AN: Here's another chapter.

I'd like to thank all of you for the positive reviews I've gotten so far. Currently, this is my favorite story to write because of you guys. I hope you are all enjoying the story :)

I really like this chapter because you see a whole new side to Sakura. I like to call her momma-Sakura protecting her loved ones. It'll actually be a big part of this story, so let me know what you think of her development in this chapter.

Thank you for reading and lease review! They make the updates come faster.

The First Time

Chapter 4: Flower Shop

"I swear when I grow up I won't just buy you a rose
I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely."

Konoha's streets were silent. It was the middle of the night, after all. Equally as silent, Uchiha Itachi hopped from rooftop to rooftop with only one destination in mind. Thinking back to the fight, he internally berated himself for being so complacent and foolish. He had underestimated the blast-nin despite the fact that Itachi knew he was Akatsuki. That was a mistake – his confidence was a weakness. This would prove to be a useful reality check for him, though. He would not make the same mistake again. If he hadn't seen the bird just before it detonated, he would probably be dead, or not far from it, by now. Luckily, though, he had seen it. Launching off the ground, he had managed to avoid the brunt of the blast. However, his left arm and lower left hip were now burnt from the blast and he knew he needed to go to the hospital.

Well, not the hospital. The Hokage would be informed if he showed up to the hospital with large burn marks. Since he hadn't been on a mission, he would undoubtedly be questioned as to how and why he got the marks. The Hokage would find out in due time, but he wasn't ready to tell her yet. So, since the hospital was out, he had to go to the next best thing.

That next best thing was his first choice when it came to healing him, anyway.

That next best thing was not in her apartment, he realized.

He landed on her balcony silently and gazed through her bedroom window. Haruno Sakura was not in her bed. Judging by the rumpled blankets, she had been there recently, but she wasn't there now. In fact, he couldn't sense her in her apartment at all. Irritation coursed through him, but he quickly quelled it. He couldn't be upset with her for not being around at his every beck and call. She was not entitled to him. Crimson eyes closed as he expanded his senses, feeling for her chakra signature throughout the village.

There. He pinpointed her location a few blocks east of where he was. She was in another apartment, but that didn't bother him. What bothered him was whose apartment she was in. Jumping from the balcony onto another room, Itachi flew forward towards the apartment complex in question. Only one thought crossed his mind: Wasn't it inappropriate to spend the night at your former teacher's house?

Only a few moments later, he landed outside of the complex. He did not know Hatake Kakashi well enough to go crawling through his window. Additionally, Kakashi lived with Shiranui Genma, and Sakura was inside the apartment. Jumping through another shinobi's window would only end in Itachi being attacked before questioned. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs to the apartment that he knew Sakura was in.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sakura groaned. It was the middle of the night? Who would show up at Kakashi's apartment in the middle of the night? Oh, probably one of Genma's girlfriends, she realized.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sakura turned around in Kakashi's bed and buried her face into the pillows. Kakashi was sleeping on the couch. Why didn't he answer the damn door?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Itachi was getting annoyed. Three jounin level shinobi in one apartment and not one of them could get up to answer the door. Next time he was crawling through the window. When he raised his right arm to knock one last time, the door swung open to reveal a very disgruntled looking copy-nin wearing nothing but flannel pants and a mask.

"Uchiha-san?" he questioned.

"Hatake-san," Itachi drawled.

"What're you doing here? Last I checked, none of us were ANBU so you wouldn't be coming with a mission for us, would you?" he asked, seemingly perking up a bit.

"I require Haruno Sakura," Itachi replied coolly. The burns on his arms were starting to get to him. "I sense her within the apartment."

Kakashi's gaze darkened a bit. Oh, he knew. He knew that the elder Uchiha held some form of torch for his favorite student, and he didn't like it. "Why?" he asked flatly. Itachi held up his arm, allowing the cloak he had been wearing to slip and reveal his charred arm. Kakashi looked at it thoughtfully before going to close the door on his face. "There is a hospital down the street."

"And you go to the hospital when you're injured?" Itachi retorted before the door could close. It worked because Kakashi opened the door. This time challenge glinted in his dark eye. "If I'm not mistaken Hatake-san, you haven't spent the night in the hospital once since Sakura has become a medic."

Kakashi scoffed. He was about to retort when a soft, feminine voice echoed from behind him. "Who is it Kakashi-sensei?" Itachi saw Kakashi wince, but he stepped aside with a tentative movement nonetheless. "Itachi?" Sakura asked when she recognized the person standing on the other side of the door. Holy shit. She thought to herself. What was he doing here? Sakura began to think about herself subconsciously. Her hair was a mess and she wasn't wearing something that would be deemed appropriate to be in the room with two single men. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto were one thing, but she did not want Uchiha Itachi to see her in her current attire.

Itachi regarded her silently for a moment. To say Sakura looked anything less than adorable would be an insult. She was smoothing her sleep-ruffled pink locks with one hand and rubbing her tired emerald eyes with another. She wore nothing but an oversized orange shirt that fell to her mid-thigh, accentuating her long, toned legs. Itachi kept his gaze on her face, though, for he knew Kakashi was staring at him with a critical eye. "Sakura," Itachi greeted.

"What're you doing here…is Sasuke okay…your mom, is she alright?" Sakura asked, her eyes suddenly brightening with worry.

"My mother and Sasuke are both well," Itachi replied coolly.

"Then why're you here at…" she looked at the clock, "Two in the morning?" Once again, Itachi held up his burned arm. Sakura looked at the burns for just a moment before her eyes went circular, as big as plates, "OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED?"

"Hn." Sakura gave him an exasperated look but ushered him into the apartment anyway, knowing that there was no point in trying to figure out the story right now. Having Sasuke as a teammate had its advantages, and she now could decipher what the Uchiha men were saying with their minimalistic grunts. That particular grunt meant 'I'm not going to tell you.' He would tell her if he wanted her or know or when he was ready.

Kakashi audibly sighed since there was no point in fighting with her over the Uchiha coming into the apartment. Sakura would do what Sakura wanted to do, and there was no point in trying to convince her otherwise. "I'm going back to bed," he drawled as he found his place on the couch while Sakura led Itachi into his bedroom. "Oh and Sakura," he said. She turned to look back at him. "Put pants on."

Sakura blushed but nodded. Slipping into the bathroom, she found a pair of Genma's pajama pants and slipped them on, knowing he wouldn't mind. Over the years, she and Genma had devolved a fun, flirtatious friendship that she enjoyed. It was hard not to since he was Kakashi's roommate and Sakura was always here. However, she knew that the senbon master would defend her just as ferociously as Sasuke, Naruto, or Kakashi would. Sakura exited the bathroom to find Itachi waiting for her, leaning against the wall on the other side of the hallway.

"Bedroom," she whispered. With quick steps, she led Itachi into Kakashi's bedroom. It was small – smaller than her room in her apartment – but she spent so much time here that it was practically another home for her anyway. Itachi stood a little stiffly in the middle of the room, seemingly unaware of what to do. Sakura plopped onto the bed where she had previously been sitting and motioned for him to come over. "Robe and shirt, off, now please."

Itachi quirked a brow, Sakura scoffed, but he did as he was told and sat down next to her. The damage was worse than he'd thought which made Sakura gasp. Oozing flesh and blood bubbled to the surface of his once smooth skin that ran from the back of his ribs to above his navel. The area underneath his elbow on his left arm was also affected. Healing chakra seeped into the wound from Sakura's tender hands while Itachi just watched her work.

It was a magnificent sight. Eyes narrowed in concentration, upper teeth biting bottom lip, and a furrowed brow told anyone looking that this woman was in the middle of something delicate, and she was going to give it all of her attention. Itachi didn't speak. He didn't want to bother her when she looked so calm and in her own mind at that moment. Surely, his intrusion would be unwelcomed judging by how concentrated her look was. As her hands moved slowly up and down his arms, the flesh that had once itched and burned began to feel cool. Pale pink skin replaced what was charred. After a few minutes, the skin was back to normal allowing Sakura to sit back and admire her work.

"Done," she announced. Itachi didn't even look at his skin, knowing it would be completely healed, as he slipped his shirt back on.

"Thank you."

"Sure," she replied, her eyes brightening. They were still sitting on the bed – she was leaning against the wall while he sat at the corner. "Anytime!"

"May I ask you a question?" Itachi asked as he stood to leave.

"May I ask you a question in return?" Sakura retorted quickly, a challenging glint forming in her eye.

"As long as you do not inquire as to where I got my injury tonight, then yes," Itachi replied smoothly.

Sakura's brow furrowed and Itachi knew that he had hit dead-on what Sakura was going to ask. "Very well, I have a questioned, but you can ask first," she replied.

"Why are you here?" he asked blandly. Why Sakura sleeping in Kakashi's apartment bothered him so much, he didn't know. But it did, and he wanted answers.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked, irritation rising in her voice.

"Why are you sleeping here when you have a perfectly suitable apartment of your own?" Itachi expanded.

Sakura smiled a bit, "Because Kakashi is a better at cuddling than Sasuke and Naruto."

Itachi let her words sink in, not quite understanding them. "Care to expand?" he inquired.

"Well you see, Sasuke is emotionally stinted and doesn't like physical contact. He could be the best shinobi in the world, but his skills at cuddling are mediocre at best," Sakura began, and Itachi inwardly flinched in annoyance. This was not what he meant and she knew that – she was just answering sarcastically. Additionally, he had no desire to hear about his younger brother's 'cuddling' skills. Sakura continued. "And Naruto is super good at cuddling, but you can't fall asleep next to him or else you'll get kicked in the face and he steals the blankets. Kakashi is sort of the mix between the two, I guess."

"That was not the purpose of my question," he deadpanned.

Sakura's eyes glinted mischievously with the answer of 'I know, I was just messing with you.' "My turn!" she called out. Itachi waited for her question, and was quite surprised when it came. "What's your favorite kind of alcoholic beverage?"

This time, both Itachi's brows raised and his eyes widened for just a moment in surprise. This had not been the anticipated direction of the conversation, and it was irking Itachi. His question had not been answered to his satisfaction, and now there was no way for him to really get out of answering this particular question. "Why do you ask?"

"Tsk, tsk. You already asked your question, and you got an answer. Now it's time for you to answer mine!" Sakura chided playfully.

"I like rum," he replied smoothly, still not seeing a point to the question. "Rum and coke."

Sakura merely smiled happily at him. "It's noted," she said happily. "Goodnight Itachi."

"Goodnight, Sakura," he replied warily, stepping out of the window and into the Konoha night.

Sakura watched him go fondly. The door to Kakashi's room was open, and she wasn't surprised to see her sensei standing there the moment Itachi had left. "How'd he hurt his arm?" Kakashi asked blandly, walking over to the bed and taking a seat next to Sakura.

"He wouldn't say," she replied, not taking her eyes off the window.

"You've got it bad, don't you?" Kakashi asked, his voice sounding uncharacteristically strained. Sakura was like his daughter, and he did not like 'boys' (because Itachi could hardly be called a boy, which almost made it worse for Kakashi – Uchiha Itachi was a man who was showing affections for his little girl) coming to the house at all hours of the night garnering for her attention.

Her head spun towards his, shock evident in her eyes but then softening into affection. "I supposed I do," she replied as she crawled under the covers, basking in the scent of Kakashi's bed as she nuzzled her head into the pillow. There was no way to describe Kakashi's smell – it was purely masculine, but she loved it because it made her feel so safe.

Kakashi laid down next to her, except he stayed above the covers, and pulled her head onto his chest. "He's not good enough for you," he said seriously.

Sakura snorted. "Who is then?"

"No one. You are going to be my single, perfect little daughter until…forever," was his answer in an all-too-serious tone. Sakura just nestled her face further into his chest, her arm wrapping around his waist tightly. He asked affectionately, "Need help getting back to sleep?" A nod was his answer. "No nightmares this time?"

"No nightmares," she agreed groggily as sleep was already beginning to take her Kakashi stayed with Sakura until she was asleep, her breathing even and calm, and then slipped out of the bed so he could go back to sleep on the couch.

X

It was Saturday morning. Why was he here on his only day off? The Hokage had (repeatedly) chastised him for not taking time off and working himself to exhaustion. So, when he wasn't on a mission, Saturdays were his days off. Yet here he was, in the Hokage's office, with his ANBU team, waiting for a mission briefing. It wouldn't bother him, but the mission wasn't set to begin until Wednesday. Surely, this could wait until Monday morning, right?

According to a glaring pair of honey-colored eyes, wrong. "We're just waiting for the fourth member of your team," she announced. "But I need to discuss something with you first."

Itachi looked around the room almost spitefully. A fourth member would only complicate things – especially since he had not been informed. Was he not in charge of all ANBU? So he should know if another member of his unit was needed so he could allocate assignments if necessary. Shiranui Genma stood to his left and Shisui was to his right. Normally, it would be Aburame Shino who would be with them instead of Shisui, but the entire Aburame clan was out of Konoha for some sort of spiritual getaway with their bugs. All inquiries stopped there.

"Fourth member?" Shisui echoed. None of them were in their ANBU regalia since their mission didn't begin for another few days, and they were just present for the briefing.

"Yes this particular mission will require an individual with a particular set of skills," the Hokage replied evenly, her eyes not leaving the group of shinobi in front of her. "Although this person is not yet ANBU, I would like to nominate her for the ANBU exams soon. I'm leaving it up to you to assess whether you believe she is ready. I expect all of you to include her performance in your mission reports. Understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," was the answer, said by all three in unison. Itachi, for one, was not pleased. This was an S-rank level mission, and not only was the flow of his team being disrupted, but now he had to babysit some kunoichi who wasn't even an ANBU. Calm down. He told himself. You're just on edge because of everything that's been going on with the clan lately.

Tsunade's eyes seemed to brighten a bit. "You're teammate is here," she said confidently.

Of course, only a moment later: knock, knock, knock. "Shishou?" a faint voice called as the door cracked open. It made Itachi turn abruptly and there was Haruno Sakura, peeking her head through the door of the office. Itachi stilled for a moment. She couldn't be the fourth member of their squad, could she? She'd only been a jounin for…five maybe six months now? "Sorry, shishou, I'll come back. Kakashi-sensei told me you had a mission for me but I can wait until you're done."

Itachi turned back, thinking that it was just a mistake, when Tsunade's voice stopped Sakura. "No, Sakura, please come in. You have a mission."

Sakura looked confused but walked into the room with tentative footsteps. She fell in line right next to Genma. Genma seemed to be in disbelief. "Sakura-chan is the fourth member of our squad?"

"Yes."

Sakura gasped. "Shishou they are ANBU."

"I know that." She bit back instantly, making Sakura wince. Then, Tsunade's eyes softened as she sighed. "I suppose this is as good of a time to tell you as any. Sakura, I'm nominating you for the ANBU exams to be held at the end of August." The muscles in Sakura's jaw didn't seem to be working as her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Even if I wasn't planning on having you take the exams, you would be assigned to this mission. You have a certain set of skills that will be incredibly valuable for this particular mission, and they will need your help. Also, your teammates will observe you and report on your performance."

"ANBU exams?" Sakura echoed. "But what about-"

"Naruto and Sasuke will take the exams in their own time. You're ready for them, and they are not," Tsunade interrupted. This effectively shut Sakura up for the time being. "Don't worry, Sakura, you'll still take missions with Team Seven."

Itachi watched her through the corner of his eye carefully. So the kunoichi was ready for ANBU, but his foolish little brother was not? To be honest, that was hardly surprising. While Sasuke may be more skilled a fighter than Sakura, the kunoichi of Team 7 was definitely tactically inclined and happened to be more rounded in terms of skill than the other two. Plus, her medic abilities were needed badly. The medical kunoichi of ANBU were subpar at best (of course, according to Itachi, there were very few talented shinobi compared to himself – so these 'subpar' medics were actually very talented) and had only been admitted into ANBU because they were medic-nin. Sakura was easily stronger than them.

"So here's your mission briefing," Tsunade interrupted his internal reverie by throwing them each a scroll. "It is an S-rank mass-assassination. There is a deadly gang of rogue-nin and samurai causing major problems to the west – drugs, prostitution, weapons, murder. You name it, they've done it. They have their base in a large trade city just east of the Wind-Fire border. They are causing problems for the Kazekage as well, and he wants them dead. However, since their operation is based in Fire Country, we are the ones who will be dealing with them. There are thirty-eight to fifty members that will be present at a large, formal party on Thursday night. You four will infiltrate the party, kill the gang members, and then destroy the mansion."

"If you don't mind me asking, Hokage-sama, why do we need Sakura-chan?" Genma asked with a strained tone to his voice. Itachi had been thinking the same thing. Not that he minded Sakura coming – in fact he was looking forward to spending some time with her without Hatake, his brother, and the kyuubi around – but he failed to see how they required her 'specific skills.' Sakura, however, did not seem pleased by the question and fixed Genma with a contemptuous stare. "Not that I'm saying she can't do it! It's just…you know…she's like…my baby girl…"

He looked at Itachi since he clearly was uncomfortable expressing such emotion in front of his ANBU captain. Tsunade answered first. "I'll start with the obvious. The leader of this gang will be difficult to get near, but Sakura will have a much easier time getting his defenses down seeing as she is a woman and trained in seducing men (Itachi almost flinched but managed to stop himself). Unless one of you would like to go in disguised as a woman?"

"No!" Shisui yelled, slightly panicked.

Tsunade's face was nothing short of amused. "That's what I thought. Now, to the not-so-obvious – in order to kill forty or fifty rogue ninja, you will need to be discrete for at least the first half of them. You do not want to face off with ten to one odds, ne? Now, Sakura, how many ways can you kill with medical jutsu without touching your victim."

"Sixty-four," Sakura replied without missing a beat.

"Yes, that's what I thought," Tsunade replied smugly. "Itachi and Sakura are the two best stealth killers I have," she continued. Sakura's eyes widened. Her shishou was comparing her to Uchiha Itachi? Even if it was just in one respect, it boggled Sakura's mind. "Also, you are to destroy the mansion once you have eliminated the shinobi. Sakura, how many hits would it take for you to destroy…say the Hokage Memorial Mountain?"

Sakura's gaze went thoughtful for a moment as she looked out the window towards the mountain. "I'd say three…maybe four. No more than five."

Tsunade smiled once again as Shisui's mouth dropped in surprise and Genma visibly paled. Her thoughtful glare was pointed at Genma, but she gave a look to Itachi and Shisui as well. "Are you still questioning her effectiveness on this mission? If anything, you four are her glorified body guards while she does most of the work."

Shisui laughed, Genma gave an uncomfortable chuckle, but Itachi fixed a withering stare in the general direction of the Hokage. He was not a body guard. He was an ANBU captain and the one in charge of this mission. "Is that all, Hokage-sama?" he asked, trying to keep calm.

"Yes, that's it. You leave on Wednesday, the party is Friday night, and you must be back here by Saturday afternoon," the Hokage stated.

"That's cutting it a little close," Genma remarked.

"Fine, you three can stay as long as you like, but Sakura needs to be back here by Saturday afternoon. I don't know how, but Yamanaka Ino found out about this mission, and she barged into my office demanding to know why I would send Sakura on a mission this week of all weeks. So, in order to save myself from a major headache, I agreed that she would be back by Saturday afternoon," Tsunade explained with an irritated tone.

"Oh, that's right. Saturday is Sakura-chan's birthday, isn't it?" Genma remembered. Itachi held his surprise. He had never been aware of her birthday before. "Eighteen, right, Sakura-chan? I suppose Ino-chan is planning on throwing you a big party."

Sakura turned pink from embarrassment. "That seems to be the plan," she mumbled.

"Alright, you're all dismissed," Tsunade grumbled, her hand going for her sake drawer.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," they chorused.

"So I'll see you three later tonight, ne?" Sakura asked happily, fixing a look on the three.

"Tonight?" Itachi asked quizzically. He had not been informed of any meeting that would take place that night.

"Yes, we will see you tonight, Sakura-chan!" Shisui called out as he headed for the door. Sakura went for the window – her favorite method of escape due to the habits of a certain copy-nin. Waving goodbye, she jumped from the window onto the street below. As she left, she was sure she heard Itachi say: 'Shisui, what's going on tonight?'

X

Itachi had remained confused for the rest of the day, but he knew to be wary of whatever Shisui had planned for that night. In response, he found a secluded location in the forests of the fourth training ground to star gaze and read. There was a small cliff inside the grounds where he would occasionally play shogi with Nara Shikamaru. Usually he didn't associate with his brother's friends, unless it was Sakura…or something to do with work, but he found the tactician to be a formidable opponent. Currently, Itachi could only win about sixty-seven percent of the matches he played with the Nara boy.

Currently, though, he was relaxing with his hands cradling his head, staring at the stars. It was much better than being at the Uchiha compound where he would surely be pounced on by his father or roped into doing something ridiculous with Shisui.

Snap.

Itachi's head shot up as he looked around the clearing, hand automatically going for a kunai. "Whoa, Itachi, it's just me," he heard the voice coming from the forest. A slightly-toasted Sakura Haruno walked (stumbled) into the clearing, a small smirk plastered on her face.

"Sakura."

"Hello Itachi," she chirped, walking up next to him, and plopping herself down. Itachi noticed her attire – a loose fitting green shirt that hugged her body in all the right places, a black skirt that showed off her legs but was still modest, and civilian sandals. She looked beautiful – as if she were about to go out with her friends. "I've come to retrieve you!" she announced, the scent of sake emanating from her mouth.

"Retrieve me?" he inquired tentatively.

"Yes," Sakura replied. "I was at your house warming party-"

"House warming party?"

"Stop repeating everything I say," she retorted with a giggle. "Yes, I do believe Shisui and Sasuke were too afraid to tell you that they were throwing a little party to celebrate getting a house together. I kind of figured this afternoon when you didn't seem to realize you'd be seeing me tonight."

"Hn." Itachi inwardly cringed in frustration. That was just so Shisui. Sasuke may have agreed to it, but he wouldn't have been the one to propose the idea. Where was he supposed to sleep now? Shisui had a bad habit of partying until the early hours of the morning, and Sasuke was no better. Itachi was not a social person, and he had no desire to go back to the house until all the party goers were out.

Sakura sighed, understanding what the 'hn' meant. It meant 'I don't want to go.' "C'mon, Itachi. Or should I say taichou?" she asked playfully.

"Hn." 'No'

"They told me to use force if necessary," she replied playfully.

"Hn." 'I'd like to see you try.' He snorted.

He was looking at her – that was his mistake. Emotion swam beneath her green eyes that looked like something akin to disappointment, her bottom lip jut out a little, and her brow furrowed. How was he supposed to say no to that?

"Hn." 'Fine.'

His distaste for the situation quickly flew out the window when a smile that could make the most emotionally stinted person glow coated itself onto Sakura's face. Pride rose within him because he'd been the one to place that expression on her face; he abruptly grabbed her wrist and they were gone in a swirl of black crow feathers.

Landing just outside the house, Itachi could tell this was a little more than a 'get together' of friends. Loud music blasted from the house, and many (drunken) voices could be heard inside. Sakura landed unstably next to him, and he grabbed her on her forearm instinctively to stabilize her.

"Stupid Uchiha men and transporting me like I'm some sort of rag doll," she muttered under her breath as she stomped with an amused Itachi up to the house. Opening the door, she announced, loudly, "I found him!"

The Rookie Nine (sans Shino Aburame who was with his bugs), Sai, Yamato, Team Gai, Gai himself, Kakashi, Genma, Shisui, Inuzuka Hana, about twelve Uchiha family members ranging in age seventeen to twenty-six, and another ten ANBU members (mostly the captains) were in his house. Many of them looked at him with something akin to shock on their faces – Uchiha Itachi never went to parties unless it was a clan event that he had to go to. Every once in a while, you would find him at the bar with his teammates after a mission, but that was it.

"Sakura," Sasuke practically hissed, running up to them. "Where'd you go? You left me alone with her!"

'Her' was Uchiha Ayano (AN: if you don't remember her, refer back to chapter 1), who was standing near the door to the kitchen with her two female counterparts. The two other Uchiha females were a year or two older than Sakura and Sasuke, and were fixing Sakura with a hateful gaze. "I told you, Sasuke, I'm not playing that game anymore," Sakura replied resolutely. "You told me I couldn't beat the living hell out of them."

"You can't," he grit out.

"Well, I'm not pretending to be your girlfriend anymore," she replied angrily. "The girl freaking attacked me, Sasuke! Out of respect for you, I didn't kill her. But I'm not dealing with that again."

"Hn." "Fine, be that way' and he stalked off.

Itachi watched the scene unfold with a bemused expression. "Ayano attacked you?" he inquired.

"Verbally, and then slapped me. How dare I latch myself onto the Uchiha main family like a leech?" Sakura bit out, grabbing a drink from the table and handing it to Itachi. His eyebrow raised, and she gave a small smile. "Rum and coke."

"Hn." 'Thank you' He noted that she poured herself a lighter rum and mixed it with lemonade.

"You're welcome," she replied, moving further into the house. She found a comfortable couch to sit on in the living room, and Itachi took a seat next to her languidly. "So, do you really not want me on this mission?"

He was taken aback by the question. As he thought about the answer, he took a few sips of his drink and immediately felt relaxed. "I have no problem with you coming."

Her face seemed to brighten a bit. "I just got the impression-"

"Genma sees you as a daughter – similar to Hatake."

Sakura snorted. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei is pretty protective over me. But I guess Naruto and Sasuke are as well. I can crush mountains with my bare hands and kill enemy shinobi without touching them, but when it comes to me having a boyfriend, they all freak out like I'm made of glass."

"They care for you," he replied silkily, and slouched in his seat a little more. He was finding this conversation pleasant. If Sakura attended social events, he supposed they weren't so bad.

The conversation continued, and Sakura never left his side. They sat there for almost two hours, enjoying their drinks and conversation. It drifted from her friends, to missions, to shogi (he was surprised to find out that she liked to play – and of course, she challenged him to a match the second she found out he played as well), to medic-jutsu. Itachi had never had that long of a conversation in his life. Although his answers were usually short – either agreeing or disagreeing with a claim or observation Sakura made – he found her company incredibly appealing. But he could feel Kakashi's gaze on the side of his face almost the entire time saying 'I'm watching you, Uchiha Itachi. I know what you're up to.' It didn't bother him – it merely irked him.

Occasionally someone would come and join in on the conversation. Ino spent almost fifteen minutes rattling on about the party she was throwing for Sakura's eighteenth birthday. Shikamaru joined in when the discussion of shogi began. Kiba, Hana, Itachi, and Sakura had an entire conversation about ninja dogs and how they were helpful on the battlefield. Sakura had asked the exuberant Hana about veterinary work, which went on for ten minutes before Hana started slurring her words beyond comprehension. Slowly, the conversation got a little more lax and, for lack of a better word, silly, since almost everyone's state of mind was slowly being lost to alcohol. Sakura's chakra control and constant movement kept her from becoming too inebriated, and Itachi stopped drinking after a few drinks since he wasn't much of a drinker as is. Overall, Itachi decided, the evening wasn't so bad – as long as Sakura was present.

"I'll get us another drink, the last one for the night," Sakura announced as she stood up. Itachi 'hn'd in response, and she gave him one of her best smiles. Sakura, for one, was on cloud nine. She spent the entire night with Itachi, and she found it to be one of the best nights in recent memory. He was a decent (by Uchiha standards) conversationalist, and he seemed interested in talking with her. Very rarely did he disagree with her opinions, but when he did, he was almost always right.

Sakura bounced away from the couch to get the drinks, trying not to seem too happy. If Kakashi saw, he would take measures to stop the interaction between her and Itachi. Sakura was sure of that. Sometimes those men were just too protective of her. However Sakura didn't get very far from Itachi. Suddenly, she stopped dead when she heard a snippet of conversation that was spoken just loud enough for her and Itachi to hear.

"Look at her – she's pathetic. Sasuke dumps her ass so she latches onto Itachi," Ayano muttered.

"Yeah, how desperate can she be?" one of her friends replied.

"Pretty desperate," the third mentioned. "Watch, when Itachi rejects her, she'll go for Shisui." Keep calm, she told herself. They are just petty, jealous, and mediocre.

"If that doesn't work, then she can have that demon teammate of hers. No one else wanted him anyway – especially his parents. I feel bad that Sasuke-kun ended up on the team with a whore and a bastard reject," Ayano added spitefully.

That's when Sakura lost it. The murderous waves that were rolling off her made the entire room hush quiet as she spun around. Itachi didn't stop her – he was annoyed as well. "That's it!" Sakura screamed. "You three, against me, right now."

Sakura didn't wait for the answer. Spinning around towards the door, she stomped out of the house and into the conveniently located training ground right outside of the house. She whirled around to see that the three smug looking girls, as well as the remaining members of the party (Team Gai, the Rookie 9, Kakashi, Genma, Shisui, and a few other Uchiha and ANBU members) leaking out of the house. This had been a long time coming. The comments about her – oh those didn't bother her. But going after Naruto like that? Psh, these girls were asking for a beating.

"Really, girl, who do you think you are? We are all jounin level and you're challenging us to a match? You may be the Hokage's apprentice, but there's no way you can beat all of us," Ayano snorted.

"I don't care what you say about me," Sakura bit out harshly. Her jade eyes seemed to darken a few shades. "But if you want to insult my teammates, then you will pay," she continued. "And not only will I beat you three, but I'm going to do it without touching you. My feet will never leave this spot. You may use whatever weapons or jutsu you want."

Ayano grunted in amusement. "Very well. It's your downfall."

"I will make this quick. I want to go back to the party," Sakura replied, her voice taking on an eerie calm that Itachi had never heard before. "However, this will be painful for you. I suggest you give up now."

From where he was standing against the wall of the house, Itachi watched in amusement. Kakashi walked up next to him. "Have you ever seen her in a real fight?" he asked, "Outside of sparring?"

"No."

"You're going on a mission with her, yes?" Kakashi asked. Itachi grunted in response. "You should watch her. She's a different person when she's in the field. It seems your cousins have had the same effect on her."

"Hn."

The fight began. And it ended all at once. The three Uchiha girls went to move, but they stopped suddenly. Sakura had made a few hand signs, immobilizing them. Then, she made a few more. The expression on the girls' faces ranged from shocked, to pained, to anger. Their usually pale Uchiha skin began to turn red which made their faces more strained. Veins began to bulge from places on their necks as their bodies grew warmer.

"What did you do?!" Ayano cried out.

Sakura chuckled a soft, sadistic chuckle. "Well, first, I used an altered jutsu that I learned from Shikamaru to stop you from moving. Now, I am raising your body temperature using a medical ninjutsu. Once your body temperature rises above 106 degrees Fahrenheit, which is still a full degree away, your nervous system starts to shut down to prevent brain damage. That way, you'll be nice and alert for what happens next. If I keep raising the temperature past the 107 degree threshold, the enzymes and proteins that control your body will start to denature and will be unable to function properly. This will kill you unless I decide to release the jutsu. Tell me, Ayano, does it hurt?"

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice echoed loud and stern. He had been standing at the front of the house, only a few yards away from her. "That's enough."

Sakura shot him a spiteful glare, but then her hands moved rapidly to release the jutsus. The girls all fell to the ground, gasping for air, as their bodies slowly began to go back to a normal temperature. Sakura sauntered over to them, and whispered so only they could hear, "You should all go home and take a luke-warm shower. You don't want to drop your temperature back too quickly. Next time you wish to insult me or my teammates, think of this because next time Sasuke may not be around to stop me from killing you."

As she stood, she plastered a smile to her face, knowing her point had been made. She walked back towards the group – who were mostly praising her (Ino yelled something along the lines of 'That's right, show those bitches whose queen of the castle!' and Naruto gave her a thankful few words for defending him). To Itachi, it was like watching two different people. Seeing Sakura in the moment like that – so gracefully ready for battle to defend her teammate – made his insides boil in anticipation.

This would be an entertaining mission, he decided.

AN: I really like Sakura in this chapter. I hope you do too. I know it's a little OOC for her from the anime/manga, but I think it's a little realistic for the Sakura I've created. Tell me what you think?