had been so long since he'd gotten to hold her and he missed her dearly.

"I'm fine," she said softly. "Shisui took me to the police station earlier and I gave him a little scare out on the balcony earlier, but he talked me down from it." Itachi knew what she was talking about. She had told him she was having dark thoughts lately and it bothered him that he couldn't hold her while she had those thoughts.

"I'm glad Shisui is here for you," true to his words, he did sound relieved. Sakura melted into his embrace, enjoying his warmth. She was still a little cold from the balcony and so welcomed his overwhelming warmth. "Sasuke and I brought dinner from our mother," he said, voice even once again. He would let emotion into his voice more often than not around Sakura, and he knew it, but his voice would go back to the same even tone when he was done with that.

"Is it beef stew?" Sakura said, raising her face to him. She stopped. His face was very close to hers and she lowered her face, embarrassed. What she had done with Shisui flashed through her mind and she felt guilty again. She definitely loved Itachi, but she also definitely felt something for Shisui. God, why did this have to be so confusing?

"Yes, it is," his voice was amused. He knew it was her favorite from his mother, hence why he brought it. "Would you like to eat, Sakura?" he asked, loosening his hold around her. She only nodded. He grasped her hand and brought her to the kitchen, where Sasuke was heating up the leftovers. He and Sasuke hadn't eaten yet, choosing to accompany Shisui and Sakura. He was putting it into bowls before handing one to the three people around him. They ate, standing there, and Itachi didn't leave Sakura's side. This was the first time he'd seen her since she'd woken up and he couldn't help but hold himself close to her. She looked a lot better now.

Shisui, meanwhile, felt the unfamiliar feeling of jealousy in his body. Oh, he knew what it was, but didn't have much experience with the feeling. He wanted to shove Itachi out of the way and stand beside her instead, hold her close as he had been over the last month and a half. He calmed himself, though. He didn't have anything exclusive with her. His little cousin had the right to try his best too, even if he didn't know he was in competition with him.

"Would you like to come over tomorrow?" Itachi asked. "Naruto misses you and I'd like to have you around for a little while," he said, allowing himself to hope it would work on her. Before she answered, she looked to Shisui.

"You'll be fine, cream puff," he said from the sink. "No one's going to hurt you there." This was the usual line he'd give her when they were going anywhere and she was scared about it. It was his way of saying it was okay to go. He had to work anyways and he would rather she start reconnecting with her best friends.

"Alright," she said softly. Itachi narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "Oh, stop it, 'Tachi," she berated him gently. "I wasn't asking him for permission," she swatted him gently on the arm and he looked down at her in surprise. "I just need to be validated about some things," she said, pouting. Sometimes she wasn't so sure if she could do something, if she was up to it. She looked to Shisui to tell her that she was. That's why his words were like code words. He was assuring her that she could.

"Okay," he said a slight tone of amusement underneath his voice. She smiled up at him.

"You two need to go, though," she said, pointing to the clock. "If you want me to be up at a reasonable time, that is," she laughed. It was well past ten at night and she wondered why they were over so late.

"We would have been over earlier, but neither of you were answering your phones," Sasuke complained loudly. He had been annoyed and he knew Itachi had been too. There was a certain twitch in the corner of his mouth when he was annoyed. That twitch had been prominent all afternoon. "We just decided to come by.

"Sorry, I needed to sleep after going to the police station," Sakura laughed. Shisui only shrugged.

"I forgot my phone here when I went to the office," he lied easily. "When I got home I just fell into bed. I was tired as fuck after all that shit." Itachi hadn't been at the office today, it was a Saturday. Shisui tended to take two days off during the week so he didn't have Itachi breathing down his neck. It was an easy way to lie to him about his whereabouts during the weekend if he took an extra day off.

"Ah." Itachi believed him.

"We'll be going, then," Sasuke shrugged. "See you tomorrow, Sakura." Sakura waved in goodbye and received a hug from both of them before they left, Itachi holding on far longer than his brother. She and Shisui cleaned the kitchen quickly and turned all the lights off before going to his room. She was just about to climb into bed when his hand on her arm stopped her.

"What?" she asked softly, looking up at him.

"Can I ask you to take your clothes off again?" he asked, staring at her. There was a crimson blush on her face and she slowly shook her head. He laughed. "I didn't mean that in a 'I want to sex you up way,' cream puff. I mean that in a 'I like the feeling of your almost naked body against mine and it was torn away from me before I was ready to let go' way."

"Are you going to try anything?" she asked suspiciously. She wasn't the type to just take her clothes off around anyone and everyone, and she wasn't too trusting of what he was thinking at this moment. He only laughed again.

"I might try to kiss you, but only if you want me to," he said, brushing his fingers through her hair. "I just want to keep you warm," he said honestly. He knew it would take a little convincing for her to take her clothes off again, but he was sincerely hoping it was working on her.

"Promise?" she said, biting her lip as she looked up at him. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"Promise, cream puff," he said gently. She turned her back to him and began pulling her shirt over her head. He grinned and began taking off his own shirt. She was under the blankets by the time he joined her and she drew close to him. Damn, he was still scorching. How was he still this hot? He wrapped his arms tightly around her and squeezed her.

"You're still so warm," she said, pouting. He only laughed.

"You'll get used to it," he said, pressing a kiss to her head. "Just give it a little time, little cream puff. He was enjoying her skin against his, he wasn't about to let her go just yet. Though he was a little too warm and it was a little uncomfortable, she buried her face into his chest and folded her arms tightly to her chest as she pressed against him. It was nice to be with him here, like this.

"I'm not very tired," she murmured. He chuckled.

"I figured. Here," he rolled onto his back, her small body on top of his. "The TV's on, go ahead and watch until you want to sleep." He was able to fall asleep anytime, anywhere, no matter if he was tired or not. He was asleep a few minutes later, but she was watching TV for a long time afterwards. Sighing, seeing that it was well past midnight, she decided she needed to sleep. She rested her head on Shisui's chest and closed her eyes, making herself listen to his calm breathing and heartbeat. She lulled herself into a slumber after a while of listening to him.


She was still mostly naked and still pressed to his body, he found when he woke. God, this was definitely heaven. An adorable girl was lying half naked and completely comfortable on his chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around that adorable girl and she still hadn't stirred from her slumber. He sat up gingerly and pulled her up so he could kiss her. She woke slowly with his kiss and flashed a warm smile when he pulled away.

"What was that for?" she asked, voice thick with sleep. She laid her head back on his chest, not wanting to move. She was wonderfully warm and had a pleasant surprise upon waking. She wasn't ready to move yet. His fingers were in her hair and stroking, making her feel like she could go back to sleep. "What if I cut my hair?" she asked, watching her hand. His movements stopped.

He liked her hair. He thought it was beautiful and so much fun to run his fingers through. She loved it when he did that too. He wondered why she would want to cut her hair anyways, but he couldn't just tell her not to. He didn't want her to cut her hair, but he couldn't say that. She was getting fidgety from his silence.

"It's your hair, cream puff. I'll love it no matter what you do to it," he said, brushing his fingers through her hair again. She smiled and rubbed her cheek on his chest. She was so happy about his answer and he could see that. He was glad he gave her the right answer, but he could be unhappy about her decision to cut it.

"What time is it?" she asked, looking over to his alarm clock. "Shisui, you're going to be late!" she pushed herself off of him and rolled off the bed. He only laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her down. "No, Shisui, you have to get up," she had a smile on her face, though. He only grinned and tugged her down to meet his lips.

"Are you going to make breakfast for me, cream puff?" he asked, smiling as he pulled away. Sakura flushed and nodded. "Alright," he released her and pulled himself out of bed, grabbing clothes to change into. He didn't pass a glance over her as he went to the bathroom to take a shower.

When he came out of the shower to see what she was cooking in the kitchen, he had to stop for a moment. She had only pulled on a sweater of his that had been sitting on top of the dresser. It was far too big for her and hung to the middle of her thighs. She reached for something over her head and he froze, watching the fabric tighten over her backside. To top it off, her hair was piled into a messy bun on top of her head, something he never thought he'd get to see. Fuck, how could she be this unknowingly sexy?

"Hey," he said, crossing the space to stand behind her. His hands were on her hips and she froze, flushing. "You know, you shouldn't wear something like this, cream puff," he said close to her ear. She made a soft sound and flushed again, staring at the cooking eggs. She couldn't breathe with him this close and her brain was going blank.

"Why not?" she asked finally, breathlessly; hand shaking when she went to get the spatula. He brushed his lips along her neck, loving when she tensed and fidgeted, trying to keep focused. She didn't want to burn breakfast.

"You look so hot," he said, pressing his lips to her neck. She took a sharp intake of breath. "I can't help but touch you when you look so good," his voice was so soft and slightly rough. It made her shiver, but she forced herself to focus on breakfast. She reached for their plates and piled the eggs on, Shisui turning off the stove for her. He didn't let her escape the cage of his arms and she turned to try and push him back. He just kissed her, his fingers sliding into her hair.

Sakura didn't know how she was supposed to react. She was just flushing, fingers clenched in his shirt, trying to make herself push him away so she could make him eat. That was proving difficult, though; he was distracting her and making it way too tough to think. He finally pulled away, allowing her to breathe.

"Come on," she was breathless and he couldn't help but smile at her, "We should eat and get going." He only grinned and nodded, reaching past her to get his plate. She joined him at the breakfast bar and would only stare at the plate, too flushed to look at him. "Why'd you do that?" she asked softly. It wasn't that she didn't like it. She liked it, a lot. She liked the way her heart accelerated when his lips connected with her neck and the way he held her against his body when he kissed her. She just wanted to know why he thought to do it.

"I couldn't help myself, cream puff," he said cheerily, looking down at her. Damn, she looked good from this angle too. "See, the things you wear have an effect on me. Though I prefer you without clothes, I couldn't help it when I saw you. Do you know how cute you look in a sweater that's way too big for you? And do you know how that sweater doesn't reach too far down your legs and tightens when you reach over your head?"

"Um, no," she flushed, staring at her food while she ate. She bit into her toast and he thought her quite adorable.

"Don't do it around anyone else, how about that?" he said. He wanted to keep this vision for himself. He didn't want his little cousin to see her like this. They were in a competition, that was true, but he didn't have to make it easy for him. She only nodded. "And you should do it more," she looked up at him, flushing and he winked at her. The blush only grew brighter and hotter. He liked that he could make her blush so much.

The rest of breakfast was quiet, though Sakura didn't stop blushing. He ushered her off to get changed while he cleaned the kitchen and couldn't help but smile when he saw her again. She was wearing a sweater dress, dark grey, though it didn't reach too far down her legs. She had pulled on leggings to keep herself warm and was pulling on her coat and a thick scarf.

"You look cute in that too," he smiled, going to get his coat and shoes. She was blushing again. She liked it when he said those things to her. He grabbed his bag and reached for her before going out the door. He kissed her again. Jesus, he really liked kissing her. He had to stop doing these things. Once he started, he just didn't want to stop. She was starting to get better at it too and he couldn't help the warmth that started growing in his stomach. It was getting to the point where he had to control himself around her.

"Come on, we have to go," she laughed when he pulled away. He rolled his eyes and nodded, letting her take him by the hand and pull him out the door. They were in the car and she was staring at her legs for a long moment while he began driving. "Do you like this?" she looked down at what she wore. She was wearing things she never had before. This was shorter and tighter than anything she'd ever worn and it was wreaking havoc on her self esteem.

"I like it quite a lot. I like kissing you when you look like that. Well, I like kissing you anyways, but I like seeing you in something like that anyways," he smiled at her. "It reminds me of when I get your clothes off," he joked.

"What?" she blushed.

"I can see some of your curves, silly," he laughed. "It reminds me that I got to see you almost naked twice now. It's a good reminder." Sakura flushed bright red. It wasn't that she didn't like his words; she just had never thought he would say such a thing. "You know, you've come a long way in the past two months or so," he smiled at her.

"How do you mean?" she asked softly.

"You're talking again, that's a big one," he laughed. "You're far more comfortable around me and you speak your mind. That never happened before. You're speaking while you eat now and you clean, but only when you want to. Otherwise, I don't mind taking care of it. You look a lot better and you don't seem so stressed or sad. Does that cut it?"

"Oh. Is that good?" she was a little afraid it wasn't. Did he want her to be shy and meek? Did he want her to clean up after him like a good little church girl or did he want her to keep her silence while she ate and wait for him to speak to her? She didn't know anymore. Had she gotten too comfortable around him?

"That's great, cream puff. I like the way you are now, silly. I like kissing you and hugging you and having you in my bed every night." Sakura seemed visibly calmed now and he smiled at the windshield. They were almost to his cousins' house and he wasn't happy that he had to let her get away from him. He wanted to be around her every minute of the day, just to see her blush and be around her soft personality. He didn't even mind validating her feelings all the time. He kind of liked doing it.

"I don't want to go without you," she pouted. Shisui laughed as he parked the car. "I like it when you're with me," the pout was still in her voice and he thought her quite cute.

"I'll be back to get you later after work, cream puff, don't you worry," he smiled. Sakura darted her eyes around the empty garage before she quickly shot forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. He didn't really have time to react, but he didn't really need to. She had a smile and a blush on her cheeks. It was good enough for her.

"I'll see you later, Shisui," she said softly before jumping out of the car. She waited until Shisui had pulled away and was out of sight before she went to the door. She just went in, knowing she could. They wouldn't yell at her for it. The house was very warm when she walked in and she hung her coat up, sliding on her slippers afterwards. She didn't really do this anymore, but she liked being comfortable.

"Sakura! I didn't know you were coming by today." Sakura had found Mikoto in the kitchen and she was struck into silence when the older woman said this. She flushed as the woman rushed over and enveloped her in a hug. Sakura wrapped her own arms around Mikoto and she was surprised. Sakura had never returned one of her hugs before. She had definitely changed.

"I thought Itachi and Sasuke would tell you," Sakura said quietly. "Shisui dropped me off before going to work. I didn't mean to drop by unexpectedly." She felt bad now. She hadn't thought she had to inform Mikoto that she was coming; she thought that Sasuke and Itachi would take care of that. She was uncomfortable now.

"No, no, it's okay. I guess they just forgot," Mikoto said, a smile on her face. She was just making some cookies because she wanted to. It got boring during the day when she didn't have much to do and so cooked and baked a lot. Whatever she had left over she would bring to shelters and such. She just liked to cook. "You want a cookie? The boys are still upstairs, probably sleeping."

"Thanks," Sakura said when she had a cookie shoved into her hands. "I don't want to wake them up," she said softly, looking to the stairs. She and Shisui were often up very early. He liked going to work early, usually while she was still sleeping, just so he could get back to her early. She'd been doing it for so long she had forgotten others wouldn't often be up this early.

"Do you want to go shopping with me then?" Mikoto asked, eyes lighting up in excitement. She didn't have a girl she could dress up and shop for, so this was an exciting thing to do. Sakura flushed.

"I don't have any money, so I don't think it'll be very fruitful," she said quietly.

"Oh, hush, I don't have any daughters, so you'll have to do," Mikoto stuck her tongue out at her and Sakura flushed. "Anyways, my old clothes probably don't fit you very well," she walked to her and tugged at the dress she was wearing. "See? It's a bit loose. I know you don't think so because you aren't used to wearing it, but it's definitely a size too big."

"I couldn't ask for that," Sakura said, crimson staining her face. She didn't want to ask Mikoto for anything and she didn't really mind the old clothes. Even if they were a size too big, they did well enough.

"Oh, hush," Mikoto said again, "Think of it as your Christmas present. I didn't get you anything because you weren't awake to enjoy it, so a shopping trip is exactly what's happening. You have to deal with it," she winked at her. Mikoto certainly was exuberant. Was this where Shisui got it from? It's a wonder Itachi and Sasuke didn't have some of the same personality.

"Fine, fine," she sighed. It didn't seem like she was going to get out of it. By the look of Mikoto's eyes, she knew she definitely wasn't getting out of it. Mikoto smiled and turned to the oven, pulling out the last of the cookies. She shoved a couple more into Sakura's hands and she gladly ate them.

"I'll be right back, Sakura," Mikoto said, heading for the stairs. "I'm just going to change." Sakura nodded and sat at the island, going to eat the rest of her cookies. No one else came down and Sakura found herself a little upset with her friends. They knew she was coming, so why were they still sleeping? She slightly wanted to go and wake them up, but thought better of it. Mikoto really wanted to go shopping with her and the boys would bring it down a bit.

"Look who I found," Mikoto said as she came down the stairs. Naruto was behind her, smiling, already dressed in clothes appropriate for the cold weather.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled as he bounded down the last couple of stairs and barreled towards her. He caught her in a giant bear hug, holding her tightly, and couldn't help the stupid grin on his face when he felt her hands move to his middle, hugging him back. It was a pleasant surprise and he pulled back. "What are you doing right now?"

"Mikoto is making me go with her," Sakura had a pout in her voice and Mikoto laughed.

"We're going shopping, Naruto. She needs clothes that actually fit her. You're welcome to come with us, but it'll be quite boring for you." Mikoto wasn't going to say no to Naruto if he wanted to tag along, but knew he would be quite bored if he did. Naruto only laughed.

"It'll be boring, but I'll call Hinata to join us," he said easily. "It'll be less boring with her around and I've wanted her to meet you for a while, Sakura. I just didn't think you were up for it just yet." Naruto had been waiting for Sakura to show up sooner or later. He missed her, tremendously so, but knew she would come when she was ready. It was the other two he had to calm down and explain this to. That was definitely a first. They usually were explaining things to him.

"Oh, so you're finally dating her?" Sakura asked as they made their way to the garage. Mikoto led them to her car and Naruto ushered her into the front seat.

"I've been dating her for about a month now. She knows all about you because you'll always be my first love," Naruto joked. Sakura rolled her eyes. She knew it was partly true, at least. Naruto had always had a huge soft spot for her and had asked her out once or twice. She knew he wasn't completely joking.

"Alright, well, call Hinata and tell her to meet us in the mall in the city. Or would you rather we pick her up?" Mikoto didn't mind picking anyone up. She didn't mind Hinata, either. She was soft spoken girl with a heart of gold.

"She'll probably need to be picked up," Naruto said, shrugging. He dialed the number and she answered quickly. She said yes, of course, anything to spend a little time with him, and Naruto was directing Mikoto to her house soon after. Sakura wasn't paying much attention. She was staring out the window, thinking of her morning. There was a light blush on her cheeks when she remembered Shisui's warmth and the way he kissed her.

"What are you thinking about over there, Sakura?" Mikoto asked while they were sitting and waiting for Hinata.

"Nothing, just my morning," Sakura said softly. Mikoto watched her closely. She was blushing and her hands were tight in her lap. Whatever had happened, it wasn't bad. She seemed to like remembering it. She only smiled to herself. Sakura wasn't about to tell her what was going on in her head. It was definitely private.

"Found her!" Naruto said as he slid back into the car, Hinata on the other side. "Hinata, the girl in the front seat with the pink hair is Sakura. I told you about her, remember?" Naruto was smiling brightly and had to tap Sakura to get her attention.

"Sorry, what?" Sakura said, shaking her head and turning around.

"This is Hinata, Sakura," Naruto said, a grumble in his voice. "Remember I told you about her?" he was annoyed, that was for sure. Sakura didn't usually have her head in the clouds and he was slightly worried something was up with her. That didn't stop him from being annoyed for her not listening, though.

"Hi, Hinata," Sakura smiled, reaching her hand back to shake hers. Naruto was surprised now. Sakura didn't usually touch other people, shied away from their touch when she didn't know who they were. She was openly shaking Hinata's hand now, smiling. The moment was over a little too quickly for him and she turned back to the front, back to staring out the window and thinking again.

Hinata knew, from Naruto, that Sakura was a quiet little thing, but was surprised she held her hand out to her. She hadn't expected the other girl to be here, but didn't mind. She had Naruto with her, so it'd be okay. She just hoped Sakura wouldn't take too much of his attention. Her good mood at being with him would definitely be dampened.

"Come on, kiddies, we're here," Mikoto said as she pulled herself gracefully out of the car. Hinata watched Naruto open the door for Sakura, but the pink haired girl waved him off and got herself out of the car.

"I'm not that girl anymore, Naruto," she said lowly before walking to catch up with Mikoto. Naruto watched, a little confused. She didn't need him anymore, is that was she was saying? She didn't need him to protect her? She had changed, a lot, and Naruto was being blindsided by it. When had this happened? When had she turned into this girl?

Hinata knew he was in a bad mood now and didn't know what to say. The words she couldn't hear were lost on her and she didn't understand what was wrong. "You okay, Naruto?" she asked softly as they entered the mall. Naruto just shook her head.

"Sorry, I just haven't seen her in a long time," he said, trying to laugh off his insecurities. "She's just really different and it caught me off guard. I guess whatever Shisui is doing to her is good." He still wasn't quite sure. He wanted the old Sakura back. The Sakura that hid behind Naruto and Sasuke and always needed them around to make her smile. "She doesn't need me like she did and it's just catching me off guard."

"How did she need you before?" Mikoto was in a store with Sakura, holding things up to her body. The girl was blushing and looking uncomfortable, but wasn't really minding it. Hinata didn't think she seemed odd. A little quiet and out of her mind, perhaps, but not odd. She identified with her, if anything.

"Her father beat her up a lot and she wouldn't tell us. He did a lot of things that made her really shy and scared of other people. Sasuke and I were her buffer to the rest of the world and we got her to smile when she really didn't want to. We could see when she was getting to that place Sasuke goes sometimes and we could do something about it. I guess she doesn't need that anymore." Naruto was looking sad and Hinata didn't quite know what to say to make him feel better. Sakura was smiling at Mikoto, shaking her head at something.

"I'm sure she still needs you, Naruto." This wasn't something she wanted to say to him. It felt like she was helping him win over another girl. She knew, though, that Sakura had no interest in him and so took little comfort in that. "It's just in a different way now. I'm sure she still needs you to be her friend, just not in the same way."

"Well, yeah, but she hugged me back today. It felt really weird. It felt like she doesn't need comfort anymore and is able to show it to others instead." Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, Hinata, why don't we go get a smoothie while those two are distracted?" he smiled. Hinata's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.


They were back at the Uchiha house now and Sakura was wandering the halls, looking for Itachi. She was exhausted after Mikoto dragged her to five different stores and had her carry an endless amount of bags. She hadn't thought Mikoto would buy her so much but here she was. That was just an obnoxious amount, but Mikoto just shut her up with a look.

"Itachi!" Sakura was faced with him just outside his door. She'd just been about to knock, but he opened the door right before she could. He stood there, surprised and therefore speechless, and she took the initiative to rush into his arms, hugging him tightly around the neck. She was a few inches off the ground, he was very tall after all, but she found it a little easier to hold on when he wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a little support.

"Hello," he finally said. "I didn't think you'd actually come today." Sakura pulled away from him, which he wasn't too happy about, and pouted.

"Why not, silly 'Tachi?" she asked, her arms by her side. Fuck, he said the wrong thing. She was no longer pressed against him and her arms weren't around him anymore. It was slightly annoying. "Why don't you think I would come when you ask me to?" she didn't seem about to cry, but definitely looked disappointed.

"Sakura," he said, pulling her arms back up to rest around his neck. "I just didn't think you wanted to come see me, that's all. You have been pretty scarce for a while you know," he pulled her back into the hug and she didn't try to pull away this time. She enjoyed his embrace; she hadn't been able to enjoy it in a long while.

He pulled her into his room and sat her on the bed, taking his customary place next to her. Sakura was happy she was in his presence, but suddenly thought of Shisui. Great, now she felt terribly guilty again. She had let him kiss her, initiated kisses with him, and had continued letting him kiss her. She had taken off her clothes and felt his skin against hers the night before, too! She felt mortified and like she was doing something terribly wrong to Itachi.

"What's up?" Itachi had noticed her shift in mood. She wasn't very comfortable anymore and she was fidgeting. She was looking at the floor and wouldn't look at him. Was she ashamed about something? He couldn't tell. It was definitely bothering him. She smiled uneasily and just pulled at his hand, beckoning him to lie down.

She was wrapped up in his arms and the noise of the TV filtered through the room. She should feel happy and safe, but that seed of guilt was growing inside of her, bothering her to no end. She felt terrible that she had kissed Shisui, continued to kiss him, wanted to keep kissing him, but didn't know how to say it to him. She liked him too and honestly wouldn't mind kissing him either, but that would feel like she were betraying Shisui, then.

Itachi didn't seem to think anything was wrong. She was usually pretty quiet and he just took the chance to brush his fingers through her hair, enjoying her presence. It had been a long while since he had the opportunity to lie here like this and he didn't want to miss it. He didn't want to close his eyes and miss a single moment with her.

"'Tachi," she said, voice small. "You're squeezing me too tight." He loosened his hold on her, but pressed her just a little closer to his chest.

"Sorry," he said softly, pressing a kiss to her head. She smiled, somewhat sadly and he was concerned. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

"I just missed this," she lied, though she was really feeling extremely guilt ridden. She was just so confused. She'd had feelings for Itachi for so long, but what she had with Shisui was new and exciting. It was just so confusing and she couldn't choose between them, not really. She definitely liked both of them for entirely different reasons. She just had to keep her turmoil to herself before she could make a decision.

"Do you know when your father's going to court?" Itachi asked, staring at the TV. His father had told him how she hadn't been able to speak about it without Shisui doing some psychiatric shit and made her pretend it was just the two of them. Sakura had told Shisui everything, he knew that now, and he wished she would tell him. He still didn't know why she wouldn't.

"The court date is set for a few months from now," Sakura shrugged. "I'm not sure what I'll do, honestly, but the prosecutor said she's going to work with me and prepare me for court so I don't say the wrong thing so my father's lawyer can attack me. I don't know how well it's going to go."

"Do you want me to be there for you on that day?" he asked. He wanted her permission. She still hadn't told him what had occurred and he didn't know if she would want him to find out that way. She thought for a long moment, staring at his chest. He waited patiently for her to answer and it took a few long minutes.

"Sure," she said softly. She would tell him soon. She would have to, now. This was just a way to give her motivation to do so. She didn't want him to find out in that courtroom, so she'd have to tell him. Itachi only nodded and brushed his long fingers through her hair again. She relaxed in his embrace, feeling a little calmer.

"Why didn't you want to see me for so long?" he asked, mainly out of curiosity. Sakura sighed and looked away from him, hiding her face. He thought, perhaps, she needed to, and let her do what she needed.

"It's the same reason why I'm having so many problems telling you," she said softly. "You're going to be angry with me and I don't think I could take it." Wasn't it enough that she was here with him now? Why was he asking all these difficult questions? She didn't understand. He couldn't just let things lie for now and enjoy her company, could he? He just had to ask her everything right now.

"I wouldn't be angry with you," he said quietly. Sakura was out of his arms and standing now. He blinked at the rate of which she moved and slowly sat up, confused. "Are you okay?" he asked. It was about to burst out of her, she could feel it. The words were bubbling up her throat and she was about to let them out. She'd been having problems with just blurting things out, ever since she had the problem with talking. The only way she'd been able to was when she was feeling extreme and that had kept up throughout the months. She couldn't help it now.

"He raped me!" she shouted, tears slipping past her eyes. "He raped me and I didn't call you. I just reached for the first thing I could reach that would hurt me. I was being selfish and thinking of myself and I hurt myself so badly I almost died. Why don't you hate me for that?!" she was angry and not understanding and tears were running rampant down her face. She wanted Shisui. She wanted him so badly right now because he wouldn't just be sitting there, watching her cry and hurt.

"You were sad," Itachi didn't quite know what he was saying, just knew he had to say something to calm her down. He slowly rose from the bed and stepped towards her, holding out his arms. She backed away from him, hugging herself. "You were sad and you didn't know what you were doing until it was too late," he was backing her into a corner, but that meant he could get his arms around her.

"I should have thought about it!" Why wasn't he saying these words? Why was he being so calm and trying to hug her? He should be upset, like she was. He should be yelling at her and saying the things she was. She hugged herself tighter and took another step back, hitting the wall. "I should have thought about it and called you, Naruto, Sasuke, someone! But I tried to take my own life instead of thinking about it!"

"Sakura, it's alright." Itachi was recycling these words. They weren't his own. This is what he had heard Shisui say to Sasuke once upon a time and he had stored the knowledge for later. He had never thought he would need it, but here he was. He was glad he had listened all those years ago and had remembered his words. "You weren't yourself. You're better now." He finally got his arms around her.

Sakura broke down into his arms and sobbed loudly, her face pushed into his chest by his hand. He shushed her and dragged his fingers through her hair and down her back, repeating those words. It was still a long road, he could tell, but she was here and crying in his arms. This was a bigger step than he could have asked for.

"I'm not angry with you, Sakura," he said softly. These were his own words now. "I was worried." She only nodded. He hugged her tightly and picked her up easily, bringing her back to his bed. She needed to sleep after all that crying, he knew that much. "When is Shisui coming to pick you up?"

"Three," she said softly, looking at her phone. It was about two-thirty now. She had another hour with Itachi and then Shisui would be back to whisk her away. Half of her couldn't wait to see his smiling face again, but the other half of her didn't want to leave. It wanted to say here with Itachi, in his arms. The time seemed to go by too quickly for her and her phone was ringing too soon.

"Hey, Shisui," she said, sitting up. "Yep, okay," she turned off the call. "He's here and doesn't sound very happy, so I have to run," she sighed. Shisui wasn't usually stressed, but if he was asking her to come down to him instead of going to find her, something was wrong. Itachi only nodded, knowing full well what she meant. "Walk me down?" she asked, a soft look in her eyes.

"Of course," Itachi pulled himself up. Sakura reached for his hand and he couldn't help the small smile cross his lips. He led her, like all the times before, down the hallway and stairs. She didn't let go of him until he stood by the door, watching her get her shoes and coat on.

"Tell Sasuke I'm sorry I didn't get to see him today," Sakura said as she zipped up her coat and grabbed her scarf. Sasuke had been scarce today, but she hadn't meant to spend so much time with Itachi. She had been slightly silly thinking that. She should have known she wouldn't leave Itachi's side when she went to see him.

"Alright. Come again soon so you can," Itachi said, giving her a tight hug. "I'm glad you came by today," he let the tiniest amount of happiness in his voice and she smiled, obviously hearing it. She only nodded and drew away from him after a few long moments. She waved just before she shut the door behind her and crossed to Shisui's car that was sitting at the entrance of the garage. She slid into the front seat and passed a glance over him. His lips were set in a thin, straight line.

"I heard Mikoto dragged you off on a shopping trip," he was trying his best to be cheery for her, she could tell. "She brought the bags out. I knew my aunt was a bit exuberant, but that's a little obnoxious," he forced a laugh. He felt Sakura's tiny hand on his and he looked to her.

"Don't worry, Shisui," she said softly, staring at his hand. "You don't have to be happy for me," she said sweetly. Shisui shook his head. Of course he had to be happy for her. She wasn't going to like the news he had to tell her, the reason for his stress. He turned his hand over and held hers tightly, squeezing so hard he knew she was probably losing feeling in her fingertips. "I'll make you feel better," she said softly as they drove.

"I don't think you can," he struggled to make his voice calm, but she didn't seem to mind at all. She passed the fingertips of her other hand over the back of his. She was gentle and worried about him, but he was prematurely worrying about her. This wasn't good and he wasn't sure she'd want to leave his apartment after he told her. He was sure he would have a hard time getting her to let him leave as well. She would be stuck to his side like glue.

"Shisui, what's wrong?" Sakura turned her body towards him, completely worried. "Please tell me." Dread grew in her stomach, turning it into a pit that she was having a problem getting out of. Her worry was turning into dread and she hated the feeling. She just wanted to know what was wrong and he was being way too silent right now.

"Your father posted bail," he said, voice strained. "He doesn't know where you are and there's a restraining order against him, but I don't know him as well as you do. Will he come after you? Will he be able to figure out where you are?" he couldn't help but ask all these things and he could see that she was bothered now. She wasn't looking at him and her jaw was clenched.

"I don't know." There was so much fear in her voice and he wished he had made it home before letting it spill. He wanted to hold her, make her feel better, but he couldn't while he was driving. "I've never run away from him before, but I don't think he'll give up too easily on me," she looked out the window pensively.

"What will you do?" it was only ten minutes before he got home, but it felt like forever. He wanted to get her there and get her comfortable. He thought this was annoying and terrible and he hated it. Why did they have to give him such a low bail? Why didn't they see he was a danger to Sakura and couldn't be let out on the street? This was bothering him and he couldn't quite get it out of his head.

"I don't know," she whispered hoarsely. Her entire world was crashing down around her and she couldn't find a way to look past it at this point. She wanted to cry, but tried to hold her tears back. She didn't want to cry, she cried too much. Shisui passed a glance over her and drove just a little bit faster. The air was tense and she didn't want to get out of the car at this point. She didn't know where she wanted to be, and she was getting frustrated. Those dark feelings were coming back again.

"Come on, cream puff," he said softly when he opened her door. She reached up to him and he sighed, reaching down to pick her up. At least she was reaching for him. He shut the door behind her and carried her easily up the stairs. He had gotten used to this and it wasn't too difficult to do anymore. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and held on.

He brought her to the bedroom and she tumbled out of his arms to the bed. He had to get changed before joining her and she watched him from her place on the bed. He just changed in front of her at this point. She had seen him in just his boxers, it was fine now. Sakura reached her hand out to him and he took it, falling in bed beside her.

"Don't be upset over me," she said softly, pressing a hand to her face. Her eyes were glowing and she wasn't even crying. Oh, she wanted to, but it was time to be strong for Shisui instead. He was upset over this and it was her turn to calm him down and put a smile on his face instead. He closed his eyes and leaned his cheek into her hand.

"I'm just worried. I want you to be safe from him," he said quietly.

"Between you and Itachi, I'm sure nothing will happen," she said, smiling. He opened his eyes to see it and realized she was getting closer. He was surprised when she pressed her lips to his. She kissed him because it had made her feel better out on the balcony. It would make him feel better too, right? By the way his arms tightened around her waist, dragging her close to him, she'd been right.

He wasn't pulling away, though. He was attacking her mouth hungrily, greedily, and she didn't stop him. He had been so jealous when he found out Sakura had been upstairs with Itachi. He wanted to wipe him from her mind, replacing the memory with the way he kissed her and held her so tightly. Her arms were tight around his neck and she was on top of him. One of his hands was in her hair, tugging lightly, and the other was on her lower back. He pulled her head gently to the side and he attacked her neck, kissing and gently biting.

"What's gotten into you, Shisui?" she asked breathlessly through her hazy mind. He had never really tried this before and it was causing her mind to go haywire. Sure, he had gone after her in the morning, but this was a little different. She could tell the mood was a little different. He pulled back and she couldn't say she was happy about it.

"I don't know, I'm sorry. I guess I just got a little away from myself," he said, smiling. Her kiss had been so surprising and he couldn't help but go after her, the image of that morning in his mind. He wanted to get her clothes off. He didn't really know where that feeling came from. He didn't even really know why he was so immersed with her. Why he liked her so much. He just had been spending so much time with her and watching her and realizing she was probably the cutest thing on the planet.

"I didn't tell you to stop," she said, a pout in her voice while she dropped her chin to his chest. She was enjoying his attention that much was true, and couldn't help but be a little disappointed when he stopped. She liked kissing him and hadn't wanted him to stop.

She let out a little squeak when she was suddenly turned over and his lips were back on her neck, his hand on her waist. Her hands were on his shoulders, nails digging into his shirt. She was pretty new to attention like this and there was an unfamiliar feeling coursing through her. She liked it, immensely so.

He moved back to her mouth and kissed her, his lips prying hers open and he slid his tongue into her mouth. A soft noise of surprise left the back of her throat and she tightened her hold on his shoulders. One of his hands, she wasn't sure which, was in her hair, angling her head just the way he wanted. He was between her legs and she wanted to lean her body into his, but didn't. She stayed still, kissing him back, hands on his shoulders.

"Is that what you wanted?" he gave her a devilish grin when he pulled away. She flushed at the look in his eyes. She knew that look, but she wasn't afraid. He wasn't her father, or her pastor, or any of the countless men she had been forced onto. She wasn't scared of him because he would never hurt her and he'd been kissing her so nicely. She thought that was validation for what she felt right now. No one else had ever kissed her.

"I'm not sure what I wanted," she said softly, a smile on her face, "I'm just glad I got it," she grinned and he returned it, leaning down to press another kiss to her lips.

"Are you hungry, cream puff?" he asked, rolling off of her. He wasn't about to try anything. She gave no indication that she wanted to go farther and he wasn't going to work himself to the point he was going to lose control. He didn't want to. It certainly was a weird feeling.

"A little," she only turned her head to him and he thought her glorious. She was lying where he left her, one hand by her side and the other by her side, her legs crossed over one another. Her eyes were slightly hazy and lips bruised from his hungry kisses. He had to take a deep breath so he didn't crawl back on top of her and attack her lips and her neck again.

"What do you want?" he asked, pulling himself off the bed. He averted his eyes from her form. Her dress was pulled up to her waist, giving him a teasing glance of her skin before the leggings started. How he wished he could get all those clothes off. He blinked, trying to get those thoughts out of his head. He was going crazy, that's for sure.

"Why don't we get some burgers?" she asked, pulling herself off the bed and finally fixing her clothes, much to Shisui's relief. It was getting so hard to control himself around her and he could tell her control was wearing thin as well. He could feel how she wanted to continue, but she hadn't actually made the move. He had backed off just in case.

"Sure," he finally answered her smile. "Come on, cream puff," he reached his hand to her and she grabbed it. He wasn't so worried anymore. She wasn't, after all. He was surprised for a moment. He watched her as she got on her shoes and coat. When had she started being able to calm him with a few words and a kiss? He didn't know how this happened. Sakura was getting better, growing up a bit and it was just because of him. He had followed her to psychiatrist appointments and held her during the night. He had talked her down from the ledge several times and had found himself in love with her and kissing her easily, wanting to steal her away from his cousin. This was wrong and he just didn't care. He wanted her, he loved her.

Somewhere along the line, she didn't need him so much anymore, but she still wanted him around. That meant more to him than she realized, though she probably barely realized it herself. She grabbed his hand on the way out the door and gave him a luminous smile. He couldn't help but smile back and wrap his arm around her waist instead.


Spoiler alert! this one's really long. Well, that's not a spoiler alert after you've already read it. Anyways, I started this last night and when that happens and I fall asleep and then continue it the next day, it tends to come out longer than what you wanted. Deal with it.