Disclaimer: Yay! I remembered it. Um. Nope. I still don't own Naruto. One day, perhaps! First Naruto, then the world! My plans for total world domination are slowly coming into play. Heh.

Chapter 8

The Value of Truth

Sakura breathed in deeply as she landed in the clearing. She wondered if they would come for her. In truth, she did not care. She merely sat down in the middle of the grass, closing her eyes as she began searching for any chakra traces around her.

If they came, then she would not be caught unaware.

She opened her eyes once more, thinking of the scroll that Itachi now held.

Now, she would no longer need it. She had already reread the entire thing, committing it to memory. It was simple enough to do. But oh, so complicated to perform.

How strange, that Sakura was the one to have found the scroll. The only one who could read it.

It was rather ironic. The once-weakest kunoichi in all of Konoha had found the one jutsu that could make her the most powerful shinobi in the world. But she didn't want strength.

She wanted something else.

She gave a sigh as she did a quick jutsu with the last remaining vestiges of her chakra. Not much was left. The scroll's jutsu had taken out almost all of her chakra reserves. It had even tapped into her life energy, which she didn't know could happen.

It healed the scrapes on her hands from her fall, and it eased the soreness in her back from when she had slammed into the tree. She'd need to regain more of her chakra if she were to continue her journey. She was all out at the moment.

A minor setback.

Sakura gave a small laugh. It was a funny time to be thinking about the future. A future that now seemed too grim and dark. She could no longer go back to Konoha. She could no longer go back to the Akatsuki. She was alone now. As utterly alone as possible.

Perhaps I can find Sasuke and apologize. She gave a small laugh as she sighed. She felt as if she should be crying, but in truth she couldn't. Nor did she want to.

Instead, she let ANBU Sakura resurface from so long ago.

I'm becoming more and more like Itachi every day. I'm not sad anymore. Merely angry. Cold. Aloof. Tears will no longer grace my eyes.

Only the Sharingan.

Sakura twiddled with the necklace that hung around her neck, looking down at the little flower. So pretty…so out of place…so delicate and weak…like I once was. How strange, to see how much I've changed. I didn't even realize it before. When I was in Konoha as an ANBU, I cut myself off from most of my emotions. Ino and the others worried for me. But when I was captured by the Akatsuki…they made me feel again.

He made me feel again.

How strange and fitting, to once again lose the thing that I loved.

Sasuke…and now…

"Sakura."

Sakura froze, hand clenching the small flower pendant as she felt the presence behind her.

Itachi.

Itachi headed through the trees, his gaze dark.

Deidara was in his room, sulking. Kisame was probably still raving over the entire incident, cursing inanimate objects. Sasori had sent Itachi to go get Sakura back, much to his surprise and annoyance. Of course, it wasn't as if Itachi were taking an order from Sasori. He had merely decided he didn't want another episode.

He followed her trail easily. She was clumsy and tired, and her chakra was almost depleted.

He supposed such a thing was natural after what he had seen.

His Sharingan saw everything. Nothing escaped his gaze.

Not even Sakura's eyes.

Itachi's own eyes narrowed as he jumped to another limb. In those few seconds they had not been their normal, beautiful green…but the enticing, tantalizing color that matched the clouds on his cloak.

But that wasn't what was really bothering him, no matter how much he would have liked it to be his only problem. No, another more pressing matter held him in its grasp.

The moment he had seen her…when Deidara's bird had gone for her…

But most of all…the moment when he and Deidara had attacked each other.

Itachi's eyes narrowed once again.

He had been momentarily and utterly scared for her. It had happened in an instant, a small panic and fear that he couldn't control. He had been worried she'd die. He had seen her eyes widen and he had felt her fear and it had become his own, even if for just a moment.

But he had not saved her.

He had gone for Deidara, seeing a moment of weakness. He had let his goal, his desire to kill Deidara, get in the way of Sakura's safety. And he and Deidara had not stopped. They had both continued to lunge, to kill each other.

He tried to tell himself it didn't matter, that any true shinobi would do the same thing.

It did not help.

And that was what bothered him. He had felt guilty afterwards. Itachi Uchiha never felt guilty. He never regretted anything.

But he regretted his decision there, even if for a moment.

But it had passed, as he had seen Sakura take control of the situation. But when the bird had exploded, for a single moment he couldn't see her and his heart had frozen inside of his chest.

He couldn't stand that feeling.

He had only ever experienced it once before, when he had been very young. Four. He had been practicing outside with his mother in the woods when five Mist shinobi had attacked them.

He had been completely helpless. He had merely curled into a ball and watched as his mother fought them off. All the time his heart had been beating wildly and his eyes had grown wide as he realized that his mommy could die. Those men could hurt her.

But they had both survived.

And Itachi had never been afraid again. The next day he began training with his father. The fear was gone, replaced by uncaring, unfeeling, unadulterated emptiness.

And Itachi had welcomed it.

He tried to welcome it once more, but something held it at bay. Something stopped him from experiencing the casual aloofness he had so long accepted.

And that something was the woman sitting on the ground in front of him, her back to him. The Haruno sign on the back of her shirt shown in the light.

"Sakura."

He wondered how it was possible that her parents had named her so correctly. Cherry blossom of spring. So intricate and beautiful, so vibrant and full of life. But it was wrong on a few aspects. Sakura was no weak, delicate little thing. No, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself of that, she proved him wrong.

Her eyes had proven that.

She turned to look at him, and there were no tears. Merely an acceptance and anger, boiling beneath green pools.

"Itachi."

Their cold greetings to one another seemed to heighten the tension in the air. Itachi did not speak. His anger at her was slowly disappearing. Or rather, the anger that he believed had been directed at her. It really wasn't. When he had seen her in Deidara's room, he had blamed himself, even if he hadn't known it at the time.

He merely watched her as she slowly stood. He could see the stiffness in her body, the pain she must be going through just to stand.

But she didn't give up. She pretended it didn't affect her at all.

"What do you want? I'm leaving, just like you asked me to. Like a good, obedient little girl." Her voice dripped with anger and sarcasm, but he could feel the waver in it. The hurt that was still there.

Itachi raised on eyebrow, leaning casually against one of the trees. "You have not healed my eyes."

Sakura gave a small, incredulous laugh as she ran a hand through her hair. She looked at him with a wondering, amused grin.

"To tell you the truth, Itachi, I really don't give a damn about your eyes."

Itachi's mouth thinned as he watched her. Her hair hung about her eyes in completely disarray. It gave her a wild look. A strong look. It was the woman he had seen those long weeks ago. The woman beneath the ANBU mask.

Sakura Haruno, one of the strongest kunoichi in all of Konoha.

His cherry blossom.

"We're heading back."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Itachi resisted the urge to sigh. She was indeed his cherry blossom, as stubborn and infuriating as ever. She didn't seem to understand that she couldn't not take an order from him, Uchiha Itachi.

"Deidara is fine."

"That's not why I won't go back." Sakura sighed. "I don't have to. I have no obligations to you or anyone else in Akatsuki. I'm not a member, so I don't obey Leader's orders. I can't be forced to heal your eyes."

"I'll use the Mangekou."

"Is that a threat?" Sakura laughed. "I'm not too worried, to tell you the truth." I should be petrified, but I'm not. I'm too tired to be scared. She gave a small sigh, trying to ignore the pain and soreness of her limbs. Is healing your eyes the only reason why you want me back? Why did you fight with Deidara then? Just to prove that I'm your property and he can't touch me? I'm too tired to even think about it right now. That jutsu had drained her almost completely, and it still seemed to be sapping the energy from her. She wasn't used to the strain it gave her. She'd have to work on it to expand her control and time limit.

"You can now use the Sharingan as well, I believe."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"

"Hn."

Sakura gave another loud sigh. "Very well, don't answer." It's not as if you've ever answered my questions before.

"But the Sharingan is not the only part to that jutsu." Itachi concluded. His Sharingan had seen more, seen the inner workings of Sakura's chakra systems, or rather, sensed them. There was a strange flowering of chakra inside of her, like none he had ever seen. And she had merely molded it into the Sharingan.

Itachi wondered what else it could do.

Sakura didn't have the strength to argue with him. "Hai."

"The Doujutsu section of the scroll was small. The rest of the scroll was based off of something else. What was it?"

Sakura felt her legs begin to slowly give, but she forced herself to continue standing. She wouldn't look weak in front of Itachi ever again. She could handle her own. "You know, you haven't talked this much to me in a long time. It's nice." The truth just slipped out in her fatigue. The real thoughts she was having at the moment.

Itachi blinked, for a moment caught off guard. Then he regained his composure. "Your attempts at changing the subject are unsuccessful, Sakura."

"I just want to talk, is that so bad?" Sakura continued, as if she had not heard his last statement. "You rarely ever do that anymore. Just talk. In fact, I don't remember you ever just talking for the sake of talking. You should do it more often."

She's exhausted. She won't be conscious for much longer. Itachi took a step forward. That jutsu took more out of her than she knows.

Sakura's knees buckled and she gave a small curse as she fell to the grass. "Dammit." She whispered fervently, ignoring the pain as she tried to stand again. Instead, she felt herself enveloped in warm, strong arms. She closed her eyes for a moment, reveling in the feel of it.

How long since I've felt this?

Too long.

It's nice.

It will never happen again, will it?

Why does it affect me so much? I should be angry with him. I should be utterly enraged and superbly pissed at this man, but I'm not.

She was brought up to his chest, and for once she didn't object to his holding her. It had been so long, she didn't believe she wanted the moment to end. It wasn't romantic, but she would take what she could get.

How strange, to go from wanting to kill this man to dying every time he touches me. I'm completely insane.

If the rest of the world knew what it was like, I think we'd all go mad.

Itachi felt her press against him, and for a moment he just held her. He wasn't used to the strange comfort holding her gave him. He had never liked the feeling before. It made him feel weak, and that was something he never allowed.

Weakness was for fools.

People like his brother.

But for a moment, he felt like a normal person. For a moment he wasn't Itachi Uchiha, murderer of his entire clan and s-class criminal. He was Itachi Uchiha, shinobi and protector of Sakura Haruno.

And he hated the feeling.

But he anticipated it as well.

It was the little boy inside of him that wanted this. The little voice that had warned him not to kill his parents. The little boy that had told him not to take advantage of his cherry blossom before.

The weak part of him.

The only part of him that seemed to make sense at the moment.

When Sakura awoke, she was in her room in the Akatsuki hideout in Cloud. She wasn't very surprised, as she sat up in her bed with a small sigh. She was still completely dressed in her yukata and slacks. She hadn't really expected Itachi to be kind enough to put her in her sleeping gown. Perverted enough, maybe, but not kind enough.

But he brought me all the way back here in his arms.

Yeah, because I haven't finished healing him. Bastard.

You know you liked it.

Sakura gave another loud sigh as she slipped out from beneath the covers, still too tired to fight with her 'Inner Sakura'. She supposed she was lucky that the rooms themselves had been undamaged in Deidara and Itachi's fight.

What a useless fight.

She undid her obi, loosening the yukata. She slipped it off just as the door slid open.

"Good morning kitten, yeah—" Deidara stopped, swallowing as he saw her. Sakura was frowning slightly as him. She wore no shirt, merely a large bandage wrapped around her chest, which all kunoichi wore. He'd always known she'd worn them underneath her shinobi outfits. His eyes trailed down her pale shoulders to the valley of her breasts, where the bandage cut off any view of what was beneath, as well as any more heated thoughts.

"Yes?"

Deidara almost winced at her voice. It was cold and slightly annoyed. Infuriatingly enough, it reminded him of Itachi's. Had their fight really had that much of an effect on her? He had done it for her!

"It's time for breakfast. Everyone else is in the kitchen and I just wanted to ask if you wanted anything, yeah."

"I'm not hungry." She walked over to her chest, pulling out another folded yukata, a burnished, warm bronze silk. She placed it on, along with a black obi with golden bamboo designs. She then slipped off her pants, her butt hidden beneath the yukata bottom. However, her pale legs were in complete view.

Deidara knew she wasn't trying to seduce him or taunt him. That was too low for Sakura. She was merely getting dressed and he was intruding. He supposed he should have known she'd treat him like this after he and Itachi's fight.

Dear god he had tried to stop, couldn't she see that?

"Sakura-chan…" Deidara gave a loud sigh as she slipped on a new pair of black pants. "The fight between Itachi and I…we…"

Sakura snorted derisively as she slipped on her sandals. "Tell me, Deidara. When did I ask you to become my champion and defend my honor?" She knew she was being mean, but she was mad at him right now. She was mad at the way that even then, she hadn't been able to stop her two most precious people from wanting to kill each other.

Deidara winced at her words, but he supposed he should have expected them. "I guess I wasn't thinking about that, yeah. I'm sorry."

Yeah, I guess you weren't thinking. And neither was Itachi. And neither was I. I never should have jumped between you two. Maybe it would have been better to let you two blow yourself to smithereens. Then, at least, you would see how stupid you were acting.

I could find a new shinobi way. Heh.

It was a pitiful attempt at a joke, and she couldn't even smile save for a small lifting at the corner of her mouth. Che. An Itachi smile.

She turned to look at Deidara again, swearing she'd stay mad at him forever. But it was too hard with him looking so heartbroken, like a little lost puppy. And that reminded her of little Naruto. Which in turn reminded her of the real Naruto.

She gave a small sigh. She'd forgiven Naruto after he and Sasuke had fought.

The least she could do was forgive Deidara.

"I'll be out in a minute or so for breakfast. Then we can go train, ne?" Sakura gave a ghost of a smile as she tried to pretend to be the kitten he'd always loved to tease and joke with. "Maybe when I get better you can teach me that blood tracking bird jutsu. It's only fair. It did try and kill me after all."

Deidara winced as he nodded, though he was smiling as he saw that she was joking. "Yeah."

"See ya, Deidara. I'll be out soon."

"Right." Deidara nodded slowly as he closed the door behind him.

Sakura sat back down on the edge of her bed with a sigh. She resisted the urge to jump back into the covers and go back to sleep. But she had to train with Deidara after breakfast. Then sword practice with Kisame. And at night, it was puppet jutsus with Sasori.

She'd never have time to perfect her new jutsu. Her fingers itched to go through the seals once more, but she knew she wouldn't have the chakra for that jutsu for a while. She needed some food. She slowly stood, getting ready to head out of her room when she spotted it.

It was innocently placed upon her tabletop, looking as if it had been there the entire time.

The scroll.

Sakura slowly picked it up, running a finger along one side. She gave another small smile as she slipped it into her yukata. If you keep this up, I might be forced to laugh. Baka. You're going to drive me insane with all these mind games.

Who knew you could actually do something nice.

You make it hard to stay mad at you, surprisingly enough.

Like a puppy who has chewed my favorite slipper. They look so cute and stare up at me with those puppy dog eyes, I can't NOT forgive them.

Sakura laughed out loud at the thought. A picture of Itachi chewing on her shinobi sandal was absurd enough, but the thought of him looking innocent with large puppy-dog eyes was hilarious.

Sakura barely managed to contain her laughter as she headed into the kitchen.

Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow as she breathed in deeply. She shouldered the makeshift Samehada, looking back at Kisame who was snickering at her.

"You're too slow, kitten. Speed it up."

Sakura gave another loud sigh as she began doing a few more complex swings that Kisame had taught her. The sword strained in her hands, the hilt sliding from her sweaty palms. She clenched it tightly to keep it from flying away.

The afternoon sun was high in the sky, and it bore down on them. Kisame didn't seem affected by it.

Of course, he was sitting on the porch drinking sake.

In the shade.

She was sweating bullets and her yukata was sticking to her body in all the wrong places. She'd stopped complaining about it, however. Kisame had merely said it accentuated her 'little curves', which he stated needed all the help they could get.

She had reminded him he'd said she had a nice rack.

He'd told her it was probably because he hadn't seen a woman naked for a while.

She'd said it was because he'd never seen a woman naked before.

He said he had.

She'd told him the covers of Icha Icha Paradise didn't count.

He'd made her do pushups with him sitting on her back.

She snapped out that he was heavy.

He said it was because of all of his muscles.

She told him it was because of his beer gut.

Now she was doing one hundred extra swings with Samehada and he was laughing at her, smirking from behind his sake cup.

If dinner didn't come soon, she was going to strangle the shark-man.

Sakura finally finished her swings, letting the sword fall from her hands. She gave a loud sigh as she flopped down onto the ground, feeling the cool grass on her back. A few pieces tickled her cheek.

Suddenly a large shadow distorted her view of the bright blue sky, and she frowned. "Don't lay down like that kitten." Kisame grunted.

"Why not?"

Kisame grinned. "You look like you've just been thoroughly sexed and sated. The sweaty, wild look is good for you. I might not be able to hold back."

"You're as bad as my old sensei—no, I take it back. You're worse. You and Jiraiya would have to fight for the top position, though." Sakura smiled up at him, before flipping up and groaning as her body shrieked in protest at the movement.

"I'm honored to be put in the same group as a Sannin."

"Not in skill, Kisame." Sakura teased him, poking him in the chest. "Just in sick tastes and fancies."

"Suppertime, yeah!" Deidara called from inside.

"Thank the lord!" Sakura laughed out as she and Kisame headed inside.

She felt a hand cross her but and she glared daggers at Kisame. "Excuse me?" You're walking on thin ice Kisame. You're just lucky you're a fish and can swim.

Kisame watched her innocently. "I was just wiping the dirt and grass from your pants." He ruined it by winking. "It's nice and toned, too." For some reason, Sakura didn't believe he was talking about the grass.

Sakura pursed her lips. "I thought you said I was like your sister, Kisame."

"You are, why?" Kisame grinned.

Sakura jabbed him in the ribs as she headed inside, hearing him grunt as she called back. "Because a brother doesn't pinch his sister's ass."

Itachi raised one eyebrow as Sakura and Kisame entered. He'd heard the comment by Sakura, and his eyes narrowed in Kisame's direction. Of course, it only lasted for a few seconds as he watched Sakura once more from the corner of his eye.

Her face was flushed and she was still breathing heavily from her training with Kisame. Her yukata stuck to her skin with sweat, showing off her curves. Strange enough, she didn't smell bad when she was sweaty.

She smelled…earthy. Like damp soil after a light rain.

She slipped into a seat between Kisame and Sasori. Itachi noted with some satisfaction that she did not sit near Deidara.

Of course, she didn't sit near him either. But that made no difference. As long as she was not near the missing-nin from Stone.

"How was your training with Kisame, Haruno-san?" Sasori asked as Sakura breathed in the smell of the steaming tea with a sigh of contentment.

Itachi couldn't believe this was the same woman he had met the night before in the forest. She was so different. It was if she had different faces which she only let out every once and a while.

Either that, or she just hid her disappointment and sadness well.

And her anger.

She was even acting kind and considerate to him, on a very base level of course. She had even said she'd look at his eyes after her training session with Sasori and a quick shower.

Itachi didn't show it, but he was actually anticipating the finish of dinner and Sasori and Sakura's lesson. He felt foolish and childish when he thought of how excited getting his eyes healed was making him.

It was slightly unnerving to think he could be excited about something, almost nervous to see the outcome of her healings.

"It was good, Sasori-san, although Kisame weighs more than his sword, which I didn't think was possible."

"Che." Kisame grunted, taking a sip of his sake. "You're just too puny, kitten. We need to work those arm muscles. Why can't everything just be as toned as your ass?"

Deidara choked on his rice, as well as a laugh as Kisame's face slammed into the table. Sasori breathed in deeply.

Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously. Stay away from her, Kisame. He almost blinked in surprise at his own thoughts.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that he now knew Deidara was no longer a threat. That meant, in a sense, that now she was completely his.

And Kisame would stop if he valued his life—or his manhood.

Kisame slowly sat up with a curse, his face covered in rice and chicken. He gave an annoyed frown that didn't fit him, making him look like a pouting little girl. That made Sakura burst out laughing, and Itachi listened to the sound.

He hadn't heard her laugh in a while.

Once again, Itachi reprimanded himself. He wasn't Deidara. He was no lovesick puppy to follow Sakura around and whine for attention.

She was merely a possession of his that he could use any time he wanted.

Nothing more.

She had no emotional hold over him. He wouldn't allow it. That meant weakness.

He was not his brother, or any of Sakura's many other suitors.

He was Itachi Uchiha who let nothing and no one influence or weaken him beside himself.

"I noticed blades in the sandals of my geisha, but I didn't know how to release them." Sakura began explaining to Sasori. "I just guessed that using a small amount of chakra would do it, but they wouldn't budge."

"Ah." Sasori nodded. "Those blades are only tripped when a certain point on the sandal heel is pressed correctly. This means that you can operate some of the geisha's weapons without using too much of your chakra."

"Oh." Sakura nodded with a smile. "That's interesting. My geisha is just full of surprises, isn't she?"

"Just like her puppet master, yeah." Deidara teased.

Itachi drowned out their conversation as Kisame began talking once more about what he and Sakura would be going over the next day, and Deidara praised her work with his clay.

Sakura slipped into her room in her towel. She gave a small sigh as she slid the door closed behind her. Itachi was sitting on the edge of her bed, watching her with his emotionless face. Itachi's been quiet tonight.

She tried to ignore the hurt feeling it gave her to know he hadn't tried anything else, which surprised herself even more. Even during the small period of time they'd been alone together in the hall after breakfast before she had gone outside with Deidara, he hadn't so much as looked at her.

It hurt, because for some reason she had believed that maybe he actually felt something for her.

Why else would he and Deidara have fought?

Sakura smiled at him, "Good evening, Itachi. Shall we begin?" She sat down on the edge of the bed and placed her hands over his eyes.

"Let's see, you've been using a lot of your Sharingan lately, haven't you?"

"Hn."

"After using it myself, I felt the strain it has on the eyes of its wielder. Using it for such long periods of time isn't healthy."

"Hn."

"I think that if I experiment with the regular Sharingan in my own eyes, I can develop easier and quicker ways of healing yours, as well as understand the certain time limit you can use them without damaging them before they can heal themselves."

"Hn."

"Of course, I've only used the Sharingan once. It will be a while, so I'll just have to heal your eyes like I have always done for the time being."

"Hn."

"Kisame walked in and saw me naked in the bathtub."

"Hn."

"And I believe I can heal your eyes completely by—"

"Kisame did what?"

Sakura looked at him with a small smile. She'd wondered when he'd finally catch it. She liked the small flare of his nostrils as his eyes flashed crimson. He was angry, or at least a bit annoyed. I'm actually beginning to read him now, even if just a little bit. Good. It's about time.

She gave a small huff. "You're going to hurt yourself if you change your eyes to their Sharingan state while I'm healing them."

"What was Kisame doing in the bathroom with you?"

Sakura grinned down at him. "Oh Itachi, I was just joking. It's cute to see that you can actually be jealous though." Although I don't know if that expression actually counts as jealousy. More like mild irritation. Heh.

Itachi's eyes flashed and he gripped her wrist. Sakura let out a small yelp, but it was caught by his lips as he pressed her against the bed.

Sakura's eyes went wide as she was pressed into the soft mattress. She felt his warm body over hers, his hands firmly planted on either side of her. His tongue licked the crease between her lips and she unconsciously opened her mouth in an invitation.

She didn't even know what she was doing. The weight of him on her chest felt so right, she never wanted it to stop. This was what she had wanted for so long…

But why was it happening now? That was her only question. Why?

She seemed to ask that a lot, when the question pertained to Itachi. Their tongues began entwining and she swore she felt Itachi smirk against her lips, which made her a little angry. What did he think, that he was some great man-god that could make any girl swoon under his touch?

Well, he would be partly correct in his assumptions then, or so Sakura believed.

She felt her towel slipping off of her body and Itachi's Akatsuki cloak skimmed across her chest. The fabric was cool, and it raked across her skin like sensual fingers.

She resisted the urge to arch against him, because she had no idea where the thought had come from. Her body had merely rushed to react to the strange sensations she was feeling. Luckily, she stopped herself, although she didn't quite know why she did so.

Suddenly Itachi pulled a few inches a way, his red Sharingan looked down at her from behind his coal black bangs. Sakura was breathing in ragged breaths, but Itachi was breathing normally.

His breath smelt good. Like the tea he'd been drinking.

"Tell Kisame that if I catch him in the bathroom with you, I will kill him."

Sakura almost believed he was actually joking, since he smirked as he said it. But Sakura then realized that he was being dead serious. The small catch of possessiveness she heard in his usually emotionless voice made her stomach do a flip.

She looked up at him, and she couldn't help but frown. "He's just teasing."

"Hn."

Sakura bit her lip, wondering what to do now. She felt awfully awkward, lying beneath him on the bed. Merely because they weren't doing anything, just lying there.

Itachi watched as a small sliver of her tooth appeared between her full lips, followed by a tongue that whipped across the bottom one almost too quickly to see, wetting it.

He wanted to taste her lips again, but he supposed this was enough for now.

He was going to show her that she was his soon.

Sooner or later she would give into him completely, of her own accord. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back at what he had just thought. Was he really letting what Deidara said to him get under his skin?

"I didn't have to tie Sakura up for her to sleep with me."

Itachi frowned slightly at the thought. He didn't care what Deidara had said. It wasn't as if it were affecting him.

However, he was going to prove Deidara wrong, just because he felt like it, of course.

Although he didn't suppose now would be a good time to use his theory. Sakura was still staring at him in mild surprise, although she seemed happy with the events that had taken place.

He skimmed her stomach with one hand, and felt her skin tighten at the contact. He remembered that her towel had fallen off, but he didn't look down at her body. For some reason, he merely met her green eyes with his own crimson ones. For a second it flashed into his mind how dark and sensual she would look with the Sharingan.

"Itachi?"

"We'll continue tomorrow night." Itachi then stood up—if not a bit begrudgingly—and headed to the door.

Sakura sat up slowly. She wondered if he was talking about her healing his eyes…or whatever it was that had just happened. She touched her lips, which tingled.

He slid the door open.

"Itachi!"

Itachi turned to look back at her over his shoulder.

Sakura smiled at him, "Thank you for the scroll." She mumbled as she motioned to where it sat on her bedside table.

"Hn."

And then he was gone.

Sakura rubbed her arms. The room was suddenly cold without Itachi sitting beside her…or on top of her. She allowed herself a small blush as she tucked a few strands of her hair out of her eyes.

She supposed this discounted her theory. She had believed she could read Itachi. But he just kept surprising her. She didn't know what to make of him.

He seemed to like proving her wrong at everything turn.

(A/N: Hehehe. Did you like it? Happy Valentine's Day! I don't really like the holiday, but I made an exception here. I know we all wanted it to be a bit steamier, but I wanted to keep the really good stuff for later on.

Besides, I think Sakura and Itachi's thoughts about one another were very romantic. I'm hoping that this will help to build up their relationship now, so that it isn't like they're in love all of a sudden. That would be a disappointment. Besides, I think that in Sakura and Itachi's case, it's going to be more hot, passionate love than romantic, sweet love, until Itachi gets some sense knocked into him.

And, of course, we all love the hot, passionate love too! Maybe even more. Like my sister. She's just waiting for a lemon scene.

I merely put in a pinch of lemon to keep you all excited.

Oh, if only they had continued! Hehehehe. Of course, Kisame would have probably burst in. He has a nasty habit of doing that. And then, of course, he would get murdered by all of you.

Until next time, I guess I'm signing off!

Lady Hanaka

The best Valentine you can give me is a review! (hint, hint)

Life Question: What happens if you get scared half to death twice?)