Itachi was so ashamed of himself. It was ultimately his fault that their son had died an unnecessary and premature death, but Sakura could do nothing but blame herself. He was the one who had disappeared for those short, ten minutes, and he was the one who had not been certain that Karin had showed up. Itachi was slightly irked by the fact the redhead kunoichi did not immediately gone to Sakura's side, but he had a good idea why she had not.

After the chaos of that day, he had gotten the chance to think it over. Orochimaru must have heard him talking to Karin, then intercepted her. Orochimaru was the one behind the entire scheme. It was undoubtedly because that snake needed the life force of a newborn that he had taped him in the shower and shared the evidence with Karin. It disgusted him, but clearly, Orochimaru had intended for Karin to originally bear his child.

He shuddered to himself at the thought of making love to Karin as he had to Sakura. It was impossible, he quickly decided.

Itachi let out a quiet sigh through his nose, then sat next to Sakura. She had been crying a lot, and he had no idea how to comfort her. She was curled up in her bed, sheets strewn about and her pillows scattered on the floor. Sakura refused to get up, to eat, to even drink water. Itachi understood that she was in pain, he felt just as miserable over the loss of their son, but he could see where she was heading. Sakura was walking down a self-destructive path, and he could not allow it.

If Sakura slowly killed herself, Itachi had no idea what he would do. He would have nothing to live for, nothing to make life worthwhile. With Sakura and his son dead, Itachi had no doubt he would quickly follow them, even if it meant killing himself.

He reached a cautious hand to stroke her back. She gave no visible reaction, but Itachi hoped that at least his presence would help somehow. It was better than to be alone, if nothing else. It would have been better if she blamed him for what happened, if Sakura was even angry with him. It was as if she could not think of anything wrong he had done, though he needed more than the fingers on his hands to count his mistakes. She deserved so much more than him, than this pain she was suffering. Yet, she had chosen him, knowing what he was, what he had done. Now he had failed her, and everything they had ever hoped for was gone.

A clear-thinking shinobi would have pointed out the positive, that at least they were alive again. Even then though, Itachi failed to see how that was so wonderful. They were in Konoha, safe, and sound and together, but nothing was right. He would rather have been dead and with a son than alive and without one. Their child should have been a miracle, but with how everything was falling apart, he knew that even miracles never existed. That child had been a curse, because it had been his child.

He shook his head, wanting to rid himself of such morbid thoughts. Itachi suddenly remembered the one conversation he had with Tsunade since his return. She had welcomed him and Sakura with open arms, glad to have such able shinobi back on board, but for him, she had a sort of condition. Not that he needed to be ordered to do so, Tsunade believed that the people in Konoha would be more comfortable with him in the village if he had killed an enemy and brought their head back on a stake.

So, as his first unofficial mission back as a loyal shinobi, he was going to hunt down and assassinate Orochimaru. Apparently, he had no time limit, as he was not yet reinstated, and she wanted him to head out as soon as he deemed it best. Itachi did not want to leave Sakura so broken, but time was passing, and if he waited much longer, it would be difficult to track down his target. It had been nearly three weeks as it was.

Itachi leaned down to kiss the soft, bare skin of her shoulder, moving her pink hair out of the way to do so. He needed to bring up his leaving sooner rather than later, and he had been putting it off for too long as it was. Itachi felt like he was abandoning her, but it was necessary that he hunt down Orochimaru. Surely she would understand that much.

"Koishii, we need to talk." He whispered. Her quiet sobs ceased, and she slowly sat up. Through her crying, they had hardly spoken for three long weeks, and his voice was strangely foreign to her. She was beginning to wish he had spoken more during that time, even if she had asked that he let her pass the pain in silence. He had such a calm, smooth voice, and it would have helped her relax, just to hear him speak.

She knew what he was going to say before he said it. He had to get Orochimaru, and though he would never tell her this, she was holding him back. Guilt surged through her, and she leaned her cool, clammy forehead against his. "I know that you have to hunt that bastard down, and that it is my fault you have not left yet." She murmured, her eyes looking off to the side in shame.

Itachi sighed, then nuzzled her neck softly. "I would never blame you for that, Koishii. I will not leave until I am certain you will be fine without me."

She gulped, then knew she was being unfair. She wanted for him to stay by her side forever, when he really needed to do this. A small smile formed on her lips. She would have to let him go; it would not be that long, would it? "No, you would not, but I do. It is my fault. I will let you go, so tomorrow, leave and kill Orochimaru. It is your job to kill him. Before that though, do something for me, Itachi."

He quirked a brow, but then nodded his head. "Whatever you want, Koishii." He replied gently. A smirk crossed her face. She was up to something, he knew, but did not question it. He felt himself being pushed onto his back into the bed sheets, and stared up at her form in shock. She straddled his hips playfully, twisting her body tauntingly.

"I want you to make sweet, beautiful love to me, Itachi." She said, nimble fingers moving down his chest and then under his shirt. He watched, utterly stunned, as she pulled the unwanted material from his body. He smirked back at her. Well, if that was what she wanted, then he would not deny her. Itachi watched smugly as she kept swerving her hips and tugged her own tank top over her head. She reached behind with skill, unclasping her bra and letting it fall away, freeing her breasts.

"Your wish is my command." He murmured, flipping her over onto the bed, then hovering over her smaller form. He would giver a night she would not soon forget, of that he was certain. If this was the last thing he could do before leaving, then he would deliver.

...

Itachi was first woken by the soft rays of sunshine, peeking through the thin curtains of Sakura's bedroom. They had been staying in her apartment, which conveniently enough for him, was close to the gates out the village. He slowly sat up, groaning to himself, and pushing his dark bangs out of his face. Not wanting to wake his sleeping lover, he silently slipped out from under the ruffled sheets.

Itachi dressed into a pair of simple shinobi pants and a shirt, then strapped on a spare kunai holster that had been sitting around. He had no money, and he had no intention in taking Sakura's, so instead of leaving the village straight away, he decided to see Tsunade. Besides, they still had the details of the mission to go over, and it could look bad if he went and disappeared.

Sadly kissing his naked lover on the cheek, Itachi covered Sakura with the sheets more fully, then closed the door to her bedroom quietly. She woke the moment that door shut, but she did not follow him. It was better that he left thinking she was asleep; goodbyes would be too painful to endure, and she was not sure what she could even say to him. He was right in leaving without waking her.

She had cried enough, and would not allow herself to continue on. She needed to be strong; Itachi would be back, and when he did return, they would have many chances at having children. As much as it hurt that their first child had not lived through birthing, Sakura knew it was not ending with that. After all, she had a very good reason for wanting Itachi to make love to her so desperately the night previous.

It had been wrong of her, but when Itachi had hesitated the night before, Sakura had told him that she was a medic, and knew how to protect herself with a medical ninjutsu. This was not a lie, but she had never intended to use that jutsu. He had no idea that through their entire night of frivolous lovemaking, she had not used any contraception. If he had known what she wanted to happen, he surely would not have been willing to leave so easily.

So, she would not say goodbye to him. That did not mean that she would not see him off either. Crawling out of bed, and ignoring the surge of sudden pain between her legs, Sakura pulled on the closest thing. It did not matter that it did not match, because she had no intention in being seen by anyone.

She dashed off towards the cluster of trees near the walls of Konoha. Sure to not be seen, she hid in the branches, waiting for him to walk out. She felt like such a child, hiding in the trees, but it did not matter so much. It was easy to act like a child, not facing difficult tasks, and running from danger. Itachi was not particularly dangerous, at least not to her, but she was not ready to see him.

Itachi stood before Tsunade, who he noticed with grim humor was already sipping at a jug of sake. The task as Hokage was much more stressful than her successors had let on, it seemed. It must not have been an unusual occurrence, because her aid, Shizune, did not scold Tsunade. So, he ignored this and addressed the Hokage respectfully with a bow.

"Hokage-sama. It is time for me to commence the mission you assigned me." He said, keeping his head down. The woman sighed, and Itachi heard the subtle sound of her clay jug of sake being set down on the wooden desk. This was the teacher to Sakura, and so he knew Tsunade saw his lover almost as a daughter. She must have already known that Sakura would not be happy about his departure, but as Hokage, it was crucial that he hunt down Orochimaru.

The snake had terrorized Konoha for decades, and now that he was back from the grave, the village could easily be back in danger. While Sakura was like a daughter to her, as the Hokage, it was her duty to put the village before all else. "At ease, Uchiha-san." Tsunade muttered, pushing aside her sake to pull forward a file instead.

"I know you do not have any money, or any sort of supplies, so I had Shizune put together a pack for you. I want you to stay in contact with me. Send me some sort of information every two weeks or so. And I think Sakura would like to hear something from you as well."

Itachi stood straight again, and nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, Hokage-sama." He replied.

Tsunade huffed. "So, Uchiha, what is your plan? Surely you are not running into this without any sort of thought beforehand."

Itachi was quick to reply. "As you may have noticed, those of us that had been in purgatory all came back where we had been buried. I plan to start where Sasuke had first killed him, and track Orochimaru from there."

"Yes, I did notice that. That damned Danzo just showed up and demanded he get his office back, the bastard. If all the people to come back from the dead, he has to be the worst; him, and Orochimaru." She snorted, picking up her jug of sake again and swigging it in one smooth motion.

"What is he going to be after?" She continued in asking. If Orochimaru had put together such an elaborate scheme just to be brought back to life, then he had to have worthwhile reason. Itachi sighed, knowing only one good reason the snake could possibly have, from the conversations he had shared with Sasuke. Orochimaru had only one goal in life, it seemed.

"It is likely that, once he realizes it is me hunting him down, Orochimaru will come for me. He still wants a pair of Sharingan for his own use. This will only make my job easier." Itachi replied. Tsunade grunted. If Orochimaru did not go after Itachi, then his return to Konoha would be unavoidable. Sasuke had a pair of perfectly good Sharingan, and he was staying in the village for a while.

"Very well, Uchiha. Go kill that damned bastard, then come back quickly. If you have not succeeded in as long as a year, return to Konoha, and then I am sending you back out with a team. I will not accept any failures." She said with strength and authority. Itachi bowed briefly again. It would not take nearly as long as Tsunade had given him, but he understood why she said it.

"I will not betray my village, Hokage-sama, and I will not return without Orochimaru's head." He replied stonily. A small smirk crossed her face. She scooted her chair back, then reached into a drawer. She tossed him something, which he effortlessly caught.

"Good then. Wear this."

Itachi looked down at a new hitai-ate, and smiled to himself. The barely perceivable smile left his expression as soon as it had come, and it was replaced with his usual, blank face. He tied it on, glaring with determination to complete his mission. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." He murmured, then disappeared in a flash, taking his pack when he went.

Suddenly, Sakura saw his form come into view. He had a small pack on his back, and though he had his bangs covering them for the most part, she could see a new hitai-ate on his forehead. She smiled for him, glad that he could have what he wanted. He never had wanted to be enemies with Konoha, but he had spent half of his life running from them, because they saw his as a betrayer. He was always loyal to them though, and now he had a way of showing it.

His hands were stuffed into his pockets, his glance downward. His posture reminded her of Sasuke, and of the missions they had taken together as genin, though she supposed Sasuke had gotten it from Itachi, not the other way around. Sasuke had followed his brother to the gate, and she could not hear what they were saying, but it looked tense.

Then, though he did not give any indication that he saw her, Itachi gave a small glance in her direction. Sasuke had not noticed it, or if he had, he had not thought much of it. It had been small, no more than a look from the corner of his eye, but for that split second, Sakura knew their eyes had met, and a small understanding had passed between them. He knew she was there, but he did not say a word, and she was fine with this.

So, with no further acknowledgement, he walked through those gates. Sakura smiled at his disappearing back, already anxious for his return. At least she would not be alone when he left. She had Sasuke, Ino and Naruto to keep her company, and perhaps Karin would eventually show up. When Sakura had first met her, it was almost as if Karin had been a replacement for Ino, but as she learned more about her, Sakura realized Karin was a complete other person. For almost a year, Karin had played the same part in her life as Ino had, but she was not the same person.

Sakura jumped in surprise when Sasuke suddenly appeared on branch next to her, almost falling from the tree. He caught her by her upper arm, then held her steady so she would not fall down to the ground, and gave her a stern look. She replied it with a sheepish glance of her own. For some reason, Sakura had the feeling she was going to get scolded by him.

"Why did you not say goodbye to Itachi? There was no reason for you not to, since you were just right here." He chided, giving her a small glare. Sakura rolled her eyes, then freed her arm from his grasp with a sigh. She saw no reason why she should have to explain herself to him, but decided to anyway.

"We made our goodbyes last night. He left me while I was still asleep. If he wanted to speak to me about it today, then he would have woken me up before leaving. Besides, he had a hard enough time leaving me as it was. If I had shown up, tears in my eyes and me clinging to him like a child, then it would make it only more difficult for him."

He looked at her, and knew what she said was right. Just by what Itachi had told him to do before leaving, he knew that Sakura being there would have made it harder on his brother. He wished he could be there to help his aniki, but this was something his brother had to do on his own. Sasuke had already made his peace with Orochimaru when he killed him. Now, Itachi had to do this for himself. Orochimaru had killed his child, and Itachi had every right to kill him again to avenge his son. It was not really in his place to help him.

The silence between them dragged on for a few moments, before Sakura awkwardly broke it. "So, Sasuke, what exactly was Itachi talking about with you just before he left?" She asked, fumbling with her fingers anxiously. He gave her a hard, thoughtful look, before sighing softly.

"You." He replied simply. Sakura rolled her eyes again. Obviously, she wanted to know more than that, but Sasuke had to be difficult it seemed. That was one thing about him that had never changed from his genin days, and she wished it had. Whenever she talked with him, it was like she was pulling teeth to get more than three words out of him. Back then, when she had been engrossed with everything Sasuke, she had envisioned him growing out of that, but it seems now that had been no more than a childish dream.

"Well, okay then, but what about me? That is not very specific, Sasuke." She said, crossing her arms. They both now sat comfortably in the branches, their feet dangling below them. Sasuke grunted, then after a good minute of thinking, decided to reply.

"Itachi wanted me to be sure you were...happy. He wants me to check in on you every once and a while." Sasuke finally said, sounding rather uncomfortable with the thought. Sakura laughed cheerfully, easily able to picture to blank, serious expression Itachi must have made when asking Sasuke to do this. It had probably been unnecessary for him to ask anyway, because Sakura was certain Sasuke would want to check in on her either way.

"He likes to worry a lot. Though after what just happened, I can hardly blame him. I was a complete mess." She let out a breath of air. Her memories of the past few weeks were very vague, as if nothing had happened during that time. She remembered holding her dead son, and being in the hospital with Itachi, but besides that, those three weeks were a complete blur.

Sasuke shook his head. "My brother was even more of a mess than you were. I had never seen him more out of it then that time. In the first few days, he was almost in his own world; he was really depressed, and he would not speak or eat at all. Then he must have figured that sulking was not going to help you at all, and he snapped out of it. When you kept on crying like that though, he was utterly lost. I have no idea what happened, but he has not looked composed until this morning." He told her in earnest.

Sakura was not sure what to be more shocked by, that Sasuke had said so much at once, or that Itachi had been in complete shambles alongside her. What had changed so much about yesterday that he appeared just as collected as ever this morning? The only thing she could think of was the wonderful hours of lovemaking they had spent throughout the night. What she was think was ridiculous. This was Itachi; surely sex did not change so much in him.

Apparently, it did. Well, when she thought about it, in those three weeks, they had not slept together at all. That was a long time to go without any sort of action, especially when comparing it to before. Still, it had to be more than just the sex. Yes, it might have played some part in it, but there was more. That night, she had talked to him about everything.

For the first time in a long while, they had opened up to one another, emotionally and physically. They had become a couple that shared everything with each other, and to go such a long time without that was harsh. Their communication with each other was the most crucial part of their relationship, and without it, there was nothing. It was their ability to share that made what they had so special, and for three weeks, there had been nothing.

"I told him it was my fault he had not hunted down Orochimaru yet." Sakura whispered more to herself than to Sasuke. That was what had changed. He had found a way to protect her, even from herself, and the things she said. He had been confident in leaving her only then, because he had been sure that she would be fine on her own.

"Sakura, Itachi would never think that. I am sure he-

She interrupted him. "I know he would never think it was my fault. But we talked, and after so long, I think he felt that I was back to my old self." Well, as much back to her old self as possible. After holding the child she had carried in her womb for nine months, only to find that he was dead, she would never be quite right again. She would heal though, even in his absence, and Itachi had seen that.

"My brother loves you very much." Sasuke whispered. Sakura turned to him in shock, surprised by what he was saying. While he had always known this, Sakura had never heard him admit it out loud. Sakura had always thought that he still felt something for her. Maybe he did, but it did not seem to matter so much anymore.

"Yes, I know that, Sasuke." She replied calmly. Silently, Sakura wondered if he would go any further than that.

"He loves you more than I ever could, and there is something I have wanted to tell you since the day I killed you." He continued. His discomfort was clear, and it appeared to be spreading. They had never really talked about this with each other because it was awkward. Sasuke, however, was determined to get it out, no matter how unpleasant. Far be it from her to stop it; she had always wanted to hear him say what he was going to.

"What is that?" She asked gently, hoping he had not broken from thinking too much. She had to hold in a snort from the thought, not wanting to insult him.

"I am sorry for what I did. For ignoring you, for leaving you, and then for killing you. You deserve someone like Itachi, just as much as he deserves someone like you. I hope that you two will be happy together, and that you can forgive me for my stupidity." He said, his eyes kept downcast. Sakura could not believe it, but Sasuke was really afraid of what she would say. It was humorous to think he would be so concerned.

So, she decided to say nothing at all. Instead, Sakura wrapped two arms around him, pulling him into a friendly hug. At first, he froze in shock, but when realizing that it was perfectly fine to return the gesture, Sasuke cautiously put his arms around her too. She was not angry with him, and had forgiven him a long time ago, and he could tell. Relief surged through him, and he let out a small sigh.

"Sasuke, someday, I know you will find someone that makes you happy. She just is not me. For all we know, she is hiding right beneath that nose of yours." Sakura finally told him, reaching up to give him a chaste kiss to the cheek. He blushed slightly, then lifted a hand to touch the spot. "Until then, though, try not to hide so much in a corner. You will never find 'the one' if you do not go out there and get her." She continued with a reprimanding tone of voice.

Sasuke grimaced. "All Itachi ever did was hide in a corner, and he got you. Why would it not work for me too?"

Sakura laughed, hopping down from the tree. She looked up him with a teasing expression. "Your brother did not hide in a corner! Itachi started chasing after me before I even got over you!" She called, giggling to herself as she did so. "Take after Itachi and corner her until she has no other choice!" She advised, pivoting on her feet.

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. Itachi had certainly gotten himself an interesting woman. He was beginning to wonder if his brother's method of picking up women was completely sane. However, if it worked for someone as reclusive as Itachi, then it could never fail with someone like him. Sasuke just had to figure out who she was, then there would be no escape.

With pink hair sticking up in every direction and her clothes mix-matched, Sakura walked down to the Hokage tower. It was time she paid her shishou a little visit, because she wanted her old job back. She roughly knew that Tsunade and Shizune were alive, because they had both been there when she was in labor. This would be the first time she had seen them since then though, and even on that night, Sakura had not said a word to either women. Tsunade would undoubtedly want to know every last detail about where she had been, and what had happened between her and Itachi. She was something like a mother figure, after all.

Tsunade had told her and Shizune once that she trusted them more than anyone else in the entire village. It was natural that because she had so much trust in her, she would have the same amount of trust in Tsunade. While she really did not want to go into detail about everything that happened between her and Itachi, it would be good to have her teacher back in her life again.

AN: There will be only one or two more chapters left to this fic! *sad face* I may or may not write an epilogue. I would like to thank everyone who has kept reading this fic through the end, you guys are the best!