I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Sakura left the hospital after a particularly grueling double shift, and all she wanted to do was go home and fall into bed. She shuffled along, her chakra levels to the point where honestly, she should have stayed in one of the empty beds at the hospital, but she hated trying to sleep there. She would wake up every hour or so convinced that she had to jump up and get back to work, so it was hard to get any true rest there. She stopped outside her apartment door and fumbled for her keys, failing to notice the dark shape hovering just outside the circle of the porch light.

"Good evening, Sakura." A husky voice said.

The pinkette let out a squeak of surprise, dropping her keys as she raised her hand over her racing heart. Her fear instantly turned to anger as she saw who the intruder was.

"I LOOK AND FEEL LIKE CRAP, AND NOW HE WANTS TO SHOW UP AND BE ALL ROMANTIC! REALLY!" Sakura felt like crying, which only made her madder. Why couldn't he show up when she was looking pretty, and had plenty of energy to fend him off? It was totally unfair!

"I don't have the time or energy to make small talk right now, Uchiha-san. Please excuse me, I just finished a double shift at the hospital." She said, the irritation in her voice not concealed by her polite words. He raised one eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth twitched up.

"I know." He told her calmly. Sakura's jaw opened, and she starred at him in shock for a few seconds. Her shock gave way to more anger, and she glowered up at him.

"Then why are you here?" She asked bluntly.

"I wish to take care of you, since you took such excellent care of me in the hospital." Itachi informed her with an amused twinkle in his eye. He restrained himself from laughing at her outright when her mouth flapped like a fish at his words. After a full minute passed, Sakura managed to pull herself together enough to respond.

"That is hardly necessary, Uchiha-san." She told him frigidly. Itachi walked towards her slowly, bent over to retrieve her keys, and moved past her to unlock the door as if he had a perfect right to do so.

"Now look here, Uchiha-san! What the hell gives you the right to just-" He cut her off with a finger over her lips, as he had moved from the doorway with his trademark speed. Sakura's eyes widened with incredulity, and then narrowed briefly. That was Itachi's only warning before a chakra enhanced fist came straight at his face.

"You arrogant bastard!" She screamed as she attempted to land a hit on him. Luckily for Itachi, and unfortunately for Sakura, he was way too fast for her in her weakened state. He parried effortlessly, and then caught her right before she passed out from chakra exhaustion. Chuckling to himself, he lifted her more securely into his arms before carrying her into her apartment.

Itachi kicked the door shut with his heel, and walked back towards her bedroom. He had plenty of time to scope out her apartment while she was at work. He knew that his behavior had crossed over the line when he found himself caressing a lace thong in her underwear drawer. Deciding that in the end, it didn't matter because she was already his, she just had yet to be informed of it. He felt completely justified, and deliberately steered clear from any deep thought as to the hidden urges behind his behavior. He desired her and he would take her, it was as simple as that.

Of course, it didn't explain the strange surge of tenderness that overtook him as he looked down into her exhausted face, or his sudden urge to spend the night cuddling her. It didn't explain his anger at the Hokage for allowing Sakura to reach this stage of chakra depletion. His little theory also didn't cover why he suddenly decided to put off his seduction plan and take care of her as if she was a child either.

Regardless of her vulnerability, when he undressed her to put her in a cherry scented bubble bath, his body reacted to the sight. He discovered that she was indeed a natural pinkette, and that she had the most suckable red nipples he had ever seen. It took ever ounce of willpower he possessed to remind himself that taking a woman while she was unconscious was one line he wasn't willing to cross. Sweating and cursing, he forced himself to wash and rinse her quickly, and then he wrapped her in a towel, placing her under the covers.

As Itachi starred down at the defenseless young woman, he knew that something had changed for him. This attraction, or whatever it was, was not following any previous patterns he held for dealing with women. She was no ordinary woman, and he could no longer pretend that he just wanted sex from her. She was wrapped around every thought in his head, every fiber of his body responded to her, and he wanted to kill every man that so much as looked at her. He reached out and stroked the side of her face gently, before turning to leave the room.

Itachi went into the kitchen and returned the takeout he had bought into the original cartons, placing them into the refrigerator for Sakura to find when she woke up. He blew out the candle he had placed on the table to set the mood, and dumped the wine down the sink, before washing the glasses out. He then wrote her a note, taped it to her alarm clock, and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before exiting the apartment.