.
Six|Six
Sidestep.
Pivot.
Roundhouse.
Air.
Exhale.
Grass, dirt and gravel ground under his sandaled feet; at the same time, he shifted and blocked. The friction of a shirt sleeve against bare flesh burned beyond the material he wore, biting into the skin underneath his forearm. He pushed the arm away; in his mind flashed an image that was bounced back; his left hand came out, smacking against her tight and leather wrapped fist.
He held.
A moment; the beat of his heart in his ears—once.
Laughter.
He shoved her away, using the momentum and chakra infused in his soles to jump back. But he could feel her, smell her, and hear her as she came at him—relentless.
"Maybe next time we should use weapons."
"Perhaps."
He was sure she was grinning; she was—he saw, reactivating the technique.
"Think you're ready for that?"
She was close; he could feel her moving. Blue-green activated an image in his mind. He reacted at the last moment; one hand came up and wrapped about her wrist, keeping it from hitting his left cheek. In the same instance, his right palm came to her upper abdomen. Solid muscle contracted under his touch as the force of the action had her hitting the ground. Air left her lungs in a rush. His hands closed over her wrists, pressing them into the dirt and grass; he settled on her hips, pinning her.
"I think I would much prefer your opinion over mine, sensei." His voice remained muted and lacked inflection.
Her laughter was instantaneous, bright, and as uplifting as he imagined. Was she smiling? Smirking? Grinning? He activated the technique again.
Smirking.
His expression mirrored hers.
"I believe it's fair to say you're ready for weapons." Her tone continued to reflect her previous humor. "Non-ranged… Itachi-kun."
At first he wasn't sure what to make of that. The use of his name with the honorific most normally used in regard to much younger men stilled him with a sweep of confusion—as if he couldn't quite believe she'd used it at all. And then… he chuckled; a grin tugged at his lips, revealing a scant of teeth.
"Taichou then? Perhaps sempai?" she asked next.
"I was never your captain," he felt the need to tell her between half-hearted attempts to refrain from laughing. "Nor was I ever the senior officer of your team, or, your rank."
"True," she replied and he knew she was grinning; he could almost see the hidden glint in her eyes. "Comfortable?" she asked next.
It wasn't as if he'd been wholly unaware of the fact that he still held her down, hands on her wrists as he straddled her lap—effectively making her as immobile as was fair for the agreed match; however, that she'd mentioned it, brought it to the forefront in his mind, created a situation where he wasn't entirely sure how to respond to it just yet. His instinctive reaction was to get up and offer her a hand up, but…
It was odd when you weren't fighting for your existence, pretending to be something you weren't so your younger sibling could rebuild a family into something better than it had been when you were a boy. It was an unusual feeling to be free from strife, worry, and the self-appointed job of protector. It was both an immense relief and stifling uncertainty about what to do with yourself now once you stopped being the buffer for the village you loved—once you stopped being the single existing force that stood between a man who shouldn't be alive and the only place you called home.
There were things he'd once thought about before, that he'd since stopped thinking about in lieu of doing what he believed was right. Lying atop a beautiful woman—laughing with her—had been one of those things.
The images warmed a welcome burn across his chest; at the same time, he was a little shocked by this revelation. He felt as though he was someone else, looking in on his own feelings and thoughts—not feeling them himself, only watching.
"Itachi?"
He blinked out of his reverie and shook his head, eyes closing briefly.
"Are you alright?" She sounded concerned.
"I'm fine," he replied, tone soft.
"That's good…" she responded, voice lyrical.
His eyes narrowed reflexively, snapping to where he knew hers to be; he—.
Her hands were on his wrists, warm from the hum of her chakra; her legs were flush against his thighs; she was settled atop his lap—effectively holding him down. Grass was a plush carpet under him, cool from the shade provided by the tree above them. He could hear the leaves brush against one another with a passing breeze—their whispers endless in a moment.
Honeysuckle.
He could hear her laughter again, dancing around in the space of his ear. "Shouldn't you have better reflexes?"
He sighed, smiling slightly as he allowed his body to relax.
"A shinobi should always be aware of the unexpected."
He could reply back caustically; he had to stop himself from responding with a remark boarding on flirting; instead, he said, "You always smell like honeysuckle." A question more than a statement; it was intended to elicit an explanation. "I gives away your position most of the time," he added.
"To, you—yes," she replied. "I don't wear it on missions," she added. When he didn't say anything she continued, explaining further, "Ino bought the perfume for me when I got Chuunin." She shrugged; he could feel it in the grip of her hands. "I like it…"
"It's nice."
"Good to know." He felt her release his wrists, chakra evaporating. The weight around his hips lifted. "Here."
He reached out, guessing where her hand was; she took his, pulled and he was on his feet. Instinctively, he dusted grass off his backside.
"Here, I'll help," she replied as he let her brush debris off of him. He heard her chuckle. "Here… in your hair…" Her fingers flinted across his cheek, warm digits soft and at the same time abrasive; she must have removed her gloves… "Your ear…" she whispered as careful fin—… her thumb rolled over the top.
There was suddenly a humming in the back of his mind… a blankness. A heat spread, vaguely making him aware of the fact that he was probably blushing. At the same time his face remained impassive, presenting a conflicting expression of embarrassment and unabashed shamelessness.
He became aware of her closeness, the faint warmth of her breath as she leaned into him and combed through his hair… removing the grass and leaves.
"There… done," she whispered.
He could sense her eyes on his face; she was quiet.
"I guess we can head back into the house. I need a shower and you need a checkup; maybe even something to eat. Sound alright?" she asked as if not the least bit aware of the heat laden there across his cheeks.
After a short pause and a re-gathering of his thoughts, he nodded and stepped forward. He could feel Noin come up next to him, paws padding across the ground. Sakura, he could sense to his right. The sun beat a not-so-awful heat along his shoulders and back as it came, hitting him as he walked out of the shade the tree provided.
The solid wood of his stairs, and then his porch, thumped under his sandaled feet. The door slid under his grip as he came in after Sakura and Noin. He waited for the pinkette before slipping off his own sandals and shutting the door behind him.
"Grilled cheese?" she offered from the kitchen.
He nodded and took a seat at the table.
"Give me ten minutes," she replied at he heard her move and work. "Then I'll do a diagnostic on you."
"You won't find anything new," he felt the need to reply.
There was laughter in her voice as she spoke back, "And again, I must remind you of the fact—as I have every time we do this—that when you have taken as many years of medical apprenticeship as I have, then you tell me how to do my job."
In his own mind, his eyes rolled. His chair sat sideways in relation to the table; thus, his right side faced her. His left elbow perched on the table, his hand came to be as a cradle for his cheek. "In the following four or so weeks that you've done these checkups you've never commented on anything new or 'interesting'. So, you can imagine inclination to ward you off doing it so often."
"Noted and overlooked. I have my reasons, Itachi—even if you're not aware of them." There was sizzle, a pop and then a scrapping after this.
Had it really been a month since she'd come into his home? A month… He refrained from frowning and counted the time, confirming his own truth.
Time passed quickly when you didn't have much to do or worry after; even when you had things you enjoyed to surround yourself in, it still swept along rather quickly. While he wasn't surprised she was still there, as he'd long ago settled on the idea that he was alright with Sakura around, the very idea that so much time had passed… He let the thought trail off as he evaluated a few other things.
He left the house a lot on his own when she wasn't around; he and Noin took quite a few walks together just to get out. And while he generally voiced that it was her whining—mostly just to aggravate her—he enjoyed the time away. When he wasn't doing that, he read; he talked about what he read with Sakura. Sometimes they debated over what they thought of the story, the characters; other times they agreed and talked extensively about why. Afternoons were spent training, working out rigorous ways to do what he'd done before without the aid of his eyes. Finally getting to the point where he could use the technique she'd taught him without hand signs hadn't been overwhelming, but, it'd been a bit of trek because of how long it had been since he'd used chakra so strenuously.
Mostly… there were changes—to him. Until now he hadn't taken the time to really see them. The anger, all of it, was gone. The person he was before, the person he liked before the hell his life had turned into, was back in many respects. It was odd and a little unsettling—not because he didn't want to be, but, because he never thought he'd be able to again. So many years were spent in gentle acceptance of being a sacrifice… and now… he didn't have to be anymore. What's more… the plaguing, ever present, anger he had because of what he couldn't do anymore was gone.
Because of her.
"Done," her voice cut through the trove of cobwebbed thoughts, as it always did; at the same time, the plate she brought for him clattered next to his elbow. "Think you can lean forward? After I do the usual I want to get another look at your eyes—and don't tell me it's fruitless."
"It is," he replied as he followed her instruction, elbows on his knees so she had good access to his back.
"It's a good practice for any physician to check the area in most need of help—even if help can't be given. If any change occurs I need to take note of it.
"Quit being pragmatic."
"You say that as if it's a sin."
She snorted and went to work, cool hand flat against his bare back. He could feel her chakra, warm and somewhat invasive, as it sunk beneath the barrier of his skin and entered his body. Her hand moved up his spine, slow and meticulous until she finished.
"Done with that part," he heard and sat up slowly. The grind of chair legs against the floor drew close, indicating to him she intended to sit across from him as she scanned his eyes.
The process she invoked was much as it always was and had been from the first time she took a diagnostic of them; her palms cupped his eyes, her fingers flattened over the side of his face, and again she exuded chakra.
This process was always a little more invasive than the other. Yes, her chakra was warm—most was; however, he couldn't quite get use to it being so close to his face. At times, it felt like warm water spilling past his eyes and into his brain. It wasn't bad… just… unusual.
"Alright, done." He heard the chair move again. "Clean bill of health gets you a free pass to eat."
He nodded and turned his chair around. As he reached for his sandwich, he stilled. His head turned in the direction he believed her to be. "Where are you going?"
"To read," she replied. "In the living room."
A brow rose. "You're not eating?"
She hesitated; he could feel it.
"Come sit with me," he ordered, not meaning to. He thought to say something more after the pass of a moment or two, something to prompt her; however, just when he was about to, he heard her taking a seat. She still didn't say anything when he took the first bite, chewed and then swallowed.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, not entirely use to this level of silence from her.
"You're eating," she replied without inflection in her tone.
"Yes," he agreed, not quite sure what she was getting at.
"In front of me, Itachi," she said next, this time with a hint of amusement in her voice.
It should have struck him as odd that he'd forgotten something that had once been so important to him, but, it didn't. Instead of appearing surprised by her revelation, and thus revealing his own at hers, he said, "It would appear that way, yes."
She didn't respond and he was alright with that. A good minute passed before he decided to speak again. "How's…"
"Hm?" she prompted.
He swallowed his bite and took a generous sip from his drink to wash it down. "How's your team?" How's Sasuke?
"Good," she murmured at first. "Naruto's been very busy with Tsunade, now that I'm not nearly as underfoot as I once had to be. With the war over, he's been put under the limelight to get it in gear if he plans on succeeding her.
"Sai's mostly absent and doing his own thing. He's around for missions and off duty stuff, but, I honestly think he's found someone since he's been so obviously off the radar as of late.
"Kakashi…?" she began, "Well, he's Kakashi. Aloof, late and eternally without cause. If he's not too busy rereading his collection of books, sometimes I manage to find him and convince him to train a few rounds with me.
"As for Sasuke…" she trailed off. "He's with Naruto a lot of the time." There was a little laughter in her voice. "I think he thinks if he's with him, then maybe his little fan base will recede to the shadows at the very least. But, there's almost no hope for him in the regard," she added. "He's well though… He passed his exam for Jounin rank a month and half ago. But then you know he was awarded Chuunin for his war efforts…"
Itachi nodded and took another sip of his drink.
"It's hard for me to tell what's with him, but, I think he's happy."
He wasn't sure if she said that because it was apart of what she was saying, or, because she knew he was fishing for information about his brother. He liked to think she was too smart to not figure it out, and, that he was also too smart not to know she had.
He heard her get up, bare feet padding across the floor. The fridge door opened behind him; next, liquid splashed into a glass. At the same time he finished his final bite and brushed crumbs off his fingers.
"I'll be leaving at six tonight instead of eight like usual," she told him as she came back, voice getting closer. She sat down; the bottom of her glass clipped against the table top. "Ino's invited me and few others out tonight; its nothing big, but, she's been bothering me for a week or two to go with her this new bar."
"I'll be well enough on my own."
"Of that I have no doubt," she agreed. "I'm actually starting to think if we hired you a cook and got you scheduled for a monthly checkup, you wouldn't need me anymore.
"You're fairly well self sufficient now." She was chuckling softly.
"…True." The word was there, but, distant at the same time. There came an image to his mind of a day without her around to bother him with training, eating, sleeping, and any other form of taking care of himself properly. The previous quiet the home provided, that he'd sought between caregivers, somehow felt… devoid and cold.
"Did you want to come with me?"
"I'm sorry?" he asked as he turned in her direction and refrained from blinking.
"I asked," she began, smiling in her tone, "if you would like to come with us tonight. Ino won't mind. Actually," she explained with amusement still evident, "she'll probably be ecstatic I brought you along."
"Oh?"
"She's been bothering me to bring you around. You realize you're considered a hermit, right? War hero, but, hermit nonetheless."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"I guess not if you've got the face of an angel," she said quickly and continued, "But, yeah, she's been curious."
"Do you want me to come?" Distantly, his mind was still trying to wrap around her half compliment.
"I wouldn't mind the company, no. It would certainly give me someone to talk to that doesn't mind my boring 'lectures' laced with medical jargon."
"They're not boring."
"Glad you think so," she clipped charismatically. "So, mock-flirty banter aside, are you going? Or shall I expect myself to deliver depressing news to my blond best bud?"
"I'll go; but only because I wouldn't want your evening dampened with her sour mood."
She laughed, finally, unable to keep the guise of false seriousness any longer. "How generous of you.
"Well then, I'll make dinner, head out to get ready and come back to make sure you don't go out looking like a rejected peacock."
He didn't comment this time; his smile was hidden behind his glass.
…
Sakura was grateful for the cool evening breeze; without the harsh rays of the sun, the night felt very forgiving. She was a little surprised to find the entertainment district as uncrowded as it was. That wasn't to say there weren't people around, but, she didn't find herself having to maneuver as much as she would have in the past. She counted this as good fortune, for, it wouldn't have done well to take Itachi out on a night where he might have found himself feeling claustrophobic. Still, the good weather should have encouraged people outdoors on a Friday night.
"You don't have to hold my arm."
Jade green orbs glanced to her left; she smiled warmly as her eyes touched on his slightly clouded ones. "Perhaps I'm guarding you."
"From?"
"Fangirls. Your brother, as I'm sure you're aware, has a trove of them. You haven't been out so much as to gain many—yet. But, they'll come."
"Ah," he replied, showing his understanding in mock seriousness. "It has been a while."
"Did you have many before?"
Itachi sighed; her curious gaze remained on him. "I suppose…" He rubbed his chin and inclined his head upward, as if he were looking at the stars. "But, once they realized I wasn't an asshole… well… I guess girls go for the tall, dark and brooding."
"You brood now."
He chuckled. "Sometimes… I did then too." He frowned momentarily. "I was a genius; while girls find that attractive, I guess I wasn't stoic enough for them."
"Again," she laughed between words, "you have your moments now."
"You're not helping my argument," he replied with another round of mock seriousness. "My point is," he emphasized, barely pausing for effect, "I was a pretty nice guy. If you haven't noticed, I enjoy smiling, laughing, and stringing together more than three words at a given moment to coerce a memorable conversation."
"I'll concede," she said, her smile still firmly in place, boarding on a grin she wished he could see. "So, what you're saying is, girls got a good look at you and liked what they saw; however, once they realized you weren't going to act like some war torn, tortured, egotistical asshole they turned tail and ran?"
"Young women generally have a vague idea of what they all want in a mate at the age of twelve. The characteristics they're looking for aren't as clear as they become when they grown older and mature. They fail to realize confidence does not mean one has to be a complete asshole."
"I can relate to that evaluation having been one such young woman." The faint memory of trailing after his younger sibling echoed in her mind. A few months ago she might have sighed wistfully at her misplaced desires for certain personality traits; now she just laughed at herself.
"Itachi?" Noin asked from the front of the two. She stopped and turned. "Do you need me tonight?"
"Hot date?" Sakura asked.
Noin snorted. "No, but I'm not very fond of cigarette smoke." She turned her gaze back to Itachi, waiting.
"I'll be fine. Just make sure you meet back with me around ten."
"No problem." She glanced over at the pinkette. "Have fun, kids." Sakura watched as she bounded off onto a building and disappeared into the night.
"She's a handful."
"She's good for you."
"And how do you gather that?"
As they drew up to the front of the bar she looked over at him briefly. "She keeps you on your toes."
"Like you?"
"I'll take that as a compliment, Uchiha." Now she was grinning.
The front of the establishment was normal from what Sakura could tell; just your average wooden, barely-windowed little tavern between two others. There was nothing really fascinating about it with exception to the neon sign flaring the words Shinobi that made it glaringly obvious it was a ninja bar.
Sakura pulled her arm out of his and held the door open. "Age before beauty, right?"
He shook his head, but stepped in anyway; she was right behind him.
The inside wasn't much different; however, she could see why Ino liked the joint. They had a live band, and, from what the blonde had told her, an excellent list of drinks. Of course, Sakura wouldn't be surprised if that was her own breed of girl lingo for hot bartender with a nice ass.
The lingering smell of cigarette smoke wafted by, reminding her that Noin had probably made the right choice.
Overall, the place appeared clean and rugged. It wasn't the sort you dressed up too nice for, nor would it be in bad form to come in with a dress on like she had. Still, the two ANBU in uniform and three Jounin seated at the bar told her that it was a nice watering hole to stop by after work.
"Sakura!"
"Blonde best bud at ten o'clock," she whispered to Itachi.
"Hey, Ino," she replied louder, almost immediately after her whisper. A bright smile was pressed to her features and she took the other woman into a tight hug.
"Oh, I'm so glad you came!" she said next as she pulled away from her. "Not everyone is here yet, but, that's no big deal. We're taking up the other side of the bar; it's easier to get drinks that way."
"Sounds fine by me." Sakura looked over at Itachi. "Does the bar work for you?"
"I'll sit wherever suits you best."
"You brought someone," Ino murmured out, eyes wide on the older Uchiha.
Sakura turned back to the blonde, smile fainter but still present. "I did. Ino, this is Itachi. Itachi, this is my best friend, Yamanaka Ino."
"Forehead," the blue-eyed girl muttered, "Everyone knows who he is."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you've never been introduced. Good manners, Ino. I know you have them."
She snorted, shooting a glare at the pinkette. "No worse than yours…" she said quietly and then smiled, turning her attention back to Itachi. "Nice to finally meet you, Itachi-san. I'm sorry if I sound surprised; Sakura doesn't usually bring anyone outside of her team. And that hardly counts as a date, wouldn't you agree?"
"Ino!" Sakura breathed in admonishment, not quite believing her ears. "We are not—."
"Certainly," Itachi interrupted, his voice clipped before he turned towards Sakura. He held his hand out. "Would you mind leading me to where we are sitting, Sakura?"
Sakura's glare remained on Ino as she took his arm and stepped away from her conniving friend.
When they were a few feet away she was surprised by the tickle of his breath near her ear, sending a jolt down her spine as he whispered, "I find that sometimes it's best to allow people to think what they want rather than arguing uselessly."
And just like that, her anger washed away; replacing it was a tired smile. "With Ino that's probably best.
"Besides, I can always kill her later."
"Of that I have no doubt, Sakura." There wasn't laughter in his words, but she caught the dry humor all the same.
She was happy to see the stools had backs to them; she did not want to be hunched over a bar counter for hours. As she came closer she caught sight of Shikamaru; she waved and took the empty place next to him, releasing Itachi so he could take the one next to her.
"Hey, Lazy," she greeted with her usual nickname.
"Hey," he muttered in his sleepy way, cigarette rolling around betwixt his lips. He raised a brow at Itachi.
Sakura sat back and once again made introductions.
"Cool. I'd shake your hand, but, I don't feel like getting up anymore than I imagine you do; plus, Sakura's in the way."
She lightly smacked his shoulder. "You better not be calling me fat."
"I value my life," he said, voice lacking all fear.
She smirked and waved the bar tender over. "Where's Chouji?"
"Date."
"Really?"
Shikamaru nodded as he pulled the cigarette away from his lips and exhaled a stream of wispy white. "Yeah, some girl he met who works at the barbeque place."
"Nice. At least they have something in common. Why not come here?"
The lazy genius smirked and gave her a look. "Would you bring a new girl around Ino if you were Chouji?"
"Point taken," she agreed. She leaned forward and broke his gaze, looking for the bartender so she could order. But, he was already getting Itachi's order. When she tried to call him over he walked away.
"Well… that blows."
Itachi turned in her direction. "I ordered for you."
"Really?" She blinked. "What?"
"Blackberry bourbon."
Her brows rose.
"You were occupied. I did not think you would mind."
She shook her head, just then realizing her silence must have thrown him off. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was blind; Itachi rarely acted like someone who should be. "No, no, that's fine. I'm not picky and that sounds really good.
"Is it?"
"Very." He smiled warmly.
"So, how long you here for, Sak?" Shikamaru asked.
"Just until ten. Thank you," she told the tender as he placed the glass in front of her.
"Why so early?"
She took a sip, testing the flavor on her tongue. "Smooth…" she murmured. "And ah… I have a late night appointment with someone. They couldn't squeeze me in otherwise."
"I was about to ask why so late."
She nodded. "Is anyone else showing up?"
He shrugged. "Maybe Genma and a few other senior Jounin. Naruto said he might… Not sure about Sasuke, but then he tags along anywhere the blonde goes, so, who knows, huh?"
"…True."
"Watch my drink, will you? I'm heading to the john."
"Sure," she echoed, thoughts churning at the newly gleaned information. Unconsciously, she turned to gaze at Itachi. He was staring down at his glass, face as impassive as ever. He must have heard Shika. She resisted the urge to sigh.
"Do you want to go in a bit…?"
He pulled his head up and turned his eyes to hers. "We only just got here."
She frowned and narrowed her scrutinizing ones. "Yes, but… Do you really want to be here when Sasuke comes?"
"My brother's presence does not make me uncomfortable. If you are worried we will cause a scene, you have nothing to fear.
"Sasuke will not approach me directly no matter how I much I would like him to."
And there is was; the clipped, concise, calculated vocabulary he used when something made him tense. She knew because… she did the same thing. It was easy to hide your feelings when people couldn't really see them, wasn't it?
"It if would make you feel better, we can leave if he arrives."
She shook her head. "Then he would think you were avoiding him. I wouldn't want that."
"You shouldn't always worry about how much your actions make people feel."
"When it comes to people who are important to me, the closest to me, I do. I always will. Not to, is to deny who I am." She smiled wanly. "I did that once before years ago. It wasn't the best experience."
"Would it make you uncomfortable if Sasuke and I were both here?"
"In a way, yes. Because I would know the both of you were uncomfortable." She paused, thinking. "I don't pretend to know what's wrong between you two. I know most of it; I know enough to know that a bar wouldn't be the best place to try and sort it out even if the words are never really spoken."
"I'm not going to hide from him."
"I know."
Itachi sighed, took a drink and then set his glass down. He appeared to be looking at his drink as he held it, not quite allowing the bottom of the glass to touch the bar.
"Do you mind if I ask?"
"About?"
"What's stopping the two of you… or at least you."
He took another sip, smacked his lips and this time let the drink sit on the counter. His arms folded over in front of him and he leaned forward.
She sat facing his left, one arm on the bar as she gently held her glass. She continued to watch him carefully—quietly.
"Honestly… I don't know what to say to him." His words were spoken so softly Sakura strained to hear them. "In our career, there are no right or wrong choices; just choices and the consequences of those choices. And, there are always consequences.
"At the time… I did what I believed to be right. Sasuke, unfortunately, was a bystander in all of that. I never wanted for him the life that was given to me; I never wanted that for any of my family… or the future generations. It was my hope that he could change that, even if he wasn't aware of it." There was a bitter smile tracing his lips. "Funny how fate changes things for you, how other people do.
"The best laid plans are left in ruin."
Sakura's eyes narrowed a fraction; unexpectedly, her heart tightened at the implications of his words. "Are you saying… you wished you'd been left for dead?"
"I use to," he admitted. "In fact, I'm fairly certain there was a time in my life I hated the person who brought me back; for months I know I did.
"But, we're talking about Sasuke, right?"
"…Right."
He nodded. "Tell me, Sakura, what do you say to the little brother you love most, when the excuses are too complicated to be apologies? What do you tell yourself, them, when the words sound meaningless on your own lips?
"It's something like breaking your best friend's arm, knowing full well what you're doing at the time, and then apologizing in the next moment."
"I don't think you can compare saving hundreds of people to breaking someone's arm."
"It's all in the viewpoint," he replied. "From your viewpoint, I saved lives even while I took many others. From Sasuke's, I took his family away from him."
"I think you're underestimating him, Itachi."
"I wouldn't know. He won't talk to me."
She sighed. "Have you tried approaching him?"
He turned to look at her, blind eyes pulling away from his drink to partially settle on her as best as she imagined he could manage. "I was the one who did him wrong, Sakura."
It was easy to read what he meant by that; no real elaboration was needed, and, it was hard to argue with him. "Maybe he's afraid… Sasuke's never been one to deal with emotions. Fists, yes; heart-felt talks, no.
"But, I see where you're coming from."
He nodded and finished his drink as she took another sip of hers. The moment passed on for a long while with neither of them saying anything. It wasn't unusual, but, this time it felt quietly uneasy. She knew she couldn't accept his thoughts on the matter, but, she also knew there was no pushing the issue. Sasuke and Itachi's issues were their own; they had to settle them that way.
"And you and Sasuke?"
She blinked, surprised by his question. "I'm sorry?"
"I obliged you, Sakura. I should think it's only fair.
"What happened between the two of you?"
"Oh," she said, because she couldn't quite figure out how to respond to that. Eventually, she smiled softly. "How about a raincheck on that one. Ask me something else?"
"How did you fall in love with my brother then?"
"That's almost as bad."
"But not nearly."
"…Not nearly," she conceded with a nod. She tapped her glass with a single digit, thinking how to begin. "I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a sucker for a pretty face; you have to know that first," she started, settling on him a look she hated he couldn't see. "And your brother had—still has, actually—a very pretty face. That's mostly how it started.
"I didn't actually know anything about him, his past—nothing. I did know he was one of the top in my class. And really, it's not that hard to admire someone who's good at something you're still trying to figure out at twelve. Granted, your brother wasn't a master shinobi then, but, he was well on his way." She shrugged, looked at her drink and finished it off.
She gave a nod when the tender refilled it for her.
"So that's it, then?"
"Oh no," she replied with a small smile and a chuckle. "Then we became a team and it only got worse. I had that whole, I want the broody asshole syndrome thing going on you talked about earlier."
"Ah."
"But…" she trailed on, memories flitting in her mind as she stared over at her drink. "I got to know him better… Sasuke is…" she paused and stopped herself from sighing again. "He was a pretty tortured creature. I think there were days he hated himself more than you; he hated what he couldn't take back and that hate kept him from loving anyone. I mean, I know he loved Naruto and I in his own way; he never wanted to see us hurt, but… I couldn't reach him." She smiled at the bitter irony that statement invoked in her another memory; she crushed it, pushing back the burn of tears that would surely come if she did think on it too long.
"I guess I wanted to help him; heal him. It's not surprising that's what I do. I accept that part of myself." She was suddenly made aware of the fact that she wanted to tell him how it had all ended, but, she knew if she did it here… She shook her head, ridding herself of her own stupidity and insecurities.
She did, however, jump once she felt a hand on hers, fingers curling into her palm. Her wide green hues shot to Itachi's. She schooled them, softening under his clouded gaze; he didn't need sight to really see right through her, she thought in the moment—the same moment her chest tightened under his serious, soft, comforting acceptance.
"Thank you for being there for him." He squeezed.
Yes, she was quite sure he could see right through her.
She smiled and squeezed back.
…
Hours had passed; the time was late, but, not crossing the midnight toll into morning. Konoha was not silent; however, it was certainly more subdued than it had been previously. What few people were still roaming about were going home from bars, missions or leaving on a newly acquired one.
Sakura had parted ways with her dark-haired, fairly older, and slightly enigmatic ward about an hour and a half ago. Noin greeted him promptly at ten; Sakura had smiled, said her goodbyes and watched as his faithful guide lead him into the night and back home. She'd lingered a while, looking until she could barely make out his back in the distance. She'd only realized how out of character that action was after she'd willed her eyes away and lent her body towards her home to gather things for her meeting. Still, like the first time she'd seen him in nothing at all, she accepted her action without a back lashing thought.
"You're on time," her mentor's voice broke through the dimly lit chamber-office of the Hokage.
"Should I not be?" She offered a smile as she shut the door; it remained as she crossed the room and began to set up.
Tsunade's amber-gold orbs watched as she pulled an easel out of her bag and began setting up covered cards. Her brow rose at this, curious. "Just remarking on the fact that it's the one thing you never inherited from Kakashi."
"Are you implying I've inherited everything else?"
"Quite a few things, porn and lack of punctuality withstanding."
"I'm not sure if I'm insulted."
"Don't be," she replied, setting her elbow on the desk and her chin in her hand. She waved the other hand. "It can't be helped you've grown up."
"And I've inherited nothing from you?" Her voice was filled with barely-there amusement.
"My sharp wit, pride and temper." She opened a drawer, leaning that way; a bottle of sake was promptly set on the desk. Shortly following it were two glasses. "Sake?"
"All very admirable qualities, Shishou," she hummed out. "And no thank you. I believe I filled my quota for the night." She checked her cards, adjusting them on the stand; her back was to her master for the moment.
Tsunade filled her cup. "Are you trying to butter me up for something?"
"If I were doing that I'd buy you top shelf sake." As she turned, hands on her hips, she smiled only slightly brighter.
Tsunade waved her hand again, and only after downing half of her cup. "We could sit here all night trading half insults and half compliments back and forth, but, I'm sure you're just as eager to get to your bed as I am mine.
"On with it."
Without much else, she did. Sakura turned so that she was half facing the large set of cards on the stand placed directly in front of the Hokage's desk. She pulled the cover down, revealing a healthy diagram of the human body from the area above the groin up. The stomach, lungs, the chakra system and the path that system closely related in its course to the human eyes were the only parts painted in the diagram; the rest appeared grayed out, indicating lack of importance.
"This is a diagram of a healthy human body, the outlined organs and their relation to the chakra system—as you well know, Shishou."
"Sakura, I know what a healthy body on the inside looks like."
Sakura nodded respectfully. "It's for direct comparison. I apologize."
"To?"
"In a moment," she replied politely. Her attention drew back to the diagram and she pointed as she spoke. "As you well know, our chakra veins—much like our blood veins and vessels—bear sound walls that prevent the escape of chakra as it is created here—," she said as she pointed to the curling mess of twisting vein-work just above the stomach and below the lungs, "—and transported throughout the rest of our body." Next she indicated to the rest of the diagram where the pathways wove about, going through the arms, to the brain, the eyes, and along the chest and further down where the picture faded.
"Chakra, in a state of rest, is considered fairly safe for the body; even under a state of use, with most jutsu, it's harmless." Sakura paused and set her hand on the corner of the card closest to her on the top. "This is what Itachi's chakra system looks like in a state of rest—right now.
"However…" she trailed off and pulled the card down.
Tsunade blinked owlishly a few times as she set her cup down and eyed the card on display now.
"This," Sakura explained without looking at her, green depths directly on the card, "is what Itachi's chakra system looks like when in use." Unlike the last card, this one showed chakra spinning in poised work, brilliant and bright. Rather opposite of the uniform chakra that appeared to coarse directly through the veins, this chakra broke beyond the veins and into the body in some places—mostly in the areas around the mass network where it was formed. "Even like this, it's moderately harmless to his body. It's what it looks like under normal jutsu use."
"And by normal you mean A-rank?"
Sakura looked over at her, features impassive and yet… hinting at something. "Anything that is not a bloodline technique, Shishou." Before Tsunade could ask anything else she turned back to the card and continued, "That's not to say extended use of normal techniques wouldn't do harm, but, it would have to be constant and almost always a situation where chakra was depleted from the body."
Sakura reached up and pulled the card down. "Although, if you were to constantly use a technique like the Sharingan…" she trailed off, allowing the image to speak for itself as she stepped away, giving Tsunade a full view.
Her teacher was quiet, still; it was then she knew she had her full attention.
The diagram now showed the chakra at the core where it was crated spinning out of its confined veins; it attacked both the lungs above it and the stomach below it. The art depicted small shredding and tearing in both organs.
"A bloodline technique puts a mass amount of stress on the user's body," she said quietly, clinically, as she clasped her hands in front of her and kept her gaze on the card. "Under normal circumstances, this fine for any healthy shinobi. For a Sharingan user, it's the majority of the reason they lose their eyesight without a proper transplant.
"For someone with Itachi's diagnosis, it's nearly fatal when combined with that of his bloodline technique."
"His diagnosis?"
Emerald-green orbs slid toward her sensei, meeting her gaze seriously. "Itachi has a very rare birth defect that directly affects his chakra system. The veins walls are thin, thinner in some places more than others; this is especially so at the core of where chakra is created.
"It makes his formerly constant use of the Sharingan, and that of the Mangekyo, much worse than any other Uchiha—or even someone like Kakashi," she amended at the last minute. "As a direct result, the chakra, when in a state of bloodline use, became harmful to the areas around the core."
"His lungs and stomach," Tsunade answered. "That explains the coughing up blood…"
"From both the esophagus and the trachea," Sakura agreed with a nod.
"How did we miss it?" Tsunade echoed, sounding like she was speaking to herself. "Granted, he refused medical examinations after he left the hospital; which, was wholly within his right as he's all but retired from duty… But…" she trailed off as she leaned back in her chair and touched her lower lip, "Why didn't we catch this when he was still in the hospital?"
"It's not a well known birth defect, Shishou," Sakura explained further. "It's not as if many shinobi have such a defect that warrants examining their chakra vein walls in detail—which you would have to do to find the problem."
"In short," Tsunade summed up, "it's not something you would find in a standard procedure." She sounded bitter, as if her mouth were coated in distaste.
"To be fair," Sakura said more softly, "there were a lot of people bleeding all over operating tables at the end of the war… I can hardly recall all the faces, much less names, of the lives I saved… and didn't," she fought the bite that lathered its way onto her tongue at the last two words of her statement. She inhaled deeply. "Many nurses and doctors would easily miss something like that under those conditions.
"Myself included."
Tsunade nodded as she wiped a hand down her face, conceding. "Yes, I know…"
Sakura sympathized with her. Both women knew the cut of overlooking something simply because it was rare. It would never make sense to institute a procedure to look for something so uncommon, yet, it didn't make it any easier to accept—especially when it could save a life.
The price of being a medic was never easy. Saving lives gave you a sense of accomplishment; accomplishment that was easily ripped away at the loss of one.
"I've got just one question, Sakura."
She hadn't realized her gaze had wandered downward in her thoughts until she looked up at her mentor and regathered them. Her teacher's face was hard and serious; her eyes were sharp and laden with a question.
"If this is what you intended to tell me, why all the secrecy? Certainly we could have talked about this at a brighter hour." As if to accent her point, she yawned; her hand came up and fanned openly over her widened mouth.
"Agreed," Sakura replied. "What I just told you is not something that couldn't be said at any time of the day, when anyone could have overheard simply by accidentally walking in the room. It's what I want to tell you next I wish to keep private, Shishou."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed again as she eyed her.
"From everything I've gathered through research in medical texts, evaluating Itachi on a nearly constant basis, and my own means of analyzing the data I've gathered…
"I believe I can not only cure Itachi's birth defect, but, reinstate his sight as well."
"How?" There wasn't a moment of hesitation in the question.
"The defect is not reoccurring; it was simply way his body formed while he was in the womb and as he grew into an adult. With a tasking procedure requiring an advanced level of chakra control and precision, the walls of his veins can be strengthen. It would take several days of treatments and long hours of work. Regardless, I believe I can do it."
"His eyesight?" Sakura could hear the excitement hidden in her voice. The Sharingan was always considered a bloodthirsty inherited technique simply because once you obtained the Mangekyo, you would go blind if you didn't receive a transplant from someone else who also had the Mangekyo. For years, Tsunade and Sakura both had taken time to study how to simply cure the downfall of its perfection. To be able to do so without the loss of sight, either by transplant or by natural use would be a breakthrough of epic proportions.
"I wondered why you needed to take another user's eyes to obtain what the Uchiha call 'The Perfect Mangekyo'. Until recently, I didn't have the advantage to take a look at one so extensively. Sasuke and Kakashi are very busy; Team Seven is always on high demand and it leaves little time for such proper analysis."
"Agreed."
"Bloodlines, again, cause a serious strain on the body. They are almost unnatural in their existence—an anomaly." Sakura turned back to the cards and pulled the diagram present down. Behind it, a card showed an up close image of the human eye—a Sharingan. Sakura pointed to the optic nerves and the chakra veins running alongside them into the eye. "I have a theory…" she trailed off, thinking of her wording. Her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed on the diagram. Her hand dropped and she turned to her teacher, who was watching her intently.
"Chakra," she began," is a living life force. Every living thing on the planet has it, even if they don't use it. Some speculate it's the soul, the thing that makes us move. It's not entirely unlikely, with that frame of thought, that it might be somewhat cognitive.
"I don't understand why transplants work with the Mangekyo; however, I believe because of this possibility that it could be that when a transplant occurs… Well," she broke off, "When one performs the transplant, one has to attach foreign chakra veins to the ones that naturally exist as apart of the user. I think that when the strong surge of chakra hits these foreign veins, it slows to register and evaluate its location. I think," she went on a little more strongly, now pointing to the diagram and chakra path to the eye, "that when it hits the eye, it backlashes. At that level of strength it can cause damage to the optic nerve in much the same way chakra does damage to Itachi's organs because of his weak vein walls.
"I know from analyzing Kakashi's, Itachi's and Sasuke's that damage has been done to the optic nerve."
"Nice, but it doesn't explain Kakashi's case."
Sakura shrugged, facing her again. "It may be with him, it's simply a matter of him not being an Uchiha. He's the only known case, other than Denzou, to ever receive the Sharingan and not be an Uchiha. However, there's no precise way to know without further testing.
"This is just a theory after all.
"In any case," she continued, "I know I can repair the damage to Itachi's eyes and his optic nerves. The only way to prevent further damage is a transplant."
"What's your proposal then?"
"I would like to have Sasuke and Itachi agree to a cross-transplantation."
When Tsunade said nothing Sakura continued. "There is very little known about the Sharingan, even in all the years of its existence. It wasn't even until Madara that the Uchiha realized they could take their relative's eyes to prevent blindness. I believe it never really occurred to them, with such limited medical knowledge, and with the stress of war, combined with what little information is written on the Mangekyo—and that is mostly based in word of mouth and myth through the generations of the clan—that it would have occurred to any of them to attempt a simple cross-transplantation."
"I find it hard to believe it never occurred to us…" She was blinking with the revelation of such a simple option.
"It only makes sense, but… again, you know how well hidden the Uchiha kept the intricacies of their bloodline limit; they wrote down very little. Even that was simply a story on how to obtain the Mangekyo."
Tsunade nodded. As if she just realized she'd forgotten about her sake, she poured herself another glass and drank from it. "Oh yes, I recall very clearly how they refused to have anyone—even myself—examine their eyes during the Third War…
"I couldn't force it, of course." Tsunade shrugged. "They'd had something written into the Konoha clan agreements about preventing examination of their eyes by any medical professional.
"Understandable… no matter how archaic." She returned her gaze from the wall to Sakura. "What's the percentage of success for both operations?"
"I'm ninety-five percent sure I can cure his birth defect. The five percent allocates for human error due to the level of difficulty."
Tsunade's lips twitched. "No one's perfect, Sakura."
Sakura's twitched briefly as well. "As for the transplant… a hundred percent. And, taking into account the considerable damage Itachi's eyes have undergone from being blind… perhaps eighty percent."
Tsunade waved her hand. "That's no matter… he's already blind. All he has to gain is sight if it's successful. Unless there's some other damage the operation could cause you're not telling me?"
Sakura shook her head.
"Very well, you have my approval. However, you do realize it's not me you really have to convince, don't you?" She paused when her protégée said nothing immediately. "Uchiha men are stubborn, Haruno. And there's a muck of emotional mess between the two of them. You've got to get them both to agree…"
"I'm up for the task."
"Still…" She trailed off, watching Sakura carefully as she packed her display cards and easel. "It's an awful lot of work you've done for Itachi…
"I also notice you've been referring to him by his given name without an honorific."
Sakura broke down the easel to a size to fit in her bag. She slid it in carefully; next came the cards. "You spend enough time with a person and it's bound to happen.
"Is it a problem?"
Her mentor frowned behind her cup, sipping from it next. As Sakura slung the bag over her shoulder, Tsunade came right out and said it.
"Are you in love with him?"
Sakura didn't freeze in place; however, there was a noticeable skip-pause in her movement. The action barely appeared less graceful than it was. No one would have noticed it, but, Tsunade wasn't a 'no one'.
Her sharp green eyes locked on her mentor's. "If I were, would that be a problem as well?"
"Neither is."
Sakura said nothing.
Tsunade sighed; her eyes drifted down to the cup between her hands. "I don't regret my decision to pick you for this job, Sakura. I've kept abreast of every report you've delivered on his recovery, and, he's made amazing strides in the last month—more so than in the last six before that.
"I'm not going to argue with good results…"
"But?"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed and softened all at once. "You wouldn't be the first medical professional to confuse love with sympathy and pity. I've seen it happen—."
"I feel neither sympathy nor pity for Itachi," Sakura interrupted stiffly, almost snapping.
"Then what do you feel?"
"First and foremost?" she began, "Respect and admiration." Sakura set her bag down and locked her eyes on her teacher once again. "Itachi's blind, Shishou—not inept. I won't treat him any differently because of it; I haven't.
"If anything, I empathize with him."
"Empathize?" she said word not so much as a question, but, as if repeating her student.
"I understand what it means to feel useless."
Reluctantly, after the pause a moment that could be described as a stare down between the two women, Tsunade nodded. "Very well…"
"Is there anything else?"
"No…" She waved her hand outward in the direction of the door, lazily shooing her. "You may go…"
When Sakura got to the door, bag on her shoulder and hand clasped about the knob, her teacher called out to her.
"…He's not Sasuke."
Sasuke smiled softly, still facing the door. "I wouldn't want him to be."
And then Tsunade was alone, door clicking soundlessly behind her student.
AN :: This chapter wasn't hard to write from the start to the part where the bar scene ended. I had fun with it. What did take me some time is writing the meeting between Tsunade and Sakura.
Speaking of which, aren't you guys glad you waited to find out what Sakura was going to do about his blindness? Now, I'm not going to go off on this long tangent about how stupid Kishimoto is for never thinking that a cross-transplantation could be a viable option… And I'm going to assume it is until he explains otherwise how it wouldn't be.
For those of you who liked that I wasn't going the fix-blind route—I'm sorry. But, really, this was my plan from the start.
For next chapter, things might be shorter; however, I do promise deeper interactions between Sakura and Itachi. Basically, get ready for a climax in the emotional and physical aspect of the story. Also, in next chapter the issues that broke Sasuke and Sakura apart will be explained.
Thanks for reading and/or reviewing.
—Blade
P.S. I'm no medical professional; as such, forgive any medically explained mishaps. I did my best.
Also, another note, because of the VAST amount of reviews I get from both of my stories, the new nature of the reply system, and my own limited time, any reviews with short little answers will not be replied to. This is not to say I don't appreciate them! I love them all. It's just difficult for me to reply to every one of them, and, I like to reward those who give me an extensive reply evaluating my work. Plus, aside from thank you, I'm not sure what else to say to 'Awesome! Update soon!'