Vespertine

Chapter Twelve: The Wakeup Call


The subject matter here is a little too close to home

And now I can't take back what I gave


Naruto snapped awake, every instinct screaming of danger. Had he heard something? Smelled something? His cramped studio apartment was dark and silent, his furniture casting long, deep shadows in the dim yellow glow of late afternoon that broke through the few missing slats on the blinds.

One of the shadows moved in a deliberate way, purposely revealing itself as a man's figure in the center of the room.

Instantly Naruto was on his feet, poised to fight. The figure wore an ANBU uniform, face concealed by a white mask. The way things had been going lately, this could only mean one thing: Root had come for him at last.

"Naruto." The voice was muffled, but surprisingly familiar. He slowly raised his hand, intentionally angled to show he wasn't reaching for the ninjato strapped to his back. Naruto tensed anyway, hooking a finger through the end of a kunai. The Root agent only pushed up his mask, revealing his face.

Naruto started. "Sai…." He didn't relax upon seeing his teammate; confusion only added to his wariness. "What are you doing? Why are you in that uniform?"

"We have to go," he said, glancing sharply toward the window. "I'm positive they followed me."

"Who? What the hell is going on?"

Sai opened his mouth to speak, an almost pained expression crossed his features, then he closed it again and shook his head. "No time," he finally managed. "We need to—"

The front door opened, the startling intrusion of daylight illuminating the silhouette of another Root agent, who in a deep, muffled voice said, "Good, you're already here." He moved into the room. "The Hokage wants it done quietly."

Naruto took a step back as the reality sunk in, and turned shocked eyes to his teammate. "That bastard sent you to kill me?"

"Those are my orders," Sai confirmed plainly.

"Have a little respect for the Hokage, boy," the other agent said.

"That son of a bitch is no Hokage," Naruto growled, backing up and forming the first seal of a bunshin jutsu. "He's nothing but a treacherous, underhanded snake."

"He's more of a Hokage than you'll ever be, demon fox."

"Tsunade's gonna have every one of you fuckers executed when she wakes up."

"Hn. That softhearted crone won't be a problem anymore."

Burning rage began to spread through him. "What the fuck do you mean? What have you done!"

"Enough small talk. Let's get this over with." The masked agent unsheathed his sword and began to advance. Behind him, Sai did the same.

The strike came in a blur of steel. Naruto jumped back, only to collide with the edge of his bed and momentarily lose his footing. The agent was upon him instantly, slashing downward with another lethal strike. Blood spattered hot and wet across Naruto's cheek.

It all happened in a moment, and it took a second for him to register that he was unhurt. Another moment for him to hear the shocked, gurgling sound from his attacker and see the curved point of a bloody sword protruding from his chest, straight through the heart. The sword pulled free with a sick squelch, and the faceless assassin fell to the ground with a heavy thump.

Sai's expression was impassive but firm as he flicked the crimson droplets from his blade and sheathed it, but when he looked up at Naruto his dark eyes were angry. "You actually thought I would kill you…."

Naruto blinked rapidly and got to his feet, his mind a whirlwind of confusion. "…N-no, of course I didn't believe it!" he stammered, wiping his face and stepping around the body to face his teammate. "I mean, well…Danzou has such a hold on you guys…. and you even said—"

"I said those were my orders. But I came to warn you, or did you not hear that part." His eyes narrowed incredulously. "After all we've been through…how could you think I wouldn't be on your side? We're teammates, Naruto. I thought you knew I'm your friend."

Naruto dropped his gaze, ashamed. "I do know," he mumbled. "We are friends. I shouldn't have doubted you. Sorry."

Before Sai could respond a faint pop sounded and a cloud of smoke appeared before them. Naruto was still jumpy and fell back, but Sai turned expectantly to the cloud, which dissipated to reveal Kakashi.

"I got your message." He'd been more than a little surprised when one of Sai's birds collided with his window, the inky streaks reforming into a word – 'Naruto.' With the current situation in Konoha, he knew to take it seriously and assume it was urgent. "What's going on?" Before anyone answered, his nose caught the scent of blood and his gaze fell to the Root agent bleeding out on the floor. "I see…." he deduced solemnly.

"Danzou ordered Sai to kill me," Naruto raged. "How fucked up is that? And from what that guy said, I think plans to do something to Tsunade!"

"If he hasn't already," Sai murmured.

"Do you know anything?" Kakashi asked him sharply.

"Not beyond what I was ordered."

"And if you did, you couldn't tell anyway."

"Right. I think I'm no longer trusted. That's why…." He broke off, wincing as his throat constricted.

"Why you were ordered to kill Naruto. As a test," Kakashi finished for him. "And why you were followed."

"He's gone too far this time," Naruto bristled. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Naruto, don't be reckless. Think," Kakashi warned, keeping a restraining grip on his shoulder. "You'll never get to him without going through all of Root first."

Scuffling and thumping sounds sounded on the side of the building and the roof above.

"Point proven," the Copy Ninja muttered dryly, as a full squad of Root agents came through the door.

Fighting was difficult in the small space, but three against eight wasn't bad odds for Team Kakashi. The odds improved when the wooden floor warped and rose up and Yamato stood with them. Root had expected Naruto to be alone, not to have two jounin elites and one of their own agents fighting with him. They were unprepared and outmatched, and it was over in less than a minute.

"I thought you guys might be in trouble," Yamato said, quickly stabbing the last attacker with a wooden spike.

"Yamato-taichou," Naruto exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I mean, how did you—"

"I'll explain later. More Root are on the way. We need to get out, now."

"My thoughts exactly," said Kakashi. He reached into his vest pocket to withdraw a scroll, then kneeled down and spread the unsealed jutsu on a clear space on the body-strewn floor. "Not exactly what it was meant for, but this does qualify as an emergency. We don't have much choice at the moment."

More sounds of approaching assassins were heard outside; at least twice as many as before.

"Everyone grab on to me." They each put a hand on his shoulders. He made the seals, and just as two more squads of Root agents burst through the door, Team Kakashi vanished in a curl of white smoke.


On the first day in months that the sun broke through the rain-heavy clouds, Sakura found herself engaged in the hardest sparring match of her life.

In a momentary reprieve, she jumped from the tree she'd landed on to the forest floor and felt with her senses for any sign of her opponent. Though the day was clear the winter air was crisp, and her exerted breaths puffed faintly before her face.

They were training in the woods because Itachi believed squaring off face to face never taught anyone anything. To fight when you weren't prepared, when the setting wasn't ideal, was the best way to improve, he'd said. To engage an enemy on uneven terrain, like a tree limb, or a boulder cluster, or the water's surface. An enemy will not wait for you to set up the perfect combat scenario, and if you lose the element of surprise, you must improvise. They didn't have any practice weapons, and had decided on no jutsu either, not even replacements or clones. Itachi had pointed out that a skilled enemy usually wouldn't fall for academy-level tricks, so in the likely event that they failed, a shinobi must be able to hold their own with true combat techniques.

It made total sense, Sakura thought. Itachi would make a good instructor, despite his communication issues. He wasn't quite so reserved when speaking of tactical knowledge.

So they had been chasing each other around the forest for an hour now, and when one of them caught the other they engaged in brief but relentless physical combat before breaking apart, circling around, and starting over again. He'd caught her twice as many times as she'd caught him; he was just too fast and too silent. A true assassin.

And today, he'd apparently decided he wasn't going to go easy anymore. Or play fair. Sakura found it hard to believe he had been going easy until now, with the way he'd wiped the floor with her countless times in the past two weeks.

Restless while waiting for news from her team in the form of a little brown pug, they had begun training together each day to distract from the anxiety. It had taken a few days for Sakura to readjust after weeks of minimal activity, and then the real test began.

From the beginning, Sakura held nothing back except for her inhuman strength—she was trying to learn from him, not accidentally kill him. Itachi had only just recovered, but she knew he could handle everything she threw at him and would be insulted with anything less. If she had pulled any punches, her restraint would have been short-lived; it was almost immediately clear that she needed everything she had just to stay even with him. Itachi pushed her to what she thought were her limits and then showed her they weren't; she could be better, faster, more precise. He also beat her every time, but she'd given up on letting it sting her pride. He was a genius, a prodigy that had been perfecting his craft longer than she'd been alive. She would never beat him with jutsu or weapons. But she could sink a crater beneath his feet, and were it a real fight, she could end it with a single direct blow.

Today she'd made him break a sweat. At one point she'd even scuffed up his cheekbone with a superfast taijutsu combo Kakashi had taught her. They were small things, but they said a lot against him, and she was proud of them. She wasn't trying to win. She wanted to prove she could make an opponent of his caliber take her seriously, and she had done that.

Sakura rubbed her shoulder irritably where he'd nearly dislocated it a few minutes ago. She was going to have a black eye, too; she couldn't see herself, but she knew. There was no room for sentiment when it came to their profession, and she didn't want any.

Hearing a faint crackle of foliage off to her left, she tensed and dropped to a crouch. Probably just an animal, but it wasn't safe to stay put any longer. If Itachi hadn't made the sound—and she doubted it—he would have heard it too and would be coming toward her.

Inspiration struck. If he would be coming this way, she would hide and ambush him. She stood up—

And almost immediately felt him behind her.

Sakura whipped around and went for him, hoping to throw him off by attacking instead of defending. It worked for only a second, but it was enough time for her to feint with a right hook, then land a kick to the outside of his left thigh. He winced just slightly—she'd put chakra into her attack. Not enough to break a bone, but she had to regain her advantage somehow. Itachi recovered faster than she could land a third strike, and then he was gone.

A heartbeat later he was behind her again, and his hand closed around the back of her neck. She twisted and tried to elbow him in the face, but his grip tightened over her pressure point. If she kept struggling she would pass out.

"Too slow, Sakura," he murmured softly. She could practically hear his smirk.

For the past several encounters he had been toying with her like this. It was pissing her off…but it was also doing something else.

Sakura tried to block out the feeling of his lips brushing the rim of her ear, the heat of his firm chest against her back, his cool fingertips ghosting over the back of her neck as he slipped away and disappeared again. She tried not to think about the way he rolled her name on his tongue like a delectable piece of candy.

Or what else he'd done with his tongue when they woke up this morning.

Sakura's world was a different place than it had been two weeks ago. She wouldn't have thought sex could change so much, but it had. Long days once spent reading the same few books or running redundant perimeter checks were now spent…exploring. Crossing that intimate line had been liberating. If she wanted affection, she sought it without hesitation. If Itachi wanted her, he only had to reach for her and she was his.

Their first time had been a little awkward, even a little uncomfortable, but still unbelievably wonderful. They had discovered physical pleasure together, but Sakura had experienced something she felt was far more valuable: deep feelings of closeness and trust, those first tentative but eager touches, when their bodies knew instinctively what to do but their minds were unsure. No matter what happened, no one else would ever see Itachi the way she had that night: open, physically and emotionally vulnerable. No one else would ever have that part of him. The same was true with her.

In the days and nights since, it had become clear why Itachi was so hot and cold in the beginning, why he would give in to the feelings between them only to shut down and force distance a minute later. He had been wary of his own reactions, of his inability to control them. For all his reserve and detachment, he was still a man—one who had been repressed for most of his life with no outlet for the feelings he'd kept locked away. When the right buttons were pushed—which she was learning to do rather well—he was surprisingly passionate.

Sakura had known it the first time he kissed her, had felt it every time he'd allowed himself to momentarily let go. Now that the stakes had been raised and the barriers lowered, it was like a flood of intensity every time they were together.

A bird flew from its nest, startling her from her reverie. The only downside to this thrilling, sensual new world was that she thought about it all the time. Inwardly berating herself for losing focus when Itachi could be anywhere, she sucked in a deep breath and took to the trees again.

It began to rain. That made it harder to track him, but it didn't really matter. They weren't really sparring or training anymore. It had become a cat and mouse game, equal parts thrilling and infuriating.

Sakura was determined to be the cat this time.

After several minutes of hunting, she realized he was being strategically evasive—leading her somewhere. A dangerous trap to fall into, but if she stayed alert and ready he wouldn't be able to surprise her again. They were nearing the edge of the perimeter; crossing over would instantly give away his position, so he would make his move soon or double back the other way.

The moment she came to the footbridge leading over the small, shallow stream she detected his presence; more an instinctive feeling than any real sign. Without letting on, she crossed the bridge, knowing it was coming any second. He came from behind the last two times, so he would likely assume she was expecting another rear strike and attack from the front instead. No. He would expect her to think that and go for the back again—

Without waiting for a sign, Sakura spun. Itachi flickered into sight in the same second. His expression sharpened as he realized she'd anticipated his move, just before she caught him with a hard uppercut to the chin.

He staggered back, but before she could take satisfaction in it he was on her again, driving her backward with pure physical strength. Without chakra behind her moves it was easy for him to overpower her, and the wet, slippery ground made struggling difficult. Her back hit the nearest tree—but not too roughly—and Itachi pinned her with his weight. She tried to hit him again, but he was expecting it this time and caught her wrists.

"Your instincts have become quite good."

Sakura met his gaze and stilled. He looked the farthest thing from angry; the fact that she'd squarely clocked him seemed to beguile and excite him more than anything. That, in turn, excited her. He was deliciously warm and firm against her, and when he pressed her harder against the trunk and lowered his head until their mouths were inches apart her eyes fluttered nearly closed and she held her breath in anticipation.

"But you're too easily distracted. If I were an enemy I could have killed you several times by now."

Her eyes snapped open to glare at him. "I don't think an enemy would play dirty the way you are, Itachi."

"You may be surprised."

"All they'd get for their effort is a missing limb. It wouldn't affect me the same way."

"Hm. And what way is that?" A smug little smirk curved his lips.

"You know damn well, you bastard," she half whispered.

Sakura was infuriated and aroused and he was enjoying it. Well, two could play that game. She squirmed sensually beneath him, pressing her breasts into his chest, sliding her thigh along his as much as she could manage, thinking about how sexy he was and letting him see it in her eyes—all to make it seem like his proximity was affecting her. Truthfully, it was, but Sakura subtly exaggerated it.

Itachi caught on to her signals. It was hard not to when all the soft, tantalizing parts of her were rubbing so intimately against him and she was looking at him like she ached for his touch. She had the power to drive him to distraction, but he didn't resent it—not when he knew what lay in store if he just gave in. His eyes darkened and his lips moved just a tiny bit closer to hers.

Sakura slammed her knee into his and tried to wrest her arms free of his grip. It didn't work; he'd felt the tension in her just before she moved and evaded her attack. The grip on her wrists tightened painfully and she was pushed harder against the tree.

"And you say I don't play fair. You've improved greatly, but you still have much to learn." His eyes had lost some of the warmth from a moment ago. He didn't like her trick.

It hadn't been a very nice one, she realized. He'd started it, but she had taken it to a vindictive level. Once her temper was riled it was hard to quiet again.

"Sorry…that was a cheap shot," she murmured. "You're hurting me now."

Itachi released her and slowly backed off, creating just enough space between them that she could move away if she wanted. She didn't.

Watching him as she rubbed the slight numbness from her wrists, she asked, "So you'll keep teaching me?"

"I said I would. As much as you can handle with your chakra levels and affinity."

Smiling playfully, she closed the distance between them again. "Do I have to call you Sensei?"

Instead of being amused by her quip, Itachi became serious and regarded her pensively. "I think you've taught me more than I can ever teach you, Sakura," he answered quietly.

"What do you mean?"

His reply was to pull her against him and kiss her, fiercely and possessively.

Eager to end this pretense of 'training,' Sakura responded fervently. It would seem her reversal tactic had worked after all. Or maybe this was what he'd been planning all along. Apparently she wasn't the only one who couldn't keep her mind on a professional track today.

One moment her feet were on the ground, and the next he lifted her up and flash-stepped back to the clearing outside their cabin. Itachi carried her up the steps and finally set her down so he could open the door—which was more complicated than it should have been, since neither wanted to break apart from their heated kisses. When they finally stumbled inside they wasted no time. His shirt was pulled off so fast it nearly ripped. A moment later hers went flying with equal abandon. The rest of their clothing quickly followed, and then they fell onto the bed and gave themselves over to passion.

Afterward they lay entangled together, tired and content, their naked bodies insulated from the cold by a cocoon of blankets and each other's warmth. Sakura sprawled across Itachi's torso with a possessive liberty she wouldn't have dared before becoming his lover. She loved listening to his steady heartbeat and the sound of his breathing—breaths that were strong and pure because she had refused to give up when it seemed nearly hopeless. He was alive because they both refused to give up. Now the future held so many possibilities—for both of them.

"What will you do, when this is all over?" she drowsily asked him. She turned her head to see his face, pressing her cheek against his warm skin. "After Sasuke is found and things are set right in Konoha."

Itachi stared absently at the ceiling. "I don't know. I've …avoided thinking about it."

Meaning he didn't want to get his hopes up. Sakura could understand, after all, she was beginning to wonder what would become of them when they left here. She knew Itachi didn't take their relationship lightly, but she couldn't presume to know how he felt about where it might be going, and she was reluctant to ask.

"If you came back to Konoha…well, Kakashi says there's still a lot of respect and support for you in ANBU. You could probably get your old job back," she suggested.

He didn't reply right away, but she remained patient. Getting a deeper, heartfelt answer out of him could sometimes take a while.

"I only joined ANBU at my clan's insistence," he said at length, "and the horrors I witnessed and inflicted as part of that group will stay with me forever. I have dealt so much death in my life…" He sighed quietly. "If I returned to Konoha I would seek a more peaceful existence."

"But you do want to go back…?" she asked tentatively, peeking up at him.

He thought about it moment, and nodded faintly. "I would like to," he said slowly, "but it may prove too difficult."

He didn't need to say more. The transition wouldn't be easy; the village may not accept him without fear and distrust. More than that, the haunting memories of his past might be unbearable. As much as she wished he could live happily in Konoha—with her—she knew it wasn't that simple, nor was she that selfish. She gave a soft nod of understanding and snuggled closer to him. Itachi turned onto his side but Sakura stayed where she was, ending up curled into his chest.

"With the situation as it stands now, it will be some time before that day comes, if it ever does," he continued a few moments later.

"Where would you go until then?" she asked softly, willing herself not to grow upset over the idea of parting from him.

"That depends," he murmured.

"On what?" She tried to shift and meet his gaze, but it was difficult with his arm wrapped snugly around her and his chin pressed to the top of her head.

"Will you—" He paused and took a slow, deep breath. "Would you still want…to continue this?"

Sakura had never heard him stumble over words before, and knew it must have been hard for him to ask, to express such an emotional desire. Filled with surprised happiness, she wiggled out of his hold enough to finally look at him.

"Of course I do." She touched his face tenderly, and smiled. "Itachi…even if you remained in exile forever I would find a way to be with you."

Itachi gazed into her luminous eyes, filled with too many strange feelings to give a response. It wasn't necessary, for in that moment there was perfect understanding between them. He tightened his embrace and drew her closer. Sakura sighed contentedly and slipped her arm around him as well. Within minutes they had both drifted to sleep.


They were startled awake when multiple chakra signatures suddenly appeared right outside the cabin.

Sakura's eyes flew open, her heart racing. Was it Akatsuki? Root? How had they gotten past her perimeter? They had only been asleep a few hours, judging by the dim, grayish-gold light filtering through the window. Itachi shifted to let her go and she pulled the top blanket around her naked form, silently hurried to the window, and peered out inconspicuously from a corner of the frame. What she saw made her frown in disbelief. "What the fuh…"

Itachi wasn't nearly as alarmed; he didn't recognize the signatures, and he would have if their unexpected visitors were who Sakura feared. Her reaction confirmed they were in no serious danger. "That's not an enemy," he remarked somewhat bemusedly, sitting up.

"No…its worse," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. "It's my teammates."

He gave her a dry look. "How is that worse."

"Aside from the fact that they popped in on us like this," she grumbled, glancing down at her unclothed state, "they wouldn't just show up without warning unless something really bad has happened."

Mind racing over what possible emergency could have brought them, she turned from the window and anxiously hunted for her clothes. She was also very glad that teleportation scroll had a fairly large radius and hadn't dropped her teammates right into the cabin. It would be less than pleasant if they suddenly found her and Itachi naked in bed together. They dressed hastily, and Sakura rushed out the door. Itachi followed slightly less urgently behind.

"Sakura!"

Naruto rushed forward and they met near the porch steps in a quick embrace. Sakura pulled back and stared at him; one look at his scuffed appearance and she could tell he'd been in a fight. "Why are you here? What happened?"

He started to answer, but fell warily quiet when Itachi came out the door and down the steps. He stepped back, instinctively seeking distance from the notorious man who had hunted him for so many years. Though he'd known the truth since their last run-in with Madara prompted Kakashi to tell him and Sai everything, those old fears and hatreds would take time to overcome. The other men of Team Kakashi seemed to feel the same as they warily approached, except for Kakashi, though even he was a little on guard.

For his part, Itachi regarded them all neutrally, outwardly calm and expectant. Only Sakura was able to tell that he inwardly shared their tension, and was prepared to deal with whatever hostility might come his way. Caught in the middle of the subtle standoff, added to the obvious emergency of their sudden arrival, she was already feeling on-edge.

"Danzou finally made his play for absolute power," Kakashi finally answered as he, Yamato and Sai stopped a few feet behind her—a good distance from Itachi. "It started at the Kage summit when he somehow convinced the mediator and the other Kages to accept him as the leader of a new alliance. Only a few days after we returned, things started getting ugly. People are being arrested left and right, mostly on false or exaggerated charges, but some not. There's a lot of social upheaval. Even talk of sedition among the jounin and loyalist ANBU."

"He sent Root agents after me!" Naruto added. "Well, first he ordered Sai to kill me…but he knew Sai would disobey him and try to warn me so he had him followed! Kakashi got to us and we teleported out of there just before an entire platoon showed up!"

"How could he get away with this?" she cried angrily. "Has he turned the council to his side as well?"

"It's worse than that," Yamato answered gravely. "The elders Homura and Koharu have been murdered…and Tsunade has been imprisoned under charges of conspiracy."

Both Itachi and Sakura were shocked by the news, but the kunoichi was beside herself. "What! How the hell can he do that if she's not even awake!"

"She did wake up," Yamato explained. "This morning. When she learned what had happened during her coma she was in a rage, as you can imagine, and demanded to see Danzou. He refused to speak with her, so she called a meeting with the other elders to get answers. That was the ammunition Danzou needed, and he had his agents give a false report about overhearing a plot against the Hokage. When I found out what happened through the ANBU network I knew there would be trouble with Naruto, that he wasn't safe. I reached them just in time to teleport, though I really have no idea what's going on here…" He looked back and forth between Sakura and Itachi, having only gotten a brief 'don't freak out, he's on our side' warning from Kakashi just moments ago.

"Do we know anything about Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked anxiously. "How she's faring, where she's being held?"

"Nothing," Kakashi said, shaking his head somberly. "Though her probable location is the underground detention sector of ANBU HQ."

"I've been so worried about what's been happening back home. This is worse than anything I imagined," Sakura moaned, running her hands over her face. "I shouldn't have left…I could have protected her!"

"You would be dead, Sakura," Itachi told her quietly. "Danzou doesn't dare kill Tsunade—yet. But he would hold no reservations about you."

"It's true," Kakashi agreed. "He needs the Daimyo's sanction to execute her, and there will have to be a trial. She's in no immediate danger."

"But she is old, and still unwell after her ordeal. She could very easily die due to 'health reasons' during imprisonment," Sai pointed out frankly. He knew Danzou's methods better than any of them.

"We need to deal with that bastard before it's too late!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But how?" Sakura said. "Danzou is the legally appointed Hokage, however dishonestly he obtained the title. We need proof to take him down."

"We'll never find it before Tsunade is dead and his talons are too deeply embedded to remove," Yamato countered. He paused a moment, and then looked directly at Itachi. "What we need…is an assassin."

Weighted silence fell as the six shinobi absorbed and processed exactly what that meant. Sakura looked to Itachi, torn over how to feel. It seemed like the perfect solution to their problem, but at the same time, if Itachi killed the Hokage he could never return to the village. He would be sacrificing himself to a greater cause all over again. Another alternative was to sit back and let Sasuke kill Danzou as he intended, but if that happened there would be no hope for him either, and their long fight to bring him home would have been for nothing.

"No," she said firmly, looking at each of her teammates in turn. "It's not right for someone else to take the fall so we can keep our hands clean. Danzou is a tyrant who came to power through schemes and corruption. You said Konoha is already on the brink of revolution. I don't see how anyone would fault or punish us for removing the source of the problem."

"That's a big gamble, Sakura. If his crimes can't be proven, if—gods forbid—Tsunade doesn't live to pardon us and set things right, we will be held accountable. It could mean our deaths, or at the very least, life as a missing-nin. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"If it means our village and its people are safe from monsters like Danzou and Madara, absolutely," she replied fiercely.

The truth of her words rang through all of them. They should all be ready and willing to make that sacrifice. Why were they shinobi if not to safeguard their village—their home—with their lives?

"We have a lot to think about and discuss before we make any moves," Kakashi said, always the voice of wisdom and experience in their team. He looked to Itachi. "Your help would be invaluable, but you're under no obligation. This isn't part of the bargain."

"I am with you in this," Itachi said. "Danzou's vision of Konoha is what I sacrificed everything to prevent. I would relish the opportunity to participate in his downfall."

Kakashi nodded once. "I'm glad," he said, and offered his hand.

There was a moment's pause as Itachi stared at it, surprised by the gesture. Then he reached out and shook the hand of his supposed former enemy.

Beside him, Sakura smiled. Her team leader seemed to be the only one willing to give more than barest civility to their new ally, but it was more progress than she had expected this soon. Despite what sides of the battlefield Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi had stood on for the past ten years, they had always highly respected one another.

Naruto hid his feelings about this new camaraderie behind a joint-popping yawn and stretch combo. "Man! Nothing like kicking some traitor ass to wear you out! I could use a nap," he said blearily.

"We could all use some rest," Yamato agreed.

"There's no room for you all here…" Sakura said apologetically. The clearing wasn't even large enough for one of Yamato's wood-jutsu shelters.

"That much is obvious," Naruto snorted, looking over the cabin's shabby exterior. "That thing is the size of a shoebox."

"Says the guy who lives in a closet," she shot back dryly.

Naruto ignored that, and focused on a subject that had bothered him since they arrived. "By the way, what's with your eye?"

"My –" She raised her fingertips to her face and felt a slight tenderness. "Oh." She'd forgotten all about it amid more pleasant distractions. "Training."

"You always heal yourself right away…" He turned suspicious eyes to Itachi, noting the matching bruising on his chin.

Sakura shrugged. "I got sidetracked."

He gave her a dubious look. "Sidetracked? When you came out you looked like you just woke up."

He knew he was onto something and he was fishing. It made her uncomfortable, which in turn made her angry because she had nothing to be embarrassed about. Her temper flared, and she snapped, "Damn, would you like to know what I had for breakfast too?"

"Naruto, there are more important matters at hand here," Kakashi interjected. He had already made the connection his subordinate was attempting, and now was not the time to discuss it.

"Exactly," Sakura huffed. "What else happened at the Kage summit? Did you learn anything about Sasuke?"

Naruto darkened considerably at that. "It's not good," he muttered.

Kakashi elaborated. "Sasuke showed up and caused a major incident. Danzou was his target, but he fled when no one was looking. Apparently Sasuke fought the four remaining Kages and nearly died, but so much destruction was caused by their mixed jutsu that he and his cohorts were able to escape in the chaos."

"We didn't get to see any of it because we were delayed again by Madara," Naruto growled. "This time he admitted to manipulating Sasuke in order to force a confrontation with Konoha. With me."

Sakura and Itachi looked to each other, a silent communion of complicated emotions passing between them. Things just kept going from bad to worse. "But what is his reason for doing that?" she wondered.

"To keep the feud between Uchiha and Senju alive, or perhaps to determine once and for all who is strongest," Itachi supplied.

"That makes no sense. It's crazy."

"Madara is crazy. And so is Sasuke for going along with him," Naruto said. Disillusionment was clear in his expression. That look had been mirrored in her own eyes, not too long ago. His faith in Sasuke, the belief that he was just a good person who was lost in his pain, was fading. There was too much evidence stacked against their former teammate. Naruto never gave up, but he was losing hope.

"It seems increasingly likely that this is all connected," Itachi said after a moment. "Is it merely coincidence that Pein attacked Konoha, creating chaos and confusion, just as Danzou was ready to make his move?"

"You think he's working with Madara for Konoha's fall?" Kakashi surmised.

Before Itachi could reply, Sai spoke up, "As militant and corrupt as he is, I think Danzou truly believes he has Konoha's best interests at heart."

"Madara could have promised to get him the Hokage's robes, and Danzou thinks he can solidify his position by 'saving' Konoha after its near-destruction," offered Yamato.

"But Madara is obviously using him. He's driving Sasuke to kill him for his role in what happened to the Uchiha clan," Sakura pointed out.

"With Danzou out of the way and Konoha in a state of disorder, it wouldn't be difficult for Madara to seize power for himself," Itachi theorized.

A dread silence fell as they pondered that possibility, inwardly struck by how simple it all seemed now that it had been said.

Kakashi sighed slowly. "You're very likely right."

"We can't let that happen!" Naruto exclaimed.

"We can't let any of it happen," Sakura added.

"Right," Kakashi said. "We can speculate all we want, but all that matters is securing Konoha, rescuing Tsunade, and eliminating Danzou. We'll head back in the morning. Sakura, the closest town has an inn?" She nodded. "We'll stay there tonight. We need supplies for the return trip anyway. You may as well come with us."

"Alright," she nodded. "We just need a few minutes."

Sakura and Itachi turned for the cabin while the other members of Team Kakashi clustered together rather conspicuously, obviously waiting until they were inside to start talking about them.

They gathered their belongings in wistful silence, aware that they would not be coming back again. Itachi put out the fire while Sakura loaded their foodstuffs into her pack, and when she finished she stopped and just looked around. The little cabin that had been like home these many months was now as dark and cold as the day they first arrived, when Itachi had collapsed on the floor and set off a chain of events that would have profound impact on them both. The unmade, rumpled bed was the only thing that still retained signs of their presence, for only a few hours ago they had been joined together in passion between the old, threadbare sheets.

She had known their time in this idyllic place was coming to an end, but now, just like that, it was abruptly over. Their peaceful snowglobe had been shattered, and all the problems in their real lives had come crashing down on them. Things wouldn't be the same from now on.

Itachi noticed her disquiet and went to her. She looked at him with a small, melancholy smile. "This is so sudden," she murmured.

"But necessary," he replied just as quietly.

She nodded and leaned into him, locking her arms around his waist. "I know, but I'm going to miss this place," she sighed.

Itachi didn't reply, but he too would miss what this place represented for him. In these simple surroundings, through the depth and stillness of winter, his slide into death had been halted. Fate reversed itself somehow and granted him rebirth; a chance to rediscover himself and reconcile that person with who he had been in the past; the first taste of peace and happiness he'd had in many years; the discovery of something wholly unexpected with the beautiful kunoichi in his arms.

Sakura rose up on tiptoe and softly kissed him. She cupped his face in her hands, and he felt the faint warm pulsing in her fingertips as she healed the impressive bruise she'd left on his chin. When she pulled back she smiled again, and brought a healing hand to her own bruise as they gathered their gear and left the tiny cabin for good.

#

Having traveled the route so many times she could run it blindfolded, Sakura led the rest to Moyama. If one foreigner caused whispers and furtive stares in the pastoral village, a group of six set the entire town abuzz, especially when four of them were armed and very obviously shinobi. Word of their arrival had already reached the inn by the time they got there.

"We'll need three double rooms," Kakashi announced at the front desk.

"It'll just be a moment," the old innkeeper said cheerfully. He bustled around the corner, highly excited about having customers who wanted more than a drink at the bar.

Sakura shot Kakashi a curious, slightly indignant look, but decided not to ask why hadn't let her choose a room for herself and Itachi. She didn't care if there were two single beds; she had no intention of sleeping alone.

The innkeeper returned with their keys, and they headed upstairs. Unsurprisingly, they were the only guests in the little two-story inn, and they had the entire floor to themselves. Sakura and Itachi's room was next to Kakashi and Yamato's, and Naruto and Sai were across the hall.

Inside their room, Sakura dropped her pack on one of the beds and turned to Itachi. "I'm going over to the clinic for a minute. Do you want to come?" She didn't really expect him to accept, but he surprised her.

"I suppose I should."

Perhaps he wanted to make up for his terrible attitude toward Junko and her nurses during his time as their unwilling patient. He would have died before Sakura ever found him if not for their help, and he knew it. She smiled knowingly and turned for the door. "Let's go, then."

They encountered Kakashi in the hallway. "Out for an evening stroll?" he asked affably.

"To the clinic," she informed. "The cabin belongs to the local doctor, and I have to return the key."

"Ah. Which way is the market?"

"South. There are some supplies in my pack as well."

"Alright. Everyone will meet up in two hours to solidify our plans."

"Got it."

Sakura and Itachi continued on their way out. It hadn't escaped her notice that he had become very reserved ever since her teammates showed up. She figured it would happen; he'd been the same way with her in the beginning. Even though he had relaxed his tight hold of the mask somewhat, Itachi just wasn't a sociable person, and certainly wasn't going to be as open with everyone else as he was with her. Not now, and possibly not ever.

When they entered the clinic, Junko was nearly as excited as the innkeeper had been. Sakura hadn't been by to chat with her in a couple weeks.

"Sakura!" she greeted warmly, coming out from behind the front desk to embrace the younger woman. "The whole town is talking about you. Are those other people with you from Konoha?"

Sakura nodded. "Those are my teammates. We're going to be leaving tomorrow."

The doctor's face fell slightly. "I'm sad to hear it, but I suppose you're ready to be getting home?"

"Yes. A lot has happened since I've been away."

"I imagine so." She regarded Itachi fully then, and her eyes went wide. "My gods! I wouldn't recognize you if not for that handsome face." She eyed him from head to toe, and seemed to barely withhold from spinning him around for a full look. "Sakura, you've truly worked a miracle," she beamed.

"Thank you for treating my wounds and providing for my care, Junko-san," Itachi said.

Junko smiled at him. "I'm glad to have done my part, keeping you going until Sakura found you."

"Thank you so much, Junko-san," Sakura said. "I don't know how I would have done this without your help."

Junko hugged her again. "It was wonderful to have met you, Sakura." When they parted, Sakura handed over the key to the cabin. "Make sure to give Lady Tsunade my regards, now."

Sakura carefully held her smile, though her pleasant mood evaporated. "I will."

The wistful feeling crept up on her again as they left. She had become fond of the old healer and their little talks over tea when she came for supplies. There was a sense of finality about everything now that the key to the cabin was no longer in her possession. At the same time, part of her was screaming to get back to Konoha and fight for her shishou and her home.

Her conflicting thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and fell into step beside them. An elderly woman sweeping her porch nearby was startled by the strange occurrence and darted inside her house.

"Yo." In his arms were two large sacks of supplies. "Sakura, I'd like to speak with you."

He didn't need to specify that it was a private conversation. Sakura looked to Itachi. "I won't be long," she assured, and gave him the room key. He took it wordlessly and continued toward the inn, while she and Kakashi found a bench nearby and sat down.

Setting the bags on the ground, he leaned back in a stretch. "So…when did things change between you two?" he asked casually.

She didn't intend to deny it, but she was curious, "What makes you think something's changed?"

He tapped his nose. "I can smell him on you. And vice versa."

That was…weird. But she already knew his sense of smell was as keen as any Inuzuka. "Well, obviously. We've been cooped up together in that tiny cabin for months."

He gave her a pointed look. "Not that kind of smell."

Sakura stared at him blankly a moment, then her eyes widened as it sunk in. She hid her face in her hands, mortified. "Oh gods," she murmured through her fingers. Kakashi merely chuckled, making her want to clout him. At least he wasn't angry, but then, Kakashi always understood. "We've been getting closer for a while," she admitted, sitting back. "But these past couple weeks, since I returned from Konoha the last time…."

"Ah," he said perceptively. "Well, I can tell you're a little worried about it, but don't be. Things happen. You've done nothing wrong. Itachi is technically still a wanted criminal, but to those of us who know the truth, he's a true shinobi of Konoha. Hopefully soon, his status will reflect that. I'm not surprised you came to care for each other." The crinkling around his eyes was all that revealed his smile.

Sakura smiled back, but she was troubled. "It's more than what other people think. I don't really care about that. It's just…I don't know how this will play out. I may be setting myself up for heartbreak. Even if he's pardoned, he may not want to stay in Konoha."

"Hm. Maybe you've given him a reason to?"

"Maybe. But he has a lot of demons to sort out, and Konoha is where most of them originated. I wouldn't try to hold him if he's unhappy."

Kakashi nodded understandingly. "Well…you'll deal with that if it comes. Never underestimate the power of a second chance."

"Right," she said quietly, feeling a little better. After a moment she cast a long, skeptical look at her team leader. "Kaka-sensei…if you already knew about us then why the double room?"

He shrugged. "Why do you think?"

She thought about it a moment. "To keep Naruto quiet," she concluded. "Well, he's going to figure it out eventually, and anyway, we're not going to hide it."

"I think he already knows, and the fact that he hasn't completely freaked out proves he does understand the complexity of the situation. But you do understand why he has a problem?"

"Of course," she said, her voice softening a little. "Itachi was a personal source of fear for him for many years. He's taking it better than I thought he would." She sighed quietly. "I'll keep it out of his face for now." She didn't think that would be a problem anyway; Itachi wasn't one for public displays of affection.

They sat together in silence for a minute, watching the simple daily life of the village. Sakura looked at him and smiled to herself. Kakashi always knew when she was troubled, and always managed to make her feel better without any overt motivational speeches.

"This place is kind of nice," he mused, slouching further into the bench. "Quiet…peaceful…I think I could like living here."

She looked at him sidelong. "There's only one copy of Icha Icha in the whole town."

"…Then again, I could never live in a place with such an appalling lack of culture."

Sakura laughed, shaking her head. They remained there another minute, and then they grabbed the supply bags—he made sure to fob one off on her—and started back toward the inn.


Itachi returned to the inn alone and made his way upstairs, silently passing the open doors of the two other rooms before stopping at his own. A moment after he stuck the key in the lock, a terse voice addressed him from behind.

"Where's Sakura?"

Unsurprised, he turned to find Naruto leaning against the doorframe of his room, arms crossed. He'd been expecting the jinchuuriki to confront him the moment he was alone. How ironic that it was once again in the narrow hallway of an inn. "With Kakashi," he answered mildly. He turned the lock and started to open the door.

"She's in love with your brother, you know."

His tone was cold, almost mocking. Itachi gave no outward reaction other than to turn and regard the antagonistic shinobi with a cool, level stare.

Naruto glared back with equal intensity. "She always has been. When he left she begged me to bring him home, and I've been trying to keep that promise to her ever since," he continued matter-of-factly. He paused a moment, and shrugged. "When he comes back…who knows what'll happen?"

If he expected to provoke him into some petty argument, he was sorely mistaken. Itachi merely held the challenging gaze another moment, and then opened the door and entered his room.

Staring incredulously at the closed door, Naruto scoffed. He felt Yamato and Sai come up behind him in the doorway, obviously overhearing the brief exchange from inside the room. "How can she like that guy?" he wondered disdainfully. "He's even harder to talk to than Sasuke. He didn't even react—he really must not care."

"I think you're wrong on all counts, Naruto," Yamato said reprovingly, having just heard the full story minutes ago from his teammates. "He's just not going to rise to your baiting. And do you really think Sakura still has those feelings? That's not giving her very much credit."

He turned to face his teammates. "What?"

"If she did still love Sasuke after all he's done to hurt the two of you, after all the harm he's caused, that would make her both blind, and stupid," Sai said bluntly, ignoring Naruto's glare, as usual. "Even you don't feel the same about him as you used to. Right?"

"I guess…" he muttered reluctantly.

"Then stop trying to cause problems," Yamato warned.

"I'm not!" he protested indignantly.

"You may not realize it, but you are. Sakura's choices are her own, and we need all the allies we can get right now. Especially Uchiha Itachi. Everything else can be dealt with later."

Naruto stared at his teammates, surprised and annoyed that they weren't taking his side. He knew—in theory—that Itachi was not the monster everyone thought, but that didn't mean he had to like the idea of him cozying up to his best friend. And now he couldn't even express his reservations because they needed Itachi to fight with them. Even more rankling was the fact that Itachi, not himself, might be the only one who could get through to Sasuke. "Damn Uchiha's," he grumbled, "always at the center of things." With a heavy sigh, he followed his teammates back into the room and closed the door.

The walls were thin, and with his honed senses Itachi clearly heard what was said after he'd gone. He listened until they returned to their rooms, and then went to shower.

As much as it irritated him, he couldn't help but dwell on Naruto's insinuations; that Sakura was using him as a replacement for his brother, that when Sasuke returned she would want nothing more to do with him. He was lying, of course, because anyone who knew Sakura would know she was incapable of such fickle heartlessness. Her other teammates' reaction confirmed it.

But the possibility that she had once loved—and might still love—his brother…that he couldn't dismiss so easily.

Sakura had only discovered him in that clinic because he fit Sasuke's description. She had only made a deal with him because he promised to help her save Sasuke. Itachi owed his life to her feelings for his brother. Those were facts.

Itachi had never experienced jealousy before, but he knew the deep, twisting feeling inside of him was exactly that. It was as irrational as he'd always believed it to be, because he knew from her own words that while Sakura cared about Sasuke and wanted to save him, she was also angry and resentful, and felt personally betrayed by his choices. She was hardly seeking to run straight into his arms. Yet the feelings of envy and possessiveness arose despite logic. He had gained something wonderful and now it was being threatened, no matter how speculatively.

The door of the main room clicked faintly, and he felt Sakura's presence. His thoughts were ridiculous, he concluded. He would speak to her, and that would settle it. He finished his shower and dressed, and when he emerged he found Sakura lying on one of the beds, watching him. She gave him a sweet but troubled smile as he went to sit beside her. She scooted until her head was in his lap, and then sighed.

Whatever she and Kakashi had talked about had lightened her mood somewhat, but she was clearly still distraught over the situation in Konoha and the danger to her mentor. Suddenly the thought of discussing her feelings for Sasuke seemed trivial.

"I'm so worried about what's happening," she said. "I wish we could just teleport back to Konoha and deal with this right now."

Once again, he didn't offer her false assurances, simply combed his fingers through her soft hair and offered silent support. He was never good with these things, but she seemed to take comfort in what he could give. After several quiet minutes she got up, kissed him briefly, and went to shower.

Itachi busied himself with checking the spare brace of kunai he found on the opposite bed, which he assumed was meant for him. It had been many months since he'd worn weapons, having been stripped of his when Madara took him and left him for dead in that compound, but tying the leg wrappings and strapping them on was fast and effortless after so many years. The extra weight at his thigh felt welcome and natural. He was deftly spinning one around his fingers when Sakura came out of the bathroom.

"Those are Kakashi's," she said, rubbing a towel through her hair. "They left in a hurry so there aren't many extra weapons to go around, but it's better than nothing." Tossing the towel aside, she picked up her own kunai holster, set one high-booted foot on the mattress, and began strapping it on. "Besides, once the fighting starts we can just take the weapons of our enemies."

Itachi smirked approvingly. Over the past months she had been a gentle, compassionate healer, albeit with a no-nonsense edge. He'd only had glimpses of her fiery side, and despite what he knew from her reputation, he had never seen the warrior. It was emerging now, as she mentally and physically prepared for a battle that was very personal to her. Haruno Sakura was a shinobi first, a medic second. Itachi found this complete picture of his lover more impressive and enticing than ever.

When finished, she came back and sat on the bed with him again. "What's wrong?" she asked him. Taken aback, he shook his head faintly. Sakura didn't buy it. "I can tell something is bothering you. What is it?"

She had learned to read him far too well. He hadn't even been thinking about it, and certainly hadn't given any noticeable sign. "It's not important."

"If it upsets you, it is," she insisted. "Itachi…tell me. Please."

Those piercing jade eyes were filled with concern, and he knew she wasn't going to let it drop. Still, it was a long moment before he decided to reply, unsure of how to even conduct this kind of conversation.

"Is it true…" he began slowly, "that you loved Sasuke?"

Sakura's eyes slowly widened. Automatically she thought to reply 'I love all my teammates, and once upon a time that included…' but by his measured tone, she knew exactly what context he meant, and her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She had hoped—perhaps foolishly—that this would never come up. "Who told you that?" she demanded mutedly.

"Naruto."

Outrage flooded through her. Just when she thought he was being remarkably mature. "I don't know what he's trying to pull, but he has no right!"

Her tirade died shortly, anger receding to the background as she gazed at Itachi. His tight, distant expression said he believed it to be true. And her defensive outburst was what decided him. She sighed slowly and reached for his hand, but he wouldn't look at her.

"It took a long time to figure this out for myself, but this is the truth," she began quietly. "Sasuke was my first crush. An obsessive, superficial crush. I'm not proud of some of the things I did to impress him, and I'm not sure what started it; maybe my rivalry with Ino, maybe my need to be appreciated by someone I thought was superior to me. I wasn't very confident as a girl," she added sheepishly. "Once we became teammates it didn't take long to realize I didn't understand him at all. When I got to know him a little and saw how painful and lonely his life was, I started to truly care about him. I tried to help him in any way I could, but he still treated me like I wasn't there half the time, and like a huge burden the rest." She huffed wryly. "Despite him being the biggest jerk I knew, I still tried to win him over for reasons I can't explain even now. But time and perspective have made it clear—it wasn't love. That's the name children give it because they don't know any better." But that's changed, she thought to herself. I know better now.

A long silence passed as Itachi carefully absorbed her words. Finally, he wanted to know, "Why does Naruto still believe it to be true?"

Again she sighed, trying not to be angry with her best friend. "I'm not sure he does, anymore," she said. "He doesn't know what to make of you not being an enemy, and he probably can't wrap his head around us being together. This is his nosy, idiotic way of protecting me."

Sakura looked into his eyes and smiled, but her searching gaze held a hint of uncertainty; a silent hope that he accepted her words. Itachi realized his worry really had been irrational. "I didn't truly believe it," he said quietly. "It was just…startling."

"That's understandable. It startled me, too," she laughed faintly, but then sobered. "Naruto…I should clobber him…but I just can't this time. It's complicated for all of us."

She crawled forward and climbed into his lap. "Were you jealous?" she asked cheekily. The flat look he gave her was answer enough. She brushed a stray hair from his brow with soft fingertips and grinned. "Don't be," she whispered. "I'm all yours."

His hands smoothed over the slender curves of her waist, drawing her closer. "Is that so?"

"Mhm," she murmured onto his lips, and then proved it by kissing him with all she had.

No sooner had their kiss deepened to something more passionate when there was a knock at the door. "Sakura…" said Sai's muffled voice. "We're meeting in Kakashi's room to go over the plan."

With a soft groan, Sakura sat back and called over her shoulder, "We'll be right there."

She climbed off him and they went to leave, but just before they reached the door Sakura turned and pulled him into another intense, dizzying kiss for good measure. After a long moment she broke away with a breathless smirk and headed out the door, and Itachi followed after with a tiny, satisfied smile.


Next Chapter: The Reunion