This is such a blast! This chapter is going to be a bit more serious, just to clear some stuff up for Itachi

Chapter Three: Do Not Wake A Reluctant Sleeper

As soon as Sakura managed to haul Itachi to her apartment, she unlocked the door with her spare key underneath the welcome mat and shoved him inside. He let out a yelp of surprise when he hit the carpeted living room floor but remained still, waiting for her to make another move toward his person. But she merely shut the door behind her, kicked off her ninja sandals, and hung up her hospital jacket.

Grumbling, Itachi pushed himself off of the floor easily and scanned the new area in which he resided in, and found it was quite homey compared to the always green woods he had observed. The walls were a light faded baby blue and the carpet a deep mahogany. Over in the corner settled one black television box about the length of his arm span and a coffee table that sat before the large black love seat in the middle of the living room.

The walls were scattered and crammed with various pictures of her and other friends, all in expensive looking picture frames nailed to the wall. There was one in the far corner that caught his attention immediately. It was her and a blond haired teen who had whiskers upon his cheeks, they were in their bathing suits with ice cream dripping down their mouths, a goofy grin on the blond and a smirk on Sakura's face.

There was another that caught his attention as well, and it hung over top the television. There was a gray haired man with a navy mask over his mouth within the picture with Sakura on his back, the same blond at his side who looked like he was trying to take the man's mask off, and a dark haired teen with a cockatoo hairdo who was on the other side, hands jammed within his white shorts pockets and was clearly not paying attention to the three. He looked like himself, Itachi, in a way, but he didn't give it much thought.

Another picture was resting on the wall that lead to the kitchen, a picture of a blond haired blue eyes girl, brown haired brown eyed girl, dark ebony and lavender eyed girl, sandy colored hair and green eyed and black haired red eyed woman all in bathing suits upon a sandy beach, beach balls within their arms and tennis rackets at the side. The sun was hovering over the west coast, and he could see in a bit of a blurred image a thumb in the upper right hand corner.

Then another of Sakura dressed in a gray yukata with a blue obi tied around her middle, water balloons filling out her chest where he could see the white bindings behind it. Her hair was in long pigtails at the back of her neck, and he could distinctively see a blue sticker upon her forehead and the curve of her legs inside the short pants and the black high heeled shoes.

Then another of the blond, who held a long gray wig in his arm while he was dressed in a gray and red haori with fish netting underneath, a scroll made of an overly large paper towel roll tied to his back. Red face painting adorned his cheeks and trailed down from his eyes to his cheeks, a silver headband tied to his forehead with the kanji toad written upon it. He seemed to be laughing with the dressed up Sakura, and it was then that Itachi could see a green book within his left hand that red Icha Icha Paradisu in katakana.

Another was of the black haired teen again, but Itachi could not comprehend as to why he felt a bit of resentment form within the pit of his stomach while seeing him. His face was entirely pale white in make-up with purple eyeliner trailing across his eyes and forming a curve downward. His hair was brushed back and extensions were used to allow his hair to trail below his shoulder. He was dressed in a black and grey suit, and wore white gloves. He was hunched over and clearly not enjoying his costume like his friends, his eyes fixated upon the blond chivalrously.

" Itachi!" Sakura yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts. His head turned quickly in her direction, and a snap could be heard, brought by a stinging pain. Sakura scowled to herself. Maybe shouting his name repetitively wasn't the best idea when you wanted to keep him a secret.

Finally, he nodded." Yes, Sakura?"

" What are you doing?" she asked precariously, tilting her head to the side.

Itachi shrugged indifferently." Just looking at these photos you have here," he turned and looked at the picture of the black haired teen." Who is this person?"

Sakura walked over and looked to where Itachi was pointing, it was the picture of the time where Sakura and Naruto had tackled Kakashi into taking them out to ramen at Ichiraku. How many memories had they've made over the years?

" Oh, that's Sasuke," she answered firmly, trying not to allow any hint of recognition flow through her words.

" Hmm. . .he sort of looks like me. Any idea as to why?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat for a split second before she was able to regain her composure." I'm not sure, really," she maneuvered herself so that her side wasn't exposed to him." Maybe its just a coincidence,"

" He looks familiar," he said with sure confirmation." Like a brother or a cousin or something. . ."

" Ah," Sakura said dubiously, struggling for an answer." Maybe cousins, but brothers? Pfft," she dismissed as nonchalantly as she could. He seemed to believe her, until he asked another question.

" Do you know him?"

Her head was pounding with adrenaline at the thought of him possibly regaining his memories just from looking at his younger brother's picture." Yes," she said honestly.

" How so?"

" He used to be on my team with my friend Naruto, over here," she pointed to the blond in the photo." Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi and myself, Haruno Sakura." He nodded in assent as she addressed them all with familiarity, but she seemed to have some trouble with saying Sasuke's name.

" I see, so, what team did you belong to?" He asked casually.

" What do you mean?" she asked carefully.

" I mean, was it like a team for a sport or something?" The way he asked it was unbelievable. He really didnt' remember anything from the shinobi life that he belonged too, or what it was. She bet he couldn't even control his chakra without his memory to support it.

She bit her lip." Um. . .it was a ninja team. . ."

" Ninja?" His brows furrowed in confusion, and she made a mental note to get him to show more emotion while she had the chance.

" Yeah, ninjas, you know, shinobi. . .?" she supplied, trying to get something to click within his mind.

He contemplated the thought of what ninjas were and what they would possibly do, but he came up blank." No, I don't know what ninjas are," he assured, sadly smiling.

Her heart raced at how handsome he actually looked when smiling, whether it be with sorrow or with happiness. He looked ten years younger and an actual human being when he smiled, and she had to rush and gather her thoughts before something slipped from her mouth.

" Oh, well, that isn't important right now. We belonged to a team of three, including Sasuke and Naruto and Kakashi—senpai as our leader. We went on a lot of missions together, and have been together since our early teens. But things have changed and we have different goals to complete, some harder than others, and some more realistic than the real thing. . ." She trailed off, unsure as to how much information she should provide.

"Hmmm. . .what sort of goals did you have?" he inquired, looking completely at ease and curious and ready to digest anything she would say.

She fondled a bit with her words and choose the correct ones." Well, Naruto wants to be Hokage of this village; which is the number one ninja in short. Kakashi—sempai, well, I'm not sure what his future plans actually are, besides reading all of the Icha Icha Paradise issues that Jiraiya-sama writes. And I want to surpass my mentor, Tsunade—shishou, and be the best medical ninja there is." She answered with confidence toward herself and Naruto, and she could only hope he wouldn't question Sasuke's motives.

He registered her words until he figured that he was missing one other person in particular.

With forced politeness, he questioned the other ninja, Sasuke." What about that Sasuke guy? What are his goals?"

Sakura swallowed a lump that formed in her throat, fate must be having a party right about now.

" Well, you see, his goals are mainly centered on one major thing. . .And another thing would be to get extremely powerful to get to that major thing. . ." Sakura supplied, purposely avoiding that special little subject that included the man standing in front of her.

Itachi tilted his head to the side innocently, his bright red eyes glowing with curiosity." What is that 'major thing'?"

Sakura groaned involuntarily.

" What?" Itachi questioned." What is the matter?"

" The question is the matter," Sakura grumbled.

Itachi shool his head side to side." Another question that you cannot answer I presume?" she wanted to say that she could answer it and get it over with, but it wasn't what she was meant to do at the moment.

" No, I can't answer it, I'm sorry,"

" Its alright, I think I can understand. I guess some things I'm not really meant to know,"

" Its not that, its just you already know them, you just can't remember them,"

" So I've somehow lost my memory and I do not know about it?" he asked uncomfortably.

" Yes,"

" Than how come you can't tell me what I do not remember?"

Sakura gulped audibly." I just can't, its not something I am required to do,"

" Is it that bad?" he asked, his voice a bit strained from the tension.

" Yes, it is bad. And it is bad for the village,"

" Its because I'm a threat, isn't it?"

" Unfortunately, yes, it is, you are,"

Itachi sighed, long and hard and full of frustration and confusing. Sakura sighed too, only it was out of contentedness that he momentarily stopped interrogating her. Her eyes traveled to the window sil to see the sun was setting over the horizon. How did the day go by so quickly anyway? She looked at the microwave and saw that the clock read 9;30 pm, and she would have to be at the hospital the next morning by six.

Sighing, she walked over to Itachi and looked him in the eyes. The only shred of confidence that came from looking him square in the eye was the fact that he wasn't aware of his bloodline and that he hadn't a clue as to how it worked or what it was. From up close, they were clearly amazing, a deadly beauty. They were crimson red that shined with an inner passion that was unknown to him, the three tomoe markings circling around his feminine eyes.

He could also see the perfect line of his masculine jaw that was slightly curved at the end. It suit him perfectly, but she snapped from her staring when she notice that he was staring right back at her. Blushing, she slid past him and hid her face.

" It's late," she whispered, but she didn't particularly care whether or not he'd heard." I'm going to bed, what about you?"

He shrugged, unsure." I'm not sure. Since it is clear that I cannot leave the vicinity of your home, I guess I'll have to sleep as well,"

She nodded and motioned for him to join her in the living room. When had they migrated to the kitchen, anyway? Swatting away the thought, she went to the closet and dug out some blankets and some pillows and threw them carelessly onto the couch." Here's some blankets and stuff, night,"

It felt weird saying goodnight to an S-class criminal who was currently bunking in your home and sleeping on your couch. But it sent a flutter of emotions through her stomach that made her cringe outwardly. When had she been so. . .comfortable with Itachi anyway? He was her enemy that she was babysitting until his memory came back or until he eventually got lost and he wouldn't be her problem anymore. What was wrong with her?

She dismissed it with being too many questions in which she was not ready to answer and headed for her bedroom, closing the door and stripping down into her undergarments. Right now she didn't pay much attention to the fact she was only clad in her bra and underwear while Itachi slept just down on the hall on the couch. She could punch him into the next century anyway, so it didn't necessarily matter.

Closing her eyes and clearing her mind, she drifted off to sleep. . .A place where there wasn't an S-class criminal sleeping in her apartment. . .

- - - - - - -

Itachi sat upon the couch with his legs crossed and his hands over his knees, meditating. He hadn't known at first as to what he was doing, but suddenly his body positioned itself, and he suddenly was aware of how much time had passed since then. He guessed the thought of sleep made his body want to meditate instead, as if he never slept at all. This thought slightly unnerved him a bit.

He began questioning just exactly who he was.

Who was he anyway? Why was he here? And more importantly, why did Sakura say that he was a threat and that he shouldn't regain his memories? Maybe he really was a threat to her home, and thus that was why he was being kept in cognito, so no one would recognize and attack him. But if he was the bad guy, why go out of their way to protect him instead of banishing or killing him now?

He didn't know, nor did he really wanted to answer that last question. But if he was that great of threat, was he one of those ninjas? He couldn't think of himself as one, the idea didn't fit. Though, now that he thought about it, the way that he carried himself and the way he watched Sakura walk, it did seem as though he too was agile and lethal. He didn't want to think about where he had gotten his large bisceps or where the abs magically appeared from, but this all but concluded his questioning.

So, he was one of these ninjas, if only he could figure out what exactly they did. Did they wear masks and hop from roof to roof in the quiet of the night to fulfill their mission? The idea seemed a bit farfetched, but he couldn't think of any other reasonable comparisons. And he surely couldn't ask Sakura again, she simply would not answer him, in avoidance to the truth. If he was told the truth, would it mean that his memories may return, and that he could destroy Sakura and the village?

He didn't want too, he didn't want to hurt Sakura for some unexplained reason. She seemed like a level girl with a decent life and a bundle of good friends and a loving family. So, he tried not to think about his memories, instead let them settle in the back of his mind. Than another thought came to mind, one that he couldn't quite ignore that easily.

Who was this Sasuke person anyway? He had suggested a brother or a cousin figure, since they did look similar, the height and the hair was the only thing he could dictate in appearance. What was he like? Was he like the old Itachi, or more so like Sakura? From the round of facial expressions he showed in the pictures, it seemed like he was a stoic teenager looking for that hidden goal in his life.

What was that goal, anyway? A secret mission he was assigned too? Or did something tragic happen? He seemed to be not all there from the picture's he'd seen, off in some far off land where he was completing his goal. Itachi decided that there were too many questions, and they needed to be answered. Slowly, he moved off the couch and down the hall, amazed at how silent he was being even though he weighed quite a lot, considering all the muscle he was compact with.

He saw a white door that was closed adjacent the bathroom, and he figured it was Sakura's room. Quietly, he gripped the handle and turned it, opening the door and poking his nose through the crack. He saw Sakura's form underneath the blankets and the steady rise and fall of her chest. She was completely buried beneath the covers, only a speck of her pink hair was visible. Was she really that deep in her slumber that she didn't sense him coming?

Itachi opened the door more with caution to any approaching creaks that may occur, but the door opened silently. Tiptoeing his way through, he dodged the massive heaps of clothing that was bundled in separate piles and made his way toward the bed, where he could see an arm sticking out from the covers as well. Crouching next to the bed, he whispered her name, careful to stay a reasonable distance away from her form lest she wake and lash out at him.

He whispered her name again, but there was no response; if you count a snort a response. Gently, he nudged her exposed arm and repeated her name once again. Her arm twitched and his hands instinctively rose to the defense, but he lowered them it the arm merely wrapped itself around the pillow and stilled. Cautiously, he poked her arm again, ready for any sudden retaliation, but it merely stayed where it was unhindered.

" Sakura," Itachi hissed, nudging her arm again a little more forcefully." wake up," the girl in question merely rolled onto her stomach with her face planted within the pillow, breathing normally. It was then that Itachi could see the outline of her gray bra along her shoulder line, and he looked away from it quickly and concentrated on her face.

" Sakura," he tried again, placing his hand on her cold shoulder, and giving it a slight nudge.

" Five more minutes, mom," Sakura grumbled, swatting his hand away from her shoulder. Itachi winced and grabbed his hand, noticing that there were fingerprints where she swatted his hand.

" Sakura, I need to ask you something," Itachi said, snaking his arm to nudge her again. " Wake up,"

" No,"

He growled and stood, ignoring the way his legs tingled when he walked over to the other side of the bed and tore off some of the covers to reveal her face. It wasnt quite the look of pure content; her face being scrunched up in agitation and her mouth forming a frown. It was kind of cute from this position, but he didn't think a fat lip on his face would prove much good. He placed his hand upon her shoulder and tried nudging her again, gently shaking her while repeating her name.

" I don't wanna wake up," groaned Sakura tiredly, shooing his hand away." Its too early to be alive!"

He thought her sarcasm was kind of funny at this time of night, but he proceeded in waking her. Trying a different tactic, he gripped the covers that hung to her body and peeled them off slowly, so as not to startle and put her in an uproar. He removed them until they were down to her naval, ignoring her bare stomach and focusing on waking her up. She shivered and unconsciously reached for the warmth that surrounded the lower part of her body, but he grabbed her wrist and held it there.

" If you don't let go of my hand, I'll crush it with chakra," she threatened tiredly, yawning, but he doubted her ability to do it. What was chakra anyway?" Do not tempt me, I will do it and it will hurt," her voice dripped acid and no room for second guessing.

Reluctantly, he released the grip on her arm and gently lowered his own to his side. Growling, she curled up in a little ball and clutched the covers, dragging them up to her shoulder. Sighing, she cracked an eye open and saw him standing there looking at her while she slept. It was enough reason to punch his lights out, but he hadn't touched or groped anything while she had been momentarily exposed. So she opted that he wanted something other than to get inside her pants. Besides, she had a bit of trouble staying asleep with him removing her source of warmth every time.

Making sure the covers stayed glued to her body, she sat up on the bed and rested against the headboard, giving him a harsh look." What do you want?" she asked, sighing.

He hadn't known whether or not she was sleep talking or if she really was conscious, but he wasn't about to let the opportunity slide." I want to know what Sasuke's goal is," he hoped that she really was unconscious and sleep talking, for she may be liable to tell him anything without thinking about the consequences.

Sighing, she ran a hand threw her tangled hair." I told you, I can't really tell you," she mumbled, yawning.

" I know, but I need to know, its driving me crazy," he pleaded, lowering himself so that he was resting on one knee, his hand on the bedside while he looked at her threw piercing red eyes.

Wait. . .Red? Sakura questioned mentally. If he hadn't any chakra, how was it that his Sharingan could stay activated? Like she had thought previously, he must have chakra, but it was sealed away, and maybe he had his Sharingan activated at the time when he had lost his memory, thus his chakra was running in that cycle over again until it was all used up. If this theory was true, than he should be back to his onyx eyes in no time.

" Next," she said, exasperated. He gave her a curious look." Next question, I'm not answering that one," she stated.

" Oh," he thought of others that was plaguing his mind, but that specific one seemed to be screaming at him." Is this goal that Sasuke is after part of some sort of ninja mission?" he asked, eager to know the truth. He had other questions, but this one was like a red flag among a thousand other white ones.

Sakura contemplated how much she would tell him if she felt up to it, but she seemed as though the question was harmless enough." No, it is not a mission to which he was specifically assigned too. Its more of a vendetta for him, and he's sworn to accomplish it any other way. Of course, it isn't like we haven't helped him accomplish it before. . ." She trailed off, feeling a bit stupid for letting that slip.

" You've helped him once to try and reach his goal?" Itachi inquired, tilting his head and fixing his position so that he could get more comfortable. She frowned, obviously he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

" Yes, more than once, actually, but they were complete failures. His goal is kind of hard to. . .accomplish. . .and destroy," she said tentatively, keeping the loathing and seething out from her words, trying to remain impassive with the answer.

" So he is a shinobi, then?"

" Yes,"

" A powerful one?"

" Enough to almost rival the Legendary Sannin,"

Dubiously, Itachi shifted his weight to the side, pondering who these Legendary Sannin where. His mouth opened, but he hadn't a chance to ask before she answered the question for him." The Legendary Sannin are the three most powerful ninja's that have sprouted from Konoha, one of them is my mentor, Tsunade—shishou, and another of them is Naruto's mentor, Jiraiya—sama," she supplied, keeping her eyes open with sheer will power.

Itachi nodded his head, so those were the names of the three. . .wait, she said three, but she only named two of them." You only named two, Sakura, what is the third's name?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, she hadn't known, but the way he said her name so profoundly and comfortably made her insides flutter. Clawing those stupid little butterflies out of her disobeying stomach, she was able to form words again." Yes, I named two," she said lamely." The third's name is Orochimaru,"

" I see, who is his disciple?"

She was afraid of this question, and even more afraid to answer it. She didn't him remembering anything about his younger brother siding with the enemy against the village and against the Akatsuki, it may jog something in that locked up memory of his. But, alas, the look he was giving her wasn't quite helping her situation, so she answered warily.

" He was Sasuke's mentor, but he came back on his own will once Orochimaru was killed; saying he had nothing else to teach him and that he was no longer needed within his life," she was proud that she was able to keep her cool around this sensitive subject. But she knew this wasn't the end of the questions.

Itachi huffed, bemused." I didn't actually think you would answer me this time, it seemed like a personal subject that I would not be required to know."

" Yeah, well, I guess I'm too tired to comprehend what I'm actually telling you," she seethed, making the message loud and clear. He smiled, and in the pale moonlight that was streaming through her curtained window, he looked like an angel coming to give her a little visit in the middle of the night.

" Thank you, Sakura, for answering at least three of my questions. I will try and pick my questions carefully next time, so you may actually be able to answer them for me," he said gently. She decided that she liked the emotion side of Itachi, though she only encountered him at least a dozen times, and each time he rarely spoke a word to either her or Sasuke. But he seemed to have a compassionate side somewhere beyond that hard exterior he wore as a mask every day of his life.

" You're welcome, but do you know what would make me happy?" she asked, pointing toward the door." I would be happy if you would leave the room so I can get some sleep before I have to get up in the morning and assist at the hospital," she turned toward the clock, and it read 3;30." Now, I need to be at the hospital at six this morning, and I only have two hours of sleep left. Leave."

He stood and walked toward the door quietly, 3/4 of the way out before he poked his head in and gave her a grin." Good night, Sakura," he said quietly, shutting the door behind him and walking to the living room.

Her head spinning, she collapsed upon the futon and rolled over, mumbling to herself." Goodnight, Itachi. . ."

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