And here we are! Once again, we would like to thank everyone who reviewed for the last chapter. We are always so floored by the responses each week! We hope that everyone enjoys this week chapter, as things are starting to move along for our couple! As always, we will continue to attempt our weekly updates, but as it is summer, things may or may not get in the way. We will try to keep you updated when such events occur!

Thanks again!

Just Enough

11 Years Ago
Konoha Training Grounds

Tsunade was a practical teacher. For the second time in her life Sakura found herself being judged by how well she could control her chakra and not by how much she had. Gai and Lee's frantic teachings had prepared her a little for what she was learning, but some nights she would sit at her parent's dinner table and watch her hands shake. The first two months had been almost brutal applications of her chakra in fine, precise exercises and Tsunade had demanded perfection. She ate, breathed, and thought in chakra patterns and equations and dreamed in possible applications and angles.

Her fourth month had landed her directly in the emergency ward. The first time she had assisted in reassembling someone's internal organs she had quietly excused herself once the procedure was over and threw up her breakfast. Chakra was cleaner and healthier than the civilian idea of scalpels and cuts, but it left the air smelling like superheated air, blood and faintly cooked meat.

By the time she was deemed to have enough control to deal with veins and bleeding while Shizune rearranged muscle connections and tendons her hands had stopped shaking. The first time she managed to reconnect the fine tissue of a separated shoulder without flinching, managed to grimly find every sliver of a shatter bone and realign it with Tsunade's careful supervision, she had almost forgotten what life was like when she wasn't removing blood stains from under her nails and always, always working to perfect the control she already had.

Then Tsunade decided it was time to really begin her training. Every morning from half an hour past dawn till lunch she and Tsunade would go out to the practice fields and spar. The taijutsu Lee had been drilling into her reflexes and his strengthening exercises served her well, because Tsunade carried an edge Sakura hadn't had directed at her before. She taught tactics, positioning and drilled her over and over in the importance of dodging. Where Kakashi has taught her how to see underneath the underneath, Tsunade was teaching her how to cause the most damage with the least amount of effort.

"It's important that you know your limitations. How much damage you can afford to take before you have to pull out of a fight; how much time you need for each procedure; how much chakra you need to maintain your basic functions. When you're on the field you're the only shinobi standing between your teammates and death, they can stand between you and danger."

"But… what happens when they can't."

Tsunade curled her fingers into a fist and drove it into a tree so that it shattered into a million splinters. "Then you remove the problem. What you must understand right now Sakura is that you are the last safety valve. You either commit to the fight or the healing. Very few mednin are strong enough to do both."

Sakura curled her own fists. "I want to."

Tsunade lifted a brow and crossed her arms. "You want to what?"

"Be both. I want to be good enough to be both."

"Did you think I would have taken on an apprentice who didn't? Now, show me the fifth chakra exercise perfectly while reciting all field operating procedures for genjutsu recovery."

"Yes, sensei!"

So she ducked and punched and forced herself past her own limitations. She carried Tsunade' words with her as she learned how to crush boulders into splinters without shattering her own knuckles. As she stood over hospital beds and poured chakra into her hands; she repeated those words to herself at night before she went to bed. When her head ached from too many terms, her eyes burned from too much reading and her body shook from exertion and not enough chakra she mouthed her mantra over and over and over.

Very few mednin were strong enough to carry their teammates on their backs as a fighter and a healer, but she would be. She was tired of being left behind and she would be strong enough to be not just a healer, but also a teammate.

She would be.

X

Present Day
Konoha Village

Sakura breathed deeply of the late morning air. It was wonderful to be outside in the sunshine after spending the last two days hip deep in the archives or in her office digging through medical scrolls. Today she was with her boys and the world was great. Cracking an eye open, she glared at the body attached to the hand that was ruffling her hair.

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like your fingers?"

He grinned at her and ruffled her hair one more time for good measure. Sakura gave him a warning look before adjusting the familiar weight of her headband and then punched him in the arm.

"Ouch. I thought there was a no hitting rule until we got to the grounds?"

"Sissy."

Sasuke ignored them, walking ahead with tight shoulders. Tapping Naruto, she jerked her head towards their cranky teammate. Naruto blinked and then rolled his eyes.

'Clan shit.' He mouthed.

Sakura nodded, forcing the sudden urge to growl down. She already knew that. Sasuke's stupid, arrogant, infuriating brother had once again broken into her apartment. This time to tape a note to her bathroom mirror explaining his absence and then he'd had the nerve to chastise her traps. Again. There were some days she cursed whatever kami had been bored the day she and Itachi met.

Still, the last two days had been blissfully Uchiha free. There wasn't much to do as they waited for Jiraiya to show up and examine the possibility of seals used in the ring. Instead of pouring through scrolls looking for information they wouldn't need, she had spent the day catching up on medical scrolls and now today she was training with her boys.

Just because she hadn't seen him, though, didn't mean he'd been far from her thoughts. Somehow that Uchiha had managed to worm his way into her brain and she couldn't help but double-check the shadows for him wherever she went. She didn't miss him, certainly not; it was a relief to have a few days to breathe without his overwhelming presence.

Whatever work he might have accomplished seemed to have been interrupted by some clan issue that had escalated to the point that even Sasuke had been dragged in. From what Sakura understood, Fugaku was more interested in his first son's opinions than he had ever been of his second's. Which meant Sasuke was really going to need to hit something. Nodding at Naruto, she reached for her gloves.

"Full contact today, Sasuke?"

He paused, tilting his head as he considered her words. "Yes."

"Alright!" Naruto said as they finally entered the clearing. "I'm going to kick both your asses!"

Sakura lifted a brow, pulling her gloves onto her fingers and making a fist to check the fit. The gloves were new and she wanted to break them in before she had to go on a mission.

"Is that so?" Sasuke said mildly, eyes bleeding red.

Adrenaline surged through her gut. This wasn't a fight against Lee who could only use his speed against her. Sasuke and Naruto were dangerous in ways she doubted very many actually realized. Their strengths ran to her weaknesses and vice versa and pitting herself against them never failed to teach her something new. Sparring matches like these always left at least one or two broken bones and gashes that would have needed stitches if she weren't a mednin.

Naruto smirked, fingers sliding into a familiar jutsu. Sakura flickered her eyes to Sasuke who nodded, and she lunged. Naruto jerked back as Sakura threw a kunai at him, eyes narrowed in concentration. He regained his balance and finished his jutsu, sending to kage bushin to deal with Sasuke, while he fought with her.

Reaching down to yank out another kunai, she rolled away from the shuriken that Naruto threw at her. He followed that up with a series of taijutsu moves quick enough to prove he had been practicing.

He wasn't Lee.

Sakura dodged Naruto's punch and drove her kunai forward. He flung himself hard to the left – and straight into Sasuke who came at him with nasty combination of kicks and punches. Naruto swore as he spun. His eyes widened when he realized Sasuke had driven him right into her. Her fist hit his jaw in a crunch of bone hitting bone.

"Too slow Naruto." Sasuke snapped, dropping into a defensive crouch, eyes spinning. "She would have taken your head off if she had used chakra."

Naruto picked himself off the ground. "When did this become pick on Naruto day?"

"Sissy," Sakura growled. "You run your mouth, you better back it up."

Naruto's hands slide into a familiar pattern. Sakura swore and danced backwards to put some room between herself and his clones. Sasuke's sharingan snapped into the third level and he pulled out a shuriken.

"Whatever," Naruto said cheerfully. "Let's see how well you dodge, Sakura-chan."

Naruto was fast but it was Sasuke she was worried about. Out of the two, he was the one who could eat the space between them before she had time to pinpoint him. Time to make some space. Skidding to a stop, she drove her fist into the ground, letting it tear up the earth to take away Naruto's footing. Rolling to one side, she kept one eye Sasuke and the other on Naruto.

"We are not going to play Who Can Hit the Mednin." Sakura warned them, sliding in a basic taijutsu form. Naruto's eyes gleamed at her and she was careful not to look too closely at Sasuke. He was fully capable of pulling her into a low level genjutsu to distract her and breaking it would waste chakra she would need for her own attacks.

She couldn't afford to wait. All one of them needed was to land one good hit, and it would be over. It was time to see if she really had improved her speed. Charging at Naruto with full speed, he met her assault with a glad cry, which changed to an indignant 'Hey,' when she blurred, flipped, and landed behind Sasuke.

Her fingers flew through the signs even as Sasuke whirled. Setting a genjutsu was difficult when facing this particular level of the sharingan, so she didn't set it on him. Instead, she left it hanging in the air between them as she rolled away from Sasuke's favorite ninjutsu. She could feel Naruto closing on her and she snapped her wrist out, letting half a dozen senbon fly. The faint popping of clones being destroyed as she landed on her feet had her shifting her weight quickly to the side and a blonde body rushed by her.

Slamming a fist into the ground beside her, it was just enough force to make the ground tremor, shaking Naruto from his path without opening up a chasm. She jumped up, intending to follow through and press the advantage, but found herself dodging the kunai Naruto had thrown instead.

Then Sasuke was there, attempting to take advantage of her being off balance. She blocked his strike and pushed her weight into her fist, not wanting to use chakra in such close hand-to-hand maneuvers. Her basics were better but he had strength and speed helping him along. Her hands burned and she dropped under his punch to activate the genjutsu she had set earlier. It only took him seconds to catch himself but by then she had shoved a foot into his gut and thrown herself out of his reach. The hum of kunai whistled by her ear and she flickered.

It did her little good as Naruto followed the move and her arm stung with the promise of a cut. Naruto's grin was wolfish and she flung a chakra-enhanced elbow at his jaw and spun through the move. She felt her arm graze Naruto's chest and he swore as he was thrown backwards, coughing heavily. Kunai whistled through the air and she felt more than saw the heat of fire behind her. Using chakra to enhance her jump, she cleared enough ground to take several deep breaths before she had to slide back into a defensive position.

"Got you Sakura-chan!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I got you worse."

Sasuke snorted. "I could have killed you both."

"You Uchihas. Always have to win," Sakura teased.

"That's right," came a voice from behind her.

That wasn't Sasuke.

There was a hand on her shoulder, by her neck and it wasn't Sasuke's either. Naruto dropped down into a crouch, and Itachi, blast him, flicked a finger. Naruto froze. Genjutsu. With a finger.

Then things blurred and all she had time to see was Sasuke's wide sharingan eyes staring at him in disbelief as she felt herself transported. The world spun around the edges and she would have staggered when it stopped if not for the hand holding her steady. Wide eyes took in the sight of trees that were tall and untouched as the fingers at her neck lowered, slowly tracing down the bumps of her spine. The adrenaline pumping through her veins gave her speed as she twisted around, fist colliding with his palm as she faced him.

His eyes were wide at the edges; gleaming with something wild and hot and she had just enough temper surging in her veins to ignore it. To ignore the way his eyes slid over her face and down her neck, slowly lowering over her chest and lingering on the cut on her arm that had stained her shirt. Her heart was hammering in her chest when his eyes finally lifted to hers and she bared her teeth.

"What the hell did you do to Naruto?"

His answer smile was slow and sharp. "I would be more worried about what I plan to do with you, Sa-ku-ra."

Her wrist twisted sharply towards his thumb, breaking his hold. There was an edge to his expression, an angle to his jaw that she hadn't seen before. It invited her to bite back, to tangle herself in whatever game he was playing. Part of her was screaming to calm down, to demand to go back. The rest of her was running on adrenaline and fight and wanted to punch that look right off his face.

Shifting her stance, she narrowed her eyes. "Go to hell, Uchiha-san."

His smile showed too many teeth and his eyes were bleeding red. Slowly. As if he was savoring the familiar change. Her gloves creaked as she tightened them and she shifted her stance, part of her brain calculating angles and maneuvers. Began sifting through his known jutsu and her heart was hammering in her chest. The air was heavy with chakra and she parted her lips to breath. His gaze sharpened at that one move and the only warning she had was the faint quirk to the corner of his lips.

She ducked. The air above her hummed, she didn't waste time thinking. Her palm slapped the ground. Shards of earth shot into the air. She didn't expect that to slow him down. Twisting she let the trunk of the tree protect her back while she twisted her wrist in a familiar motion.

The earth shaking might not have made him hesitate, but shoving a tree at him would. Sakura shoved her hand into the tree and grabbed hold, establishing a grip. Then she pulled up with the precise application of chakra and the tree tore free from the ground, snapping roots and splattering dirt as she lifted.

Moving with chakra enhanced speed while carrying a large object took more concentrated effort, but it was worth every minute of practice when she blurred and landed behind Itachi.

He turned in time, of course, and leaped free, but the look of shock on his face made her consider the attack a success. How many people got to see that look on Itachi's face and live?

Itachi landed lightly in a crouch on a tree outside of her immediate swinging distance. For a moment, he just stared at her. Then he shook his head, a smile—no, not a smile, a grin, a genuine gleeful grin, stretching his lips.

Sakura felt her heart stop. "What's the matter," she taunted in an effort to shove down her attraction, "no one ever swing a tree at you before?"

He threw back his head and laughed. The sound filled the clearing, full and free, and it really didn't do anything to help with her stopped heart. "Oh, Sakura."

She should be moving forward, she should be launching some sort of plan, but all Sakura could do was stand there with her eyes locked in his and her blood surging in her veins and feel… and feel appreciated in a way she never had before.

Then his hands blurred in a familiar jutsu and fire roared out of his mouth and Sakura leapt free of her suddenly very crispy tree. That was all right. They were in a forest. It shouldn't be too hard to find another one. Speaking of which…

"Where the hell are we, Uchiha-san?"

"Curious, Sakura?" he called, fingers blurring. Sakura hurled a kunai at him and he flickered. Jumping up, she placed her hand along a tree and twisted so that she was upside down, feet holding her in place. Pushing herself up, she ran backwards to avoid the strings that wrapped around the tree trunk below her. Settling on a branch, she scanned the area, letting the tree guard her back.

The back of her neck tingled and she dropped from the tree, skidding lightly before dropping into a roll. Her fingers flew through the replacement jutsu and she moved just before he hit it. A faint smile was tugging at his lips as the clone dissipated. Normally she would have left a charged tag to greet him but she wasn't willing to bring explosives into this. Not yet.

"I don't like surprises, Uchiha-san," she reminded him as she blocked his return attack. His eyes narrowed and she twisted, throwing a punch she fully expected him to dodge. He did so, but the tree behind him shattered. Using the explosion as a distraction, she swung her leg out to take his feet. He avoided it, but it gave her the chance she needed to get some space to think.

Trees. He wouldn't take her outside of the gates just to spar. It wasn't crafty enough. Too many other people could be around and if his reactions to her spar with Lee, and again with Naruto and Sasuke, said anything he didn't like to share. The pieces clicked into place and she bit back a curse as she slapped away the kunai he had thrown at her.

"What the hell did you do to Shikamaru?"

Unholy glee lit his eyes and he attacked her with an elegant combination it was all she could do to block. Finally, he cornered her against the tree and breathed his answer, "Nothing. He simply found it too troublesome to refuse my request."

She was going to kill him. Both hims.

Sakura kicked her heal back and shattered the tree behind her, using the impact to jump free.

She landed several feet away and scanned around for Itachi. He had disappeared. Sakura bit off a curse and considered going underground.

The whistle of a kunai caught her attention and she quickly dodged, turning to locate the source.

Which was exactly what he had been counting on, damn him, she thought as she was pulled into red spinning eyes. The world dropped away and Sakura found herself surrounded in black.

The darkness pressed in around her and she could feel the black pressing into her skin, pressing, pressing into her, into her ears so she couldn't hear and onto her eyes—open, closed, it made no difference, she was deaf and blind and couldn't even feel the slightest hint of wind. She couldn't move her body. She knew if she opened her mouth to scream, the black would press in there as well, and swallow the noise, swallow her, in its all-consuming nothingness.

Sakura felt an instinctive surge of panic before coming to herself. Oh, but he was good at this. But it wasn't real; she wasn't really trapped, senseless in the dark. She was standing in the Nara forest, brought there by the most irritating man she had ever met, and she had meet a few in her time, who was probably out there smirking at how easily he had caught her.

The anger at that thought fueled her break from Itachi's false reality, and Sakura focused her chakra like a scalpel, envisioning it tearing the darkness out from the inside. "KAI," she forced through clenched teeth, into the dark.

And it shattered and faded, lifting up from her like crows and leaving her starting into Itachi's burning pinwheel eyes.

She tensed, but refused to look away. She had never allowed herself to be intimidated by the sharingan. Not by Kakashi's, not by Sasuke's. She would not allow herself to be intimidated by Itachi's. Keeping his stare, Sakura moistened her lips and shifted, slowly into a crouch, her fingers just barely brushing the ground between her spread legs, her other hand spread out to the side.

One hint and she'd rush him.

He dropped his gaze from her eyes, and slowly, starting with the tips of her toes, raked her with his gaze. She felt his stare somewhere on her throat and watched with heart-pounding fascination as the tip of his tongue escaped his mouth and he licked his lips.

His eyes were on her lips, and he shuddered, a hand clenching into a fist at his side, before bringing his gaze to meet hers again. He held her eyes, his own still burning red, before a slow smile curved his lips. Just as slowly, Itachi let the sharingan fade.

He held out a hand to her, "Come."

She narrowed her eyes. She could accuse him of luring her into a trap, but he hadn't fought her without the sharingan and somehow it felt like he would be violating… something. She wasn't willing to admit to anything between them beyond physical attraction. She didn't particularly want to take his hand, either, but there was a faint challenge in his eyes. If she didn't take it, she would be admitting that he got under her skin. If she did take it, she would be playing his game.

Best to make of it what she could then.

Letting a sigh slide between her teeth, she settled her hand in his and let him pull her up.

"Manners, Uchiha-san."

His fingers twisted, lacing between hers. His lashes lowered to hide his expression before he tugged her against his side and started to walk.

"I believe I am being very polite, Sakura." His voice caressed her name.

"Yes," Sakura drawled. "Kidnapping is so polite." She put a bite in her tone and he stilled for just a moment. Then his fingers tugged her forward and she found herself pressed against his side. He released her hand in favor of her hip and his breath was hot against her ear.

"Do not tempt me, Sakura." His tone was gentle. "At least, not yet."

She told herself she would have elbowed him, but he had pinned her arm against his side. The muscles of his arm flexed against her back and side as he squeezed her hip lightly before he started walking again. He was warm and his hair tickled her neck. The entire situation would have been almost nice if she had been with someone a little less dangerous to her sanity.

"Where are we going now?" She wasn't distracting herself. She just wanted to know why they were still in the forest after their spar was clearly over. His chin brushed the top of her head and she slid her tongue between her teeth at the gesture. Either he was completely unconcerned about how vulnerable he was right then or he was deliberately letting her under his guard. She didn't want to think why the idea made her heart race.

"Certain matters have… caused me to neglect you more than I deem acceptable." The hand on her hip slid up towards her waist and then back down. It stayed perfectly within the bounds of acceptable, polite contact; it was the slowness of the caress and the accompanying heat that spread through her which made Sakura catch her breath.

"And so," he continued, taking the opportunity to lean closer to her as they approached a fallen log, "I have taken this afternoon to rectify the situation."

He released her only to step over the log first. Turning with a smile that dared her to say something he placed both hands on her waist and lifted her over the log, settling her back at his side and sliding an arm back around her back as lightly and easily as you please.

Sakura ignored it. Part of her was tempted to break (to try to break, anyway) his wrists for doing something she so easily could have done herself, and the other had melted away into a disgusting puddle of girlish goo. It wasn't patronizing, Itachi knew damn well she was more than capable of picking up that log and beating someone (namely him) to death with it, but he had still chosen to go out of his way and lift her over the obstacle. It was more… chivalrous and teasing than anything, and Sakura simply did not know what to make of it. So she ignored it.

Biting off the 'Actually, I rather enjoyed the space,' which she was sure he would misconstrue as a challenge instead of kami's honest truth, she chose a different method of attack, "In the Nara Forest?"

"Less interruptions that way," Itachi returned blandly.

She'd say so. No one could get into the Nara forest without permission. The fact that he'd brought them there…

She glanced up at him from under her lashes and was hardly surprised to find him watching her in return, his expression relaxed and open. The edges of his mouth had deepened with the suggestion of a smile and she could just tell he was waiting for her to say something.

"I still want to know what you did with Shikamaru."

He chuckled low in the back of his throat, palm squeezing her hip. Sakura stomped on the urge to lean a little closer and feel the way his body vibrated with his amusement. It was entirely unfair how easily he made everything he did so damn attractive.

His eyes gleamed when his gaze met hers again. She knew he was aware that her question about Shikamaru was an attempt to avoid exactly what the connotations of his statements were. The ideas that he had deliberately planned this out and that he enjoyed spending time with her were not ones she needed to examine while he was close enough that she could feel his hand on her hip and his warmth at her side. Where it would only take a flex of muscle to tangle her fingers in his hair and lean against him while they walked. Before she could find a way to distract herself – and him – from the way her heart was pounding he looked up and the edges of his lips curled. Sakura followed his gaze and blinked several times at the setting in front of her.

The Nara Forest was thick, dense with trees and from what she had gleaned from conversations with Shikamaru the closer to the heart of the forest you traveled the darker it became. Here though, she was left wondering how deep and what side of the forest they were on, exactly. There was a break in the trees and an outcropping of rocks covered in moss and grass. Set on top of one of the rocks was a pack and next to it was what looked like a blanket.

She stared blankly at the setting before her. Her brain's processing skills were deliberately skirting around exactly what this was. Breathing deeply, she glanced back up at Itachi. He was watching her from under his lashes, lips curving into a smile that threatened to make her toes curl.

Surely this wasn't…

"I trust you're hungry?"

She gaped at him. The smile on his face widened and she could only blink stupidly as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes warm and amused before turning away towards the pack. By the time he had spread the blanket and set the pack down, kneeling as he began pulling out wooden containers she had pulled her brain back together enough to feel indignant.

"U-chi-ha-san! What is this?" She managed to get the words out between her teeth but it took work.

Itachi's eyes lifted to her face and they burned long enough for the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. His hands never stopped moving and he made a point to pull out the last box before speaking.

"A picnic, Sakura. I didn't think you were blind as well as obdurate." His tone was mild but there was a silky tone she hadn't heard before.

What was this man's problem? Lowering her lashes, she carefully kept her eyes on him as he settled himself into a cross-legged position.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean, Uchiha-san." Sakura demurred, flicking her fingers out in a careless gesture. "Why a picnic?"

His eyes narrowed as he flicked the lid off of the first box. "I believe I have politely requested you call me Itachi, Sakura."

"I'm sorry, I don't take requests – are those your mother's rice balls?"

He settled his elbow on his thigh to brace his chin as he watched her from under his entirely too long lashes, a slow smile curving along his lips. "Would you care to join me, Sakura?"

Sakura's heart hammered in her ears. His posture was relaxed, his free hand dangling from his leg as he watched her. Everything about his body was inviting her closer, to lean against him, to enjoy the heat of his body and to let him feed her lunch. This was far more dangerous than lifting her over the log.

Those were his mother's rice balls. She could tell by the smell. Damn him.

Fine. She'd eat his stupid picnic. But she didn't have to sit by him to do it. Making her way over to the corner opposite Itachi, Sakura sat down and folded her legs underneath her. Secure in the distance between them, she moved to investigate.

She didn't even see his hand move before it had caught hold of her wrist. Her "Can I help you—" 'Uchiha-san' was cut off before she could get to his name by the burning look in his eyes. Sakura felt her breath catch.

"I am… curious about something," Itachi murmured. His eyes flickered down to her hand, then up to her lips before meeting her eyes again. "Indulge me in this."

And she really didn't have much choice in the matter, because she couldn't seem to work up enough moisture in her mouth to say anything. Not that she knew what she was going to say in the first place and then his fingers had worked their way under the edge of her glove and he was peeling it back so. Slowly.

His fingers were very gentle as they slowly dragged along her skin. His calluses scrapped along her nerves, contrasting with the leather of her gloves, sensitizing everywhere they touched. He didn't seem to be in a hurry, tugging each finger away from her knuckles, expression intent. Only when the glove fell away did he shift his grip so that his thumb was rubbing against her palm, his other hand rising to trace bone, muscle and vein with his forefinger. He studied each faint scar before he turned her hand over and traced along the calluses on the pads of her palm. Her entire arm was tingling by the time he was done.

She had to swallow when he lifted his eyes to hers before deliberately reaching for her other hand. The air in the forest seemed thicker and a lot warmer by the time he was done and she wasn't entirely sure she wasn't trembling. Once again he dropped his gaze, giving her hand his full attention as he slowly, slowly removed her glove. He let the glove fall between them and reached to reclaim her other hand, holding them both loosely in his as he stared at them.

"Fascinating," he murmured in that low, chocolate tone of his as brushed over her knuckles with the pads of his thumbs. "They're not the slightest bit swollen." Itachi lifted his gaze and caught her eyes. "I've told you before, Sakura, how much I love your hands."

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he lifted her hands to his mouth, lying soft kissing on the knuckles of both hands, his gaze warm. Sakura couldn't look away.

"I find myself… increasingly impressed," he spoke against her skin, lips just brushing her already sensitized skin. Each hot, damp breath teased against her nerves, and combined with the softness of his teasing lips and intent gaze.

Sakura felt her lungs contract with the honest appreciation and intensity of his words.

"That is no easy feat," he continued, moving her hand close to his mouth again for another kiss. "Your skills are truly noteworthy."

What could she say to that? Really? Had anyone ever—ever—taken the time to stop, to notice, to make her feel like… like she was more than good enough. His honest appreciation and lavish attention stole her breath away. She couldn't even object to the way he was touching her—they had done much more than that, after all, and it felt…good.

"Thank you," was all she managed to say.

She could feel his lips curl up against her skin, and he kissed her one more time before using his grip to pull her forward.

Sakura managed to avoid sprawling on top of the gathered food containers with a movement that must have looked like a contortionist and involving completely cooperating with Itachi's sudden movement. But she couldn't keep back the startled 'eep' at the abrupt change. He released one hand to position her in front of him as he leaned back down on his elbow.

"Don't sit so far away," he chided softly in her ear, skimming his hand down her side until it came to her waist. Using that grip, he fit her back against his chest, her body fully nestled in the curve of his waist.

He was warm and solid against her, the big jerk. To think she had thought for just one moment that he was actually being romantic, that he was treating her like a human. She elbowed him in the gut, hard. It was like elbowing granite with a slightly squishy covering, but Sakura ignored the pain. She'd hit plenty of harder things—like Naruto's head.

Itachi didn't make a sound, but he was close enough that the sharp exhale poofed in her ear, and she told herself that it did not tickle. His grip on her waist tightened, and he didn't let go of her hand either. "I object to being moved around like a salt shaker, Uchiha-san."

He tilted his head so she felt her breath cascade down her neck, "And I object to your stubborn, needless refusal to use my name."

She ignored him. "If I have to elbow you again," Sakura said with false brightness, "I am going to use chakra. Let's not spoil this lovely picnic you prepared by fighting, Uchiha-san. Let go of me."

As if she had found the release to a genjutsu, his hand released her waist while his other slowly uncoiled its grip on her hand. She told herself she did not miss his warmth as she pulled away, compromising by settling down on the same side of the blanket as Itachi.

Deciding her best option was to ignore the way she could feel his eyes on her profile, she turned her attention back to the delicately carved wooden boxes that he had packed their meals in. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were bento boxes which meant he really had put the food together instead of picking something up at a stand. Watching him carefully out of the corner of her eyes, she reached out and removed the lid of the one closest to her.

Surprise flickered through her at how, well, pretty the bento was. Even after the means of travel the carefully arranged food was perfectly in place. Besides his mother's rice balls he had brought grilled nasu, what looked and smelled like teriyaki beef, and very neatly arranged kyuri. The rice itself was mingled with chestnuts and small sesame seeds and tucked into the last corner was a small collection of sweet jellies.

She really wanted to go for the rice balls. Shooting him a glance out of the corner of her eyes, she pretended not to notice the faintly amused curve of his lips. Accepting the chopsticks he handed her, she broke them. Muttering a quick thanks, she picked up a slice of the beef. Popping it into her mouth, she chewed slowly. This time she hoped she hid her surprise better but the way his mouth curved at the edges told her she hadn't done a good job.

"This is good."

He scooped up some of the grilled kyuri from his bento. "I'm glad you approve."

They were silent for several moments, taking the edge off the worse of their training hunger. The nurse in her was appreciative of the mix of protein and vegetables and the woman was forcing herself to wait to try one of the little jellies. The way he was watching her was almost as distracting as the deliberate, graceful way he moved his hands as he ate.

It really was unfair how attractive he was. They had just finished busting up several hundred yards of forest and she didn't think it was unreasonable to assume she had made him sweat a little. Yet, there he sat. Hair falling smoothly down his back untangled, shirt unwrinkled and posture so attractively relaxed. Everything about him was inviting her to enjoy herself and if it wasn't for that damn smile, she might have let him lull her into a false sense of security. That smile was warm and open and so dangerous.

Needing a distraction – from him, from herself –, she swallowed the mouthful of flavorful rice before speaking. "So… I take it things have been settled with the clan, then?"

Itachi raked her with his gaze before his face settled into a faintly smug look. He took his time before answering, lifting the chopsticks to his lips and then slowly drawing them out. "They… believe we have reached an agreement."

Well. That conversation went nowhere. And now he was staring at her with heat in his eyes because he knew she had started the conversation because she was uncomfortable. She huffed and reached for one of the jellies. Really, she deserved it after putting up with him.

"Good," she said, belligerently. "If Sasuke kept pouting, I was going to have to start setting up traps for his fangirls."

Itachi raised one eyebrow, "Are you trying to actually keep them away? Because your traps are more like an invitation."

Sakura choked. The little jelly refused to go down and she had to cough several times before it cleared her lungs. Glaring at him from under her bangs, she told herself she was smiling, not baring her teeth at him. "Not very subtle, Uchiha-san."

He smiled at her, lifting his knee so he could rest his arm on it while flicking his chopsticks in her direction. "If you don't do something about them, Sakura, I will."

Sakura pointed her chopsticks at him, wondering exactly how much force it would take to ram them through his pretty eyes. "And here I thought you liked being able to break in at will."

His eyes lit with something like glee. When he spoke, his voice was soft, smooth with an emotion that was almost like affection. "Ah, Sakura, it will take more than a few traps to keep me away."

Under that soft tone was a challenge. One she really wasn't prepared to address. Sasuke had taken the time to warn her about challenges. Right now was a good time to remember that. "I'll keep that in mind."

His smile changed again and she swallowed. Deciding to ignore the way her pulse was picking up speed, she lowered her eyes to her bento and gave in to the call of the rice ball. If the picnic continued to go in a direction she wasn't expecting, she was going to eat one while she had the chance.

Itachi, the rat bastard, moved the container of rice balls out of her reach. Sakura suppressed a growl.

"I am very curious to see what you think about these rice balls," Itachi said, picking up one perfectly formed sphere with his hand while he set the container on the other side of his body with the other. "I've heard you admire my mother's recipe."

Sakura grit her teeth, "The last of your mother's rice balls have been the start of more than a few sparring matches in Team 7. Mikoto-san is an excellent cook."

Itachi leaned back on his elbow again, partially reclining as he extended the rice ball in his other hand towards Sakura. "I'll be sure to relay your complements to the chef."

Glaring at him, Sakura reached for the rice ball. He moved his hand out of the way.

She narrowed her eyes. "The last time an Uchiha taunted me with one of Mikoto-san's rice balls; he ended up with his face in the dirt."

Itachi chuckled, his eyes heating almost sharingan bright, "I would never deny you, Sakura." He held out his hand again.

She stretched out her hand, only to have the rice ball once again removed from her reach. Sakura didn't bother stifling her frustration.

Itachi used the arm he had been leaning on to shove himself up, and he was suddenly inches away from her. Dark eyes locked with hers and his hair swept down beside him like a curtain while the rice ball was held akimbo between them. "Not like that, Sakura," he murmured.

Her confusion and frustration melted away to horrified shock. Surely he didn't think…

"What do you mean?"

"Take it from my hand," he continued in that same dark, deliciously intoxicating tone, "or do not take it at all."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "It is a very bad idea to get between a woman and her food, Uchiha-san."

He darted forward, quick and smooth as a water jutsu, and caught her lower lip in his. He bit it till it stung, then sucked the hurt away. Drawing back slowly so that her lip released with a soft plop, Itachi caught her eyes with his.

"Call me Itachi," he said, an almost dangerous light entering his eyes. Once again, he held up the rice ball between them, just below her chin.

Sakura gulped. She had a feeling that remaining uncompromising on both of these issues was a very, very bad idea. This meant something to him. To deny him both these things would be equivalent denying him, and he would either leave or attempt to up the ante further. The thought of him pushing the envelope further caused a surge of nervous flutterings in her stomach and the thought of him leaving… She didn't want him to leave. And besides, the rice ball smelled delicious.

Slowly, keeping her eyes locked with his, Sakura leaned down and took a bite of the rice ball. She chewed slowly, savoring the mix of flavors on her tongue. It had been some time since she had last enjoyed one of Mikoto-sans' rice balls. Flicking her tongue out along her bottom lip, she made sure she hadn't missed a single grain of rice. Itachi's eyes had darkened and brightened so that she could almost make out the faint sparks of the sharingan in his gaze.

She didn't quite dare to lean back down and finish the treat, as she was sure she would end up licking his fingers. Instead, she leaned back just enough to at least have some warning before he moved. Lowering her lashes so that she was looking up at him through them, she swallowed at the way he was just watching.

"They remain as good as I remember, Uchiha-san."

Instead of answering immediately, he lifted the rest of the rice ball to his own mouth and it disappeared with a flick of his fingers. Chewing slowly, he swallowed before his lips curled just enough at the corners to be dangerous.

"They're fairly easy to make if you have the recipe."

Sakura mood went from fairly breathless to flat out grumpy. Narrowing her eyes, she studied his smug expression and tried to decide if she could get away with murdering the heir to the clan after all. Pursing her lips, she finally gave into the way he was fairly humming with amused patience. He knew she wanted to ask.

"You have the recipe?"

A dangerous smile slowly curved his lips. "It's an Uchiha Clan secret. One of many."

Sakura's eyebrow rose. "I've had your aunt's rice balls. They are not the same."

Using his knuckles, Itachi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Excellence is not measured in a recipe."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't try to dodge me, Uchiha-san. I'm a medic. I know different ingredients when I taste them."

His eyes narrowed as well, and he moved back, reclining on his elbow again, "Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that it is a family secret."

Sakura crossed her arms and huffed. "Well, it's not a taste limited to family appreciation. If you would be so kind as to pass them back over, please."

A smug smile curled his lips as he reached for the container behind him and passed it to her. His eyes had lit up again and were weighing heavily on her while she retrieved the container from his hand and set them close by her.

He watched her as she lifted the rice ball up to her mouth and waited until she took a bite before he spoke, "I will have to remember to make them for you more often, Sakura."

Sakura choked.

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