Chapter 7 – Do What You Must

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as though he needed to keep his anger in check. Moments later, he was looking Itachi dead in the eye. "Do what you must."

It was then that Sakura heard the meaning behind his words. He wasn't telling Itachi to leave. Fugaku was giving him the choice of doing what he believed he had to. Deep down, the older man knew that his son would leave eventually. Not because he wanted to, but because he knew Itachi was a gentle and honourable person.

"I–" Itachi cut himself off, his head turning to the side as his eyes narrowed. "It seems the hunters have found us."

The way everybody moved into action was terrifying for Sakura, since she was still exhausted, still weakened. Yes, quite a bit of her strength was slowly coming back to her, though not quickly enough for her to be of any use. Like this, she would only be in the way.

"Sasuke," Itachi ordered. "Make up for what you have done and protect Sakura."

He wasn't even given the chance to argue but, strangely enough, it didn't seem like he was going to anyway. Instead, Sasuke simply moved over to Sakura, his sharingan still activated and spinning wildly. She could feel the thirst for battle pouring from him, though thankfully, Sasuke wasn't acting on those urges. His stance was tense, like he was ready to pounce the moment the enemy attacked. It made Sakura feel safe.

"Gaara–kun, try and stall them with your sand," Shisui ordered before he closed his eyes, only to reopen them a second later and at the sight of them, Sakura gasped. They were not like Itachi's, nor like any of the other Uchihas'. While theirs held three tomoe in each eye, Shisui's was a completely different design. "I will use the mangekyō and cast a genjutsu over them, which will give us all time to leave."

And just like that, Shisui was vanishing from sight and Sakura could not sense his presence at all.

It was frightening to say the least. Where had he gone? And what was that about genjutsu? What was the mangekyō and what could it do? Sakura's eyes were now wide and alert as she looked around the room just in time to see Gaara disappearing with a swirl of sand that surrounded his body. What the hell was happening? She felt so confused!

"Do not panic, Sakura," Itachi spoke quietly and he turned to face her. "Go upstairs with Sasuke and pack whatever holds sentimental value to you."

She didn't even have the time to open her mouth, because Sasuke suddenly picked her up and darted up the stairs, moving much too fast for her to keep up with. The last thing she saw of Itachi were his eyes locking with hers and she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms. What if he got hurt? It would be all her fault. Why did she have to go and kill those men? Yes, they deserved it, but look at what was happening now!

"Stop blaming yourself," Sasuke huffed as he set her down on her feet. "Hurry up."

Sakura didn't want to know how Sasuke could tell what she was thinking. Itachi had told her more than once during their past two months together that she was an open book to him, though she had thought that it was only to him that she was so open. Apparently not.

Biting her lip, Sakura packed her most important belongings, things she knew for a fact that she couldn't lose or leave behind. For starters, her photo albums then small trinkets and gifts she had been given over the years by her parents or Ino. Once certain that she had enough room for more, she packed clean clothes. It all fit into a large backpack.

"Should I pack anything for Itachi?"

Glancing over his shoulder at her (since he had been staring out of the window, watching for any signs of movement), he shook his head once. "Our clan has many hideouts and houses in different places. He won't need anything from here. If Itachi has anything important that holds sentimental value to him, it will be on his person."

Immediately, Sakura's mind flashed to the necklace he always wore. Not once had she ever seen him take it off. When she had asked about it, he had told her it was a family heirloom, but said little else about it. It was obvious that it was important to him, though. If it wasn't, Itachi wouldn't always wear it unless he simply forgot to take it off. She doubted that. He wasn't one to forget anything.

Looking around the room to make sure she had everything, Sakura slipped the backpack over her shoulders. "I'm ready."

Sasuke moved away from the window and without saying a word, like she had done with her backpack, he picked her up and slipped her onto his back. It was uncomfortable having his hands holding her thighs, having her arms wrapped around his neck and her chest pressed against his back, but there was little she could do so she tried to squash down the panic blooming in her chest. Sasuke had promised Itachi that he would take care of her, that he would make up for what he had done and Sakura refused to make it any harder for the younger Uchiha by tensing up and telling him she didn't want him to be holding her in such a way.

"Where will we meet him?" She kept her voice low as he ran silently through the large house.

It occurred to her as they entered his bedroom only seconds after leaving hers that she had never been in his room before. That wasn't very surprising, to be honest. However, it did surprise her how basic it was. There were no decorations, only weapons. It looked like a soldier's bedroom. Everywhere Sakura looked, she would spot more kunai or shuriken. He placed her down for a moment as he gathered some weapons, slipping them into a thigh holster and pouch and once he had checked his supplies, he attached the thigh holster to his right leg and then attached the pouch to his hip. It looked as though he had done it many times.

"Itachi will find us."

There was no finding Itachi unless he wanted to be found, that was just a plain fact. Nobody found Itachi, he found them. It annoyed Sasuke to no end. He had attempted many times to try and find his brother when it was so very obvious that he wanted to be alone, but not once had Sasuke ever found him. It was pretty much impossible.

His eyes slipped over to Sakura. No, maybe not impossible. Her bond with his brother was strong. Ridiculously strong, in fact.

From what he had heard, however, Itachi had felt connected to Sakura the moment he picked up her scent. Due to having nothing better to do, Sasuke often eavesdropped on others' conversations and over time, he had become much better at it so it was harder for others to know when he was actually there. In some ways, Sasuke would even say that he was an expert at getting into places he should most definitely not be and listening in on private conversations that had absolutely nothing to do with him.

One of those conversations just so happened to be a conversation between his older brother and their cousin, Shisui. To put it simply (since Itachi always spoke cryptically and avoided questions, in his opinion), Shisui had wanted to know what Sakura was to Itachi and why he had gone so far to save her, to which he had replied that she was his life, now. Everything centred around her and had done since the moment he caught her scent. Well, he had more or less said that.

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura demanded as he once again picked her up, adjusting his hold ever so slightly so that she wouldn't be in the way if he needed access to his pouch. If she hadn't been too weak to run, he would have taken his katana. Then again, it would be difficult to take something that wasn't even here. Unfortunately, he had left it at another hideout. "What if he gets hurt? We should stay and fight!"

"You can't exactly fight when you're so weak," he spat in return. "You'll just get in his way."

Did she think he liked the thought of leaving his clan behind to fight? His father? His mother? His brother and cousin? Did she think they didn't matter to him? Obviously not in the same way Itachi mattered to her, but they were still important to him. Sasuke despised having to leave them behind to protect her, as he would much rather stay behind and fight with them, so that he could protect them if something went wrong. However, Itachi was right. He had to make up for what he had done and to do so, he had to protect Sakura. Sakura was Itachi's mate, whether she knew it or not.

It was with that thought that Sasuke opened his balcony doors and leaped from the balcony, landing soundlessly on the ground.

There were sounds of battles not too far from them, so obviously there had been more than his parents had thought. Nowadays, hunters had been travelling in bigger packs due to how strong the supernatural side was becoming. Not to mention Sabaku no Gaara was there, as was Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke. They were all powerful in their own ways and to go up against them in such small groups? It was suicidal and reckless.

However, considering that four of them were fighting together, the hunters didn't stand a chance.

Itachi and Shisui were the most feared amongst all hunters. The latter more so than the former because there was no-one more skilled than Shisui when it came to using genjutsu or speed. He could control your mind without you ever knowing about it. As for Itachi, well, he was a prodigy. Even though he had a pacifistic nature, if somebody he cared for was in trouble and needed his help, he shoved aside how he felt and made damn sure that they got his help. Nobody survived if they threatened Itachi or his clan. Nobody.

Sasuke looked this way and that, his sharingan picking up on all movements surrounding him. Which hideout was he supposed to take Sakura to? The one a couple of hundred miles east of them, or the one even further than that to the north? Damn it! He should have asked Itachi when he had the chance. Then again, his brother was smart enough to–

"Sasuke," he heard his mother screaming desperately. "Look out!"

His sharingan picked up what had his mother screaming a second too late and Sasuke knew that he didn't have time to move both himself and Sakura out of the way. It would catch some part of her body.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion as the heat of the attack approached them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his clan slowing in their fighting, could see their panic and pain clearly. Even Itachi and his father looked terrified – which was extremely out of character for them. Naruto was screaming at him, Gaara's sand was rushing over to them, but they would all be too late.

And then Sasuke did something that stunned them all.

He threw Sakura to the ground and spun around to face it head on, shielding her body with his own.

Sakura was Itachi's life now.

And he would do anything to protect his older brother.

A scream tore through his clenched teeth as the fire hit him, as it caught his wrist and began to make its way up his arm. He was done for. He knew that and by the looks on his family's faces, they knew that they wouldn't make it in time to help him, too. His mother, Shisui and Itachi were all making hand signs, summoning their chakra for water jutsu, but the other hunters were already attacking once again, some rejoicing about finally taking down an Uchiha.

Naruto was running towards him, slamming his fists into his enemies' faces, trying to do whatever he could to reach Sasuke, his best friend, his brother.

His body was trembling and for the first time since being changed into a vampire, Sasuke was sweating and panting.

But then he felt another's presence by his side.

"Forgive me," Sakura whispered to Sasuke.

And then she was ripping his arm off.

There was a horrible screeching sound that reached his ears and Sasuke could still feel his arm being burned even when it was thrown to the floor many feet away from him. His blurred vision moved across the clearing and Sasuke tried his best to focus on Sakura's features, but it was like she was far away. He could still hear, though. He could hear everything.

"What…"

"To destroy the body belonging to one of our kind, you must set it on fire. This will stop the vampire from being brought back or put back together again. However, you must get every part of them. If you miss even an inch of the body, your efforts would be wasted and the body would simply be regenerated. It would take some time depending on how bad the damage is, but it can be done," Sakura recalled, her eyes narrowed and serious as she held onto Sasuke. "That's what Itachi told me the day you pushed me too far and I used chakra enhanced strength. Only your arm was on fire, so I ripped it off to stop it from spreading too far. It will regenerate soon, right?"

Hearing the desperate tone in her voice, Sasuke nodded.

A sudden gust of wind almost knocked them off their feet and as much as he hated to admit it, if it hadn't been for Sakura's hold on him, Sasuke knew he would be on the ground by now.

"Temari," he grunted, noticing Sakura's shock when she saw the damage the wind had created. The ground was destroyed, quite a few trees had been cut up and damaged and several of the hunters were now dead. "Her fan…"

His teeth clenched as his arm was completely enveloped by the flames and his hand swung up to his shoulder. It was a startling feeling, no longer having a right arm, but he was certain he would manage without it until it regenerated. The regeneration process would take a few months if he managed to feed during that time.

"Come on!" Naruto yelled as he threw Sakura over his shoulder like she was nothing more than a sack of potatoes, ignoring her squawk of indignation, while Kankuro grabbed Sasuke's good arm, moving it over his shoulders. Once they were secure, the two shot off into the forest and Sakura didn't even get the chance to complain about how she was being held.

"What about the others?"

Kankuro glanced down at Sasuke. "You're in no state to be playing hero."

"But they might need our help," Sakura yelped, trying to lift herself to look up at the two behind her, but Naruto hold was firm and unyielding and she could not shift even the slightest amount. "Naruto! Do you have to–"

"We don't have time to change!" he interrupted her as he picked up his speed. "I'm sorry, Sakura–chan, but you're going to have to hold on until we're no longer being followed."

It was strange and disorientating having the world fly by whilst upside down, but Sakura forced herself not to focus on that too hard.

Right at that moment in time, she could feel Itachi's relief as though it was her own, but she knew that his face would be blank and he would be fighting fiercely to make those who threatened her and his younger brother pay dearly. No, Itachi wasn't the type to seek revenge like Sasuke was, but he was still proud and had honour. Those hunters had almost killed both her and Sasuke, so they had to pay. What they did was unforgivable.

However, what had stuck with her the most was the fear Itachi had felt. Fear. It had been paralysing, as had the helplessness. Itachi was not one to feel such things, but he did. He had been terrified of losing her and Sasuke. It had been that fear that forced Sakura to shove aside her exhaustion and jump into action. No, she couldn't save Sasuke's arm, but she had instead saved his life.

"Sakura…"

His voice was thick and it sounded as though Sasuke was about to pass out, so Sakura was quick to try and look up at him, but her hair was in the way and made it difficult to see him. Somehow, her eyes managed to connect with his.

"Why?"

A small smile graced her lips, although she wasn't sure if he could actually see it or not. "Despite everything, you're still the boy from his memories."

Kankuro seemed stunned to see a smile pulling at Sasuke's lips. It wasn't a sly smirk or a bitter smile. It was an actual smile. A real, genuine smile. "…Thank you."

And then he was unconscious.

"Sasuke!"

"Don't worry, Sakura–chan," Naruto mumbled to her, his voice much quieter than usual. "He'll be fine thanks to you."

She bit her lip harshly. No. It was because of her that they were in this mess. It was because of her that two clans were scattered and fighting for their lives. It was her fault why Sasuke had almost died to save her. Her hold tightened on Naruto's back, but he didn't give any signs of acknowledgement other than adjusting his hold slightly so that the hand holding her thighs tightly was more comforting.

It seemed he had his moments, too.

But Sakura didn't want Naruto. She wanted Itachi. She wanted him to be the one holding her. Obviously not in the way Naruto was currently carrying her, because the way he was carrying her made her extremely uncomfortable. No, Sakura wanted Itachi to hold her in his arms like he had not even twenty minutes ago.

"We will continue with our conversation later, Hime."

You had better keep your promise, Itachi.

"Try to sleep, Sakura–chan," Naruto told her. His voice was still quiet, but now it also sounded softer. Comforting. "I promise I'll wake you if anything happens."

Sleep sounded so very tempting, but her mind was too focused on Itachi and their bond. He wasn't experiencing pain – emotionally or physically. However, a lot could happen in a couple of seconds. Hadn't they all just figured that out? No. She had to stay awake so that she would know if Itachi needed her help. Sakura wasn't sure what she would be able to do for him, but anything was better than nothing. It seemed Naruto realised what she was doing, too, for he heaved a sigh and before Sakura could even react, she was thrown upwards, moving through the air and the hands on her disappeared. Not a second later, however, there were arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her close to a wide chest.

Looking up, Sakura was startled to see that Naruto's eyes were wild as they darted around them, his speed increasing.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, her eyes widened as she felt a hand connecting with the back of her neck. Panic overwhelmed her for that split second before darkness began to take over.

"I'm sorry," Naruto murmured to her as her unfocused eyes languidly slipped up to his, filled with confusion and a hint of betrayal. "But it'll be much easier if you're asleep."

And with that, she went limp in his arms and her world went black.

They were all stunned when Itachi began to fight much more fiercely, when his eyes narrowed dangerously and his blows became much more powerful, each one of his movements creating small craters in the ground, forcing it to crumble beneath him each and every time he landed a blow. It was obvious that he was looking to end things as quickly as possible and noticing the flash in his eyes had Shisui's widening.

Something must have happened to Sakura.

"Itachi," he yelled as he finished off yet another troublesome hunter. "Is she okay?"

It was imperative that they didn't mention any names, especially not Sakura's. She was still new to this life meaning she still had a human family. If the hunters discovered that Sakura held bonds with her human family then it would become so much more dangerous. Not all were so cold and ruthless, but it seemed that this particular group was.

"She is unconscious," Itachi muttered in reply.

The hunters before him made the fatal mistake of looking into his eyes, immediately being thrown into a paralysing genjutsu that froze their bodies on the outside. In their minds, they were surrounded by nothing but darkness. There was no sight, no sound, no feeling, no taste and no sense of smell. All of their senses were gone, leaving them blind and defenceless. Itachi never really liked taking out his opponents this way as it often caused them to panic, but it was much simpler than taking on all five of them at once and at least, this way, he could give them quick and painless deaths. Not that they deserved that kind of death.

His eyes narrowed a fraction.

If it had not been for Sakura's quick thinking, his brother would have been killed. He would have died an excruciating death and there would have been nothing that he or his clan members could have done about it. Sasuke simply… He simply would not exist any longer and that thought made Itachi's insides twist violently, made a rare, burning feeling of pure anger pulse through him.

He had only felt such anger once before and that was when Orochimaru had attacked his younger brother.

On that day, Itachi had sworn to always protect him.

His little brother.

Snarling, one of Itachi's hands flew through the seals for the jutsu his clan was well–known for.

"Get back!" Shisui yelled to the other vampires, his sharingan picking up on what was about to happen.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Unlike Sasuke's fireball, Itachi's was much larger and more fierce, but that didn't mean he had any less control over it. No, he knew better than to use a jutsu he had very little control over in such a serious battle – especially not a fire type jutsu. Just one wrong movement, too much or too less of chakra, and he could accidentally kill them all.

The roaring flames of his fireball almost completely drowned out the screams of agony coming from the hunters who were not caught in his genjutsu as they were enveloped by the unforgiving flames.

In a way, his jutsu reminded Itachi of himself. As long as you did not get in his way or did anything to aggravate him, then you would be safe. However, if you did foolishly do something to get in his way or anger him, then he was going to kill you. There were no ifs or maybes. It was a simple fact. And right now, these hunters, these humans, had pissed him off. They had attempted to kill not only himself, but also his clan, his younger brother. They had tried to kill Sakura.

That was unforgivable.

And he was supposed to have a pacifistic nature.

It wasn't long until the hunters were all disposed of, making Itachi release an inaudible sigh.

The aftermath of a battle was always the worst part of it. Sure it was an awful feeling knowing that you had to battle to the death, but it was unavoidable. The aftermath of a battle to the death was always painful and often haunting. There was a chilling silence that surrounded him now that the screams of torture and the sounds of their fighting had stopped and for a split second, it felt like time had frozen.

Wind picked up, causing the ashes of the hunters to scatter around the once beautiful clearing and up into the air, swirling around high above their heads in the lightening sky.

Nobody said a word.

"Itachi," Mikoto spoke quietly, "you should go after Sasuke and Sakura–chan. Go to our hideout in the north and your father, Shisui and I will join you once we have cleaned up here. We will discuss what is going to happen when we arrive."

Itachi nodded once and after exchanging a look with Gaara and Temari, the three set off, following after the others.

Shisui watched his cousin fade away into the distance and a frown settled over his features as he turned to face his aunt and uncle. "Sasuke…"

For a moment, pain flitted across Mikoto's features before she turned her head to the side, her eyes narrowing on Fugaku. "Aren't you glad that Sakura–chan is a member of our clan now? Because of that girl, our son is alive. Remember that and be grateful. Not a lot of people would have done such a thing after being told to leave."

"Shisui," Fugaku ordered, not even sparing his wife a second glance. "Use your earth style to return the clearing back to its original state. Once you are done, we will go and hunt before resigning our positions with the police force and making our way towards the hideout. It will be a long journey and we need our strength."

He nodded once. "Our excuse for leaving?"

"A new start," Mikoto answered just as he opened his mouth to reply. "There is a chance that it may look suspicious after what happened between Sakura–chan and the group, but we have little choice. We must leave today no matter what happens. Other hunters will hear about what happened today and will try to find us, so we must lay low for a while."

Nodding once again, Shisui set to his task.

It was summer and the weather was beautiful. The sun was shining brightly down upon them and it made the water at the lake appear as though it was sparkling, almost blinding them when it hit a certain angle and reflected up into their eyes. More than once, they had had shield their eyes from the harsh light, but it didn't make the day any less enjoyable.

It was officially the end of school and she could not be any happier.

"So," a voice called out, making Sakura lift her sunglasses from her eyes so that she could see the person speaking to her properly, "any plans for the summer?"

"Nothing exciting," Sakura groaned, turning onto her stomach so that her back would be exposed to the sun. "What about you, Ino-Pig?"

Ino growled at the nickname, but didn't say anything about it. Unlike what people thought, the names "Pig" and "Forehead" were not insults. They were not used to belittle each other or to make them feel like dirt. In a way, they were kind of like terms of endearment. If somebody other than them called the girls by those names, however, it was to be taken as an insult. The only person who could get away with calling her a pig, was Sakura, and the only person who could get away with calling Sakura, forehead, was Ino. That was just how things worked and everybody knew it.

"Oh, the usual." She waved a dismissive hand while her other one lifted a cold can out of the cooler they had brought with them. Opening it, she brought it to her lips and let out a gasp of pleasure after the cold, fizzy liquid rushed down her throat, soothing it of its dryness. "You know, parties, beer, guys."

Frowning to herself, Sakura looked down at the grass that was sticking out from beneath her soft, crimson towel. Lately, to her, Ino had been acting strangely. The blonde had never been a saint but now it was… She sighed. She didn't know how to explain Ino's recent behaviour and it was hurting her. Of course, their relationship being the way it was, Sakura would never tell her about her worry and concerns at how she was acting, but if she continued the way she was right now, she knew she would have to say something.

In a way it was as though Ino was self–destructing. She would be out all night, drinking and doing who knows what and Sakura knew that she wasn't the only one who was worried and being hurt by her actions. Ino's parents were just as worried. They had approached her several times asking if she knew if anything had happened that would make Ino act out in such a way. Nothing ever came to mind.

"Is that all you do nowadays?" Sakura asked teasingly, forcing herself to smirk up at the blonde. "Go to parties and get wasted?"

Ino simply shrugged as she leaned back once again, looking up at the cloudless blue sky through her sunglasses. "What else is there to do? And don't give me the same bullshit reply you always give. Seriously, what is there to do? Guys see us as something to have fun with. In their eyes, we're nothing more than… sex toys, I guess."

When had Ino started thinking that way? "What makes you think that? No guys have–"

"You're lying to yourself again, Forehead," Ino groaned with annoyance. "Maybe you don't see the looks some of the guys in this town send your way, but I have. You just ignore them and keep your head in the books." For a moment, there was silence. "Sakura?"

"Hm?" The current conversation was making her chest ache for reasons she couldn't even understand.

"Don't ever change. I mean, keep focusing on becoming someone, on doing something with your life. Don't be like me." Sakura's eyes widened as she sat up, looking down at Ino but just as she opened her mouth to argue, the blonde cut her off. "I failed most of my exams, Forehead." She smiled bitterly. "But you didn't. I'm going to be working in my parents' flower shop for most likely the rest of my life unless I somehow marry a millionaire. You're going to go places. You're going to blossom into a beautiful flower one day, one that the world will have to take notice of."

She swallowed the hard lump in her throat. "And what about you?"

"I've already blossomed." Ino shrugged, her eyes still fixed on the sky above her. "And this is as good as it's going to get for me. Don't you get it?" She turned to look at Sakura, looking vaguely annoyed yet serious at the same time. "I'm one of the flowers that blend in, but you stick out. You have potential to grow and overshadow us all."

"Ino…"

"Don't go crying on me, Forehead." The blonde rolled her eyes, the serious mood vanishing. "Hey, what do you think I should wear to that new club opening?"

When Sakura woke up, she was biting down on her lower lip and there were tears streaming down her face. She frowned as she wiped at her cheeks. Strange. She hadn't actually cried since the night she had been changed. Actually, Sakura hadn't thought that it had been possible for vampires to cry. Perhaps she had been wrong? Perhaps only when the pain was immense, they could cry? It didn't matter because either way, she was currently crying into a tense shoulder, just barely holding back her sobs.

Wait. Shoulder?

Her head snapped up and the blond holding her just about missed being headbutted by Sakura. "Naruto?" Suddenly, her eyes narrowed dangerously and her fists clenched against his shoulders. "Naruto!"

He had knocked her out!

"Relax, Sakura–chan," he murmured to her. "We'll be at the hideout soon and Kankuro can feel Gaara following us."

A smile graced her lips. "Itachi must be with him. I'd say they're about…" Her expression became thoughtful for a moment as she focused on Itachi. "Itachi's about four hours behind us, though considering how fast he's moving, he may be here in half that time."

Both Naruto and Kankuro seemed stunned as they stared down at Sakura in shock, obviously not expecting her bond with Itachi to be so strong after only two months. However, instead of commenting on that fact, Naruto merely pushed himself harder.

"Oi, Sakura?"

Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder at Kankuro, her eyes lingering on Sasuke for a moment with unhidden worry. She really hoped he would be okay. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…" He pulled a face for a split second, but she noticed it. He felt awkward. "How come you and Itachi are so close? No disrespect to either of you or anything, but I didn't think that you'd be each other's types."

She felt more than heard Naruto's snort of agreement and in response, she frowned. Itachi had a type? Because she certainly didn't. Hell, she had almost had her first willing kiss several hours ago.

"Itachi saved my life." It only just occurred to her that she was no longer adding 'san', to his name. When did that happen? Was it around the time when he started calling her 'Hime'? Sakura wasn't sure why, but whenever he did, it always made her feel warm inside. "And he's been there every day for me ever since he changed me. I owe a lot to him."

"So that's why you're staying with the Uchiha clan? Because you feel like you owe Itachi?"

At his question, Sakura's frown deepened. "Not at all," she snapped before softening her tone somewhat. "I want to stay with them, with Itachi, because they're my family now. I told you all of this before. The Uchiha clan aren't my human family, but I feel bonded to them in the same way. Itachi…" Her eyes lowered to the ground behind Naruto, watching as he hopped from one branch to another with little to no effort. "I don't know how to explain it. I just can't leave him. It's impossible for me to think about." A soft smile graced her lips as she pressed her forehead to Naruto's shoulder, her hold tightening on him and her next whisper was so quiet that only he could hear, though he was certain that he wasn't supposed to. "He is my life now."

Well that just wasn't fair, Naruto inwardly grumbled.

His pout was present for the rest of the journey, as was Sakura's tender smile that just couldn't be wiped away.

It was strange. Before Kankuro had asked her, she had never really thought about how much Itachi meant to her. Yes, Sakura had asked herself the odd question every now and then, but it wasn't until now that she really thought about it. Where would she be without Itachi? Dead. She would be dead.

She owed a lot to Itachi, but that wasn't why she was sticking around. Like she had told Kankuro, Sakura just couldn't imagine herself not being by his side. It didn't matter whether it was in a friendly way or an intimate way (although considering the tension between them when he had been about to kiss her, Sakura was leaning towards the latter), because if Itachi needed her, then she would be there. But also, because she needed him, too.

Their bond was so strong now that it was impossible to ignore. No it didn't cause the romantic feelings that were beginning to blossom between them, but it was certainly helping. It was nice being able to feel each other's emotions. That way there were no misunderstandings.

It occurred to her vaguely that she was acting like a child with a crush, but Sakura didn't let that bother her. The warmth she could feel in her chest was pleasant. It was comforting and made her feel like she could never truly be alone.

Itachi… she thought to herself, closing her eyes to try and hide the fact that she was excited, that she was experiencing something she had never really felt before. It wouldn't do to have Kankuro suddenly looking up at her and asking what the look was for. So, to make sure nobody saw her smile or the soft, tender look in her eyes, she kept her face buried between Naruto's shoulder and neck.

Every part of her wished that it was him who was holding her instead of Naruto and when Sakura realised that, the changes in their bodies became more obvious to her. Naruto wasn't as tall as Itachi. His hips were not as slim. His chest was much too wide. The blond had a more muscular build than Itachi, telling her that he was more strength than speed, but that didn't mean the Uchiha wasn't muscular, either, because he was. She had seen Itachi shirtless before and she would be lying if Sakura said that he wasn't a pleasing sight. Like she had just mentioned: his hips were slim and his chest wasn't too much wider, but at the same time, it was obvious he trained. His body appeared to be built for speed rather than strength, but that hardly mattered to her. He was beautiful to her and had been the second she laid eyes on him.

It startled her just how clearly she could remember Itachi's body and it also startled her that most of her recent memories, most of her previous thoughts, were all centred around him. Was that normal? Probably not. Was she complaining? Not really. Like the warmth in her chest, it was pleasant. Surprising, but definitely pleasant.

"Uh, S–Sakura–chan…"

Pulling her face from his shoulder, Sakura looked up at Naruto. "What's up?"

Around her, Naruto's arms flexed and she faintly heard Kankuro's sharp intake of breath. Was something happening? Were they being followed? Panic was beginning to fill her as she leaned back more fully to get a better look at Naruto.

She wished she hadn't.

His pupils were dilated with excitement, with such a primal, hungry look that it honestly terrified her. It had been the same look those three men who had attacked her had given her. She began to struggle in his arms, desperate to get away before he could hurt her like they did, but Naruto tightened his hold. Just like they did.

"Please! J–Just let me go!" Sakura begged, her thrashing increasing. She couldn't go through that. Not again. "Naruto, please. I'll do anything, but not that! Please!"

The hungry look in his eyes faded as his eyes snapped to Sakura's, as he came to an abrupt stop with Kankuro a second behind him. Hesitantly, he lowered Sakura to her feet, thankful that he had chosen to land on the ground instead of a branch as she immediately stumbled backwards hurriedly, her eyes wide with fear as she collapsed against a tree, trembling as she slid down it.

"Sakura–chan?"

"Stop," she begged, squeezing her eyes shut as she closed in on herself. "Stop looking at me like that!"

Naruto exchanged wary looks with Kankuro, but immediately realised what was wrong. Considering the look on Kankuro's face…

However, just as he opened his mouth to say something, a tired mumble interrupted him. "Saku–Sakura…" She couldn't hear Sasuke, couldn't see him slowly pulling away from Kankuro, stumbling his way over to her. "Oi… Sakura…"

He wasn't even fully conscious, Naruto realised, feeling numb with shock as he watched Sasuke collapse to the ground beside Sakura.

"Calm… Calm down," his voice was nothing but a murmur, his eyes sliding shut with exhaustion. He couldn't even stop his head from falling forward, landing on her shoulder. Sasuke didn't feel her tense, didn't see her eyes snapping to him in a mixture of fear, shock and worry. He was too out of it. "Itachi… He'll g–get worried… distracted and think something… something bad has happened."

Always looking out for each other.

It appeared that Sasuke looked out for Itachi just as much as Itachi looked out for him.

She nodded quickly, trying to control the shaking of her limbs as she stared into Sasuke's slightly unfocused eyes when he pulled back stubbornly. It took a couple of minutes but slowly, unsurely, she began to calm down and as she did, Sasuke once again fell unconscious, the stress of what happened being too much for him to handle.

"Why?" Sakura whispered, only just now daring to look up at Naruto and Kankuro. Their feral looks were no longer in place. Instead there was only shock and uncertainty. "That look… Why?"

Naruto frowned, feeling shitty about himself. "I'm sorry, Sakura–chan," he told her quietly. "It was just that… Well, you were giving off this smell…"

Her eyebrows furrowed.

What?

She was giving off a scent? Clearly it had to be different from her usual one, otherwise they wouldn't have been making such a fuss.

"You were aroused." Kankuro rolled his eyes. "We may be vampires, but we're still males."

Oh.

Oh.

Wait, what?

She had been aroused? Wouldn't she have noticed such a thing? What had she been thinking about, again?

Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

She had been thinking about Itachi. A shirtless Itachi.

Oh, Gods…

Sakura's emotions were beginning to confuse him, Itachi thought as he led the way to the north hideout, Gaara and Temari close behind him. There were a mixture of different emotions, but several of them had stuck out more so than the others.

Panic.

Fear.

Happiness.

That feeling.

Arousal.

It took everything in him not to outwardly reveal his shock, but it was even harder to ignore the fact his body was desperate to get to her, to feel her. For a moment, Itachi closed his eyes, willing the feelings away. It was difficult, though. It was like her arousal, her body, was calling to him, telling him to satisfy her. Oh and he wanted to. More than anything.

His hands twitched before Itachi clenched them into fists. Never had a woman ever caused such a reaction from him – and Sakura wasn't even present!

However, just as the sweet feeling of her arousal reached him, it wasn't long until she began to feel the other emotions, the panic and fear.

What was happening?

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction as he pushed himself faster. Clearly something that Sakura didn't want, if her emotions were anything to go by. She was terrified. She was trying desperately to do something, but what, Itachi couldn't tell. Was she fighting? Was she trying to get away from someone? Her fear was intense, almost knocking the breath out of him before his body automatically began to speed up. Whatever was happening, Sakura didn't want it. He had to get to her, had to protect her.

"Uchiha."

Not even glancing over his shoulder at Gaara, who had also started to speed up, Itachi asked, "Gaara–kun, is Kankuro–kun fighting?"

"No," Gaara answered but there was a brief pause. "But he is feeling… shocked. And uneasy. He was also feeling aroused, not too long ago."

It surprised the two that Itachi suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His entire posture was stiff and tense, his fists clenched and his sharingan blazing. "What?"

Gaara was not intimidated in the least, although he knew deep down that he should have been. However, his pride was too great and he refused to show anything other than his usual emotionless mask. "It did not last long. Not even two minutes. After, he was feeling shocked and on edge."

His red and black eyes slipped over in the direction they had been heading. He could feel that the four ahead of them had come to a stop. Well, Itachi could feel that Sakura had stopped moving. She was still scared, but seemed to be slowly calming down.

Considering that the feeling of pleasure had not reached him and the fact that Itachi knew Sakura was not that kind of girl, he knew that she and Kankuro had not been intimate, but then, why had they both been aroused? And what about Naruto? Was he aroused, too? Just what the hell was going on?

Closing his eyes, Itachi took a calming breath. Sakura had his trust. She would not… She wouldn't, what? Betray him? They were not in a relationship, were they? Itachi had never felt such possessiveness over somebody before, though. It was all confusing to him. What was he supposed to do, or think?

Comfort.

Somebody was comforting Sakura now?

"What is Kankuro–kun doing?" His voice was calmer now, but the tension in his body was still obvious.

"He may be my brother, Uchiha, but my bond with him is not as strong as the one you share with Sakura. I can only feel his emotions, as he can feel mine. My bond with Temari is the same. All I can tell is that Kankuro is shocked."

It was dangerous for others to know how much Sakura meant to him, but at that moment in time, Itachi couldn't care less as he set off running again. If she was scared, then he had to hurry up and get to her. Whoever was comforting her, however, had better have an extremely good reason as to why she was in such a state in the first place.

Temari sighed, exchanging a look with her younger brother before they followed him.

When they finally arrived at the hideout, Itachi could tell that the others were already there. They were all together in one room, most likely waiting for him or another Uchiha to arrive to let them in the rest of the way. Unless you possessed the sharingan, you would not be able to enter and considering Sasuke's wounds and the fact that part of his body was burned to ashes, Itachi knew that his younger brother would not be conscious.

He didn't break stride for a second as he made the first set of seals to take the three of them into what appeared to be nothing more than a giant boulder. However, once they were all inside, they were surprised by the sight before them. No, they were downright stunned.

Somebody had comforted Sakura.

But it had not been Naruto. It had also not been Kankuro.

It had been Sasuke.

They were both asleep (well, Sasuke seemed to be unconscious), but it was their positions that had his breath leaving him and the warmth in his chest increasing. They were leaning against each other, Sakura's head resting against Sasuke's shoulder and the latter's cheek was pressed against the top of her head. They both looked completely at peace and comfortable and Itachi could not remember the last time his brother let his guard down around anyone, let alone somebody he barely even knew. Sakura's hand was fisted in his shirt, like she was making sure that he was there, while Sasuke's hand was resting innocently between them, yet close enough that if he needed to check to see if she was there, he would only have to move his hand a couple of inches to the side.

"They wouldn't let us move them," Naruto mumbled awkwardly from his position on the opposite wall. Apparently he and Kankuro had decided to take watch, even though they didn't have much of a choice. "I mean, we tried, but it would bring Sasuke out of unconsciousness and Kankuro said that it'd be best to let him sleep through the worst of the pain. Whenever we tried to move Sakura–chan away… She kept going on about having to look after him for you."

"Kept mumbling that he's still 'the boy from his memories' or something," Kankuro told the three as they approached them and as they got closer, he stood up and looked at his brother and Itachi awkwardly, clearly having already realised that they would have felt everything. Yes, sometimes it was possible to block out the person's feelings, but considering the fact that they had to stay connected somehow… "Uh, I'm guessing you felt…"

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. "We did. What happened?"

His clipped tone made Naruto also stand up, made him watch the older Uchiha warily. "Look, we don't know what happened, but one minute, she's giving off this scent and it was so hard to ignore! And then the next, she's panicking and trying to get away from us. She wouldn't listen to us when we tried to calm her down and only Sasuke could calm her down."

So it had been his little brother who comforted Sakura. Strange, yet Itachi could see such a thing happening.

"Why are you surprised that she started panicking, you perverts?" Temari demanded, glancing over to make sure that Sakura was still sleeping. She was, although her eyebrows were now knitting together. "Did she say anything to you guys?"

"She kept telling us to stop looking at her like we were."

It didn't take a genius to know how the were looking at her.

It also didn't take a genius to know that Sasuke wouldn't have looked at her in such a way for several different reasons, so it had been easy for him to comfort her, to calm her down.

"And what does that make you think?" she drawled before rolling her eyes. "She's a victim of abuse and it didn't happen all too long ago, meaning she most likely hasn't engaged in anything sexual since then." Her eyes glided over to Itachi's. "Am I right?" He nodded once. "Since nothing sexual has been happening since she was attacked, Sakura won't be used to having such attention, or if she is, then she won't like it. In my opinion, Sakura doesn't seem like the type of girl who is used to sexual attention, so I can understand why your looks frightened her."

They didn't only frighten her, they had petrified her.

Naruto lowered his eyes to the ground. "I know, but that smell… I don't know how the hell you can ignore something like that, Itachi."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Her arousal," the blond muttered awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "It was so hard to ignore! Like it was soaking right through my pores and into my head instead of just being inhaled! How do you do it?"

Sakura had never been aroused around him, that was why. However, admitting such a thing would… It would, what?

When only silence answered him, Naruto looked up at Itachi. "Well since she was talking about you and probably thinking about you, too, then you would obviously have to deal with it, right?"

It was getting too personal for him. Naruto should not be speaking about Sakura in such a way, but at the same time, Itachi wanted to hear more. The thoughts she had been having of him aroused her? That had never happened before. The warmth had been there, but not arousal. Was that because of their almost–kiss not too long ago?

"Maybe it will be best if we don't continue with this conversation," Gaara spoke up. "What happens between Itachi and Sakura is none of our concern."

"But–"

"No."

Naruto lowered his head, pouting once more. However, just as he was about to say something, a quiet, half–asleep voice spoke up.

"Itachi?"

Hearing her voice relaxed him as he turned to face her, his back to the others and once they were no longer able to see his expression, he allowed his eyes to soften, for a tender smile to curve his lips.

"You're back!"

Her movements were ungraceful, screaming her exhaustion, but that did not stop Sakura from lunging forward, from practically tackling Itachi into a tight embrace. She buried her face into his chest, her arms holding him against her with such strength that it was as though she was terrified of them being separated again. Itachi didn't complain, although he would have preferred it if the others were not watching them.

With his sharingan still activated, Itachi glanced over at the real entrance to the hideout. Behind the door would be many traps that only those with the sharingan would be able to avoid, but since he could warn the others of those traps and would be leading them all into the hideout, it didn't really matter.

"You should rest, Sakura," he murmured to her as he gently unwound her arms from around his waist. Apparently she understood clearly, as she nodded once with a small smile. "Come."

Due to needing his hands free, Itachi ordered Naruto to carry Sasuke and for Gaara to protect Sakura just in case any weapons or jutsu ricocheted off the stone walls and hit her. The redhead didn't seem too bothered by it and merely muttered for her to stay close behind him, as his sand would automatically guard him, therefore, it would also shield her.

When Sakura found out what sort of traps had been set, she felt her dead heart threatening to jump start and burst straight out of her chest. Fear and adrenaline shot through her veins, scorching her and making it impossible to keep still, to stop the trembling of her hands. Halfway through the traps, she had even latched onto Gaara, but thankfully he didn't say a word about it or react to her holding onto him. Sure it was a little difficult with somebody clinging to your arm, shaking against you, but he managed to ignore it.

There were many types of traps and jutsu, but they mostly seemed to centre around lightning, wind and fire. The latter was the one she was most terrified of. After seeing what happened to Sasuke, Sakura couldn't stand to watch Itachi either disarming the traps or setting them off. He was quick to put out the fires, to counter the wind and the lightning, but it still terrified her. If it was not for his sharingan, Sakura seriously doubted that he would have been able to counter them. They were so fast. Luckily, so was Itachi.

It seemed like the dark, cold corridor went on for hours until they finally got through all the traps and reached a door.

Itachi silently went through several seals, his hands moving way too fast for her to keep up with them, before the door was sliding open, scraping against the ground as it slowly moved. The sound grated at her ears, making her tense and shudder and she had to refrain from lifting her hands to her ears. The others seemed to feel her pain though, as Naruto cringed and pressed one of his ears into Sasuke's shoulder, his free hand quickly slapping over his other ear. Temari winced, as did Kankuro. The only ones who didn't show an outward reaction (not that it really surprised her) were Gaara and Itachi.

Suddenly, however, the latter tensed, his sharingan glaring at the archway.

Despite this, it was Naruto who spoke as he sniffed the air, "Somebody is here."

A/N - Wonder who's already at the hideout, considering the rest of the Uchiha clan are still clearing things up ;-)

Sorry it's taken so long to update! I've had (and still have) thirteen assignments to complete and hand in, in only a week. Safe to say that it's been stressful. Despite still being ill, I've had to have sleepless nights and working on the assignments every chance I got - my eyes are killing now because of it as they're all online/Google Docs. I can't have any more time off, either, because I need my attendance near-perfect if I want them to keep me on another two years to do my a-levels. So yeah, I'm sorry that I haven't updated! My mum's thinking of complaining to the college about all the stress it's putting on me, but meh. There's no point. I'm obviously not the only one receiving ridiculous amounts of assignments (some have even more than I do) and if I pass everything and get to go on to doing something I actually want to do as a result? Then I'll do it. It simply means I won't have the time to be updating every week like I usually do.

So yeah, from now on I'll be updating whenever I can (still on Wednesdays and if not, then at the weekend).

Edited: 02/09/2016