Chapter 11 – Encounter

"I heard you told the others about that night."

Ducking under a low down branch, Sakura glanced up at Itachi as he walked by her side, also doing the same thing. "I did," she replied quietly. "What Gaara told me…"

"Even though he told you the story to his past, it does not mean you owe him anything."

"No, it wasn't that I felt like I owed him something," Sakura told him with a small smile. "I felt… comfortable. Talking to him, I mean. Gaara understands the feeling of fear, he knows the fear of being rejected and hated and looked at with disgust." She shook her head. "I didn't go into detail – I couldn't. Whilst I do feel comfortable with him, I don't feel as comfortable as I do with you. I–"

Itachi suddenly stopped, his arm blocking Sakura from going forward and making her frown in confusion. However, just as she opened her mouth and was about to ask what he was doing, she saw his sharingan activating, saw something in him snap when his entire body stiffened.

And then, Itachi was pulling Sakura closer to him until she was partly behind him. "Stay behind me, Sakura."

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Instead of answering her, Itachi kept his hard eyes on the biggest trees that were to their far left, his Sharingan following some sort of movement considering the fact that Itachi's eyes shifted slightly to the right. She saw nothing. She heard nothing.

"Come out," he ordered calmly, voice blank and never raising to more than an indoor voice.

How could he be so calm when…

Sakura felt her body stiffen as three people left the trees, as she felt a spike of anger and hatred in Itachi's emotions.

When…

"I see you sensed us."

"You were attempting to sneak up on us," Itachi murmured smoothly. "Do you have a death wish, Orochimaru?"

When Orochimaru was currently standing before them?

So this was Orochimaru. Sakura barely repressed a shudder. This was the man – no, not a man. The thing standing before her was definitely not human. He seemed more like a snake. One of those white snakes – just as pale, just as ugly and just as sly. That wasn't the only thing about him that resembled a snake. His voice also had the same hiss as a snake's. There was also his eyes. Cold, hard, yet so very terrifying. They were a golden amber colour and even though Itachi and the other Uchiha (as well as Kakashi) were the ones with the special eyes, Sakura could have sworn that those eyes of Orochimaru's could have skinned her alive.

"What's this?" the man beside Orochimaru asked, a taunting smirk on his lips. "A playmate of yours, Itachi–san?"

Playmate? Sakura gritted her teeth.

"What are you doing so close to Uchiha territory?" Itachi questioned. He refused to be riled up and refused to be taunted. Yes, it angered him, but he did not show. Why? Because there were three enemies in front of them and whilst Itachi knew he would have no trouble with dispatching the two lackeys, he would need to focus with Orochimaru due to his mind tricks. If he took on the two lackeys, that would leave Sakura vulnerable and Orochimaru would no doubt take advantage of that. If he focused only on Orochimaru, the other two would attack her. "You're being reckless, Orochimaru. After our last encounter, any member of my clan would gladly slaughter you for what you did."

Something flashed in the woman's eyes by his side, stunning Sakura for a moment. Affection? Longing? Did this redhead have a thing for Itachi? It took a moment to calm herself as a hot rage swelled within Sakura, turning her vision red for a moment.

A nasty smirk was on the pale man's lips as he hissed out, "Would you?"

Not a single muscle in Itachi's face twitched other than the movements his lips made. "Without hesitation."

"And what would your mate think of that?" the other man questioned and raised a silver eyebrow. "Seeing you kill?"

"She would be glad to know that bastards like you no longer walk the earth," Sakura snapped in return, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Careful," the redhead retorted coldly, her ruby eyes fierce. "Those are fighting words."

"Stay out of this, Sakura."

Fresh apple green eyes snapped up to the back of Itachi's head, widening. "Itachi–"

He cut her off. "You are not to be involved in this. Remember your promise to Sasuke."

Once more, something flashed in the redhead's eyes, but not only hers. All three of their eyes flashed and a cold feeling ran down Sakura's spine. It was the same longing in the redhead's eyes as earlier, but there was a pure anger in the silver haired man's. In Orochimaru's… Sakura couldn't even understand the emotion. Whatever it was, however, made her feel sick to her stomach.

"How is, Sasuke–kun?"

"We heard that he was–"

"Quiet, Kabuto."

That anger returned, although only for a split second.

So that was why Kabuto didn't like Sasuke. Clearly, Orochimaru did like him and Kabuto was jealous of that. Sick bastards.

One of Itachi's eyebrows raised, but only fractionally. "You know how he is, considering you have been watching my clan and those temporarily with us for a while now."

Orochimaru shifted in his step, the sight of movement causing Sakura's breath to catch and her eyebrows to pinch together. Was he going to attack? It would be stupid of him to do that though, wouldn't it? Or would it? Itachi had just reminded her of a promise made to Sasuke, the promise that he would soon be stronger and capable of taking Orochimaru on. But that was a mash up of both her own and Itachi's promises. The point was that… Would Itachi fight if Orochimaru attacked? Would he kill the snake–like man?

"For somebody as powerful as yourself, you're not doing much to stop that, are you?" the redhead said rather suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. "I can sense your chakra, Uchiha Itachi. I can sense just how strong you are. Why are you not stopping Orochimaru–sama?"

Not a single muscle on the pale skinned man's face twitched, even though he had pretty much just had his own lackey say that Itachi was stronger than him.

"This is my brother's revenge." His voice was smooth again, just as deep as it always was. "However, make no mistake, Orochimaru, because if Sasuke was not so eager to defeat you, I would have killed you myself long ago."

"You–"

He cut Orochimaru and his lackeys off, shifting in his stance. "Saying that, though… If you continue to chase after the secrets of my clan, if you continue to try and obtain the Sharingan, I will ignore Sasuke's wishes and I will come after you. Is that understood?"

Golden eyes narrowed fractionally. "I make no promises, Uchiha Itachi."

"Then you will die either by my brother's hand, or my own."

It was there that an unsaid agreement was set up.

If Orochimaru continued to obsess over Sasuke and the Sharingan (which he had stated without many words that he would), Itachi would kill him.

But only if Sasuke didn't get the bastard first.

"Come, Sakura," Itachi told her, turning around and looking down at her. "We still need to hunt."

Her eyes widened, but seeing the silent warning in his eyes that was telling her not to argue with him, Sakura nodded once, glaring over at the three before turning and walking away. Itachi never moved from being directly behind her, protecting her just in case of any attacks.

"That was… intense."

Itachi sighed, watching Sakura as she cleared the area of any evidence from their hunt. "Forgive me for acting so rudely."

His voice was blank, but she could feel the genuine apology in his emotions, which had Sakura also sighing and turning to face him. "It was degrading being brushed off like that, but I get your reasons, Itachi. You didn't want me to fight."

"I don't," he agreed. "Until Sasuke is well enough to travel and until we have tracked down Tsunade–sama, you cannot fight, Sakura. You need to learn how to control that strength." Moving over to her, he grabbed one hand and raised it between them, making a fist with her hand. "I know you could have defeated the woman, though. It would have been a challenge for you because of her sensing abilities, but not so much that you would struggle with her. She is no fighter."

"And the man?" Sakura asked and raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I couldn't defeat a whiny brat like him?"

He smirked at that. Kabuto, a whiny brat? That was not something Itachi had heard before. A second later, however, and that smirk slipped away. "I am. He is a witch just like Orochimaru, and knows things you don't, Sakura, such as powerful jutsu. Not just ordinary jutsu, but also medical jutsu. However, he does not use his medical ninjutsu for good – he uses it for experimentation and other unforgivable acts such as that."

Sighing again, Sakura looked up at Itachi with a frown. "What does Orochimaru want with Sasuke? I understand why he wants the Sharingan, but why does he want Sasuke? Is it some kind of creepy stalker thing?"

There was silence and for a moment, she was certain that Itachi wasn't going to answer, that he had probably gone off into his thoughts and not even heard her question. Half a minute later and Itachi was speaking words that had her feeling ice cold. "Orochimaru wishes to take over Sasuke's body. It is how he has survived this long. They are known as 'vessels'. I would say that each vessel lasts for around three years depending on how strong the body is. If it is a particularly powerful vessel, then it can last at least ten to fifteen years."

"And Sasuke's growing more powerful every day," Sakura whispered, her stomach feeling like a lump of ice when Itachi nodded. "Itachi… I understand if you don't want to tell me because it's extremely private to him, but what did Orochimaru do to Sasuke to damage him so badly? It's… It's…"

"Painful to witness?"

Sakura nodded. "I haven't even known him that long, but I can see what you see in him, Itachi. Sasuke… He's your little brother! Even though he doesn't seem like it anymore, there's still that little boy inside him, isn't there?"

The small smile that pulled at Itachi's lips for only a second pained her greatly. "He is. And what happened to my brother wasn't pleasant, Sakura. When the rest of my clan, including myself, returned… The sight that we returned to has haunted us ever since." Sitting down and leaning back against a large tree, Itachi closed his eyes and breathed deeply, sensing that Sakura also sat down beside him on the grass which was covered by leaves. "It was like returning to a child, in some ways. A haunted, broken child who didn't know what to do with himself. Sasuke was inconsolable."

Only when Sakura held his hand did Itachi open his eyes again, grateful for the comfort the seemingly simple touch brought him. "For days, Sasuke just… sat in a corner. Frozen. He wouldn't answer any of us, wouldn't acknowledge us. It was on the sixth day that he finally started moving, but only just. The only movement he made was rocking backwards and forth, whispering to himself. None of us could understand a single word that he was saying. Not even with our hearing. Then, on the eighth day, Sasuke… Sasuke snapped."

When nothing more was said, Sakura cupped his cheek softly and turned his head to the side, meeting his eyes with a tender look. "How did he snap?"

"Violently," he murmured and it was like Sakura could see the memories flashing in Itachi's eyes as he relived them. "He tore the entire house apart. Attacked my father and tore his leg off when he tried to subdue him, attacked and attempted to rip out Shisui's eyes when he tried to use a paralysing genjutsu on him," It had been whilst Shisui was adjusting to his Sharingan, so he hadn't been as powerful with genjutsu as he was now, "and when I tried to stop him, he screamed that I was a murderer. Told me that it was my fault everyone was dead."

A frown settled on her features. "…What?"

He sighed, grateful for the gentle breeze that blew through the opening in the trees, stirring up the leaves on the ground. It also drifted Sakura's soothing scent to him, helping him in calmly sharing such a horrific memory. "Exactly. None of us could understand a word he was saying. All Sasuke kept repeating was that I had killed everyone and for that, he was going to kill me." A pause. "Do you remember on the day you woke up, how Sasuke took a few moments of pause when he looked at me?" Slowly, Sakura nodded. "It still effects him, Sakura. That madness still calls to him. Some days are better than others, but not all can be good days. Sometimes it takes him hours to work out what is real and what isn't real. Sometimes it only takes seconds." Once again, Itachi sighed. "I will never forget the hatred in his eyes when he looked at me and I will never be able to forget the way he continuously tried to kill me. It took all of us to stop him. All of us."

"B–But that doesn't make any sense… you and Shisui–"

"Are more powerful than he is, yes. However, when Sasuke is being overtaken with his rage, it… It is almost as though it gives him more power. There are downsides to it, of course. An example of that would be the fact that he cannot think clearly when in a rage. However, it makes him a more unpredictable fighter. Everything we had ever learned about his fighting technique meant absolutely nothing to us in those moments, because he was an entirely different person."

Sakura bit her lip. "And that's the reason why Sasuke wants to kill Orochimaru. For doing this to him."

Itachi shook his head and was silent for a few moments before speaking. "When we finally managed to calm him, when Sasuke finally realised that I hadn't killed anyone, he told us that he wanted to kill Orochimaru. Not because of the insanity that he planted inside of his head. It is because of the hatred he put there. The hatred for me. Growing up, it was no secret that Sasuke looked up to me. Even whilst I was dying he acted like I was so much better than everyone else. Sasuke… hated himself, for hating me, but he hated Orochimaru so much more for planting those thoughts into his head."

That brother bond again. It was so strong. "And Sasuke would never be able to forgive himself if he one day lost control completely and killed you."

"No, he wouldn't."

Moving closer, Sakura wrapped her arms around one of Itachi's and rested her head on his shoulder. "As soon as we find Tsunade–sama, I'm going to ask her for help. Try and find some kind of cure for Sasuke. It's not fair on anyone, but especially not on him. Being constantly on edge, wondering when he's next going to lose control…" Sakura shook her head sadly. "I promise, Itachi, I'm going to help Sasuke."

He gave a small, tired smile. "Thank you, Hime."

They didn't tell anybody about their encounter with Orochimaru, although Sakura was certain that Shisui somehow knew. Not a lot got by him, after all. Other than possibly Shisui knowing, however, nobody else knew and they both hoped to keep it that way. The others would demand to know why Itachi hadn't killed Orochimaru there and then, whilst it would send Sasuke off into a fit of rage knowing that the snake was so close.

It had been a week since then and during that time, nothing had happened between her and Itachi. Well, not until tonight it hadn't. He'd been watching her closely and watching her emotions, she knew that, but just couldn't understand why. It wasn't until tonight that Itachi murmured to her that the fear was well and truly out of her, stunning Sakura for a few moments. No, she wasn't over it, but since their last try, it had been slightly difficult for her to keep calm, especially whenever somebody touched her.

And now here they were.

Spreading her legs further apart at his insistence, Sakura had to refrain from pulling away and biting her lip nervously as Itachi stroked her thighs and hips, deepening the kiss to keep her distracted. It was definitely working, especially as their tongues entwined, sensually teasing and gliding against the other's. Her breathing was a little quicker than usual and if her heart was still beating, it would be going impossibly fast right now. The quick breathing stopped for a moment as Itachi gently pulled her leggings down by a few inches.

"Itachi–"

"Do you trust me, Sakura?" His hot breath washed over her, clouding her mind. "I will not hurt you."

She nodded, her hold on his arms tightening as Itachi left her leggings half pulled down her legs until they reached mid thigh and reached for her underwear. Like only moments before, her breathing hitched as his fingers traced the waistband, following the lacy pattern around the edges. The movement had her hypnotised and Sakura watched with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty as he finally reached his destination. A gasp escaped her and her hips bucked softly at the feeling of Itachi's finger firmly running along the length of her slit.

Wide, hazy eyes snapped to Itachi's, focusing entirely on the emotions she could see in his eyes. It was rare of him to show emotion and when he did so, Sakura always made sure to take advantage. She loved it when Itachi expressed his emotions, when he showed her how he was feeling. Right now, his eyes were warm with tenderness and love, yet half–lidded with lust and hunger.

He kept up a languid pace of stroking her through her underwear, his touch teasing yet firm so that Sakura could grow used to the feeling.

She bit her lip and stared down at him for a moment until Sakura shifted in her position and lowered herself slightly. "Itachi," Her nervousness was obvious, but she shoved it aside and forced herself to be more confident, "can I touch you?"

The hunger in his eyes doubled.

"Are you sure?"

Instead of answering, Sakura's fingers trailed down his chest and to the buttons of his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them slowly. Whether it was to build the already unbearable tension, or to… She didn't know what she was even thinking about. Itachi raised his hips for her, aiding Sakura in pulling his pants and underwear down just enough to free him, his eyes darkening. They only continued to darken when the tips of Sakura's fingers brushed along his length and it took everything in him not to shift, not to buck his hips demandingly despite his body fighting to do so.

He would not push her. Instead, Itachi tried his best to remain calm and patient, watching her through lidded eyes. However, the instinctual bucking of his hips could not be helped when she finally wrapped her small hand around him, her eyes snapping up to his at the quiet groan that escaped him.

Sakura bit her lip and gave an experimental tug, noticing how he had stopped teasing her now that he was distracted.

But then Itachi came back to himself and pressed a lingering kiss to her collarbone, taking a moment to suck on the skin there before his fingers were moving again. Although this time, they did not rub her through her underwear. They were instead working on removing said underwear. Slowly, just in case she changed her mind. She did not. And the second they were around her thighs, Sakura's arousal hit him at full force and Itachi bit back a growl.

The beast in him was trying to take control, trying to make him hurry up and claim her.

Pressing her face into his neck and squeezing her eyes shut, Sakura tried to ignore the surge of panic that flooded her at the feeling of his fingers grazing her heat. No man had ever touched her the way he was currently doing so, not even her rapists. They'd merely taken turns with taking her roughly.

Forcing herself to relax and instead focus on the feelings Itachi was experiencing through their bond, Sakura slowly opened her eyes and breathed out slowly. She could do this. Just this small little thing. Once she'd proved to herself that it wasn't like when they had attacked her, it would become easier. She just had to prove that to herself.

Lifting her face from his neck, Sakura pressed her forehead to his. It made it easier seeing his eyes, made her know for sure that it was Itachi touching her, and not those vile men.

And as one of Itachi's fingers gently slid inside of her, making sure to take it slowly, Sakura felt herself growing slightly more sure. Her hand paused in the rhythm she had been keeping up, a low moan slipping through her lips. It was such a strange sensation and a few minutes after, as Itachi slowly got her ready for it, another finger was added, increasing her building pleasure.

Her back arched, pushing her chest against his, and her hips bucked into his hand.

"I–Itachi…"

His eyes felt heavy as they lifted to look into hers. "Do you want me to stop?"

Oh, Gods how was it even possible for his voice to sound even deeper, even smoother? "No… No don't stop. But I… I…"

Realising that she was having difficulty speaking due to him breaking up her sentences with kisses, Itachi smirked softly and allowed her to speak. "Yes, Hime?"

"Wouldn't it be more comfortable… on the bed?"

He stopped all movement. "Sakura, are you sure?"

She whimpered at the loss, but still nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Just… Can we go slowly?"

"As slowly as you want," Itachi murmured, removing his fingers from within her so that she could stand. He watched her for a moment, watched not only her movements, but also her eyes. He paid close attention to her emotions. The last thing he wanted was to cause Sakura any pain.

His decision was made only seconds later.

Standing up, Itachi cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Not today, Sakura." Her eyes snapped to his, widening, and feeling her emotions, her hurt and confusion, he sighed. "I am not rejecting you. I would never reject you. It is simply that your reasons for wanting to go further are wrong. It shouldn't be something you feel as though you have to do. If we are together in such a way, I don't want it to be meaningless or forced."

"But–"

"I have too much respect for you to do such a thing, Hime." Itachi murmured to her, trying to make her see things from his perspective. "If you force yourself to do this, you will not be overcoming your fear. You will be giving yourself to it."

Sakura looked pained as she stared up at him. "But I want to be with you that way."

He gave her a gentle smile. "And I want nothing more than to give myself to you completely, but not yet. Not until you are completely ready. I can feel everything you feel, Sakura, just like you can feel everything I can. Remember that."

And when he felt a huge wave of relief coming from Sakura, Itachi knew that he had made the right decision.

It was quite some time later when Itachi found himself doing a perimeter run with Shisui, the pair of them near silent as they did so. They'd been taking up the responsibility of doing the perimeter runs more and more often lately, due to the risk of Orochimaru being around. All of them knew that the snake was not to be underestimated. In a purely physical battle, the two Uchiha men knew that they wouldn't lose against such a monster. However, Orochimaru had ways of turning the tables and taking the upper hand. It was how he managed to mess Sasuke up psychologically.

His mind techniques.

Like Itachi had warned Sakura all those months back, witches could read minds, but the more powerful ones could ensnare the mind and pretty much do whatever they wanted with it. The Sharingan gave them some help with seeing through Orochimaru's tricks, but not entirely. It certainly wouldn't effect Itachi or Shisui as much as it had Sasuke, but those tricks would still effect them on some level depending on the intensity of them.

Sighing as they returned from the run, Shisui turned to him and gave Itachi a serious look. "Sasuke will be fully healed in just a few days."

"I know."

"Itachi…" There was a pause. "Are you sure about this? About leaving the clan?"

"I am," Itachi answered without hesitation. "I'm not disowning the clan and the clan is not disowning me. I am merely going my own way for an uncertain amount of time. Who knows? It could take Sakura mere months to learn everything Tsunade–sama teaches her. You have seen how fast she picks things up."

The older Uchiha gave a reluctant smirk. "It's going to be strange not having you or Sasuke around. Sakura, too."

He couldn't help but smile at his cousin. Ever since discovering his illness, Shisui had always been extremely close to the family and was more like a brother than a cousin. He hadn't wanted to miss a single moment with Itachi, and had wanted to be there for the rest of the family when they lost him. After being changed, Shisui had remained with them and Itachi was glad that he had. He was somebody Itachi knew he could confide in and trust, knew that Shisui would always have his back. They were best friends and Itachi wasn't even going to deny that he'd miss him.

"We will be back before you know it."

"Don't think I won't be checking in on you!" Shisui suddenly smirked, a knowing look in his eyes. "Any day, at any time, I could just transport to you and–"

Itachi's eyes actually widened. "Shisui–"

"So Mikoto–san was right!" he laughed, patting Itachi on the back as they entered the hideout and prepared themselves for the traps. "I'm glad you're helping her through this, Itachi."

He didn't want to know how his mother knew. The fact that he and Sakura were getting to know each other on a more intimate level should be between himself and Sakura, and nobody else. Knowing that not only his mother knew, but she had been speaking about it to Shisui, was rather uncomfortable.

The journey through the traps was done quietly and quickly and before they even knew it, Itachi's hands were flying through the seals and opening the door for them. The warmth was the first thing to welcome them home, but the sight that they returned to had both men pausing.

Sakura had fallen asleep on her side on the sofa, but instead of it being just her, Mikoto was there, too. The younger woman's head was resting in her lap and there was a soft smile on the Uchiha's face as she gently ran one of her hands through pink hair, admiring the pastel shade of it and the softness. Opposite them on the other sofa, sat Sasuke. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd been out of bed since losing his arm, but he usually chose to remain in his bedroom after showering, so that he didn't have to interact with the others. Right at that moment in time there was a book being held in his hand, but every so often, the movements across from him would catch Sasuke's attention and he'd simply watch as Mikoto stared down at Sakura's peaceful sleep with a warm look, as she played with her hair.

"Sakura–chan was exhausted," Mikoto spoke quietly as she sensed her son and Shisui entering the room, the door shutting behind them. Thankfully, the harsh scraping sound did not wake Sakura up. "Barely even capable of keeping her eyes open. When was the last time she slept, Itachi?"

Silently, they made their way around the sofas and took each of Sasuke's sides. One glance at the book told them both that Sasuke was preparing himself for the battle against Orochimaru. It was about his Sharingan, and how he could counter mind techniques with it. The book was ancient and Itachi could recall reading it himself a long time ago. He'd given it to his brother just the other night, when Sakura was telling the story of her past to the others.

"A week or so."

The look his mother shot his way was disapproving. "She's still young, so–"

"I cannot force her to sleep if she doesn't want to."

That was true. Sighing, Mikoto went back to calmly brushing Sakura's hair with her fingers. It had a relaxing effect on all of them. "You've been exhausting her, Itachi–chan."

Whenever his mother called him 'Itachi–chan' it always meant that he was being teased. "Mother–"

The smirk on her face was unmistakable, making Shisui also smirk whilst Sasuke sighed and tried to ignore them. "Don't worry, it isn't that noticeable."

Sasuke scoffed, though immediately wished that he stayed silent when Itachi glanced down at him and raised an eyebrow. "…The smell," he said reluctantly after a few moments. "It's very noticeable."

A tinkling laughter sounded, telling them that Mikoto was highly amused. "Oh, Naruto–kun's reaction every time he picks up that scent."

"It's kind of understandable, though," Shisui defended him, refusing to meet Itachi's eyes. "Her scent is hard to ignore."

"Sakura is–"

"Has always been yours, we know," Sasuke grunted, keeping his eyes on the page. "Mother is merely pointing out the fact that the others aren't immune to her. Even Kakashi and Gaara are effected by Sakura, Nii–san."

Yes, he'd already noticed that, but it seemed his Sakura was too innocent to notice the discreet glances, the watchful eyes. The hunger in those eyes. It was why Gaara's clan had been so forward in wanting her, why Kakashi had openly flirted with her when he first met her. Both had stopped when they saw that Sakura was with him, but those looks were still there. The want was still there.

Instead of replying, he kept his eyes on Sakura's features. She seemed so relaxed and at peace and through their bond, it felt like she was floating down a stream. No negative feelings were bothering her and whatever Sakura was dreaming about, it was pleasant to her. Even without the bond, Itachi would have been able to tell that. It was in the small smile on her lips.

"Itachi." Mikoto sighed, happy to see the warmth in his eyes since they were usually empty. "I'm glad that you saved Sakura–chan."

"Even if it means leaving?"

There was a pause and during that pause, Itachi's eyes languidly swept from Sakura's features, to his mother's. Sadness was obvious in her eyes, but the acceptance was greater. "When you were diagnosed with your illness, I never thought I would be able to see you like this. I know… that it's not the way a mother would want her child to live, as an unnatural being, but… You're happy, for the first time in such a long time. This is all I have ever wanted for you, Itachi. Not dying before your twenty–first birthday. Not being diagnosed with some incurable disease. This. Love, affection and happiness. Those are three of many, many things that I have always wanted you to experience." She gave him a small smile. "That is why I'm accepting your temporary leave. As a human, you never had the chance to experience any of that, but now is your chance. You have it already. You just need to explore, now. Explore your heart, explore Sakura–chan's…"

He gave a soft smirk. "You are more of a hopeless romantic than Sakura is."

"She's right, though," Shisui commented, raising a brow. "There are a lot of things you haven't experienced yet, due to either being too ill, or being too wary of trusting others–"

"If this is another remark about my–"

"Even Sasuke–chan here has experienced more of life than you have, Itachi."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Shisui, leave me out of this."

The oldest Uchiha male chuckled, nudging his cousin. "What's wrong, Sasuke–chan? Don't tell me you're a prude despite all that you've done."

If he had still been human, Sasuke knew for a fact that his face would have been tomato red. To make matters worse, his mother was listening in on their conversation with a teasing look in her eyes.

"Why have we never met your woman, Sasuke?" Mikoto asked.

"Because she isn't my woman," he growled in return, his hold on the book tightening. "It was before we'd been changed." And a few times after that. "She's dead now."

Silence.

Itachi frowned. "Sasuke–"

"She got old and died. I didn't kill her myself." Sasuke sighed, no longer pretending to try and read his book even though his eyes didn't leave it for a moment. "Married some guy, had a few kids and grandchildren, then died."

"Why didn't you ever change her, Sasuke?" his mother asked gently. "We would have welcomed her in the same way we welcomed Sakura–chan. If–"

He shook his head. "I didn't feel anything like that for her. What Itachi feels for Sakura… It's a lot more than what I felt for that woman." Just as Mikoto opened her mouth, he finally looked up at her with a blank look. "Leave it, Mother. It's in the past."

She sighed and shook her head. "You're going to have to let somebody in all the way one day, Sasuke. The same way your father has let me in, the way Itachi has let Sakura–chan in." He remained silent. "That is what love is all about. Acceptance. If you–"

Sasuke stood up abruptly, snarling to himself as he dropped his book to the ground and went back to his bedroom.

Mikoto sighed. "Was I too pushy?"

"Don't worry about him." Shisui gave her a small smile. "Sasuke's probably just feeling restless."

He was. Itachi watched after his brother even as the door was slammed shut. Sasuke was feeling restless and he honestly couldn't blame him. His hand was almost completely regenerated now. A few more days and he'd be fully regenerated. That meant the three of them (himself, Sasuke and Sakura) would be leaving the clan in search of Tsunade.

Itachi hoped they were both ready.

Four and a half days later, when Sakura and Itachi were sitting peacefully in their bedroom on the sofa, the door slammed open, surprising them for a moment. Fortunately, they were not in any inappropriate position. Sakura was simply leaning against him as they both read their own books.

"Naruto–kun," Itachi said patiently, even though on the inside, he was annoyed, "you must knock before entering somebody's bedroom."

Had they been intimate, it would have had a negative effect on Sakura. The way she was with him, how hesitant she was to take her clothes off, told Itachi that she didn't enjoy the thought of being naked around others. With him, she was getting used to the feeling, but others? No. And Itachi couldn't blame her, as he didn't want anybody else to see his woman naked, either.

Itachi paused for a split second. His woman?

"We're leaving!" Naruto announced, not paying any attention to Itachi's warning.

Sakura dropped her book onto her lap and frowned. "You're not travelling with us?"

"We are." At Sakura's demanding scowl, he continued quickly with a grin, "Sasuke's arm is completely healed!"

Her mouth fell open in shock.

Naruto's grin widened brightly. "We're going to find Tsunade–baa–chan!"

Edited: 02/09/2016