…

…

She waited until the other police officer, apparently named Shisui, finished talking to Itachi and went to take care of the bandits, and then she told the Uchiha, "Thank you for saving me from the bandit with a knife, Mr Uchiha. I'm sorry for having been in the middle of your police operation, but you know it wasn't voluntarily."

Itachi observed her intently and smiled again, taking her breath away. "No, miss Haruno, it is me who has to thank you. First for treating me earlier when I got hurt, and now for blocking the bandit with a gun."

Sakura waved it off, blushing a bit. "I didn't do anything special, Mr Uchiha," she muttered.

She then smiled again. If this was Itachi Uchiha, he didn't seem arrogant. Sasuke would never have admitted it if he had received help from someone else, especially a female.

Itachi then, to her great surprise, added, "My name is Itachi, miss Haruno, so please drop the 'Mr Uchiha'."

She blinked, and then said, "Only if you call me Sakura… Itachi."

The man smiled more brightly, stealing her breath once again. "Of course… Sakura."

Sakura blushed a little bit, smiled, and looked around her. The police officers were taking the bandits away, and one of them was still in his dream world. The real Granny instead was awake and without blindfold. She looked grumpy and angry, and the police officers were about to take her away. Suddenly Sakura remembered her duty.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, and the police officers turned towards her with questioning glances. "I still have to visit the Granny. That's why I came here, and I better do it now, before she is brought to jail."

The police officers were uncertain of what to do. They looked between the officer named Shisui and Itachi; the first glanced at the second, who nodded. The police officers cuffed the Granny's hands and then gave her to the conscientious medic. She made the old woman sit on her bed and began her examination, asking the men – since there were only male police officers – to keep their eyes respectfully away.

As she expected, the Granny was well, but not in the extraordinary way that seemed before. And Sakura blushed a bit, thinking that she had examined Itachi Uchiha disguised as an old woman and she had complimented him on his perfect health. She felt the eyes of that same man following her movements and she couldn't help blushing a bit more. Get a grip, she told herself firmly. You are a medic and you have a job to do.

After finishing her examination, Sakura wrote everything down in her file and told the officers they could take the Granny now. The pink-haired medic packed her belongings and looked at the time. She sighed. It was already late afternoon, she had spent a lot of time there and she would need a long time to walk back home. She probably wouldn't have time to work on her poisons.

Sakura felt tired. She had done her job as a medic and was happy about that, but all her precious time had gone down the drain because of it. She had also wanted to go shopping for food because there wasn't much left at home, only barely enough for her breakfast the next day. But she wouldn't be able to do it. By the time she would reach Konoha, it would already be dark and the shops would be closed. She sighed again.

Unbeknownst to her, Itachi had been watching her while all those thoughts were reflected on her face. He went near her and asked, making her jump, "Sakura, would you like to come to dine with my family? And don't worry about going back to Konoha. The police helicopters have arrived, we will gladly bring you home."

Sakura was so surprised that she couldn't answer immediately. Then she said, "I… well, I thank you very much for this offer, Itachi, but I can't impose so much on you…"

Itachi interrupted her, gently but firmly. "You wouldn't be imposing at all. It's the least I can do for all you have done for me. Besides, tonight my mother invited me to a family dinner, she's cooking and she usually cooks enough for an army. I'd be… pleased if you would come."

Sakura didn't know what to say. She didn't want to intrude on the Uchiha family. She knew that Sasuke's brother lived alone in a house of his own. "Itachi, you're very kind but I can't…"

"Yes you can. Please, Sakura. It would be a favour you're doing for me, and not the other way round."

Sakura was still hesitating. Sure, he was kind and the offer was tempting, but…

Shisui came back into the Granny's house. "Are you ready to go, Itachi, miss?"

Itachi nodded and gently took Sakura's hand. She had no choice but follow him. Besides, it was a nice sensation, feeling his warm hand around her smaller one.

They went out the house and took the path that went up the mountain. It was getting dark outside, and Sakura had to admit that she was glad that she didn't have to walk home by herself through the forest.

They headed towards a little clearing on top of the mountain, where they could see two helicopters waiting. While they were slowly walking towards there, Sakura realized that Itachi had yet to let go of her hand. She was afraid of trying to free her hand: what if he took it badly? So she decided to let their hands intertwined; besides, it felt nice. Very nice.

They walked in silence for a while. Then Itachi let Shisui go forward and stayed a bit behind with Sakura. When they were out of earshot, he whispered, "I am really impressed by you, Sakura. Even if she was arrested and about to be brought to jail, you still insisted on doing your job and visiting the Granny. That was really… unexpected."

The open admiration in his eyes, as well as the warmth in them, made the pretty medic blush profusely. "I was only doing my job, Itachi. Every medic would have done the same…"

Itachi shook his head. "No, Sakura, not every medic would have done the same. And speaking of medical examinations, I was wondering…" he smirked, and his eyes danced with mischief, capturing Sakura's gaze, "…are you still willing to thoroughly complete the visit on me?"

Sakura blushed like mad. Oh God, the implications of that sentence when used in a different context! However, turning back into a gentleman, Itachi didn't press the matter further and began walking again towards the helicopters.

The police had come with three helicopters. A big one with the two bandits had left while Sakura and Itachi were still in the house; another, which was still big, was starting at that moment, and there were the Granny and the other officers on it. Only a little one remained, and Sakura knew that she was going to be alone with Itachi on it, since everyone else had already climbed in the bigger one.

Itachi didn't let go of her hand until they were seated inside. He started the engine and prepared to fly. He noticed that Sakura was eyeing the fuel indicator. "Don't worry, we have enough to return to Konoha," he reassured her.

Then he noticed the way she expertly manoeuvred herself in the tiny cockpit. "You know about helicopters?"

She nodded. "When Tsunade-Shishou gave me a month free, I learned how to fly a helicopter in an acceptable way. It's really cool."

Itachi smiled at her. "Would you like to take over the controls?"

She shook her head. "Thank you, but it's best if you take them. I haven't flown for a few years and I really don't want to crash with your police helicopter."

Itachi smirked and then they took off to Konoha. The fly was quick and quiet and they landed on the roof of the Police Headquarters. As they climbed out Itachi grabbed Sakura's hand again, as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn't disappear. So she followed him through the headquarters, which were almost empty, since it was getting late. The headquarters were never completely empty, because someone was always at work there and they had to be ready at any time; but right now they weren't as busy as they were during the day. The medic was getting curious glances by the few other police officers who saw her together with the famous Uchiha prodigy. However, she didn't think much about it. Itachi had to sign a few documents and then he left a few other officers in charge of the interrogations, which started immediately. Sakura wondered why he didn't question the bandits himself; but then she overheard other agents speaking about how hard Uchiha Itachi had worked those last few weeks in order to successfully complete the 'bandits-capture-operation'. So it was only fair that, since he had done the most stressing part of the job, he would hand over the rest to his subordinates.

Sakura felt guilty. He was probably very tired and looking forward to a meal and some sleep, but she was still hanging around and probably annoying him as well. She tried to go home, but then she noticed that he still hadn't let go of her hand. It should have been unsettling for her, instead she felt… good. Safe. And if he was the one that wouldn't let her go… then she couldn't be such a burden to him, right?

Eventually, Itachi fulfilled his duties at the Police Headquarters and headed towards the exit. And Sakura followed. Not that she had much of a choice, anyway.

Outside, the air was getting a little chilly. The green-eyed medic trembled slightly since she didn't have a jacket. But she was surprised when a warm and large scarf was put around her shoulders by tender hands. She turned around to see Itachi, with an unreadable expression on his face. He himself was wearing a dark jacket over his clothes.

"Thanks," she muttered, embarrassed, and she fidgeted with her medical bag.

"My pleasure," he replied. "My mother forgot this scarf here the last time she came to the headquarters. She will be glad that we're bringing it back to her."

Sakura was a bit agitated. "But if it's your mother's, I shouldn't…"

Itachi silenced her by putting a finger on her mouth. "Don't worry, Sakura. My mother will be happy that it has been useful. And don't concern yourself about dinner tonight, Sakura. It's just my father, my mother and my brother, with whom I believe you're acquainted."

"But Itachi, that's the problem: it's a family dinner! I do not wish to intrude. And I know you must be tired, and having me around surely isn't your idea of a peaceful evening."

Itachi put a finger under her chin and gently forced her to look him straight in the eye. "Sakura, I wouldn't have invited you if I thought you were intruding. I would love to have you over to dinner. And my mother is always happy to have guests when she's cooking."

And Sakura couldn't answer back, not when he was looking at her like that. He took her hand again – she was beginning to get used to it – and started walking towards his family's house, which wasn't particularly far.

When they arrived, he didn't knock on the main door, but instead went around the house to the kitchen door. He knocked lightly and then went in, taking Sakura with him.

Inside the kitchen there was a black-haired woman who was cutting vegetables. She turned around when she heard the door opening and smiled.

"Welcome home, Itachi," she said warmly, and then looked at Sakura with kind eyes.

"Good evening, Mother. I have invited Sakura to dinner, if you don't mind," Itachi said, allowing his mother to kiss him on the cheek.

The woman smiled again. "But of course, I'm happy to have you here with us. I'm Uchiha Mikoto, pleased to meet you. Please call me Mikoto."

Sakura smiled at the kind Uchiha woman. "I'm happy to meet you, Mikoto. I'm Haruno Sakura, and I thank you so much for letting me stay to dinner. And for you scarf, too," she said, almost apologetically, reaching to take the scarf from her shoulders but finding that Itachi had been quicker and was helping her with it.

Mikoto didn't miss this. Her smile got bigger. "Oh, you don't need to thank me, Sakura, I sometimes forget my clothes at the Police Headquarters. Thank you for returning it to me. And, pardon me if I ask, but… Are you Doctor Haruno the vice-head medic of Konoha?"

Sakura blushed a little. "Yes, I am," she admitted.

Mikoto seemed to begin radiating happiness. "But that's wonderful! You are so skilled and talented, and we all greatly admire you! Sasuke has told us so much about you…"

Sakura was now blushing madly. She didn't dare meet Itachi's gaze. So she tried to change the subject. "Mikoto, may I help with the cooking? Since I'm intruding on a family dinner, at least let me help you with it."

Mikoto shook her head. "I've already done everything, thank you. And you're not intruding at all. If you insist, however, you could help me set the table. Usually it's Itachi who helps me do that, but you can do it together this time, right?"

"Of course," Sakura said, relieved, missing the little hint Mikoto was giving them.

Itachi quietly showed her where the dishes were, and they began to set the table for five people. When they were done, Mikoto called for Sasuke and Fugaku, her husband. Sasuke came down the stairs a bit grumpily, and almost tripped on the last step when he saw the pink-haired woman sitting at the dinner table with his mother and brother. He then recomposed himself, greeted Sakura quickly and took his seat.

From another room near the kitchen came a dark-haired man, the current Police Chief, Uchiha Fugaku. He was a bit surprised to see an unknown young woman sitting at his dinner table between his wife and eldest son, but a quick glance at both of them told him they were happy about her presence, so he didn't feel like arguing with them.

He sat down quietly and observed the woman across the table. She had pink hair and large, emerald-green eyes. She was very pretty. He cleared his throat and asked, "So, would you please introduce me to our guest, Itachi?"

Itachi calmly explained, "This is Haruno Sakura, Father. I invited her to dinner because she saved my life today, and because her company is… pleasant."

Mikoto stilled her movements. Itachi had risked his life and Sakura had saved him? Even Sasuke seemed interested. Fugaku narrowed his eyes. He was surprised. "The vice-head medic of Konoha? And she saved your life, you say?"

"Yes," Itachi calmly continued. "I was about to get shot but she stopped the bandit with a swift kick and a light poison she had created herself."

Sakura blinked. How did Itachi know she had created the poison herself? She was so perplexed that she didn't notice the impressed look Fugaku was giving her, nor the adoring one she got from Mikoto, nor the smirk from Sasuke.

Itachi explained what had happened that day while Mikoto served dinner. After he finished his story, Mikoto gave Sakura a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Sakura, for saving my son's life."

Sakura's cheeks got a little red. "He saved mine, and besides, it was nothing…"

"Yes, thank you, Sakura," Fugaku approved. "It was a very noble gesture from you. And you are Doctor Tsunade's apprentice, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Tsunade-Shishou is my mentor."

"And you work at the hospital?" Fugaku asked.

"Yes, I'm usually quite busy there."

"Since you created that poison, does it mean you specialize in that field?" Mikoto asked.

"Well," Sakura answered, a bit nervous, "I always found poisons and antidotes very interesting. All the ones Shishou gave me were fascinating, and I studied them carefully. Beside the fact that creating antidotes saves lives, creating a specific kind of poison with particular aims in mind is just as satisfying. And I don't specialize in a specific medic field, I like to keep learning in all of them."

The look Itachi gave her was full of meaning. Mikoto, Fugaku and even Sasuke could see that Itachi was growing extremely fond of the pink-haired medic.

They continued dinner speaking about light matters until the topic of the conversation landed on Itachi's promotion.

Fugaku said, "Today's operation was successful and very useful, Itachi. Capturing the bandits' chief and two of her closest operatives is an important step. The remaining bandits will either leave or take some time to reorganize. Purifying the forests of them should be easy enough now. And perhaps it is time for me to step aside and let you take my place."

Itachi stayed calm. "I want you to be very sure of your decision, Father. Furthermore, if I have to take your place, I have some conditions about the little free time I will be allowed to have." And his eyes darted so quickly towards Sakura that only Mikoto noticed.

"Nonsense. I am sure of my decision, Itachi, and I know that there is no one who deserves to be Police Chief more than you. Free time can be discussed later. The most important matters are already settled. The things you have done, the people you have saved and the crimes you solved are incredible. I will be proud to leave my seat to a worthy man like you."

Sakura was full of admiration and, strangely, pride. She was proud of Itachi. And it reflected in her eyes and in the way she looked at him. Mikoto, Fugaku and even Sasuke, like earlier, could see that Sakura, too, was growing extremely fond of Itachi.

After changing the subject yet again and getting once dangerously close to Sasuke's future life, they began to speak about more light-hearted things. The whole Uchiha family was smitten with the intelligent medic and her personality. Even reserved Fugaku had to admit to himself that Itachi had valid reasons to like that young woman. Mikoto absolutely loved her. If she had caught Itachi's attention, she had to be special. She was sure of it, because she had never seen her son interested in a woman, any woman, before. Sasuke had noticed how well his brother and the petite medic were getting along, but he decided it didn't concern him. As long as they didn't end up kissing in front of him, he was fine with it.

When dinner was almost to end, when they had already eaten the cake, Sakura had helped clean the table and Mikoto had served coffee – which only she and Fugaku took –, Mikoto decided to make things progress further. But she made a mistake. Her intentions were kind, but she didn't know about Sakura's past. So, sipping her coffee, she asked, "We would like to have you here to dinner with us more often, Sakura. Bring your parents next time, I'm looking forward to meet them."

Sakura went rigid, and Itachi eyed her with concern. He suspected that there was something regarding her parents that she didn't like to speak about, because she had never mentioned having to tell someone she was going to be late or anything. But he didn't know the truth.

Sakura tried to answer with a normal voice, but it came out a bit raspy anyway. "I– I would love to, Mikoto, but… I can't. My parents passed away in the fire of Konoha eight years ago."

She lowered her head and tried to control the tears. Come on, Sakura, it happened a long time ago, you can't cry now, she tried to reason with herself. Furthermore, she knew Mikoto's question was kindly meant, and she didn't want to make her feel guilty by showing how affected she was by it. She forced herself to get a grip on her feelings and tried to smile, failing miserably. The death of her parents was still a very sore subject for her.

She could see that Mikoto looked crestfallen.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry… Please forgive me, I didn't mean to…"

Sakura tried to smile again, managing to do it this time, albeit only a little. "Don't worry, I know your words were kindly meant. And I only have to blame myself for my reaction, because it happened a long time ago."

Mikoto still looked devastated, and the air was now filled with tension. Sasuke wanted to help his friend, but he didn't know what to say. Finally Sakura couldn't stand it anymore: she knew she would start to cry if she stayed any longer.

So she abruptly got up, thanked everyone for dinner and their company and said she was going home. Itachi said he was going home as well; he offered to walk her home first, and wouldn't take no as an answer. So she accepted.

Before they could go, however, Mikoto managed to speak briefly to her, alone.

"Sakura, I'm really sorry for my thoughtlessness," she said to the young medic. "However, I mean what I said. We would love to have you with us more often. Please remember that you are always welcome here."

"Thank you," Sakura said honestly, "I'm… touched." And she was. She knew it wasn't Mikoto's fault if she had become sad thinking about her parents.

Before they left, Mikoto insisted that Sakura took her scarf again. She silenced her protests saying that she had no immediate use for it and since it was chilly, Sakura as a medic should know better than anyone the dangers of getting outside without something warm. The young woman couldn't reply to that and, knowing that Mikoto was still trying to apologize and seeing the honest concern in her eyes, she accepted. However, she didn't suspect that Mikoto had meant the gesture kindly, but also as an excuse to make her come back again to the Uchiha household.

Walking home, Itachi didn't reach for her hand, and she felt empty without it, especially now that she was feeling down. Acting on impulse, she grabbed his hand almost shyly, and was relieved when, after the initial surprise, he intertwined their fingers. She felt a lot better.

Since he didn't know where she lived, she was taking the lead. She knew she had to keep her thoughts away from her parents or she would burst into tears right in front of Itachi. But she couldn't help herself. She thought about the night when her parents had been reported dead by the police officers, and her deep sorrow, always pushed back and locked away, resurfaced again.

Sakura hadn't even realized she was crying when Itachi abruptly stopped and touched her face with his hand, the one who wasn't intertwined with hers.

"You're crying," he stated simply, while his hand delicately caressed her wet cheek.

It was like a dam collapsed inside Sakura. The tears flew out, unrestrained and unstoppable. She let all her love for her parents flow together with her tears, and her loss felt more terrible than anything else. She felt two strong arms encircle her body and lean her against a muscular chest, where she continued crying.

Sakura cried for a long time. She didn't know how long. But at some point she realized she was soiling Itachi's sweater and she abruptly tried to pull away. However, the strong arms that were around her wouldn't let her go far. She was still leaning against him, and he was softly caressing her body. Sakura tried to recollect herself.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to lose control like this…" she apologized, without daring look up at him. At least she wasn't wearing any make-up, or she would have stained his clothes.

Itachi embraced her more tightly. "It's okay, Sakura," he murmured soothingly, and began caressing her face. He then gave her a tissue, and she thanked him while drying her face. She then looked at his sweater guiltily.

"I'm sorry about your sweater…"

Itachi shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Now, let's take you home."

She began walking again, towards her apartment, and in a few minutes she had recovered. She managed to almost smile when they saw a little kid chasing his older sister in a garden along the main street.

By the time they reached her apartment, she was smiling again and leaning against Itachi's shoulder.

Sakura turned around to take her leave from Itachi and thank him. But the words died in her throat as she saw the serious expression in his eyes.

Itachi stroked her cheek tenderly, and locked his gaze with hers. "Sakura," ha said quietly, "feelings are what makes us human, so don't feel ashamed of them. Ever."

He leaned forward. Sakura widened her eyes as his lips touched hers. He touched her lips once, twice, and then stayed there. His tongue started to gently lick her own lips, and she gasped slightly in surprise. This gave him access, which he gladly accepted. His tongue slipped inside her mouth and he kissed her tenderly. Sakura encircled him with her arms and pulled him closer. The kiss deepened, and Itachi began to show her how much passion he had for her by making the kiss bolder. Sakura began to moan against him.

After a long while, they broke apart for air. But a second later they were kissing again, this time more heatedly and more comfortable in each others arms. They were lost in their world and remained there until they needed air again.

This time, when they broke apart, their brows were still touching and they were still in each others arms.

Sakura murmured, "Let's stop," and Itachi quietly nodded, giving her a short, chaste kiss on the lips. They began to disentangle from their embrace, and soon were standing one in front of the other, observing each other.

Itachi's hand caressed her cheek briefly. "I just found you, Sakura… and I do not wish to lose you. I would like to spend more time with you, and get to know you better."

Sakura nodded. "Me too," and she smiled, really smiled at him, and he was tempted to kiss her again, and maybe not stop this time.

Instead he returned her smile and turned around to go. She hesitated a second, and then reached for him, stopped him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Itachi," she murmured shyly.

Itachi touched his cheek, almost entranced by the feeling of her mouth there. He gave her a full smile, showing his dimples that no one had seen in years. "Sleep well, dearest Sakura," he whispered.

Then he turned around and walked home. Sakura watched him go until he disappeared, and then entered her house.

She went to sleep with a soft smile on her lips.

…

THE END

…

…

…

A/N:

I know there are things I didn't explain, like Itachi's red eyes, and various other things.

Some details I have to explain:

I know that usually in English we say the surname first and then the last name, but I like the Japanese way of saying the last name first, especially when the characters have Japanese names.

The part where Sakura reveals she can pilot a helicopter isn't meant to have much sense. I just wanted to show that she doesn't have to blindly trust Itachi. She could manage on her own, too.

Before you jump at my throat for making Sakura a bit dense while she was visiting the "Granny", not realizing that it wasn't an old woman but a young man, let me explain. The room was dark, Sakura is a respectful person and didn't want to intrude on the old woman's privacy (besides, a very close person to me is a doctor, and he/she told me that what I wrote could actually be realistic). And don't forget, Sakura asked her to come to the hospital to visit her better, because she was aware she hadn't actually done a thorough visit.

Thank you so much, really, for taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me.

KitsuneMiyuKendraHyuga

…

PS: there is a sequel to this, it's called "What Will Be".