Chapter Fifteen

"Itachi!!"

Itachi heard a 'come here quick' tone in Sakura's voice when she had barged though the door of his apartment. Having just had a shower getting back from a mission he warped a towel around the lower half of his body, letting his wet hair just hang down his back. He made his way as fast as possible without losing the towel to the lounge room where Sakura was frantically looking around for him. She blushed when she saw that she had caught him out of a shower.

"Sorry. I just found out you got back and… I can come back later." Sakura said meekly.

"What is it?" Itachi asked slightly worried. It wasn't like Sakura to just barge into his apartment usually she knocked and then still stood there for about half an hour just incase he was in the shower.

"Um… You might want to sit down…"

"What is it?" Itachi asked again stepping towards her taking hold of her hand.

"Um… Itachi… I found out yesterday that… um…"

She paused in mid-sentence and Itachi was almost frantic himself wanting to know what had led her to act so much like not her. "You found out what yesterday?"

"… I'm… we're going to have a baby!" Sakura squealed beaming from ear to ear.

Itachi did a double take. "…W…what? Did you…? You're…?"

Sakura nodded and Itachi thought that he had never seen Sakura look so happy or so beautiful. Her entire being was gleaming. She was pregnant. Itachi couldn't believe it. He now wished he had taken her offer of sitting down. He let her hands drop and walked slowly over to the couch and sat down, resting his head in his hands. He couldn't believe it. He was going to be a dad!

"Itachi…?"

Itachi's head snapped up and he smile hearing the concern in Sakura's voice. He was pretty sure he was acting like she had excepted him to. He sat up straight and held out his arms for her. She walked over and let him pull her down to sit on his lap. His hand cupped her chin and he brought her face up so they were looking into each others eyes. Itachi leaned forward and kissed Sakura softly on the lips.

"That's wonderful Sakura." Itachi whispered against her mouth and smiled along with her. Still looking into her bright emerald green eyes he wrapped his arms around her waist and then remembered that he had actually planned on asking her something. "If you wouldn't mind just sitting here just for a moment, I'll just finish drying off and then I'm taking you out for lunch."

Sakura obliged and sat on the couch as Itachi went back into the bathroom and dried himself off and got dressed. He picked something up from his bedside table and put it in his pocket.

Itachi took Sakura to a coffee shop and let her order whatever she wanted, which turned out to be a slice of chocolate cake and a latte. Itachi ordered pretty much the same except for the cake.

They discussed anything that had to do with babies such as names, and christening dates. After an hour Itachi walked Sakura back to his apartment as he wanted to be alone with Sakura and she lived with Hinata at the moment.

Once inside Itachi took hold of both of Sakura's hands.

"What is it Itachi?"

"Sakura this morning when you came in here and told me that we are going to become parents I didn't react in a way that I should have."

"Don't worry Itachi. I understand it was a bit of a shock."

"No Sakura. It doesn't matter I should have acted in a way that didn't make you feel like I didn't want this baby. Because I do. Just like I want to ask you something now before I regret it."

"What?"

Itachi got down onto one knee and pulled the thing that had been lying next to his bed. He opened it and there was a ring. Sliver with a light pink diamond the shape of tear drop. "Sakura, will you marry me?"

Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth. Her hand moved to her chest and she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Oh my god, that rocks huge!"

Itachi smile as he guessed this had come as a bit of a shock to her. And yes the diamond was big. It had cost a fair bit, but he knew it was worth it. "Well?"

"Yes, oh god, yes!" Sakura said flinging herself around Itachi's neck knocking him to the ground with Sakura a top of him. He had his arms around her waist, and she was crying into his shoulder. He buried his face into her neck, feeling happier that he ever had. He was going to become a father, and marry the woman that he loved more than anything on earth.

'I'll protect you Sakura. You and the baby. I'll protect you forever.' Itachi thought to himself.

Neither of them noticed Sasuke open the door and then quickly close it again having figured what had just happened.

Itachi woke from his day-dream, reliving the happiest day of his life, when he heard Sasuke call out his name saying that breakfast was ready. Before heading back into the cave Itachi reaffirmed to himself that he and Sakura had made the right choice and that everything would be alright from now on. He'd keep his silent promise to her and the baby.

"You're pregnant." Tsuande informed Sakura.

"W… what? I'm… what?"

"You're pregnant."

Sakura squealed and hugged Tsuande around the neck before letting her go when she remembered that Tsuande doesn't like being hugged.

"Itachi should be please."

Sakura coughed as she remembered the last Itachi had been in the care of a baby for a day. It didn't go to well. He had gotten stains on his clothes when the baby spat mashed carrot on his top. Itachi wasn't please. But she hoped that now that Sakura was there also as the mother maybe he'd be easier to deal with.

"Does the silence mean the baby's not Itachi's?" Tsuande asked.

"What? No! The baby's his. It's just he's not too big on babies."

"Right…"

The next day Sakura went to Itachi's apartment and told him the news. She knew he was shocked but she was even more shocked when Itachi proposed to her later in the day. She had never felt so happy. She was going to have a family. A husband and a child. All hers just to love as a wife and a mother. Nothing could have made her feel sad that day. And her happiness was contagious as that was the first day in about a month that Kakashi didn't have some sort of emotional problem. That night when Sakura went home to her's and Hinata's apartment she joyfully told Hinata the news and that now she was moving in with Itachi. Hinata was so happy for her that she even helped Sakura pack her stuff.

Later that night Sakura had just finish unpacking the last box and Itachi had burned the dinner. So they ordered pizza.

The one thing Sakura didn't except was that she was going to have a fight with Itachi the next morning which ended in him walking out the door to go and train, and Sakura sitting on the couch crying.

Next thing Sakura knew Itachi was throwing Sasuke up against a wall shouting at him and at her. Sakura dimly remembered that Sasuke had come in an attempt to get Sakura away from Itachi by saying that he had found someone else who wasn't a burden to him. Itachi had walked in just as Sakura and Sasuke were about to kiss.

Sakura broke down and fell to her knees when Itachi started to shout at her 'Why?'

Itachi picked Sasuke up by the color nearly choking him and threw him out the door telling him that he would die if he ever came back here. Then walking over to Sakura he bend down and picked her up none to gently and carried her over to the couch placing her down on it. Itachi racked his hand though his hair which he had forgotten to tie back.

"Just tell me why, Sakura." Sakura could here the venom in his voice. But she could say anything between her sobs of fear and pain. Not physical pain. Her heart felt like it was breaking. Again. She had come so close to destroying what she had with Itachi, all because she had listened to his brother, instead of trusting her instincts.

Sakura shook her head as if to say she didn't know.

Itachi dropped to his knees and took hold of Sakura's hands. She brought her face up to look into his eyes.

Itachi sighed as he saw in her eyes that she was hurting and confused. Sakura hoped that he knew that it wasn't her fault. She didn't plan for it to happen.

Itachi pulled Sakura into a warm loving embrace. Sakura knew she couldn't live without him. And she told him that. Itachi's arms tighten around her back and he whispered the same against her neck. Sakura knew that Itachi trusted her enough to know that it wouldn't happen again. She couldn't say the same for Sasuke. Itachi gave Sasuke death glares and looks that seem to say 'Just try and touch her again' for about a month afterwards.

'I'll protect you Itachi. You and the baby. I'll protect you forever.' Sakura thought to herself.

"SAKURA-SAN!"

Sakura was pulled from her day-dream of her silent promise as Rock Lee called out her name. She turned around to face the unique eye-browed ninja. "Hi Lee." She said smiling and waving.

"Hallo. Now that Itachi's not around to give me any death glares do you want to go and get some lunch. I think I still owe you a lunch from the last time you healed me."

Sakura laughed. She knew that Itachi gave any man a death glare if they ever asked Sakura out to lunch or whatever. "Sure where did you want to go?"

"Anywhere you want to go Sakura-san." Lee held out his arm.

Sakura laughed softly as she linked arms with him. "As long as it's not fish I'm good."

"Then I'll take you to that little coffee shop on the corner of the ninja academy."

Enjoy life here for as long as you can Sakura

We will come back though

Yea, but for how long?

Long enough to enjoy what we have