Author's note:

If you'd like a list of reasons why I haven't been updating, please check out my profile. Thank you all so much for the support and messages and reviews begging me to continue. You truly do keep me writing. I'm sorry for the long delay. Now that it's summer, I should be updating more. I love you all.

Please review!

The First Time

Chapter 11: Beside the Fire

"You think that I nearly lost you, when the doctors tried to take you away
Like the night you took my hand beside the fire, thirty years ago to this day"

"Its feeling better," she assured Tsunade for the nth time as the Godaime ran her chakra through Sakura's leg. Propped up on the bed in a sitting position, Sakura watched her mentor walk up and down the length of the bed. After a month of nearly constant healing sessions, the bones and muscles in her leg had been repaired, and her doctors had been able to remove the bulky cast that had engulfed her leg.

The appendage was still very bruised and swollen, and it hurt to move in any direction, but Sakura was growing accustomed to the constant pain and could now even walk with crutches if she felt the need to use the washroom or just get the hell out of her confining hospital bed. However, most of her travels had to be by way of wheelchair or else she would be in so much pain that she couldn't move for days.

Tsunade pursed her lips disapprovingly at her leg, as if a scolding could suddenly make it heal. But Sakura knew better – she was a fantastic medic, and she knew from the time she woke up in that cave and assessed her leg that it was over.

Her career as a kunoichi, her ANBU training, everything. It was over.

The nerves in her leg had been fried to the point of disuse, and now their only purpose would be to cause pain whenever Sakura moved the useless attachment. It would take a hundred surgeries just to keep them from hurting, not even really healing them, and that was pointless. Those surgeries were dangerous, and no doctor, not even Tsunade, would agree to perform them.

She would have to generate new nerves completely, and that was impossible.

If she didn't have to be under an anesthetic when they were being performed, Sakura would just do the surgeries herself. But speculating was pointless.

Pointless, pointless, pointless.

That's what it all felt like, now. Her years of training, the time spent working with Tsunade, everything. It had all been for nothing.

Of course, the logical part of her brain – taking the form of Sasuke standing in the middle of her hospital room, had said about a week after her accident – it hadn't all been for nothing. She still had the Special Weaponry and Poisons Department in the basement, and she could still be a doctor. Mikoto had then pointed out, rather obviously, that she could now settle down and have a family.

But didn't matter that all those things, while an important part of her life, weren't what she truly wanted.

She wanted to advance her career, she wanted to be in ANBU, but mostly she just didn't want to be weak. Once again, she would watch Sasuke and Naruto and Sai and Kakashi go out on missions while she stayed behind. She wanted to be out there, not cooped up to become a doctor and brood mare for whatever shinobi she may end up marrying someday – Itachi, if Mikoto had anything to do with it. She was still young. She wasn't ready to get married and have children yet.

She still wanted the world.

And then, the small condescending part of her head, told her in her mother's voice – like it used to before she was dead – that you can't always get what you want, Sakura. She knew that too. Mortality rates among shinobi were high, and she was lucky to be alive right now. She really should be counting her many blessings.

Sakura took a deep breath in while Tsunade finished up her exam.

"We can probably do three or four surgeries to lessen the pain, and then there's always physical therapy," she announced. Sakura, with dead green eyes and a fake smile, just nodded her head. Her stomach was sinking, and suddenly nothing even seemed worth it.

The voice in the back of her head, that was quickly making its way to the forefront, was screaming at her. Her hard work, her dreams, everything – it had all been pointless, for nothing.

She felt a strong finger under her chin, and her mentor tilted her face up. She gave Sakura a weak smile, consoling.

"It'll be alright. You don't have to lose your dreams because of this – just change them a bit," Tsunade reminded. "You always intended to retire from missions, become a fulltime researcher, and have a family. I know it's sooner than you wanted, kid, but you have to buck up. I didn't waste years training you for nothing. You're stronger than this."

Sakura's eyes watered, and her fingers clutched the bed sheets tightly. Stiffening her upper lip, she just nodded. Tsunade patted her shoulder and left the room without another word.

When visiting hours started, like always, Sakura had a revolving door of people wishing to see her. Sometimes she wished that they would just go away, she wanted to be alone, but they wanted the best for her.

The logical part of her brain (Sasuke again, yelling at her to stop being a brat, about two weeks after the accident) told her that they were all looking out for her. Just like when she lost her parents, she couldn't be alone right now. She had wanted to be by herself then too.

Ino was the first to arrive at 10 am with coffee and some fresh flowers. She replaced the vase with a bouquet of her favorite flowers twice a week. Sakura chatted with her for a few minutes when Ino told her that she and Tenten were working on something that would help with her mobility when she was released from the hospital – which wouldn't be too long now, her best friend assured her.

Tenten came by a few minutes later with some dango that she wasn't supposed to bring into the hospital and the distinct smell of fire on her. She had been using her soldering iron again, Sakura deduced. They forced Sakura to stand up and move her leg in various, painful positions while they measured her for this device they were making. They wouldn't tell Sakura exactly what it was, but Sakura was sure it would work and look fantastic.

But still, she found it hard to be excited.

They both left around noon, and a nurse brought her lunch – bad tempura with undercooked rice.

Luckily, Sasuke and Naruto were there by 12:30 with miso soup and some charred salmon. It was delicious, Sakura thought. Her friends had learned soon after her waking up from the accident that Sakura would not and could not tolerate hospital food. It was one of the reasons why she secretly allowed her patients to have real food if their friends and family snuck it in.

Hospital food was just cruel.

Kakashi came by, and to Sakura's surprise, Itachi and Shisui were with him. Ino and Tenten came back up from the SWPD downstairs, and suddenly Sakura began to think that maybe all of her friends were converging on her hospital room for a particular reason.

Itachi had greeted her with a light kiss, but she hadn't seen much of her beau since being in the hospital. He was incredibly busy as the head of ANBU. He had hung around for a few days after she woke up, but then he was sent out on a mission that nobody would tell her about. He stopped by on occasion, but he could never stay for long.

Her suspicions that they had all been asked to gather there were confirmed with Tsunade and Shizune walked into the room for her afternoon checkup, and the shinobi in the room were not immediately shoved out. Tsunade was very strict about not having visitors when an exam was taking place.

Sakura watched placidly as the people around her seemed to know something she didn't. It was irking her beyond belief, but there was no point in fighting it. Now, she just felt like a burden – an object to be discussed, not in front of her, no, but behind her back. They were deciding what to do for her, what to say to her, what would be best for her. But she was eighteen fucking years old, and she could make damn decisions for herself, thank you very much.

Tsunade moved to her bed silently and began the quick check up on her leg while Sakura watched intently. There was something going on.

When Tsunade finished, she moved back from Sakura and looked at the people standing in the room.

"You're almost ready to be released, Sakura. Tenten and Ino, as I'm sure they've told you, have fitted a device that will make it more comfortable to walk with crutches, or eventually, a cane," Tsunade announced. Her voice was loud and filled with authority that she usually didn't speak with when it was just the two of them. "But now we have to figure out where you're going to live."

Sakura's eyes widened. Where she was going to live? "I have an apartment."

"It's on the third floor, Sakura-chan," Naruto explained. Sakura looked at her normally jovial friend as his eyes turned sad. Sasuke stiffened beside him and clenched his fists. Something was pissing her other teammate off – badly. "You can't be going up and down those stairs every day."

Understanding dawned on Sakura.

"So I need to find a place to stay that has first floor access," she stated.

Tsunade nodded and continued, "You really should be living with someone, too, until you become entirely self-sufficient. It may be a few months, but we'll be able to lessen your pain and make you more mobile than you are now."

Sakura nodded her head in understanding. Judging by the tense postures of everyone in the room, especially Sasuke, who looked like he was about to blow, there had been a discussion about this beforehand.

There was a light knock on the door, and without being greeted, Mikoto and Fugaku also walked into the room. Mikoto had a platter with dango on it, and Fugaku looked annoyed, perturbed, like he had been forced to come here.

"Sorry we're late," Mikoto murmured abashedly. She walked over to Sakura and placed a kiss on her forehead, handing her the plate of dango. Sakura smiled and accepted the platter happily. Mikoto's dango was the best.

"No problem," Tsunade waved off, but her eyes were looking at the plate of sweets disapprovingly, but she didn't say anything about it. "Anyway, so, Sakura, where would you like to live?"

Sakura was silent, looking at the faces in the room. Tsunade added, "All of these people have agreed to house and help you if you need it."

Before Sakura could open her mouth, Tsunade continued. "There are some people who are out, so to speak. Kakashi's apartment is way too small, Ino's is on the second floor and she lives with her boyfriend, and Naruto's, while on the first floor, should probably be declared a health hazard."

Tsunade looked around reproachfully at Naruto, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Sakura looked at her blond friend and smiled a bit, but that's when she noticed Sasuke's annoyance once again. Before any more ideas could be given, Sasuke stepped forward.

"She'll live with us." It wasn't a question. Itachi's eyes widened a bit but his face stayed impassive, and Shisui let out an exasperated whistle through his teeth. Once again, Sasuke spoke before anyone had the chance.

"We have an extra bedroom on the first floor. It's small and we've been using it for storage, but it'll due. We're elevated on a porch, but we can build a ramp for her and it's only a few feet off the ground. One of us is almost always home, and when we're not, Okaa-san can help Sakura. She'll be close by. We're only a few minutes from the hospital and the market, so the location is ideal."

There was a prolonged silence in the room, and everyone seemed to be searching for a reason why this arrangement just might not work. Nobody could find one.

Except for Fugaku, of course. "It's inappropriate."

Mikoto nodded tentatively. "Our son is courting her, and they would be living in the same place."

She didn't look like she was convinced of her own objection, and having Sakura-chan so close would be nice. Tsunade looked at them both, but once again, Sasuke spoke. There was some form of contempt there that Sakura couldn't place between him and his parents at the moment, and it made her uneasy. Sasuke always got along with his parents, for the most part.

"You act like Sakura's some innocent little virgin," Sasuke practically spat at them. Sakura squeaked and blushed, pulling the sheet up to cover her face instantly. Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.

Fugaku looked over at his eldest son furiously. "You—"

"I have not," Itachi insisted quietly, cutting him off. His voice was placid, yet it was sharp and years of understanding Uchiha hidden meaning told her that he was upset with this entire line of discussion. Sakura shifted in her bed. This entire conversation was heading towards a place that it just should not go. She didn't even know that Sasuke knew that she wasn't a virgin anymore, and her and Itachi…

They haven't been together long enough to even discuss that.

And she would discuss it with him, happily. He was her boyfriend and deserved to know these things, but she was not having this conversation with all of these people in the room. Namely Kakashi and Naruto, who were looking between her and Itachi murderously.

"Oh please!" Shisui exclaimed with a giggle. "Now you two are acting like he's some sort of innocent virgin."

Sakura turned redder from embarrassment, Fugaku let out a curse and marched over to his son, and Mikoto squeaked and hid her face in her hands, shaking her head vigorously. She did not want to know these impure things about her perfect boys.

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Sakura begged from her place under the sheet. She wanted them all to leave. Her leg hurt from standing on it with Ino and Tenten so much earlier, and all she wanted to do now was eat her homemade dango and take a well-deserved catnap.

"Yes," Tsunade said sharply, reigning in all the attention to the room. "Where do you want to live Sakura? Ignore what they all said – what do you want?"

"She's living with us," Shisui agreed. Just like Sasuke, it wasn't a question.

Sasuke offered a different reason. He was still angry, pissed at the entire situation, Sakura could tell.

"You will all coddle her," he accused, looking at everyone. "This entire time, while she was in the hospital, I was the only one who told her the truth. She's Sakura, she's strong. She'll find a way to get better. If there's not a way for her to get better right now, then she'll make one."

Everyone was stunned into silence by his harsh words, so he continued, "You are all acting like she's some little doll that we can't tell the truth." He looked her in the eye, and the intensity almost frightened her. "Stop being a pathetic little brat and feeling sorry for yourself. You're going to do something about your leg. I don't know what, but you'll do it. It won't be long before you're out on missions with Team Seven again, so stop fucking pitying yourself and get to work."

Sakura blinked a few times, and finally, she nodded.

"I'll move in with Sasuke-kun."

X

"It's going to be fun having Cupcake-chan live here!" Shisui announced decidedly while he dumped another load of Sakura's things into her new bedroom. Itachi had half a mind to make Shisui give up his bigger bedroom, which was also on the first floor, but he didn't. Sakura didn't have many things besides her clothes and some furniture, and she would be upset if she knew that she had uprooted Shisui's life – even if the rambunctious flicker-nin deserved it.

They had already managed to move her bed, which Itachi knew she would be grateful for. The larger bed would be much more comfortable than their spare futon, and it seemed that she would be living here for a while. They didn't bring her other furniture though. Mikoto allowed them to take an old chest of drawers and a spare desk from the main house that they never used any more, and the furniture was set in Sakura's new abode.

Ino and Tenten took the liberty of moving Sakura's more personal effects, including her clothes and other female items such as makeup and hair care. They also knew where to find her hidden weapons and knew which of the massive amounts of photos to bring. If they tried to bring all of the photos from Sakura's apartment, every inch of wall space would be filled with them.

But Ino brought over the ones she knew to be most important – a photo of Team Seven, a few of herself and Sakura, a photo of the Konoha Eleven, a few of her parents, and one of Sakura and Itachi dancing on her eighteenth birthday. That one, along with the one of her parents, was hung just above the bed.

The other two kunoichi were currently at the hospital to retrieve the pinkette. They would fit the new device for her leg there and see how far she could walk with it. Then they, after some physical therapy, would bring her back to their house.

"Damn it!" Itachi heard from the front of the house. He let out a small chuckle when he met eyes with Shisui. Moving from the small bedroom, they walked around the stairs and onto the engawa where Sasuke and Naruto were attempting to erect a small ramp next to the stairs that attached the traditional porch to the ground.

Naruto had seemingly just accidentally bashed Sasuke's thumb with a hammer when the two older shinobi had come out to see their progress because Sasuke was glaring daggers at the sheepish looking blond.

"I said I was sorry, teme," Naruto apologized unconvincingly once again. The blond was snickering behind his large hand while he tried to apologize to Sasuke for his mistake.

"I see this is going well," Itachi commented quietly. Sasuke shot him a dirty look. The ramp was hardly an atrocity – one long, thick board that was a solid meter in width had been secured both to the porch and to the ground with long nails so it wouldn't falter under the weight of the kunoichi. They had even had the forethought to add two support triangle beams to the bottom of the board and onto the ground, and Itachi knew that the contraption would work just fine for their purposes.

Although, he did have his reservations about allowing Naruto and Sasuke to solely handle the task without supervision. While competent shinobi and experts with weapons and jutsu they were, the dynamic duo was hardly adept at handling household chores and maintenance.

Sasuke grumbled something inaudible and likely insulting under his breath, causing Itachi to flick him in the center of his forehead slightly. A curse slipped past Sasuke's mouth and Itachi watched as his brother hammered the last nail into place. He and his blond teammate stood and looked at their handy work for a moment before deeming it acceptable.

When the two returned inside, Shisui went over to the ramp and walked up and down it a few times to test its' sturdiness. Then he jumped up and down once or twice to be certain and decided it would work just fine.

Itachi watched him amusedly when an ANBU jumped down next to him silently. He and Shisui didn't bat an eye at their new addition. Sliding his onyx eyes to the masked person next to him, Itachi inclined his head slightly so the ANBU would speak.

"Squad Eleven and Fourteen have returned from their reconnaissance mission. There is information on the movements of Shark and Bomber, Uchiha-taichou," the ANBU informed quietly.

"Have they met with Hokage-sama for debriefing?" Itachi asked back stoically. Shisui had wisely stepped into the house as not to hear something he shouldn't.

"They are with her now, but she sent me to get you first. She would like you there."

"Aa," Itachi agreed. With one last look at the ramp, he closed his eyes and grabbed the arm of the man next to him before he conducted his transportation jutsu and only black feathers were left in his wake.

He arrived home not an hour later. The debriefing had been short, and while there was new information on the movements of his two targets, it was hardly anything that couldn't have waited until he read the report. According to his sources, Deidara and Kisame were moving south and then west towards Rain Country. It was hardly surprising; Itachi suspected that the Akatsuki's base was somewhere in the area.

Instead of simply teleporting himself back home, Itachi had taken the rooftops in order to process the information given to him. If Kisame was now back in Rain Country, Itachi knew he would have to leave soon to meet him.

The Hokage decided to pardon Kisame's attack on Sakura. He was too valuable of an informant to give up that easily, and the former Mist-nin did not know of Sakura's importance to Itachi and the village; he had simply been doing his job, following orders.

While Itachi understood this and would continue working with the oversized shark-nin, he knew he would have trouble ignoring his personal anger towards him, but that was an entire matter altogether. He could put his feelings aside to work with his informant.

Jumping from the neighboring rooftop, he landed in the front of his home. Shisui was outside, his legs curled beneath him and eyes closed. His fingers were laced together and the quiet, even breaths coming from him told Itachi that his cousin was meditating. Silently, Itachi walked past Shisui and into the house – his older cousin too entranced to greet him.

To his quiet surprise, Sakura was propped up on the couch with a large medical tomb in her hands. She was flipping through it quietly, as if it were light entertainment reading. Itachi approached her, and his girlfriend looked up at him and smile.

Hair curled into a loose bun on the top of her head, she had stuck two senbon through it to hold it in place. Several pillows cushioned her right leg and elevated it off the couch, and she looked comfortable there in her loose fitting purple t-shirt and spandex shorts.

"Hi," she greeted softly. Itachi nodded at her and sat on the edge of the couch, careful not to jostle her delicate leg.

"You're making yourself comfortable," he noted. Sakura grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck with slight nervousness – a habit she picked up from her blond teammate, Itachi noted.

Itachi looked down at her bare leg. The physical bruising was gone and to the untrained eye, it looked like a normal, healthy leg. It was then that he noticed the metal device attached to the slender appendage.

A thin metal sheet, only about two centimeters in width and no thicker than a few pieces of paper, ran from the top of her ankle to her knee. This piece of lightweight titanium held many holes, no bigger than a small coin and only about a centimeter apart from each other. They ran the entire bottom part of the contraption.

By her knee, a small metal ring was attached to the bottom metal, and above it, another slim titanium piece that coordinated with the bottom ran up her thigh, just stopping below her small shorts. Itachi looked on the outside of her leg, the one that was facing the couch, and saw that there was another long metal piece identical to the one on the inside of her leg running up the other side. They were attached at the top and bottom of the mobility device by strips of comfortable looking pink fabric that ran around her slim ankle and thigh.

Seeing his curious probing, Sakura smiled a bit and set her book down. Untucking a small metal plug from her shorts that was attached to the top of each metal pole with long pieces of adjustable, thin leather, she bent her leg gingerly and slipped one of the plugs into one of the holes in the bottom of the metal. She matched the length on the outside of her leg, and with a little nudge, got Itachi to stand from the couch. Swinging her leg over the side, she winced with the sudden burst of pain.

"The little plugs hold the maneuvering device at whatever angle I want so I can relax the leg, lessening the pain," Sakura explained. One of her crutches was on the ground by the couch, and she grabbed it and used it to hoist herself onto her feet. Her leg hung at a slight angle, allowing her to stand there comfortably. "That way, I don't stress the muscles and the nerves. Eventually, I should be able to walk with it all the way down with a cane."

"Aa," Itachi noted with a nod. Sakura smiled a bit and plopped back down on the couch unceremoniously. The two hadn't been alone together in quite some time, and Sakura missed her beau and the lazy afternoons where they would sit in the heat and do paperwork.

Itachi seemed to follow her thoughts because he sat down next to her, moving aside the pillows and pulling her two legs onto his lap carefully. A bright smile lit Sakura's face and she leaned back to rest her shoulders on the other side of the couch.

A comfortable silence ensued, but Itachi's soft voice broke her out of her comfort instantly.

"You're not a virgin," he stated suddenly. Sakura's face promptly turned bright red, and she pulled her forearm so it rested over her eyes. Maybe if she didn't look at him, he would drop it.

"Who." Damn it. There was no inflection to his impassive voice, and it was infuriating. This was a conversation they would have to have eventually, though.

"This jounin from Suna," Sakura answered quietly, not looking at him. "I was in Suna for my seventeenth birthday. We all went out and drank, since the drinking age there is sixteen. I was sober enough to know what I was doing but drunk enough not to care. A few months later, he came to Konoha with the Kazekage as a body guard and spent a few days at my place. That was it."

There was a long pause and Sakura waited for the blow. The Lady Uchiha would have to be a virgin, he would say to her, pure. It felt like eternity before he spoke.

"I understand. I never really thought anything of it, but it was a surprise to find out in the manner that I did," he finally said quietly. Sakura moved her arm from her face and looked at her boyfriend, blinking a few times.

"So you're not going to break up with me because I'm not a virgin?" she asked quietly. Itachi shook his head. If he was surprised by her quick assumptions, he didn't show it. Sakura thinned her eyes a bit. "What about you?"

Itachi blinked once or twice before looking away from her out the window.

"I was also seventeen when my father introduced me to my future bride. Her name was Wantabashi Kaori. She was a kind girl, and I courted her for a few months," Itachi explained quietly. "In that courtship, we consummated our relationship. Fates had it, though, that her father found her a wealthier husband in Tea Country and broke the engagement. It was for the best, though. We were not in love."

Sakura gulped and nodded. His onyx eyes slid to her for a few moments before he added hesitatingly, "And then…"

"There are others?" Sakura asked, shocked. Itachi didn't seem like the type of guy to sleep around.

His eyes, though, looked a bit amused. "Kunoichi are not the only ones sent on seduction missions, Sakura."

Her jaw went slack. "You've…"

He simply nodded. "A shinobi's body is a tool. We are to serve our people and our village," he recited. Sakura blushed.

In order to slip from an uncomfortable subject, Itachi looked at the small table that sat in front of the couch. It was piled with books, all of them about nervous systems and the human legs. Sakura noticed where his eyes were.

"Sasuke-kun got them for me. He just dumped them on the table and said 'Get to work'," she mimicked his youngers deep voice, resulting in a quirk of the lips from him. "Do you think he's right? Do you think I can fix my leg?"

Itachi took a long moment to ponder her questions. Tsunade had once told him that Sakura could do anything medically and that her young apprentice had already surpassed herself.

"If anyone could, it would be you," he finally replied. Hope and determination restored, Sakura smiled softly at him and picked up the book she had been reading before, seemingly forgetting about the man sitting on the couch with her.

Amusement prevalent in his features for a moment before turning stoic again, Itachi marveled at how optimistic she had become since having a talk with Sasuke. It was downright adorable, if not a little sexy how she looked when she was working.

"I guess I should get to work, then," she commented. To her surprise, her boyfriend quickly plucked the book out of her hands and set it on the table. Quicker than she could keep up with, he moved her leg painlessly so he was leaning over her, careful to keep her injured leg out of the way.

She barely registered what was coming when Itachi put more of his weight on her and leaned down to capture her lips with his. Sakura sighed into the kiss, and as they lay horizontally on the couch, she wound her hands behind his neck to keep her beau against her. It had been too long since they were along long enough to kiss beyond a small peck.

His arms caging her head into the pillow beneath her, he leaned down to put more pressure on her mouth. Sakura hands were lightly running through his hair. This firm press of his lips soon turned more heated, and Sakura quickly realized that this kiss was going further than the two had gone yet. Now, more than two months into their relationship, Itachi opened his mouth slightly.

Sakura followed suit. Their mouths molded more heatedly, and Itachi rested more of his weight onto her so his forearms rested on either side of her head, settling his weight more fully onto her. His mouth was methodical as his quietly kissed her senseless.

Itachi wouldn't lie and say that knowing that someone else had touched his girlfriend hadn't made him more possessive of her. The thought of anyone getting to feel the small female under him made him silently infuriated.

And Sakura wouldn't lie and say that she wasn't kissing him with so much fervor for no reason. The thought of Itachi using his skilled mouth on anyone else made her blood boil. No, he was hers, at least for the time being, and she was determined to leave her mark.

A barely audible whimper escaped her when he moved his mouth from hers and kissed her cheeks, her jaw, and down her neck. Sucking lightly, he saw her smooth peach skin grow slightly pink from his little bites, leaving him slightly satisfied. Her head moved to the side and another whimper escaped her as he stroked her hair lovingly with his hands and kissed her neck.

The sound of the door opening and slamming back shut made Itachi freeze and pull himself off of Sakura. The woman beneath him was flushed from their activities, and her neck had two distinctly red marks on it.

"Now, now, kids," Shisui chastised playfully as he moved from the entryway into the living room. He clucked his tongue with mock-disapproval. "We promised Mikoto-obasama and Fugaku-ojisama that no naughtiness would occur while Cupcake lived her."

Itachi glared at Shisui from where he was standing by the couch now that he had extracted himself from Sakura's embrace. Sakura turned tomato red and grabbed her book from the coffee table and opened it to hide her face, sinking further into the couch if possible.

"Shisui," Itachi growled. Shisui just laughed and practically pranced into the kitchen. Itachi turned his heated gaze to Sakura, who was peeking out from behind the book cautiously. Catching her beau's heated gaze made her flush red for another reason. Itachi moved to the other side of the couch and leaned over it, kissing her on the forehead.

"I suppose I have work to do," Sakura muttered, pointedly looking at her book. Itachi nodded and moved to the kitchen to have a discussion with his elder cousin about tact.

X

Sakura lay on her bed in her makeshift bedroom while Ino ran around, opening the windows to air out the musty room that was formerly used as a storage closet and decorate it with the array of flowers she had brought.

For a few moments, Sakura watched quietly before yawning and stretching herself out, muscles taught from disuse and she clenched them to stretch the cool muscles.

Ino chose that moment to look over at her lounging friend, and as Sakura moved her head to the side, caught a glimpse of two distinctly red marks on her best friend's neck.

"Sakura," Ino gasped, a smile curling her lips mischievously. Pointing to her best friend's neck, she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Naughty, naughty."

"Pig!"

Author's Note:

There you have it! Thank you guys for the support. I'm sorry it's been so long. Now that it's summer and I'm out of school, I'll have more time to write. Thank you for sticking with me. This actually worked really well for In Order to Heal, so here are some questions I'd like to see you guys answer in your reviews (just to give you something to think about!).

What do you think of Tsunade pardoning Kisame?

What do you think Sakura will do about her leg?

Did you guys appreciate all the steamy ItachiXSakura kissy time? I put it in there to make up for such a long absence!

Thank you guys so much, once again. Please review and tell me what you think. Love always!