When we stand alone

by Kyo12591

Sometimes it's not about where we stand, or who we stand with, it's about when we fall and how we get back up. However with Sakura, it's a matter of standing at all. SakuXCentric

2. Tell me lies

Welcome back! Nice reviews! Keep them coming ne?

As for the grammar and spelling, yes I know I'm trying to make it better, in the mean time tell me in a review your complaints. If your going to complain about it in the first place, you better have a list of crap I did or spelled wrong in the first place, that way I can change it. Other wise it's just hate mail and I'll ignore it.

Kyo~

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...sometimes you wish I did. :D

Chapter 2: Tell me lies.

Sakura was minding her own business just finishing up with her last patient of the night when she was suddenly lifted into familiar arms and carried out of the room. Said patient looked like he wanted to say something, but simply sat in the hospital bed hand outstretched to her as if that would save her from the Uchiha who had so rudely kidnapped her, again. She crossed her arms on his back since she was over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. His hand firmly on her short clad rear. She wondered if he placed it on her ass for a reason ( like to hold her in place or keep her quiet) or if he was simply feeling adventurous today.

She remained quiet the entire time it took for him to walk past bewildered nurses and patients and then when they finally were outside and he was walking down the street to her house she sighed and finally broke that silence.

" Alright, now what is it?" She asked Uchiha Itachi. He didn't say a word but his hand left her rear and then she winced and jerked as he slapped her ass. The sound echoed in the silence and she stiffened before she reached down and slapped him on his ass as he had hers. He jerked.

" Sakura." He growled out surprised and angry at the same time. Though she figured it wasn't because she had just slapped such a nice ass, because he had after all invited her to do so by slapping hers. She figured he was just mad because she had went to work and not rested at home like Shisui wanted her to.

" It's fine Captain. Now put me down so I can walk home myself. I'm not four, Itachi Uchiha. I don't need to be carried like a disobedient child." he growled at her again.

" Then stop acting like one." She sealed her lips in anger but didn't complain or say a word again just let herself be carried like a bag of flour over his shoulder until he dropped her onto her bed in her bedroom of her house.

" I know Shisui told you to rest today, and you did just the opposite as usual. The Sharingan is no simple genjutsu Sakura. You need to rest. Why must you try to prove yourself? Who are you trying to prove wrong when you continuously push yourself past the limits?" Her blood heated in anger despite his soft words, not said harshly in the least.

" I'm not like you Captain. I'm not from a clan. I have to prove my worth every single day. If I don't I'm just another silly little girl." Itachi closed is eyes and sighed.

" Your not a little girl. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, everyone knows your power Sakura. You don't have to be from a clan to be loved or deemed worthy of attention." She growled at him as he opened his eyes.

" Says someone who's from one of the most famous clan's in fire country. You've never had to prove anything in your life, things were expected of you I'll give you, but no one ever expects anything from me, no one ever expects me to be great, if anything they think I'll just be another simple low level Kunoichi who's only goal in life is to get married to someone from a clan and bare children." Itachi opened his eyes. When had they started having a heart to heart all of a sudden? But he guessed it was due to her. Sakura didn't really talk to people about what she felt anymore, obviously in her drive to be different and respected.

" Why did you react so violently to Sasuke? You said he was simply jealous, so why did you attack him?" She glared at him for the subject change but ignore it. She laid back on her bed with her arms behind her head she closed her eyes and sighed. He stood in silence waiting for her answer, for anything really.

" It's not important." She said and opened her eyes to looked over at him, she had to look down her body to do so since he was at the side of the bed and in front of where she was draped across the soft bedding.

He gazed down at her with a blank face, his usual one.

" I hope you'll at least listen to your Captain and sleep now. Which means no reading, no late night training, no emergencies at the hospital." She looked down at him with a raised pink eye brow. She snorted and turned on her side curling up her body and resting her face against her knees her eyes drifting closed.

" It also means no late night activities." Her eyes opened and she glanced at Itachi with a narrowed look.

" What? You think I invite my many lovers over to have a group orgy every night Captain? With out inviting you?" She asked with a smirk. He narrowed his eyes at her in return.

" Please if your having an orgy I rather not even know about it or be invited." She was smiling but he was not. He was dead serious about that at least. She didn't look like she was serious about inviting him, but he had to wonder if she did have random group orgies with her many lovers.

He rather however not ask about her personal life. She was his teammate some days and his subordinate all the time. He was a friend, at least he thought he was, it wasn't as if they really shared best friend forever bracelets or anything, but he knew at least he wasn't just a ANBU captain to her, though she always did call him Captain and never his name. He didn't so much mind it, but then maybe he would start to mind it after a few more years. Even he wanted to know what his name sounded like on her tongue, more then just from a yell in anger that is.

They were friends, but he was male, and so he wasn't surprised he didn't know her lovers names or how many their were, though he knew she wasn't a virgin, he could tell, he didn't know who she was with, he could tell there was more then one. Her room had at one point or another smelled like at least three different men. He didn't know if they knew about one another, if she was having a friends with benefits sort of relationship with them, or if they were just casual lovers. He would have known if she had started dating someone. By law she had to tell her ANBU captain or at least the Hokage in order to remove the two from ever going on missions together.

So obviously if anything they were casual lovers, but he didn't know. As he said, he didn't know who they were or what relationship they had together. He didn't even know if there was more then three or not. It wasn't like he ended up in her bedroom all that much. This was maybe the fifth time he had come into this personal space.

" Ah well. I suppose I can find some other Uchiha to fill your place." Sakura said with a laugh. Itachi stiffened. Did she have an Uchiha lover? Did he know them? Sasuke? Shisui? Sasuke and her didn't seem to be very close and they had fought like cats and dogs earlier, Shisui loved her to death but his cousin had clearly no sexual want of her, he seemed to love the female as a sister and nothing more, as far as Itachi could tell. Shisui treated Sakura different from all other women, that was for sure. Thus he assumed Shisui cared about her, or else he wouldn't be so gentle with her.

Of course maybe she was just saying if Itachi himself wouldn't be involved in her little orgy she would have to find another Uchiha to take his place. Was she wanting an Uchiha lover then? Collecting men from each clan perhaps?

" You do that." Itachi said in turn instead of asking the question he was suddenly interested in knowing. He shouldn't even bother wondering. As he had said repeatedly now, obviously he's slow to comprehend tonight, he didn't care who her lovers were or what she did with them. Curiosity, he supposed, is a terrible thing sometimes.

A sudden knock cut off his thoughts and also his next comment he had been about to say in parting. She needed sleep and he wasn't going to keep her talking, and if he did he would no doubt just keep wondering who her lovers were. He really shouldn't care but now he did, and he hated wondering about things he didn't know about. Sakura had always been an interesting puzzle to figure out to him, and he supposed this was just another thing he had yet to figure out.

Itachi wondered who was visiting her this late at night. Some emergency at the hospital? He would have to send them away. She didn't need to use any more chakra or energy tonight.

Sakura didn't seem all that worried about whoever was at her door. Itachi was about to go send them away when who ever was knocking simply came in. He stiffened. One of those lovers? He stiffened. He had wanted to know of course, but now that he was faced with coming across someone he may know being her lover all this time he wasn't sure he wanted to know anymore. He would never look at her or said male ever again.

Footsteps soft as feathers made their way up the stairs to her bedroom, obviously someone familiar with her house. The chakra was concealed but not well enough to hide the faintly familiar chakra from his expert skills. Sakura didn't even move from her position, she didn't even look at the door, she was watching him as if he was something to be watched, something to be examined. He found it slightly uncomfortable, because obviously she could tell he was thinking deeply and slightly worried about who this could be coming into her house with out a sound at three in the morning, letting themselves in and walking directly to her bedroom with out ever asking if they could enter or anything.

He stiffened when the door to her bedroom turned. He held his breath and watched as the door slowly opened almost shyly and violet hair as long as mid-back tumbled in followed by lavender eyes, that of a Hyuuga, and pale skin. He let out a soft breath he had realized he had been holding.

Hyuuga Hinata the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. It was a woman not a man, so obviously not her lover. He felt for some reason relived he wouldn't have to meet a lover of hers face to face. So what was the Hyuuga doing here so late, or early, in the morning? Didn't her father have a curfew for her or something. Women from clans, more so the heiress, shouldn't be out playing around in these ungodly hours between dusk and dawn.

The shy female blushed as she clutched the partly opened door in her tiny pale hands. She looked to Uchiha Itachi and then Sakura and blushed a deep red. Obviously thinking that she had interrupted an intimate moment. He held out a hand for her to wait before she even thought about fleeing. Sakura sat up in her bed her hair suddenly falling out of her updo, caressing it's way down her ruffled clothes and landing softly on her bare thighs, just short of her shorts.

" Hina-chan." Sakura said softly. Itachi glanced back at the woman on the bed and frowned. He had never heard that sort of gentle voice from her before, that was strange. Why was he getting cold chills? He glanced back at the Hyuuga heiress who looked shyly at the Uchiha heir and hesitantly pulled open the door and hurried in past him to the bed where she took Sakura's outstretched hand. Sakura pulled the girl into her bed and wrapped her arms around her.

Sakura looked down at the female in her arms sitting like a blushing doll in between her thighs, Sakura's hands on the Hyuuga's stomach, her chin coming to rest on the tiny violet haired female's shoulder. Sakura's breath slightly ruffled her hair and Itachi watched with his eyes slightly widening.

Sakura held the girl in her possessive embrace, and she looked every bit as desirable as someone with their lover would look. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He was mistaken. He had just met one of her lovers it seemed. He hadn't though Sakura swung both ways, and he certainly hadn't noticed any female scents in her bedroom other then her own, but considering he had only been in her room little more then five or so times in the years he knew her, that wasn't saying much. The Hyuuga could be a new lover of hers, or even could have been over when he hadn't come into Sakura's room.

" Are you sure you don't want to join me sometime for that orgy Captain?" Itachi looked at the suddenly traumatized looking Hinata. Sakura clucked her tongue and her arms came up to cup Hinata's large Assets in her hands. Her lips skimmed the girls neck while she peered at Itachi through Hinata's violet hair. With the girl's dark hair and Sakura's green eyes she looked like a different person.

" Sorry Captain, but Hinata will not be joining that so don't get your hopes up. Hina-chan is only mine. I don't share her." Sakura said and ran her tongue up the girls neck with a slow caress down the girls body with one of her hands. The girl trembled but looked ready to pass out any second in her embarrassment.

He didn't want the Hyuuga but he had to say seeing Sakura act possessive of a lover of hers like this, a female lover, was interesting if not exciting to watch. He liked that glint in her eyes, the predatory one he had never seen. Heck he hadn't seen any of the faces and emotions she had shown in this short amount of time before. The faces she obviously kept hidden from everyone else, except her lovers, and now obviously him, a bystander. He knew he had to leave or watch the Hyuuga faint of embarrassment so he huffed.

" Get some sleep." He said and turned on his heel walking out of her bedroom, just far away down the stairs to hear her laugh something terribly sexy sounding, as he escaped her house. He wasn't sure he wanted to see all he had. It just made Sakura Haruno that much more interesting.

XxxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Sakura-chan do you think that was wise to tease Uchiha-san like that?" Hinata asked as Sakura released the girl from the intimate embrace. Sakura laughed as she flung herself back onto her bed. Hinata turned so she could look down at the pink haired beauty. A year older then her.

Sakura's jade eyes sparkled when she looked at Hinata in amusement.

" Chill Hina-chan. It's not like He's going to go around telling people. Besides it was fun. He needs a little more prospective anyway. He's not ever going to jump out of that box he holed himself in if someone doesn't give him a push." Sakura said. Hinata sighed as she collapsed on the bed next to Sakura.

" But won't he get the wrong idea? You know we're not lovers." Sakura laughed softly before suddenly leaning over the Hyuuga with a seductive smile as her lips hovered over Hinata's slightly parted ones, in her surprise of course.

" We could be Hina-chan." Sakura said, Hinata's breath trembled out of her, eyes wide, blush red across her face.

" You know I only like Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a dark blush as she looked away from Sakura's soft eyes.

Sakura smiled and pulled away flopping back on her bed again on her back.

" I know. Do you think I would forget Hina-chan?" Sakura asked looking not at the girl but out the window. Hinata sighed softly and curled up next to Sakura, who's mood went from teasingly sexual to completely black and listless in moments. Though Hinata didn't notice the change.

" Of course not Sakura-chan. That's why I'm here." Sakura's eye brow twitched and she watched the moon and the night sky as she listened for the girl's breathing to even.

Of course. Why else would Hinata want to spend time with her except for Naruto? Because Naruto and she were close.

Sakura watched that moon and felt a pit of loneliness reveal itself digging it's way out from under all the layers of barriers she kept it under during the day and in public. Like times like these, though she wasn't alone with the Hyuuga heiress at her side, she might as well have been.

XxxXxxXxxXxxX

Itachi couldn't get her out of his head. She kept popping up in his mind at the most annoying of times, like when he was working doing paperwork, or talking about mission reports, or bathing, or sleeping. Sometimes even eating. It was annoying because he didn't just think about her in as he normally did as a puzzle he'd like to figure out, or a subordinate or teammates, he was thinking about the sexual way she had licked the Hyuuga's neck, the possessive yet gentle hold she had held the girl with, her sweet but wicked smirk, but over all the soft way her eyes had went when she had wrapped the Hyuuga in her arms. All looks he had never seen from her. He was sure she had been teasing him, but he was also sure that Sakura felt something for the girl. Maybe not love, but something only a lover would feel toward the other.

The ways her eyes had looked had him thinking about her most of the week since that night. He wanted to know who else was her lover, she obviously had male lovers, but he wondered if she had any more female lovers as well. Did anyone else know about her lovers? Did the lovers know about each other? Did they care? Did she love any of them? Why did she have so many? Did they love her? Did she plan to marry any of them? How did she keep from baring a child with the men?

So sick of thinking about her and all these questions he decided to just watch her. Not stalk, watch. Observe and question her close companions to see if he could figure out those lovers the amount and the such from anyone, he could guess before he found out the old fashioned way.

So while at the hospital he watched whom she encountered, how she acted with them, and who she seemed close to. He treated this like he would any other mission, because the outcome would over all be what he wanted to accomplish. He still had his doubts about wanting to really know who her lovers, were and why he even cared to know, but he ignored them in favor of wanting to see that look again in her eyes. He wanted to see more of the side he never got to see. Wanting to know more about Sakura Haruno the one person he couldn't quite figure out.

He wasn't going to corner the Hyuuga heiress, because he doubted she knew even if there were other lovers, and she seemed to timid to even answer his questions. Though Sakura did seem close friend wise with the girl. She certainly didn't seem like the girl was her lover. It made him narrow his eyes. If she didn't even act like her lovers were her lovers how would he ever find out who they were? He needed some clues at least.

Well he supposed it wouldn't be much of a kept secret if it was obvious who they were.

XxxXxxxXxxX

She wondered if he thought he was being sneaky following her everywhere she went. Questioning some of the people she came in daily contact with, and even watching her at night as she slept, alone.

She was slightly amused that he was curious to her personal life. She wasn't sure if he was curious about something in general, or if it was just his desire to see who her lovers of choice where. Itachi Uchiha had always liked to put things together when he couldn't piece them together right away. She was his puzzle, and she didn't mind it. She had to be interesting to someone she figured.

Maybe he was trying to figure out if she even had any male lovers or not, considering she had teased him with the lie that she had Hinata as her lover, which was untrue. Sakura didn't care about ones gender, but she knew that Hinata only would ever like Naruto. Even if Sakura did like Hinata that way she would never stand a chance. There was no comparison between Naruto and her when it came to Hinata's love after all.

She ignored Itachi Uchiha, because she figured if he was going to ask her he would, and she didn't mind him watching her. She didn't mind being watched. It wouldn't be the first time she peaked someones interest. At the moment she was more worried about Sasuke Uchiha who sat on the hospital exam table with interesting wounds of his own.

She wasn't sure if she was even talking to him let alone no longer angry. He didn't seem angry, more put out, as if he hadn't wanted to see her let alone be healed by her, but she figured if he had an objection he would have mentioned it when she walked in.

She pulled on gloves and pulled up a swiveling chair so she could sit between his opened legs and look at the wound he had acquired from training. His chest bleed something fierce earlier but now was slowing to a little leaking of scarlet. The cut wasn't very deep though it cut all the way across his muscled chest.

She didn't talk to him just wiped the blood with a cloth and revealed the wound free of the wet blood. It still bleed but not enough to hinder her search of the wound as she probed the edges of the jagged cut and looked into the wound making sure no foreign particles were remaining inside before she started to heal him.

When she saw none she set to healing him with soft green chakra that to some was cooling relief and to others was a burning comfort. She didn't ask which it was to Sasuke, she didn't really want to talk to him anyway. She wasn't so much angry at him anymore, as hurt. She knew that Sasuke was jealous that she was getting his parents pride, his brother and cousin's attention, and his clans respect, but.. why was it her fault and why did he had to call her such things in the process?

Yes it hurt her feelings, she wasn't sure why it wouldn't be the first time she had been called foul names in her life, but maybe it hurt more when it was someone you were close to who said it. A friend, and teammate for years, calling you said names, because then it's personal.

So she simply healed him and neither of them spoke, he made a soft sound that could have been from pain or pleasure she couldn't tell, because frankly she hadn't been paying attention. She was healing his wound and she was thinking about that only, not how it felt to him, his pleasure, or his pain. She had finished healing him which he sighed as if glad it was over. She moved away and pulled off her bloody gloves before tossing them in a red sealed box of trash for things such as bloody garbage or needles or the such.

She wheeled herself away from him and then stood. He was done being healed. So she signed his dismissal papers handed them to him and left with out a word to him the entire time. Of course he had been silent as well. She walked back to her office to gather her things.

She only had to work half of today, and Sasuke had been squeezed in before she was supposed to get off work. She gathered her things and locked up her office before making her way down the stairs and out the hospital door, then on her way home. She would clean a little bit, maybe go out for dinner and then maybe she would treat herself to a dip in the Konoha hot springs before going home and reading some. She nodded. Sounded good to her. Just another relaxing day.

XxxXxxXxxXxX

He honestly could say he hadn't expected her to ignore him outright. She hadn't even spoke to him or really looked at him while healing him. He had gone to get healed in the first place hoping to catch her before she left work, and maybe apologize or at least see if she was still angry. It appears she is. Maybe he had gone a little bit too far, but why did she have to have everything he wanted? Why did his parents seem to love her even more then they did him? How did she get his dad to feel proud of her when she wasn't even his child? How did she get Itachi's attention? Why did Shisui treat her like a sibling? Why did his clan love her, when she wasn't even an Uchiha, when they clearly didn't give a crap about him.

Sasuke Uchiha would never be like his older brother, or his cousin. Never be good enough, never be smart enough, never be strong enough, never be skilled enough, and never be the same in his parents eyes. Could they blame him for being jealous of the things Sakura received that he most likely never would from them?

He didn't really know much about Sakura, he knew her, but didn't really know know her. She had changed since they were younger he gave her that, if she hadn't changed he doubted he would be jealous like he was now of her, she would never have gotten so powerful a Kunoichi and medic, and never would have won his fathers respect and his mothers love.

Why couldn't he had least have the sort of personality she had that drew people to him? Even Naruto had that personality. Why was he the only one with out it? People were drawn to Sakura for her skills and beauty and grace as much as they were drawn to Naruto because of his charm (?) and even because he had a way about him that made you feel like never giving up, and always smiling.

Maybe... he had been jealous of them both long before Sakura stole his parents away.

It wasn't just his parents or his clan though that messed him up. It was Itachi. Itachi had always shown him affection in some way or another, even if it wasn't so apparent to other people, Sasuke had known his older brother cared about him. Though once Sasuke got older and realized he was being compared to his brother, that he would never be able to live up to his brothers reputation or skill level he achieved in such little time, Sasuke and Itachi had grown apart. Itachi had distanced himself as much as possible from their father and the clan working long hours as ANBU captain holed away in the ANBU base.

Itachi kept himself busy because Sasuke knew he didn't like the attention he got from the clan or their father. Where as Itachi had always had things naturally happen for him, his brilliance he was born with, his skill he mastered, and the such... Sasuke was always working hard to try to be like Itachi, to be brilliant, to be exceptional like everyone expected of him after Itachi paved the way in his life. Sasuke had no choice but be cast in his shadow.

Sasuke had never hated his brother for the shadow he had been put in at his back, but he envied him. Sasuke realized that Itachi had his own pressures being the clan head that Sasuke himself never had to deal with. Yet things always came natural for Itachi. He never had to work hard at anything in his life. Thus the two brother drew apart, and Sasuke had missed his brother, missed the affection he had gotten as a kid. The affection he no longer got as a seventeen year old.

Sakura had some how managed to capture his brothers attention. Make him smile for her, Sasuke's favorite thing to do as a kid was try to make his brother smile, for it wasn't often he did so, and not the blank smiles but those soft loving smiles. He missed them, and he hated to admit that he smiled at Sakura. Why did Sakura get that attention from Itachi that he had lost? That he couldn't get back?

Was it because she worked as a medic on Itachi's ANBU squad that he was close with her? If Sasuke had been put on his brothers team would Itachi be that close with him as he is Sakura? Would he be in her place right now if that were true. Or was his attention on Sakura for other reasons? Her skill? Or medical work? Their shared genius? He knew that Itachi and Sakura were more alike then he had thought about, after all they both were genius and could understand each other. They thought along the same lines and could easily have conversations. Or was it simply that draw Sakura had, that pulled Itachi in just like every one else?

Sasuke sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Why was he having this debate why sitting in his brothers room? How had he even got here and why did he come here? He sighed and pushed himself to the door. He didn't need to be here, he couldn't even say anything to Itachi anyway. What was he to do act like a child and beg his brother to pay him attention or ask him why he was so interested in his old teammate? He couldn't do either, one lacked pride, the other was just none of his business.

He shuffled out of his brothers room to the kitchen where he smelled something spicy coming from. He never had liked sweet foods, thus his mother had started making more robust food, something rich in flavor but not sweet. Though Itachi and his father loved sweet things. Sasuke was the odd ball in the family he knew. He had taken after his father in build and Itachi their mother, but Sasuke had to say he wasn't like either of his parents when it came to things he liked or disliked or the such, and Itachi was much like their father in personality, at times, and in his likes and dislikes. Itachi even had their mothers taste for Rice balls and Dango.

He found his mother cooking in the kitchen her smile when she turned to find him sitting at the table was sweet and soft. She always looked sweet and soft Sasuke decided. It was what made him love his mother so much. She had always been kind to him in contrast to how strict their father was.

She put a plate of curry in front of him and kissed the top of his head before wondering off back to what she was doing making Rice and some sort of desert.

He started eating and while half way through his mother sat across him and looked serious, as if she had something on her mind. Her eyebrows were knitted down and together in concern. He swallowed the bite he had taken and set the eating chopsticks down as he awaited her words. She didn't disappoint.

" Why did you get in a fight with Sakura-chan?" He sighed heavily.

" It's not nice for you to fight with her. You've never fought with her before. Is something bothering you Sasu-chan?" He frowned at his mother.

" Why do you like Sakura?" She looked surprised at the question obviously not expecting it, but she smiled softly at him and reached over to pat his hand softly.

" Is that what this is about dear?" He swallowed. How did she always know? Motherly instinct or what? She smiled that soft smile.

" You know your father and I love you Sasuke. Your father does love you don't make that face." Sasuke stopped making a face he hadn't known he had started to make. He blushed faintly. She smiled more, and continued.

" He just has trouble showing it. Your father has never been one to show his emotions to anyone. It took me ten years just for him to open himself up enough to me, his wife!, for me to understand what he felt. He pushes you and Itachi so much not because he wants to, but because he has to. He wants to make you live good lives, and he wants you to be able to protect yourselves and the village. He wants Itachi to one day take his place, and wants you to find your own way and maybe get us some grandchildren hum?" She teased. He wasn't sure it really was a tease though with that glinting in her eyes. He flushed again.

" Sakura-chan is a sweet girl isn't she? She's very kind, and your father likes her because she's a terrific medic and because she respects him and the family. She's a good girl. But she's alone isn't she? Her parents died, and don't you think that she deserves to have someone fill in that blank spot in her life?" Sasuke frowned. Her parents had died, but he hadn't thought much about it. She never really seemed lonely and she didn't seem sad at all.

" Just because a woman doesn't seem upset or sad doesn't mean they aren't Sasu-chan." his mother said with a firm voice. Sasuke nodded.

" I see why you and father like her, but why does nii-san?" His mother for the first time, Sasuke had ever known of, looked flat out surprised. As if that was one thing she hadn't even known let alone thought about, but then she burst into a surprised string of laughter that sounded like spring.

" Oh Sasu-chan..." She reached across the table again and took his hands in hers and squeezed them gently.

" You shouldn't really be jealous about your brothers attention to Sakura so much. It's no comparison there. Itachi doesn't pay attention to her because he wants a sister, he pays attention to her no doubt because shes a woman." Sasuke looked at his mother with no doubt a very confused look.

His mother just smiled softly at her youngest sons naivety.

" You do realized Sakura is a female don't you?" She asked, he scowled at her, and she smiled at him approvingly maybe.

" Your brother is in love with her." Sasuke's heart literally stopped. His mouth popped open in shock.

" But he doesn't even realize it." Mikoto added with a sly smile. She patted her sons shocked hand.

" Do close your mouth Sasuke. Are you surprised because your brother finally noticed someone of the gentler gender, or are you simply surprised it's Sakura-chan?" No he was shocked he hadn't even thought of that. Though why would his brother liking Sakura ever enter his mind. Liking her as a friend and teammate yes, but as a lover? He paled.

Mikoto looked suddenly concerned.

" Sasuke?" She asked and put a hand to his head. He was cold to the touch, maybe in shock.

" Oh dear." She said softly, but he wasn't paying attention to his mother any more. Why hadn't he thought about that? What the hell did that even mean? Did Itachi want to marry Sakura? Did Sakura know? Did Sakura even like his brother back? Was that why he spent so much time with her? Did Sakura spend time with Itachi for that reason as well?

Was Sakura seeing anyone anyway? He had never much cared to find out if she was seeing anyone let alone if she had any interest in anyone. Maybe he had always thought she would love him as she had when they were younger, though he had shot her down in his dislike of females back then, evil blood sucking fan-girls, he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. He thought that she would always love him, love didn't just stop did it? So why wouldn't she still love him now? Even though she hadn't ever said those three words again to him, and after that day she had backed off and hadn't touched him again unless strictly necessary.

Did someone just fall out of love? Could she not love him anymore? Did she love his brother now? What about him? Did he just not matter anymore? Why did he care whether or not she loved him? Why did he even care if his brother loved her or not? He would be happy for his brother to finally find someone, like their parents had long awaited, but why did it have to be his friend? Why Sakura? Why something that was his?

He winced. Not his, his friend, and his old teammates yes, but she wasn't His.

He didn't want her, did he?

Mikoto stood hovering over her paling son worried. She hadn't really thought mentioning her thoughts about Itachi's affection for Sakura to Sasuke. Though he had asked, and she wanted him to understand that Sakura wasn't trying to steal his family from him, or his brother. He was silly to even think that.

Yet she didn't think she could shock Sasuke just by telling him about Itachi's affection to Sakura. Did Sasuke not like that fact? Was he upset? Or was it... Mikoto frowned hard. Did she miss something?

Did her younger son love the cherry blossom? Mikoto paled this time. Oh dear. Now what would they do? She had been excited when she started to notice Itachi hanging around Sakura more, and had then invited Sakura over more so they could get closer, but had she been wrong in encouraging Itachi and Sakura?

Mikoto didn't know if Itachi even realized he liked the girl. She had always been able to read Itachi fairly well. He couldn't hide things from his mother, and most times he didn't try. With this affection she had just noticed it. He possibly didn't even understand it himself, this being his first affectionate feelings toward a woman not related to him.

Sasuke however she had a hard time understanding. She could understand him fine, but it was harder to read him when he was so much different then her husband and her. Itachi at least was like his father in some ways and her in others, but Sasuke was not like his father or her, he was harder to understand. She could pick up bits and pieces here and there, but she had not picked up the fact that Sasuke may be in love with Sakura Haruno in any sense of the word.

Why would she even think that possible when Sasuke had never really shown any sort of special attention to Sakura other then as a friend and teammate, and why would she think anything like that when Sasuke had disliked women most of his life. She was sure he would like women once he was old enough, but she figured it would be a while before he even looked at women and wanted to date and or anything else with them. So she would never have caught that invisible attachment to Sakura.

Wasn't he just concerned she had been taking his place in his family? This was why she couldn't understand Sasuke. Did he like her or didn't he? If so he had a heck for a way showing it. But why would he go so alarmingly pale at the news about his brother liking Sakura if he didn't like her? What other reason would there be? It wasn't about jealousy anymore she could tell, but what other reason would he go so pale unless he did have feelings for her?

She thought here she and Fugaku had a good plan set for putting their eldest child and the beautiful Sakura together and getting him to settle down finally. It didn't matter that Sakura wasn't from any clans or the such. She was a prized gem of Konoha, thus any clan would have her come into their family. Fugaku had grabbed up the chance when he realized how respectful she was and pulled her further into their clan by asking her to be the clan medic.

She was already closer to the Uchiha clan from her being Sasuke's teammates, and then knowing Itachi and Shisui. Thus be being the clan medic it was almost guaranteed that they had the pinkette in the Uchiha's grasp already. It just would take a little more time for her to finally be brought in through marriage.

The problem now was they hadn't suspected Sasuke to have feelings for Sakura. Though now that she thought about it, she should have. Sakura after all was the only female besides his mother who he had ever put up with. With his dislike of women Mikoto should have picked up that Sakura was special to him. Of course Sasuke didn't make things easy to read, obviously.

So now this problem arose complicating things. She didn't want her sons to fight, though maybe this would bring them closer or push them further apart, but either way she didn't want that sort of conflict. She couldn't stop it really, but she didn't want it in their family. So somehow she had to make things better.

She would have to speak to Sakura and see if she had any feelings for either one of her sons. Then she would work from there.

She wanted both her sons happy, and both had issues, for some reason, with women. Mikoto and Fugaku feared that if Itachi didn't marry Sakura then they would never get another chance. Itachi had never showed any interest in any women and they feared he never would with anyone but her, yet Sasuke had never shown interest in women either, and by right Sakura would be with Sasuke being his old teammate, though Sakura was Itachi's current teammate.

Mikoto felt a headache coming on. Kami... the fates hadn't seen this coming.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

End chapter:

This chapter is longer because as I said, I already wrote this fic out and it's done, but I wrote it all as a one-shot, but I can't leave it as one because hello, it's freaking to long, like seventy pages, which is alright for a chapter fic but not a one shot, so enjoy! Don't expect a constant length of chapter because I'm cutting the one-shot into chapters and stop only when I find a good place to cut a chapter. So at least expect no shorter then seven pages a chap, but don't expect it to be longer or not.

This is a super weird fic, but it's not crack! It's actually one of the more serious fic's from me. It may not seem like it...but it is! Sorry! As for any questions give me a review and ask away!

This is SakuraXCentric which means many SakuXpairs! So don't get your panties in a bunch ne? No there is no more yuri this fic, so don't get all freaked out on me, it was a necessary evil. I don't much like Yuri either, I don't care one way or the other, but I don't search for fics with it, so no yuri for this fic so not to worry, I add this because I just know someone is going to complain. No one ever complains to anyone else when they write Yuri! Why complain to nice sweet ol Kyo-kun? Ne? :D lol

Any questions? Comments? ' WTF's? Review! If not...review anyway!

Kyo~