Chapter 5 – We're Friends

Before Sakura even realised it, a month went by.

Like she had promised her father, she called him once (sometimes up to three times depending on how much she missed him) a week. Shisui had somehow set up a phone that, if it was tracked, would say that she was in another country. She wasn't all that sure on how it worked, but it was somewhat simple to use.

During those phone calls, Sakura also spoke with her mother. The first time they spoke had been heartbreaking for her. Her mother had apologised over and over again, telling her that she loved her. Other times, Sakura would make up stories about volunteering at foreign hospitals, telling them lies about helping young children. It made her feel sick lying to them, but there was no other way.

Also, Sakura could now hunt by herself. She simply preferred having company. While Itachi was at work, she would hunt with Mikoto and she had also hunted several times with Shisui or Sasuke. The latter was pretty much silent during the time they spent together, but Sakura could tell that he wasn't opposed to it. If he didn't want to hunt with her, she was certain it would take little to no effort for him to leave her by herself. He even settled on hunting animals instead of humans while with her, though Sakura had been able to tell by the grimace on his face that he didn't like it.

She sparred a lot now, too. At first, she had been unsure about throwing punches, about actually hitting the others. So, before Sakura had even dared to try sparring with Mikoto, she had sparred a few times with Itachi and Shisui because of the difference in their speed. Not at the same time, of course, because… Damn. Just damn. They were so fast. And powerful. Mikoto had failed to warn her that Shisui was also classed as a genius. Once certain that she wouldn't kill anyone (or destroy their bodies), Sakura had then asked Mikoto to spar with her. The woman had agreed wholeheartedly and since then, they trained together once a day for a couple of hours.

Also, due to her being a wind type, Itachi and Shisui had both been working with her on her jutsu. It wasn't perfect, as they said she needed a lot more practice, but it was slowly, painfully slowly, getting there.

Yesterday, Sakura had sparred with Sasuke (with Shisui watching over them, like she had promised Itachi). Her uncertainty at sparring with the others was nothing compared to the uncertainty she felt while sparring with Sasuke. She had tried her best to view him as though he was just like the others, but there was always a flash in his eyes that told her, screamed at her, that he wasn't like them. Sasuke would never be like them.

When they sparred, he never used his jutsu against her and she didn't use hers against him (mostly because she didn't have any). However, he was somewhat teaching her how to control the amount of chakra that went into her fists, to give her a boost in strength in case she needed it. Apparently, the Uchiha clan knew of someone who did the exact same thing.

Sasuke really wasn't as bad as she had once thought. Sure, he was psychologically damaged, a little too obsessed with revenge and easily angered, but he was still that little boy from Itachi's memories. One just had to know where to look to find him.

The leaves were changing colour and falling now and due to how many there were, it was pretty much impossible to see the ground of the forest as she walked through the trees. Every step she took kicked the leaves up and despite her footsteps being much lighter, she still made noise unless Sakura was extremely careful about where she was stepping. It made hunting animals harder, but not impossible.

Sitting by the lake she and Itachi always sat at, Sakura washed her hands in the water. It was unusual that mountain lions appeared around that particular area of the forest, but it wasn't exactly unheard of. On more than one occasion, hikers had been attacked by them. The only reason she knew that they weren't attacked by vampires was because the Uchiha clan only fed on criminals. Not only that, but they also got rid of any evidence left behind. The mountain lions had been a hell of a lot feistier than the wolves or the deer. It was because of that, that her hands, lips and chin were covered in blood but luckily for her, none of it had spilled on her clothes.

There had been two of them and now that she was well sated, she wouldn't need to hunt for a few days. Her thirst wasn't as extreme as it had been when she first woke up and, like the others, Sakura did not have to sleep every night. She was glad for that because she and Itachi now stayed up together, talking about themselves. Itachi never told her much and what he did tell her, was said rather cryptically, but Sakura liked to think that she was getting to know him better now.

He knew pretty much everything about her. Her favourite colour, her birthday, her first pet… They spoke about everything and anything. Actually, Sakura was certain that the only other people who had known her so well before, had been her father and Ino. Now, one of her precious people was dead and the other could never be told about what she was. There were now secrets between Sakura and her father.

She had never kept secrets from him before and it felt so strange to be keeping them from him now. However, Mikoto had explained to her that telling him the truth could have dire consequences. For example, it could attract what the others called "hunters". Or, if they managed to capture her (which Sakura really doubted), she would be sent to an asylum and treated as mentally unstable. She'd eventually starve to death or would be driven insane by hunger since she refused to drink human blood.

Hunters.

Sakura frowned softly as she slowed in her cleaning. Hunters were the enemy of her kind, of any supernatural kind. Like their name suggested, they hunted them and killed them. They were all dangerous and the skilled ones were absolutely lethal. Most of them could use jutsu. And no, hunters were not witches and they weren't any other kind of mythical creature. They were nothing more than humans. It was why the Uchiha clan kept to themselves, so that they didn't attract any unwanted attention. Their unnatural beauty made it a little harder for them to blend in, but they liked to think that they weren't attracting any attention other than that.

For the first couple of days after Sakura's 'accident', they had been on high alert for a while, taking watches to make sure that no hunter had heard or felt the quake (Mikoto had murmured something about a powerful vampire whose attacks had the same devastating effect, meaning the hunters would jump at the chance to capture and kill that woman). Fortunately for them, none had come by and Sakura was glad for that. The last thing she wanted to happen was for the clan who had taken her in, to be attacked because of her.

The sound of leaves crunching caused her to stiffen and warily smell the air. No animals. Whatever was watching her was a predator. A predator like herself.

She was on her feet and whirling around in an instant, falling into the fighting stance Itachi had taught her. It guarded each and every inch of her body.

"Come out," Sakura spoke loud enough for whoever it was to hear her. Her voice was stronger than she felt. "There's no use in hiding. You reek."

It wasn't an Uchiha. Whoever it was, was somebody she had never met before.

And then, causing her to take a wary step back (she was secretly grateful to Mikoto for teaching her how to walk on water using her chakra), four figures dropped from the trees.

They were vampires, that much was obvious, but what were they doing there? Couldn't they sense that the land had already been claimed by the Uchiha clan?

Her eyes moved over the four, first sticking to one of the blonds of the group who was slightly in front of the rest. His hair was more yellow than blond really and for a moment, his eyes reminded her of Ino, but Sakura quickly shoved that foolish thought away. Now was not the time to be getting sentimental. Behind the blond were three others. One female, two males.

"Come on," the blond male chuckled and scratched his head and as he did, she saw a flash of warm orange in her mind that threatened to draw her in, to lower her guard. She didn't let it. "Is saying we stink any way to greet us?"

"Why would I be greeting you?" Sakura narrowed her eyes and her fists clenched as the woman reached behind her, her hand gripping the large shape that was on her back. Even with her eyesight, Sakura couldn't tell what it was. All she knew, was that the colour that came to her was murky, an odd shade of purple and blue.

The woman was also blonde, though her hair was a much dirtier shade than the man's and she had it up in four messy and wild ponytails. Her eyes were a teal colour and her skin seemed tanned but at the same time, it was also pale, if that made any sense. They were all dressed similarly, like they were planning on staying in the desert or somewhere equally as hot. No, they weren't wearing next to nothing, because only a fool would dress that way in the desert. They were wearing darker clothing that covered most of their bodies.

Stepping forward, the blond grinned. "We're not going to hurt you!"

"Naruto," one of the other males spoke, his deep and husky voice sending an involuntary shiver down Sakura's spine. Dark. Evil. That was what his colour told her. It was the colour of blood. Fresh, hot blood that had recently been spilled. "Clearly she is a newborn. Watch yourself. She will be fast and unpredictable."

The blond, now known as Naruto, merely waved him off. "Don't worry about me, Gaara."

"Somebody has to," the third male grumbled.

Eyes falling to the redhead who Naruto had just called 'Gaara', Sakura frowned. He was clearly the leader of the group as his aura simply screamed it, his presence suffocating to her. He was superior and no doubt much stronger than her. In fact, Sakura was willing to bet that they were all much stronger than herself, but like he had just said, she was fast. Itachi and Shisui had been helping her with her speed.

Once again, Naruto stepped forward and raised his hands, but Sakura wasn't certain if it was in a friendly way or not. Itachi had warned her that others of their kind weren't always friendly and one or two of the guys in front of her reeked of death and blood. It was how she had known they were there in the first place other than the crunching of leaves. Considering the blood around the blond's mouth, Sakura was sure that they had been hunting when they caught scent of her. Damn it! Why hadn't she washed the blood from her hands and mouth quicker? Actually, why couldn't she have stuck to the usual deer?

"We saw you take down those mountain lions," the female spoke up, her hand holding tightly onto the metal item behind her. "You have potential. Do you belong to a clan already?"

There wasn't a chance in hell that she would be dragging the Uchiha clan into her mess. They had already done so much for her. "How long have you been following me?"

"A while," the redhead answered flatly and his colour became darker, like it was becoming something entirely different. Like there was really two of him standing before her.

And then she was running.

It had been an instinctual reaction to the woman pulling whatever the hell was on her back in front of her, but Sakura could already hear the others following her. She could hear them talking amongst each other and hearing a strange sound following their talking, Sakura forced her legs to move faster. She sent chakra to her feet, jumping from tree to tree and dodging whatever the hell was trying to capture her by diagonally vaulting from one tree trunk to another. It felt like she was spinning and twisting and running for hours before she finally broke through the trees.

But the moment she did, a wall of what appeared to be sand stopped her.

Like with the running, it was instinctual how her arm and fist flooded with chakra, how she was smashing her fist into the wall of sand and breaking her way through. Behind her, Sakura could hear the group gasping in shock, but she also felt the feeling of a challenge fill the air. Whoever could summon sand was getting excited. They liked the challenge she was giving to them. And she had a strong feeling that it was the guy with the blood red colour.

Before things could go any further, however, two figures appeared in front of her, each standing by her side protectively.

"Uchiha," the redhead growled as he and his group skidded to a stop, his sand moving back to the gourd on his back. Sakura inwardly frowned. She hadn't spotted the gourd earlier. How poor were her observational skills?

"Gaara," Sasuke greeted coldly, his sharingan activating.

Mikoto was the only one who didn't appear angered. In fact, she was as calm as ever. "Naruto-kun. It has been a while since we last saw you."

"Wait." Sakura frowned, her eyes going from the group in front of them and over to Mikoto. "You know these guys?"

"Only Naruto," Sasuke muttered. "The rest of them, we only know vaguely from a run in we had with them years back."

Instead of replying to them, the redhead continued to glare at Sasuke before his eyes slid over to Sakura, his icy blue eyes pinning her in her spot. "So you are a member of the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes," Mikoto replied for her. "Sakura-chan is with us."

Much to her surprise, Naruto seemed to be practically trembling with excitement. His blue eyes were shining brightly as he moved closer to them, his hands waving through the air as he spoke. "Eh? How the hell could somebody like Sasuke get a girl like her? It's impossible! He's all broody and up his own ass!" He sighed dejectedly. "I was hoping that she would want to join us and be my–"

"She's not with me, idiot."

"She's not?" the woman repeated, looking over to the two men by her side before turning back to Sakura. "Who are you with? Shisui?"

"Who am I with?" The blonde woman nodded once. "I… I don't–"

"Itachi," Mikoto spoke up. "Sakura-chan is with Itachi."

Naruto fell to his knees and practically screamed into the sky, "No! Why him? Sakura-chan!" All she could do was stare with wide eyes. Just what the hell was his problem? "Hey!" He jumped to his feet and shot forward, grabbing one of her hands in his own. "Run away with me! We can get married and travel the–"

And then her fist was slamming into his face, sending him flying right back over to the trees. "Idiot! I'm not leaving Itachi-san for you."

Mikoto practically beamed, but did well to hide her grin from them all.

"S-Sakura… chan."

"You don't even know me."

"It's love at first sight," the blond told her as he stood up and ran back over to them. "Don't tell me you don't feel the same way."

The pink haired woman looked up at Sasuke desperately. "Please tell me he's messing with me."

"It's hard to tell," he told her honestly, seeming just as stunned by Naruto's actions. His upper lip was curling slightly with disgust at how pitiful the blond was acting, but before he could say anything, Gaara spoke up.

"Naruto. Calm down."

And so he did. Well, with a sigh of defeat. "You can't deny that you're all jealous, too."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously at Naruto's words. "You want Sakura to join you?"

The blonde woman shrugged. "She's strong and has potential."

"Have you been training with Tsunade?"

Both Mikoto and Sasuke stiffened ever so slightly at Gaara's question to Sakura. All waited for her reply, but she simply frowned. "I don't know who Tsunade is."

"She is the one who changed us, Sakura-chan," Mikoto told her.

Her eyes widened as she recalled Itachi's memories. "The doctor?" They nodded. Then, Sakura sighed and turned to face the group, once again shaking her head. "I have never met Tsunade before. Why do you ask?"

"You have the same strength as her," the third male spoke up. "Temari noticed it at first when you took down those mountain lions. Sure, you're not as strong as Tsunade, but with practice, you'll probably be just as strong as her. Like my sister said, you have potential. Well, that's if you can use medical jutsu."

"Medical jutsu?" Sakura's frowned deepened. "I don't… I don't know…"

"Sakura-chan has only been awake for a month," Mikoto said with a serious tone in her voice. "She has not had the opportunity yet to discover all of these things as we didn't want to overwhelm her. For now, we are simply working on the basic jutsu and taijutsu." Not giving them a chance to reply, she then went on to say, "State your purpose for being here. If it is to ask Sakura-chan to join you, then please leave. She is a member of our clan now, and we will not let her go without a fight."

And then three others were joining them.

Sakura's eyes widened as Shisui and Itachi dropped to each of her sides, causing Mikoto and Sasuke to take a step forward so that they wouldn't be too close together. Then, Fugaku appeared beside Mikoto, though slightly in front of her too, with his arms folded over his chest arrogantly like he was daring them to disobey his mate. It didn't go unnoticed by the others how Sakura immediately looked up at Itachi, how the panicked look in her eyes slowly started to fade as she realised he would let no harm come to her.

The blonde, Temari, placed the metal item in her hands onto her back once more at Gaara's unspoken order to do so. Also, Naruto straightened up, the playful look in his once excited eyes becoming serious. "We need help," Naruto spoke, ignoring the annoyed glare Temari sent to him. "That's why we came to you. Even if not all of you like these guys, I know that some of you will be willing to help me."

Sasuke's upper lip curled. "What makes you–"

"Sasuke." Fugaku silenced his son and looked back to Naruto. "Continue, Naruto."

Scratching his cheek, he sighed. "I got split up from Ero-Sennin, Tsunade-baa-chan and Shizune-nee-chan. I don't know what the hell happened. One moment, we were all relaxing and drinking sake and then the next, Baa-chan is dragging me out of there, screaming at me to run." His face suddenly became pained. "I believe that Baa-chan and Shizune-nee-chan are alive, but Ero–Sennin… I can't… I can't feel him, you know? I tracked their scents as far as I could before I met up with Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. They agreed to help me find them, but unless they've gone into hiding…"

"Was Tsunade-sama injured?" Shisui asked. "She's not dead, we can tell you that now. Our bond with her is still strong. She is weakened, but not dead. She must have used the seal on her forehead to protect civilians from being harmed or healing the ones who were injured."

The sigh of relief that left Naruto had Sakura biting her lip. He seemed so worried about them. "Thanks."

"As for Jiraiya-sama's connection with you." Shisui narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Have you tried meditating and focusing on your bond with him?"

Noticing her confusion, Itachi murmured quietly to her, "Jiraiya-sama was the one who changed Naruto-kun. Like between us, there is a bond between him and Jiraiya-sama."

"Wait," Naruto suddenly exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stared at the pair of them. "So you're not together? You're just bonded? Sakura-chan! Why didn't you tell me? We can still leave and get married–"

"Shut up," she growled warningly. "I'm staying with Itachi-san and the Uchiha clan. He saved my life and they have been nothing but kind to me. They're my family now."

Naruto pouted. "Even Sasuke?"

Shrugging, Sakura glanced at Sasuke. He didn't look at her and instead kept his eyes locked on Gaara's. Clearly, he didn't trust the other vampire and she was grateful for that. That colour she saw… "He's not too bad. It was because of Sasuke that we discovered I could use that strength you were talking about."

"Tsunade-baa-chan's strength?" Naruto grinned sheepishly. "You're not as scary as her, though."

Mikoto chuckled softly. "She won't appreciate you saying such things, Naruto-kun."

"Aw, Baa-chan won't–"

"She's talking about Sakura-chan." Shisui smirked and wasn't the only one to notice the slight tick in Sakura's eyebrow. She definitely didn't enjoy being called 'scary'. His smirk dropped as he turned back to the group. "What else do you need help with?"

His grin grew more sheepish. "Well, if you don't mind, we were wondering if we could crash here for a while. It's safe here, you know? And we've been travelling without sleep for like three weeks straight now and I feel like I'm about to faint."

By the looks of the rings around Gaara's eyes, Sakura had the suspicion that he hadn't slept for much longer. Also, while vampires skin was already pale, his was the palest she had seen so far. In fact, he didn't look healthy at all. Gaara really did need to have a good night of sleep. But with them? Was he really trustworthy? The way his colour had changed, like a different personality had taken over him altogether, was terrifying.

Smiling, Mikoto said, "We have plenty of room for you all."

"All we ask is that, if you hunt, you clean up after yourselves," Fugaku added sternly, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "We do not want hunters coming after us because of your carelessness."

Gaara's eyes slid from Sasuke's and over to Fugaku's as he nodded once. "Of course."

Sakura bit the inside of her lip. They were staying with them? What if Naruto continued to annoy her about joining them? She didn't want to leave the Uchiha clan. She didn't want to leave Itachi. This was her home now. It was where she belonged.

And to make that point clear to them all, as they turned away to head back to the house, Sakura grabbed Itachi's hand. He didn't question her or look down at her in confusion. Instead, he kept his eyes locked with Naruto's for a moment, silently warning him not to even dare attempt to steal Sakura from him. His warning was clear to the entire Sabaku clan and Naruto as the blond suddenly pouted and the others nodded once in understanding.

Sakura was not to be touched.

"You told me that others of our kind aren't friendly."

"I told you that not all of our kind are friendly. I did not mean every vampire was not."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura glanced up at him with a pout. "Well what was I supposed to think when I found out that they had been watching me? It wasn't until the wind picked up that I noticed them. Not to mention Temari-san kept reaching for that metal thing on her back."

"That 'metal thing' on her back is a fan and they are all skilled, Sakura-san," Itachi told her smoothly. "They can hide their presence from others. You have not yet been taught how to sense for others of our kind, so you rely more on your sight, sense of smell and hearing."

"It was still embarrassing. I made such a fuss and it turned out that they're friends of your clan."

"Only Naruto-kun is a friend of ours. We have only met with the Sabaku clan once and during that time, Gaara-kun and Sasuke fought."

"They had a fight?" she gasped, her eyes widening.

"It was a long time ago." He suddenly fell silent and his head turned slightly to the left. "Naruto-kun, it is not polite to listen in on others' conversations."

Chuckling reached Sakura's sensitive ears, making her scowl in the direction of the window. There was a ledge out there large enough for somebody to sit or stand on, but she had no idea that somebody would actually sit there and listen to their conversation. It was rather unnerving thinking of somebody doing so. Yes, the others had sensitive hearing too, but they tuned them out to give them privacy. Sakura was still learning on how to master that particular skill.

And then the window was sliding open and somebody was slipping through the opening, making her eyes widen. Just who the hell did this Naruto think he was? Before she could scream at him to get out of her room, Itachi sighed and shook his head at her, silently telling her that it was best not to argue with him. He wouldn't pay any attention to them.

Naruto paused for a moment as he looked down at Sakura and Itachi, blinking once in surprise. "Man." He grinned sheepishly. "It's kind of strange seeing you act like that, Itachi."

The way he spoke to Itachi so informally… Sakura wasn't sure what to make of it. Clearly they knew one another and were… Were they friends?

"It's not strange," she huffed, her hold tightening on his hand.

Since leaving the group and going up to her bedroom, she hadn't let go of his hand once. Being able to sense so many powerful vampires in the house was unsettling to her, so they sat up against the headboard of her bed, their hands entwined and resting against her thighs.

"It is," Naruto exclaimed and sat down on the bottom of the bed, ignoring Sakura as she glared at him. She did so not give him permission to sit on her bed. Damn it. He was like the annoying little brother she never had or wanted. Although, considering how he had tried to get her to run away with him earlier… She shuddered. "I've never seen Itachi acting like this before."

In response, he sighed. "What do you want, Naruto-kun?"

The blond looked down at the space between them, a frown settling over his features. "It was Orochimaru who attacked us, Itachi."

"Orochimaru?" Sakura glanced up at Itachi's blank face as she felt the hidden anger within him sparking to life.

"He's a powerful witch," Naruto explained. "He used to be one of Baa-chan's and Ero-Sennin's friends before they were changed and they used to be a team. But… I don't know. They said that there's always been a darkness in him and then one day, he just snapped. Made himself immortal or some crazy shit like that." Scratching his head, he gave Itachi such a look that it made him seem so many years older. He looked so tired. "That's why I didn't say who it was earlier. I couldn't. Sasuke would've flipped."

A powerful witch.

And they couldn't say his name around Sasuke.

"The one who attacked Sasuke?" She kept her voice low so that there wasn't a chance of Sasuke overhearing them.

Naruto frowned over at her. "You know about that?"

"Not in detail," Itachi told him. "But Sakura-san knows enough."

"Right…" His frown deepened before he sighed. "Look, Sakura-chan, I'm sorry for acting the way I did earlier. Or if I came off as a bit pushy and–"

He looked so sincere that it warmed her dead heart. Maybe Naruto wasn't as bad as she had once thought? "It's fine."

"You're not mad?" She shook her head and when he gave her a grin, she had to hold back a groan. "Don't think that that means the offer doesn't stand, though. You can still run away with me. You know, break away from these guys and have fun."

"I do have fun," she grumbled in response, her hold tightening on Itachi's hand. "I want to stay with Itachi-san, Naruto. Not only because he saved me, but also because he's my friend. He is my family now."

Even though he appeared unaffected, there was a warm feeling coming from Itachi as the words left her lips and in response, a small smile played at the corner of her lips. It felt nice to be able to bring him such… happiness? Was that what Itachi was currently feeling? Whatever it was, it was nice to be able to make him feel that way.

"O-Oi! You two better not go having sex in front of me or something! Stop giving each other mushy looks! It's creepy."

And then just like that, the moment was shattered.

Releasing Itachi's hand for the first time in hours, Sakura stood up and walked over to where Naruto was now standing, waving his arms in the air like an idiot. Oh she was going to pummel him. His eyes widened as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him back out of her window, uncaring of the way his head thumped against the frame. Once she heard the satisfying thud followed by a groan that told her he had landed on the ground, Sakura leaned out of the window and looked down at him with a fierce glower. Naruto was pouting, seeming utterly confused and was simply laying there on his back, looking up at her.

"What the hell," he mumbled. "Did you just… throw me out of the window?"

"Say something like that again, you idiot, and I'll do worse than throw you out of a window," Sakura yelled and as soon as she did, she slammed her window shut, the glass trembling for a couple of moments after she did.

"B-But, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined from outside and she could hear him getting up, moving underneath her window. "I was only kidding! Well, not the part about you and Itachi having sex in front of me, because that's weird! But you're not really creepy or scary! I promise."

And just like that, all conversation and movement in the house stopped. The sound of Temari cleaning her fan, of Gaara placing down his gourd, of Kankuro working on his puppets all stopped. Not even a second later, both Sakura and Itachi could hear Mikoto talking to Shisui, though she was making an effort to keep her voice low so that they couldn't hear her. Sakura had a feeling Itachi could hear her since he rolled his eyes (which seemed very uncharacteristic of him to her), but instead of telling her what was said, he merely shook his head.

"We were not about to have sex," Sakura shouted right back, knowing that Naruto could hear her.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. Don't be mad at me!"

"Shut up, dobe," a threatening voice spat and Sakura knew instantly that it was Sasuke. "Nobody wants to hear about what they're doing up there."

"Yes, Naruto-kun." This time, it was Mikoto who was speaking but her voice was softer and much more calm. "Besides, I know that they have not done anything like that."

"Yet." A voice chuckled and though she wasn't too sure, Sakura could have sworn that it was Kankuro. "They haven't done anything like that yet."

The frown in Naruto's voice was obvious. "Why not?" And then, he sounded a little (very) angry. "Uchiha Itachi! You better not think you're better than my Sakura-chan!"

Itachi sighed but said nothing in return.

"Naruto, shut up," Sasuke once again spat. "You don't know anything about Sakura, so how can she be yours? You have no right to claim her!"

"And what is there to know?" This voice had her eyes widening. It was Gaara's voice.

"She was ra–"

"Don't you dare continue with that sentence, Uchiha Sasuke." It seemed even Itachi was surprised when he heard his mother yelling at Sasuke. "Sakura-chan wouldn't appreciate it in the least."

This time, it was Sasuke who sighed.

Sakura tensed ever so slightly as it seemed to go deathly silent and it was then she realised that, with just a couple of short sentences, everyone knew part of her story now.

"Come, Sakura," Itachi told her as he stood up and opened her window once more. "We will go and sit by the lake for a while."

She nodded gratefully and followed him as he leapt out of her window. They both ignored Naruto as he stared at her, guilt and shock so clear on his face as he watched them run into the trees, as he watched them disappear into the darkness. Even Sasuke seemed to be feeling a little guilty as he stood a couple of feet away from the blond.

"You shouldn't have said anything," Naruto muttered, now looking down at his feet.

"Me?" Sasuke scoffed as he turned to the opposite side of the forest and headed over to the trees. "It was you who started it by screaming that they were having sex."

Naruto frowned as he regarded Sasuke's back for a few moments, the Uchiha emblem catching his attention immediately. He never truly understood why Sasuke continued to wear his clan's emblem. Sure, it told others just who he was, but didn't it also make him a target? What if hunters found him? All other members of the Uchiha clan were wiped out. They were all dead except for the five nearby.

"Oi, Sasuke," he called after the Uchiha. "Where are you going?"

Sasuke didn't pause for a moment. "I have something I need to do."

With that, he disappeared.

"He's been hanging around Konoha for a couple of weeks now." Shisui narrowed his eyes and Naruto blinked in surprise when he suddenly appeared beside him. "He doesn't do anything. Simply watches and investigates."

The blond's frown deepened. "Investigates? Do you think he has a lead on Orochimaru?"

Shisui shook his head, his sharingan deactivating as he walked back over to the house. "I don't know."

But whatever he was doing in Konoha, he was serious about it. The fact that he was being extremely cautious and covering his tracks to such a great extent, told Shisui that.

"I'm not upset about your clan knowing, since they already knew and I… I feel safe here," Sakura told Itachi, her eyes glued on the ground. "It's just that… I don't even know these people and now they know something about me that is extremely private." Itachi was leaning back against a tree and held her as she spoke. "I know that I didn't know any of you when I was first changed, but I think of you all as family now. You saved me. Shisui-san is doing everything he possibly can to stop my parents from having to suffer or find out about what I am now. Your mom and Sasuke both came to protect me earlier today when I was trying to outrun the sand." Sakura turned her head slightly and rested it on his chest, closing her eyes. "I like you and your clan. Even your dad, even though he's been nothing but negative towards me."

His lips twitched into a slightly bitter smile. "Do not take it personally. My father has always been that way. It is just who he is. However, even though he comes off as cold and hard to please, he is not always that way."

"I know." She gave a soft smile as she leaned in closer to Itachi, breathing in his scent. It was a mixture of different smells. Fire, an earthy smell that reminded her of the forest and something so very masculine. Like his presence, it calmed her. Perhaps it was simply Itachi who could do such a thing? Yes, there were moments when he could terrify her, but that was only when his sharingan was activated and he was threatening somebody – and that had only happened once, when he was warning Sasuke to back off. "I've seen your memories, remember?"

In response, he nodded once. "You should not feel ashamed about what happened to you, Sakura-san." His voice was nothing but a murmur and Sakura tried her best to hold back the shiver that ran up her spine as he brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "It was not your fault. The world is full of monsters, but not all of them are of the supernatural kind that people naturally fear. Some of the most sadistic monsters, are humans."

He was so right that it hurt. "It's been easy pushing what happened from my mind, especially with all the training. But…" At her 'but', Itachi glanced down at her. "But I'm scared that when I'm alone, when there's nothing left to think about, it's all going to come crashing down on me all at once." Pulling back ever so slightly, Sakura opened her eyes and looked up at him. "And I know you've felt it, too. Through our bond, I mean. That… That darkness. Sometimes, I get so angry, I feel so murderous, that it actually hurts. It pains me that I can't do anything."

If it was even possible, his hold became more comforting. "Do not dwell on such things, Sakura-san. You will never be alone and if those feelings do try to take over you, I will be there to help you."

"Do you promise?"

Sakura's eyes widened as Itachi pressed his lips to her forehead. "I promise, Hime."

It had been an instinctual move to kiss her forehead, to brush his lips across her skin. And as for the 'hime' comment…

It was definitely not a name he'd ever thought he'd use for somebody. But somehow, it fit.

Itachi sighed as he looked up at the dark sky. The stars were out tonight. Unknown to humans, they were always 'out', they were simply hiding behind clouds and pollution. That was yet another thing that pained the Uchiha clan. Yes, there were benefits to technology and other things such as that, but the world had once been so beautiful and natural. There had been no pollution. Now? Now their planet was being destroyed.

Glancing down at the woman sleeping in his arms, he felt that feeling again.

If somebody asked Itachi to explain the feelings he was experiencing at that moment in time, since the very first moment he caught a whiff of Sakura's scent, he would be unable to answer. He, the Uchiha genius, would not be able to come up with a single word to explain how he felt. It was simply… different. He had been different the second he picked up on her scent and with each passing day, each passing moment, the connection between them was growing stronger.

She opened up to him and trusted him completely. Despite the awful, unforgivable things that had happened to Sakura, she let him in. She told him things about her past, told him about her previous life, and even though she claimed that many of the things she told him were dull, Itachi didn't think they were at all. They told him who she was as a person. They allowed him to see the woman she was inside. Sakura was passionate, she was fierce and protective of those she cared for. There was a determination within her, there was an innocence.

To him, she was a one-of-a-kind type of creature.

It was so rare to find innocence such as hers. It was so rare to find somebody like her.

In all his years, Itachi had never felt this way about anyone before.

It was unsettling.

His father had warned him the second Itachi arrived home, covered in blood with a badly broken Sakura in his arms about getting too attached, but already, he had been in too deep. Itachi hadn't even needed to lay eyes upon the woman for him to be caught under her spell. Although, the moment their eyes locked and her stunningly green eyes begged of him to help her… Well, they had sealed his fate.

How could he allow for such an innocent creature to die in such a horrific way? To put it simply, he couldn't. Itachi gave a small smirk as he brushed the hair away from her eyes. His mother had always told him that he was a stubborn person, but to refuse to allow death to take this woman from him?

There were no words for how badly Itachi had insulted death. First, despite being on death's door, Itachi had been somewhat brought back to full health (albeit, unnaturally). Then, to add insult to the injury, he had then snatched Sakura away from that very same doorstep in the very same way.

It did not matter to him. He would protect Sakura with his life.

"You are my life now," he murmured almost silently to a sleeping Sakura as he closed his eyes and rested his head back against the tree, "Hime."

And it was the truth.

If somebody dared to try and steal her from him…

They would have to kill him first and that would be no easy task.

He watched her like he always did. He watched the grace that showed in each of her movements. He watched as she smiled and joked lightly with his mother. He watched as she teased Sasuke (surprising them all when Sasuke didn't attack her or snap at her for such a thing). He watched as she 'played nice' – as she had once called it – with his father. He watched as she smiled and spoke with Shisui like they were old friends.

Sakura didn't know it, but his clan had accepted her. Even his father and Sasuke. They knew how much Sakura meant to him despite it all happening so quickly. They knew that she was his life. She was a member of their clan now.

And then, that feeling returned as she turned to him, as her eyes lit up in a warm, tender smile when they connected with his. Sakura always smiled around him, though he knew she wasn't always aware of it. The smile wouldn't always be on her lips, but it was in her eyes. Around him, her smiles were nothing but genuine. She really was happy with him. And that made him happy. He and Sakura were connected. They could feel each other's emotions as though they were their own.

No, he did not only see Sakura in a romantic way. He would be whatever she needed him to be. A friend, a confider, a protector or a lover. Whatever she wanted, whatever she needed, he would give without complaint. If she simply wanted to carry on as they currently were, then he would gladly do so. Strangely enough, Itachi did not mind being Sakura's anything.

The feeling had worried him at first and had made him uneasy, but now, he was growing accustomed to it. After all, it wasn't a terrible feeling if he was being completely honest. It was nice. It was comforting and warm and made him feel things he had never thought possible. She made his dead heart want to restart. She made him want to give her things that he had never even thought about before.

He wanted to make her happy.

He wanted to see her smiling all of the time.

He wanted to take away that awful loneliness she felt at times.

He wanted to cherish her and protect her, to tell her that it would all be all right, even if it wasn't true.

He wanted to love her.

But was he capable of giving her such things? It was no secret that he could appear cold and aloof at times – even downright unapproachable. What if, one day, he hurt her? What if–

No. There was no use in thinking of what ifs and maybes. Nothing came free in life – Itachi had learned that the hard way. If he wanted something, he had to grab it and make it his.

However, for now, he was simply content with watching Sakura grow accustomed to her new life.

The Sabaku clan and Naruto were still around, although they spent most of their days searching for leads on Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya. With the help of Shisui and Mikoto, Naruto had focused hard on his connection with Jiraiya. It had been difficult for the blond, as he was not one for concentration, but in the end, he managed to do it. Jiraiya was alive, but was in hiding. Most likely with Tsunade and Shizune.

The tale of Uzumaki Naruto was a sad one, a painful one.

With Sakura seated comfortably between his legs, her side and head leaning against him as he himself leaned against a tree, Itachi closed his eyes and slowly wrapped his arms around her.

At a young age, Naruto had lost both his parents in a horrific way. They never managed to get to the bottom of what happened to his mother and father, but the news of their deaths had shocked the world.

His father, Namikaze Minato, had been a powerful leader. In fact, Minato had been the fourth leader of Konoha before his untimely death. Unlike other leaders of other nations, he had truly wished for peace. He did everything he could to prevent wars and protect his followers. However, one night, he and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, had been assassinated. The assassin had never been captured or found out.

At the time of his parents' death, Naruto had only been a baby and only trusted elders of Konoha knew of his existence. To keep him safe, they had locked him away, kept him out of sight of the public eye, hoping that, if the assassin should ever return, it would not be to kill Naruto.

However, as he grew older, Naruto lashed out. He grew to hate the men who locked him away, to hate the overwhelming loneliness that was forever trying to take over him. One of his guards, his protectors, had been none other than himself. He, Uchiha Itachi, had been trusted to take care of a rebellious, loud-mouth brat.

One day, not long before Naruto's fifteenth birthday, Itachi all but dragged Sasuke to Naruto's 'home'. It had been more of a prison, if Itachi was being honest. Sure, he had been allowed outside, but only in the enclosed area surrounding his 'home'. Sasuke had been stunned when he met Naruto, but Itachi liked to think that they had become friends. Naruto even thought of Sasuke as his brother, even though the latter refused to acknowledge it. Itachi knew that, though the feelings were hidden, Sasuke also cared for Naruto. They were friends. Sasuke was Naruto's first ever bond and (not including his clan) Naruto was Sasuke's.

Not even a year later, the assassin returned on a night that Itachi had not been on duty, when he had been away on a hunt. If it hadn't been for Naruto's godfather, Jiraiya, then he would have died that night. Somebody had leaked the information about him. Not to the whole world, of course, but still to highly dangerous men. Jiraiya had somehow caught wind of that and had been there as fast as he possibly could, desperate to protect his student's son, his godson.

That was the night Uzumaki Naruto was turned into a vampire.

It had been the only way to save him.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

Glancing down at the soft voice, Itachi readjusted his hold so that Sakura could move back slightly and look up at him. "It is nothing, Hime."

He could tell by the shy smile she gave him that, if she had still been human, Sakura would be blushing. It amused him greatly how expressive she was, how she wore her heart on her sleeve and left her emotions on show for everybody to see. Itachi knew that she didn't do it on purpose – it was simply who she was and that was what he liked most about her. She was genuine.

It was then that Itachi felt it. The warm feeling flowing through their bond from Sakura. It was like the feeling he felt around her. No, it was not as strong as the way he felt, but it was growing each and every day.

He was willing to wait for her, no matter how long it took.

After all, he would be whatever she wanted him to be.

Edited on 01/09/2016