Chapter Eight – Chasers
Not even I can find a way to stop the storm
Oh baby it's out of my control
What's going on?
You're just a chance I take to keep on dreaming
You're just another day that keeps me breathing
-Kiesza "Hideaway"
Sakura fluttered her eyes open. She still felt the security of warmth wrapped around her. The scent of raindrop overfilled her nose as she traitorously snuggled her face against warm neck. An arm was latched onto her waist and she was snuggled into his side. She felt so warm and protected and did not want to move despite how suddenly awake she felt.
She laid there with her eyes closed enjoying the warmth for a few minutes before the intimate position made a blush spread out on Sakura's cheeks. They shared beds on multiple missions before but they would strictly and awkwardly sleep on opposite sides of the bed. This was the first time they slept together while physically touching. And it felt good. It felt a little too good.
Itachi's chakra did not stutter or spike. His eyes were still shut. Normally on missions, his eyes would jump open and his senses would become hyperaware of his surroundings the second Sakura would wake. It was one of his many talents. But at the moment Itachi was comfortably sleeping. The mission must have taken a big toll on him and he must have pushed himself to stay conscious last night to get Genma to Konoha for medical attention. Sakura sighed. What a stubborn fool.
There was no sunlight coming in through the window, leaving Sakura confused of how long she slept. Judging from her fully replenished chakra and the lack of tiredness in her eyes, Sakura guessed it was late morning. Her stomach growled loudly as Sakura blushed embarrassingly as she peeked at Itachi, making sure the growls did not wake him. She needed food.
Sakura slowly tried to remove Itachi's grasp of her but failed. She then tried to slide down and out of his grasp but failed again. He was literally latching onto her. She threw her head back, groaning with slight annoyance at his strong grip. Itachi slightly moved his head and fluttered his eyes open at Sakura's movement. He stared blankly at Sakura for a few moments in silence before her stomach growled. Sakura smiled sheepishly as the blush returned.
"Haha, I was just trying to go get food," Sakura said with a smile while trying to laugh the awkwardness away. She was so hungry.
His arm around her waist did not move but after examining her face for what seemed like an eternity to the pinkette, Itachi's arm slowly loosened as Sakura inched away from him, putting some space between the two. She instantly missed the warmth. "How do you feel?" Sakura asked peering back into his dark eyes.
"Fine." His voice was rough and low. His morning voice sent a warm shock down her spine. Sakura took a quick moment to scan his body of any injuries, knowing that 'fine' was a standard answer Sakura received whenever she asked people of their wellbeing. Dark, painful bruises adorned Itachi's neck as Sakura instantly brought a healing hand to his neck.
What were with people, shinobi men specifically, not wanting to convey their injuries? It was like they were all masochists. There was nothing wrong with expressing that they were in pain and wanting to get healed. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and now Itachi were all men who rather walk with a broken leg from Suna to Konoha before asking a medic-nin to heal their legs. Boy logic was confusing. As Tsunade would always say – 'men are stupid'.
"These look really painful," Sakura muttered as she let her chakra flow throughout Itachi's body, healing the bruises, "You should've mentioned last night you were in this much pain."
"I am not in pain."
Sakura scoffed at Itachi as she felt him slightly lean into her hand. The pinkette rolled her eyes at his audacity to tell her that he did not feel little pain at this bruises as he was practically drooling at her soothing chakra. Men. Uchiha men.
Itachi's eyes dropped to Sakura's stomach as her stomach growled again loudly. Sakura groaned and fell backwards into her bed as she covered her head with her pillow. "I'm so hungry," Sakura complained.
Itachi looked amused at the pinkette's grumbles. Instead of getting food, the medic decided to roll back into bed. "Go get food," Itachi suggested.
"I don't have food in my house," Sakura moaned through the pillow, "I'm going to starve to death." There was takeout leftover in her fridge, Itachi remembered from grabbing her tea last night. Itachi let out a small chuckle. She was not going to die. And even if she were to die, Sakura was too busy moaning and groaning through her pillow to prevent her from dying. Was she always this overdramatic? He did notice that she liked the side that ended with a bang but she hated flamboyant matters. She was a pink box of endless entertainment.
"You have takeout in the fridge," Itachi stated.
"Ughhhh…" A dark eyebrow arched questioningly. "I faintly remember you glaring at me to start eating healthier," Sakura rebuked.
Itachi stood up and looked down at the pinkette. "Get up."
"Whyyyy," Sakura groaned.
"We are getting healthy food."
The pillow covering Sakura's head was suddenly flung across the room as Sakura quickly sat up and stared wide-eyed at Itachi. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Itachi opened his mouth to quickly deny her statement but no words came out. His words did suggest that they go out and eat food but they were partly empty. He did not expect Sakura to conclude that he was suggesting they go on a date. But her conclusion unexpectedly did not bother him. Sure, they could go out to grab food as a date.
His prolonged silence must have confirmed Sakura's conclusion as narrowed her eyes and threw her legs over the bed and childishly walked to her bathroom, muttering something along the lines of 'didn't even ask… he demanded… stupid Uchiha'. Itachi stood there, a little confused. He did not demand.
Sakura appeared from the bathroom and kicked him out of her room as she changed. He thought it a little silly at first but Sakura claimed that it would have been rude of him to stand there while she changed out from her sleepwear. Itachi complied, knowing that he would only suffer from her wrath if he did not listen. He waited patiently in her living downstairs while she got ready.
Sakura leaned against her bedroom door for a second against kicking Itachi out of her room. This was all unreal. Last night she spent tangled in Itachi arms as this morning he quite literally demanded to go get food. His voice left no room for argument. This was going all to fast, but she knew Itachi never acted slowly. She did not know why she was surprised that Itachi would ask her on a date in such an Itachi-way. Then again, she never associated Itachi and anything romantic in the same thought.
Itachi was always the distant, cold captain that she would always hear stories of. He was a god-like figure to Sasuke, he was an epitome shinobi to fellow Konoha nin, he was a figure of infatuation to his admirers. After being exposed to those hypes about Itachi, it was unusual seeing Itachi out of those scenarios and seeing him as himself. Sakura sighed and pushed herself away from her door. The word 'date' had her melting a little to fast for her comfort. She knew Itachi, she knew him for years, but she did not know him.
Last night was… unexpected. Itachi had stayed. He stayed the whole night. She was confused when she first saw him but the look of pain and exhaustion on his face explained everything. He needed someone. He needed a shoulder and she was too happy to comply and provide relief even when she was exhausted herself. A warm bubble filled Sakura's stomach at the thought of Itachi trusting her enough to let his shoulders down and show her his tightly concealed emotions. Sakura woke up to him holding her. Other then team seven, she never had cuddled with the opposite gender before. She never really had a real boyfriend or was close enough with males to share a bed with them.
Trying not to over think the whole situation, Sakura threw on pants and a maroon sweater. A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost eleven in the morning and a fast peek out the window told her that it had started to snow again. Not wanting to keep Itachi waiting, Sakura swiftly made her way downstairs.
Sakura made her way into her living room, finding Itachi patiently sitting on her couch. He looked flawless – like always – despite waking up from a slumber only moments before. Sakura ignored his perfection and smiled upon him. "Lets go to Iro's," Sakura suggested. If they were going on a date, they should go somewhere both of them would feel comfortable at.
Itachi nodded. He refused to admit that his eyes lingered at her form-fitting pants. He had quickly teleported to his apartment before to grab a coat. Itachi followed Sakura out of her house after to put on her boots and a coat. They fell at a quiet pace, walking side by side. Itachi glanced at the pinkette walking beside him.
Her letters brought him color to the dull mission he was assigned, but being next to her, breathing in her fiery attitude and bright being made him completely blinded by her radiance. She was utterly beautiful. He did not know when he came to that conclusion but being with her filled an empty gap within him. Itachi just realized how much he craved for her. The four month long mission only added to the drought he felt when she was not around. As relieved he felt, anger slightly boiled inside him. Since when was he so dependent on the rose-haired medic? Never in his life did he feel such attraction and pull towards someone. Never in his life did his attraction overpower his self-restraint.
Out of the blue, Sakura let out a yelp. His Sharingan automatically activated as he watched Sakura slip on black ice in slow motion. She landed on the ground right on her back. He stood still as he saw her shock turn to pain. A pout formed on her pretty lips as she sat up. Her big, ivy eyes met his. A small laugh escaped Itachi throat at Sakura stared at him confused. He briefly saw a flash of anger in her eyes as she crossed her arms childishly and glared at him.
Itachi did not register a ball of white headed towards his head. A snowball hit him right in face. All amusement he felt a few seconds before disappeared as he let the quick slap of the shock dissipate. He narrowed his eyes dangerously at the gleaming pinkette who got up and stood proudly right across him.
"You know, you're really rude," Sakura said as she crossed her arms again, trying to look intimidating, "I slipped and nearly killed myself and all you do is laugh at me."
Itachi gathering chakra in his hands, as he quickly made a snowball, using his highly decorated speed. He flung a snowball at Sakura, who barely managed to duck in time. The snowball flew millimeters past her head. Her ivy eyes grew big in disbelief. She had the audacity to look appalled after she threw a snowball at his face first. Unlike before, Sakura did not gracefully make a snowball to throw at him. She gathered as much snow her hands could carry and threw it at Itachi who moved out of the way.
His smirk must of hit a sensitive spot in her as she threw one last glare at him and started walking away. Itachi smiled at her antics and quickly caught up with her, falling beside her once again. "You're annoying," Sakura said.
"And you are infuriating," he smoothly replied.
The annoyed look on Sakura's face quickly disappeared. "Do I aggravate you, Itachi?" Sakura teased, as her eyelids slightly dropped. She aggravated him more than he cared to admit. "Do I provoke you?" Sakura continued. She quickly stepped ahead of him and turned to face him, blocking his path. He looked down at her suggestive countenance. "Do I play with your patience?"
He knew she was merely teasing him, but he refused to let her win. She did aggravate him and provoke him ad played with his patience. And now she knew she had such an effect on him and started using it against him. The minx. She was using his – apparently quite obvious – weaknesses against him. He walked around her as started walking. Itachi heard her laugh from behind him and faintly smiled. Her laugh could bring down his carefully constructed walls any day.
"Aw, Itachi, don't pout. I was just kidding," Sakura said as she caught up to him and peeked up at him.
"Hn."
Another smile broke out on Sakura's face. He used that annoying locution again. He was fine, although, his pride must have been a little wounded. Sakura swore that Uchiha men were the most childish people around. They could not handle a joke at all without it dramatically affecting their dignity. She suddenly felt for Mikoto. How hard must it have been to raise both Itachi and Sasuke? There was no way Sakura would be able to do such thing.
Iro's Café came into view as the two made their way inside. The same brunette haired waitress that always seemed to serve them gave the couple a look before she brought her attention back towards the people ordering their food. Sakura walked towards the little booth by the window, the one that Itachi and her always sat at inside. She slipped into the booth as Itachi sat across from her.
Sakura looked hard at the Uchiha across from her. He was doing the same. "You know, I don't know much about you," Sakura stated.
It was true. She really did not know Itachi. She knew he was the Uchiha heir and kept himself distant from almost everything and one and could cook really well, but she did not know him. She did not know what he preferred to cook, or if he liked to cook at all. She did not know his favorite color, movie, book, holiday, or animal. What were his life goals and future aspirations? If he could not be a shinobi, what would he be? Where would he vacation if he could travel anywhere? If he were invisible for a day, what would he do?
Sakura had a sudden urge to want to know things about him – the little, stupid things that no one really ever noticed but knew anyway. She wanted to know his preferences and likings, what he hated and loved, what he wanted and desired. Sakura wanted to know the Uchiha before her, not the shinobi but the man.
The pinkette stared at the dark-haired Uchiha who was questioningly raising his eyebrows at her. No one probably ever cared to sit down and get to know him. "Let's play a game, I'll ask you a question and you get to ask me a question," Sakura said.
Itachi leaned on his elbows that were plopped onto the table. "Any other rules?"
"Nope," Sakura beamed, a little surprised that Itachi, who was always so enclosed, agreed to play the game. She was not going to let this opportunity pass. "I go first." Sakura tapped her chin with a finger and bit her lip. What should she ask Itachi? There was so much she wanted to know about him, she did not know where to start. "Do you like being the Uchiha heir?"
Itachi tilted his head to the side, a little confused and startled that she would ask such a question. "You have to be honest," Sakura quickly replied, noticing his hesitancy.
"I did not agree to play such game," Itachi mused, as Sakura's eager face turned sour. He sighed. She was not going to back down; it was better if he went along with it. Sakura opened her mouth to convince him that the game was indeed a very good form of team bonding but Itachi cut her of. "No."
Sakura stared at him, as if he was going to say more. When she realized he was not going to elaborate she pouted. "Why not?"
"It's my turn now, Sakura," Itachi smirked, trying not to stare at her pouted lips for too long. Sakura leaned back into the booth. "Why did you choose to follow a shinobi lifestyle?"
He was aiming at a deep cord within her. It was only fair, as she was did the same to him. "I was bullied when I was younger. People used to make fun of my big forehead and weird hair color," Sakura paused as she peeked at Itachi, who was listening intently. His sincere countenance brought some comfort to Sakura, as talking about her childhood was never the easiest topic for her. "Ino stood up to those bullies and we became friends since then. I never really wanted to be a kunoichi back then. A lot of my friends did come from shinobi backgrounds, so I always surrounded by kids who had a definite shinobi path carved out for them. Originally, I actually wanted to be a baker like my Okaasan."
Sakura laughed as she recalled the memory. She would always wear her Okaasan's too-long apron around the house, pretending to be a baker. "My Otousan was killed years ago. You may have heard of the seven civilians were murdered by Sound, which promptly led Konoha to increase their efforts to subdue Orochimaru. After my Otousan was murdered, I decided that I never wanted another important person to me die and wanted to protect my precious people."
Itachi looked at Sakura. Her eyes were downcast, obviously thinking of her Otousan. He knew Sakura's father died many years ago. He also knew of the accident between Sound and Konoha. After Orochimaru defected from the village, there were many rumors circulating that he had created his own village. Despite the many rumors, Konoha could never find concrete proof that Orochimaru was the leader of his own village. When seven Konoha civilian were brutally murdered by clearly Sound nin, Konoha started taking steps to eliminate the nukenin. The act of killing Konoha civilians was Orochimaru's first action of 'coming out' and letting all nations know the creation of Otogakure.
It was unfortunate. Rotten luck almost. The death of Sakura's father was completely beyond anyone's control. Konoha was not expecting an attack from a village that they did not know existed. It was a little sad that Sakura choose the shinobi path based on Orochimaru's doing. Itachi did not like that fact at all. He hated Orochimaru, completely despised the Sannin for abandoning Konoha and posing as a dangerous threat towards the village he loved. He hated Orochimaru for giving Sasuke the curse seal and tempting his Oni to defect Konoha under false pretenses of gaining control of the curse seal. Now Itachi completely abhorred the snake Sannin for the death of Sakura's father.
"So why?" Sakura asked, breaking a string of silence between them. The sadness that was displayed in her eyes before vanished and was replaced with a hint of curiosity and mischief.
Itachi closed his eyes and reminded himself that he was playing a game with the minx. Sakura's seemingly innocent question had many personal undertones. It was true, if he had a choice of being born as the Uchiha heir, he would decline the offer. "The responsibility of being the heir can be overwhelming."
Sakura's face dropped. She glared at him when he refused to elaborate the vague answer. "That's all you're going to say? I poured my heart out to you," Sakura pouted as crossed her arms. "You know, being around you is overwhelming." Sakura leaned back in the booth and stared at him enticingly. She was setting a trap for him to be caught in. She was waving a challenge right in his face and waiting for him to fall bait. The little twinkle in her eyes only served as proof.
"Responsibility is heavy," Itachi said. The twinkle in her ivy eyes disappeared. She was obviously waiting for him to smoothly rebuke her teasing comment. She was not expecting him to elaborate. Now she was caught of guard. "There are many things that a heir is automatically responsible for."
Sakura looked at Itachi. He was right. She knew clan heirs carried the responsibility of the whole clan on their shoulders. Sakura watched Hinata beat herself up for years trying to be the clan heir her father deemed necessary. Itachi did not need to say more. The look on his face said everything. He was not fond of the responsibility that was assigned to him upon birth.
She decided that she did not like the look on Itachi's face. Itachi's dislike for his role angered her, not because he disliked his heir status but because he had no choice in the matter. He was heir. That was it. He did not control which family he was born to or whether he was the first or second child. All this time, Sakura always felt sorry for Sasuke for being compared to Itachi and growing up in Itachi's shadows, but now she felt sorry for Itachi to assume a role he did not want. Never did Sakura think that Itachi did not want to be heir. She always assumed that he enjoyed that status, especially knowing how much Sasuke respected Itachi as an heir.
He would never say it out loud. Sakura knew it. Itachi would never condemn his status within the Uchiha clan. He would never brig up his dissatisfaction about being heir. He would obey every order diligently without question. But he did not want to be heir. The look on his face was so obvious. Itachi did not want to hold the responsibility of being the Uchiha heir. Sakura knew of the tensions between the Uchiha clan and Konoha elders. She heard Tsunade and Shizune discussing the animosity a few years back. Sakura thought nothing of it at the time because the topic never came to surface and Sasuke showed no signs of distress. But everything made sense now.
She and Sasuke were younger, but Itachi must have been old enough to heavily be involved in the affair. Sakura knew Itachi hated conflict and tension and how much he loved Konoha. The pinkette could easily see the strain it must have caused him to be the bridge between the two sides. If it came between choosing the Uchiha clan and choosing Konoha, Sakura had no idea which side Itachi would align with. Itachi did not want to be responsible for weight of the Uchiha clan.
Sakura observed Itachi. His posture was tense – her medical training allowed her to easily detect the tension in his shoulders and his jaw. His beautiful dark eyes were heavy and his pale skin turned sickly white. It was the first time where Sakura noticed the stress lines on his normally smooth forehead. The deep lines under his eyes that seemed to disappear when they woke this morning suddenly appeared. They made him look years older than he really was.
Sakura reached out and grabbed his hand, which was supporting his chin. She held it tightly as if he would disappear if she loosened her grip. Itachi told her something that he probably never told anyone before. "Glad I'm not a heir," Sakura joked with a faint smile. Itachi's lips turned upwards slightly as she felt him return her grasp.
She smiled at him, trying to bring some kind of comfort. He was overworked – as an heir and shinobi. She doubted Itachi liked either. He was a pacifist at heart. "Why did you become a shinobi?"
"I had no choice," Itachi stated, "That was two questions Sakura."
He had no choice? Sakura was confused. Of course he had a choice. Everybody has a choice. Then Itachi's words hit her. He must have been forced to be a shinobi from a very young age. He was gifted. Konoha and Uchiha elders must have noticed his gift and started crafting him at a very young age to be the impeccable shinobi and heir. He had no choice. He could speak out and express his distaste but that would not make him Itachi. Itachi followed. He would swallow his pride for his village and clansmen.
It made Sakura feel strangely irritated. It was like they were in the hospital room all over again with her threatening to fail his psyche exam so he could feel some kind of relief for his exhaustion. No one, no matter who they were or what position they held, should be under this much stress. It was as if he were a robot. He lived a life for everyone but him. It was not fair.
Sakura swallowed her bitterness and smiled sheepishly. "Now you get to ask me two questions."
She felt Itachi's searching gaze upon her but continued smiling and hoped he did not see through the fakeness. "What is your favorite color?"
Sakura looked up at Itachi startled. Of all the things he could ask, he asked something so simple and mundane. After a moment of confusion, a smile crept onto Sakura's face. "Definitely not pink, contrary to popular belief. Just because my hair is pink, it does not mean my favorite color is pink. My favorite color is white. I know, weird. Ino went on and on about how weird it makes me that white is my favorite color. I don't know why white is my favorite but it just is," Sakura ranted.
Itachi stared at Sakura, listening to every word that escaped her mouth. White. It suited her. Pure and unblemished. It was only apropos white was her favorite color. He continued to ask her silly questions and she asked even doltish questions – 'if you were invisible for a day, who would you spy on' or 'which animal would you transform into if you had a choice'. He would spy on nobody, as spying was an invasion of privacy – Sakura was sure to quickly and cleverly state that he spied for the village and it was still considered spying – and he would transform into hawk. Her questions were random and foolish. But he liked it. He liked the carelessness. Her bitter countenance from before was nearly forgotten.
He wanted to stay and continue their frivolous question-asking-game but he was required to meet with the hokage. Itachi excused himself from the their 'date' and left, paying for their meal. He almost felt nostalgic leaving Sakura but pushed that feeling aside. He was going to discuss the Akatsuki with the Sandaime. He had to focus, and Sakura only blurred his thoughts.
Sakura watched Itachi leave their café. She sat at the table for a good five minutes smiling like a goofball. Sakura almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure this was really reality. Itachi. He was perfect in every way shape and form. It was a pity no one knew the side of him he showed her today.
With a long sigh, Sakura finally stood up, bundled up in her coat, and left Iro's. She was no longer falling for the Uchiha. She already fell. She fell hard and fast and only now did Sakura realize how strong her feelings for Itachi were. A part of her scoffed at how stereotypically pathetic she was at the moment – a little, naïve girl falling for a boy who she secretly knew was bad for her. Itachi was not bad for her. Actually, Sakura did not know if he was bad for her. All she knew was that she fell for him.
"Ahh, getting lost on the road of life."
Sakura broke free from her daze and looked around for the familiar voice. Her eyes searched right and left, but after spotting no one, she scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. A chuckle brought the pinkette's attention to the tree above her head. Sakura smiled at the sight.
Kakashi-sensei sat lazily on a tree branch in his standard jounin outfit waving softly. The annoying, perverted orange smut novel was in his hands. She swore at least a hundred times a day to herself that she was going to burn all his trashy novels one day. It was the only threat that kept her sensei in line.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura beamed. It was almost a month since she last saw her sensei. It was a while since team seven trained or went on a mission together. Ever since she started joining team eleven on missions, Kakashi started going on more solo missions, usually tracking missions. Sakura did not like when Kakashi accepted solo missions. It nerved her.
"You're making me sound old," Kakashi gently chided and feigned hurt.
Sakura scoffed. "You are old, sensei." According to shinobi years, Kakashi was considered a grandpa.
"Enjoyed your date?" Kakashi asked innocently – almost too innocently to be considered normal.
Sakura tried not to visibly choke and seem fine. She knew Kakashi saw right through her. Kakashi knew everything. His keenness did not surprise her anymore. She could not deny that she was with Itachi before. Kakashi probably saw them together. "It was not a date," Sakura stated as she started walking away. The last thing she needed right now was Kakashi's shrewd ability to see through the surface.
"Ok, whatever you say Sakura-chan," Kakashi said with a surgery voice and waved bye. Sakura narrowed her eyes at his voice and internally groaned. Kakashi was going to be on her and Itachi's backs now. There was no she-and-Itachi, so there was no reason for Kakashi to be suspicious. Right? A groan left Sakura's lips. What were she and Itachi?
It was only after numerous inner battles and turmoil was Sakura able to admit that she had feelings for Itachi. When she did conclude that her feelings for him were not going anywhere did Sakura realize that she did not just have feelings for him, she completely and utterly fell for him. There was no backing out now. Her feelings were not going anywhere.
Sakura wondered what she should do with those accepted feelings. Should she tell Itachi? Absolutely not. She did not know how he felt about her. Yes, Itachi was warming up to her. But there was no way that his feelings for her were anywhere as strong as her feelings for him. Sakura quite literally stopped walking in the middle of the street. All this time she was thinking about herself. She never gave Itachi's feelings for her a second thought. Did he feel anything for her?
The pinkette felt like a twelve-year-old schoolgirl again. She liked Itachi. Itachi did not like her. There was no way he liked her. He started trusting her more deeply and began opening up but he did not like her the way she liked him. This was going to be Sasuke all over again except this time she would hurt more. Sakura did not lose Sasuke but she had an eerie feeling that if her emotions got the better of her and she did something stupid around Itachi, their fragile relationship would be irreparable.
What was she supposed to do now? How many times could they go on 'dates' before Sakura would explode with heartbreak? Sakura was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice her standing in front of her house or her dear neighbor smiling wickedly at her.
"Boy problems?"
Sakura choked and turned to stare wide-eyed at a smirking old lady. "Hira!" Sakura gasped.
Over the years, Hira became a grandmother figure to Sakura. Sakura would have dinner with Hira and Hira would try to teach the pinkette how to cook – as Hira gave up teaching the medic how to make an edible meal after Sakura nearly burned her face off. Hira would share stories of her past and provide comfort to the pinkette whenever Sakura would miss her Okaasan.
Hira saw Sakura as her family. Her husband passed away a few months before Sakura's Okaasan passed away. The two provided each other comfort with their losses. Sakura father had passed away years before her mother and Hira never had any children. They were family. They would celebrate holidays together and keep up with their familial traditions. She never wanted Sakura to feel alone. The rose-haired beauty was too young to be forced to experience the loneliness caused by the death of ones parents.
"I don't have boy problems," Sakura stated. Hira narrowed her eyes when pinkette scrunched her nose. She was lying. Sakura was the worst liar in the village.
Hira sighed. She knew Sakura maybe even more than Sakura knew herself. Denial was a terrible feeling. "Come inside, let's have warm tea and talk about that Uchiha boy you were with."
Sakura's jaw dropped. Did everyone know where she and Itachi were? Sakura wanted to politely decline Hira's offer, but she knew if she did not follow the elderly inside her home, Hira would pulled Sakura by her ear into her home. Sakura stepped off of her doorstep and followed Hira into her home.
Hira's home was more colorful than Sakura's home. Whereas Sakura had shelves of books on her walls, Hira had an infinite number of paintings hung and numerous houseplants everywhere. Naruto and Hira were gardening buddies if Sakura recalled correctly – Naruto was strangely a gardener and was quite good at taking care of his plants. Sakura was convinced that Hira was a hippie in her younger days. There were pictures everywhere – pictures of her husband, of her friends, of places. Hira was an avid traveler, although she could rarely travel to exotic places anymore to her age. Sakura would always try to bring back souvenirs for Hira whenever she went to foreign places on missions.
Sakura walked behind Hira into her kitchen, which was always overfilling with food. It was a complete contrast to Sakura's pathetically empty kitchen. The pinkette sat on the counter top as Hira quickly began making tea. The old woman said nothing, heightening Sakura's nervousness. This was a strategy. Tsunade used it all the time, at least whenever she did not demand it out of Sakura. Hira obviously wanted Sakura to talk, and by not asking the questions Sakura knew she wanted to ask, Hira believed Sakura's resistance would break by remaining silent.
Ivy eyes followed Hira's every movement suspiciously. Hira played this strategy before… and won every time. Sakura's mouth had no self-control around Hira. Her elderly neighbor was smart and cunning and used her frail appearance to her every advantage. She should not say anything, she should not say anything, she should not say anything…
"I don't know what to do?" Sakura groaned.
Hira smiled. All she had to do was keep quiet for five minutes and Sakura would start spilling all her heart. Sakura was the only family Hira decided she had left. Hiro and her decided not to have children. Sometimes she regretted not having children when the house was eerie silent. But Sakura replaced the void in her heart. The pinkette was her family. She promised Sakura's mother that she would take care of Sakura if she was not there. Hira never imagined she would have to uphold the young Haruno mother word so early.
"How did you and Hiro meet again?" Sakura asked. Hira probably told Sakura this story at least a thousand times but the pinkette always continued to ask.
Hira turned as gave Sakura a crinkled smile. "Well, back in the day when I still had blonde hair," Hira have a small chuckle, "Hiro was my neighbor. He lived right next door and our mothers were the best of friends – that's where the brilliant idea of naming their children 'Hiro' and 'Hira' came from. I grew up with him. When we were little children, umm around five, six years old, I was a very uptight, girly know-it-all and Hiro was a quiet and shy nerd. Haha. He had these really thick glasses that covered half his face."
Sakura smiled at Hira's expression. Whenever Hira would recall memories of Hiro, her face would instantly light up with so much emotion. It was so clear that she loved him, even after he was long gone. "Anyways, years pass and I still paid no attention to him. I had boys flocking everywhere around me, and trust me, there was a good reason why," Hira winked as Sakura rolled her eyes. All the blondes in Sakura's life were crazy, although Hira's blonde locks were white now.
"I had the most luscious, long blonde hair and rather nice buxom for my age if you ask me," Hira laughed as she elbowed Sakura. "I never gave Hiro a second look. After he joined the Ninja Academy, he rarely was even around. I was a little surprised to find out that a wimpy and shy little kid like Hiro chose to become a shinobi, but I never really gave it much thought.
"So for years I don't see him, maybe I would catch a quick glimpse but he was always really busy studying or training. Hiro's Okaasan would frequently come over to my house and chat with my Okaasan and I would always hear little snip-bits of his life – like how he was promoted to jounin and how he was apparently really tall. I think I still saw him as the little five year old so I never made an effort to see him. But Hiro's Okaasan mentioned once that he broke up with his girlfriend of four years. She wanted to settle down and he didn't.
"We were twenty-one, I believe, when I first laid my eyes onto him and actually saw his growth." Hira brought a hand to her cheek as Sakura smiled at the enamored woman. "I just knew it. In that moment I just knew that Hiro was the one I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I don't know if he felt the same – actually he did not feel the same at first. Haha! That baka made me chase after him for a good year before he would go on an actual date with me. A whole year Sakura!"
Hira brought her eyes back to Sakura. "He was worth the chase, Sakura. He was worth the chase."
Dark brown eyes observed Sakura, who was looking intently at her lap. The pinkette was obviously deep in thought. It was that Uchiha boy. Hira knew it. Sakura groaned and dropped her shoulders. "Am I going to have to chase him?" Sakura asked. Yes, she followed Sasuke around when they were younger but she was still a girl who wanted a boy to chase after her.
"Or you can make him chase you," Hira winked as Sakura snorted.
"Pft, Itachi chases no one. People come to him. Hira, I don't even know if he feels the same way I do. How can I make him chase me when he doesn't see me in any romantic way."
Ah, Itachi was the young fellow's name. It seemed that Sakura did not notice her little slipup. Hira smiled. Sakura always underestimated herself. The pinkette always underrated her value and importance. She was a walking goddess – beautiful and talented in almost everything. Sakura did not see how the male population would always take second and third glances her way. She did not see how she would bring a smile to peoples' faces whenever her sweet tone would reach their ears. Even her mere presence brought relief and delight to the grumpiest soul. Sakura was blind of the power she held over people. Extremely blind and stupid.
"Sakura, you have to make him chase you."
"How do I do that? Steal his shampoo?" Sakura asked with confused big eyes. How was she supposed to get the Prince of Darkness to chase her? It was easier traveling to Suna upside-down with your eyes closed in one day than getting Itachi to start chasing her, and traveling to Suna under such conditions was near impossible.
Hira exaggerated her sigh. The blind, pink fool was going to get nowhere in life with that kind of reasoning. "It's not impossible. Now shoo, and go wrap Itachi around your finger."
Sakura opened her mouth to rebuke but only a yelp escaped when she felt Hira pushing her out the kitchen and to her front door. The pinkette barely had time to grab her coat before Hira completely pushed her into the cold, frosty outside. Hira might have been in her eighties but the old woman was strong. Looks were deceiving.
The pinkette walked over to her home only more confused than before. Hiro died a few weeks after her own Otousan died. Sakura did not remember much about Hiro but she remembered he would always buy Hira a bouquet of dozen flowers every Friday. Maybe Hiro was the reason why Sakura had unrealistic expectations of the male population at such a young age. She grew up with male who made chocolate from scratch and wrote love notes for the woman he loved. Sakura sighed. Hiro destroyed her.
Itachi closed his eyes. Finally. He spent the entire morning with Sakura. After he left Sakura in the café, his day went downhill. The meeting with the hokage went on for longer than he expected but he was not surprised. Bringing two Akatsuki members down was going to have great repercussions. The Akatsuki were bound to retaliate. They were down two members and were obviously going to be scouting for new members to replaced Hidan and Kakuzu or even quickening their hunt for the rest of the jinchuriki.
Konoha had to finish the Akatsuki before the organization could make any big moves. The Sandaime mentioned trying to convince Suna and other villages to join forces to bring down the Akatsuki once and for all. The Kazekage would most likely help, although other Kages would no doubt be a little more hesitant to help out, but the Sandaime was positive that he could convince the other Kages to pursue the Akatsuki. The Sarutobi hokage was planning on calling a meeting with all the Kages to discuss the Akatsuki and the upcoming chunin exams.
He spent the entire afternoon with ANBU, planning out the security details of escorting the hokage if such Kage meeting was to occur. Kage meetings rarely happened but when they did, it was a big deal when it came to planning such event. When and where the meetings were to be held were always kept a secret to make sure the information did not reach the wrong ears. Each Kage brought his or her security and team of councils. Itachi often wondered that the whole ordeal would be much less of a hassle if it were only the Kages meeting together for discussion, rather than bringing their whole entourage.
Itachi preferred to be completing an actual mission, but he knew as a Konoha nin, one of his primary duty was to protect the hokage as well as the village. He knew the Sandaime, even his old age, could protect himself. In Itachi's honest opinion, it was a waste of shinobi power. Kage meetings were more for a publicity show than an actual productive meeting.
The Uchiha heir let his head drop on his pillow and a sigh of relief escape his lips. He was back in his room at the Uchiha compound. His Okaasan was the only one who was home when Itachi walked into his house. She was glad to finally see him after months at the border. Otousan was not home; he was at the Police Station taking care of some business that Itachi had no interest in finding out. Sasuke just left on a solo mission two nights before. The house was unnaturally quiet of the usual chakra presences.
He did not realize that he was this tired. He slept well. Better than well. If he tried hard enough, he could still smell Sakura's fruity shampoo on him. Her scent was stronger before. It served as a thorough distraction earlier in the day during the meetings. His mind would always wander to her soft rose hair and her ivy, big eyes. He would hear random flashes of her laugh and see random images of her smile. She was a distraction.
Itachi had no idea when Sakura got trapped in his head but now she would not leave. He did not know how to get her out. He did not know if he wanted her out. It pissed him off. His whole life was running smoothly. No, it was not the perfect life or the life he completely wanted, but it was the life he was going to live. But the talented medic with ridiculous hair came out of nowhere and started challenging his accepted life path. He started wanting more than he knew was going to be given.
Solider. That was what he was. He was a tool for the village. Almost like a protector – if he wanted to flatter himself with the term. He was like any other shinobi – he followed orders and executed missions for the benefit of the village. It was always for the benefit of the village. Everything he did was for the village. For Sasuke.
He loved his clan. He loved their history and their culture, but he did not share their thirst for power. A part of Itachi knew that he failed his clan by siding with the village, but he tried. He used his best judgment to protect his clan, even if he knew the clan elders would disapprove of his tactics. Itachi knew that he could not protect both. He had to protect either his clan or the entirety of Konoha. He chose Konoha.
It was never about him. It was about the village. He – his body, his skills, his talent – was a sacrifice for village. He never thought about himself. At least until now he did not. And it was all Sakura's fault. Last night by going to Sakura's, it was the first time he put his feelings and wants before anything. He wanted comfort and Sakura provided him a layer of solace. He wanted a lot of things that he did not have but knew he could not have them because of the burden on his back.
He did not know where his feelings for Sakura were going, but he had an eerie feeling that there was not going to be a happy ending. In fact, he knew there was not going to be a happy ending. He was being selfish. He was luring Sakura to him while he knew that it did not matter in the end. They could not be together. His feelings for her were wrong. He had to stop. He was to walking into and ditch and pulling Sakura with him. She deserved someone who would be able to give her more than what he could give her.
But the thought of Sakura with another man left a bitter taste in his mouth. The thought of her holding hands with someone else, sharing experiences with someone else, making love with someone else made him growl with unknown anger. Itachi did not realize that his fists were clenched until the pain finally made him loosen his fists.
Itachi would be lying if he said he did not think of the pinkette in a sexual way. She was a very physically attractive female – as the male population in Konoha would readily agree. It almost disgusted him that he was thinking of the innocent medic in such a carnal way. He tried not to but his attention would always fall on those full lips or her tight pants that would outline her shapely legs. All he would want in those moments was for her to wrap her legs around his waste and let him have his way with her. But he was not an animal. He would never throw her against the wall and do whatever he pleased. He would hold his urges and resist her temptation. He had to.
A rather frustrated sigh left his lips. She deserved someone better than him but he wanted her. If he was going to let her go, he had to finally admit his growing feelings for her. He wanted her. Itachi admitted it. He did not know when or where he started wanting her but he wanted this morning to be his every morning. He wanted to have pointless conversations with her. He wanted to have meaningless banter and find out the little things that Sakura liked. He wanted to know why she liked her coffee a certain way or why she preferred those tall, black boots to standard ninja shoes. It was foolish to think that he would come to a point where he would know answers to all those questions.
Itachi was going to take control of his feelings again. Control was a necessity in life. He knew it was a little unhealthy of the amount of control he needed but it made sure he did not accidently slip up. Whenever Sakura entered his head, he lost the reigns of control but he was going to regain the ropes that held everything together. He had no other choice.
Maybe if he were another man in another world, he would let Sakura control the ropes. He would be just a man and she would be just a woman. He would loosen his carnal urges for the pinkette. He would accept that she could be his and only his. They could continue the path they were on and explore what future relationship was possible. But he was not another man in another world. This was his reality. He could not have Sakura and Sakura could not have him. This was the truth.
How dependant was he on her? She was her own person. Sakura did not want him. If she knew exactly the type of person he was, she would not want him. Itachi was sure of it. She would be completely disgusted at the man he was. Sometimes he was disgusted at the man he was. Itachi sighed again before closing his eyes and forced thoughts of Sakura out of his mind.
He still saw ivy eyes staring back at him. What if they were together? Itachi knew that despite an unhappy ending, there was a possibility of them being together if he continued to walk down this path. He could wake up next to her every morning. He could make love to her whenever he wanted. But he could not walk down that path because it would ruin his carefully planned tracks. Sakura would ruin him.
She was still the last face he saw before unconscious pulled him into darkness.
Take words out of my mouth
Just from breathing.
-Ed Sheeran "Drunk"
Hello all! Long time, no update! Haha. College finally started and I'm almost a month in (I think I'm more than a month in – I'm way too tired and way too sick to calculate how long it's actually been). I moved in a little early to help with orientation and during those two weeks I barely even touched my computer.
Classes have begun, and I have bittersweet feelings about that. I love college but I hate waking up for an 8:30 class, ughhh. The internship is going great. Everything's a little overwhelming but I have everything under control…. So far… I hope.
This chapter is actually the shortest chapter to date, minus the prologue. I was going to add more scenes but I think Itachi falling asleep with Sakura in his thoughts was a good ending. Sorry if there are any mistakes – I literally posted this as soon as I finished writing my author's notes.
This chapter was really hard to write. I did love writing the ItaSaku fluff. This chapter is more like a filler chapter, nothing really major happens here. Itachi's realizations in this chapter will effect Itachi's actions in the future and Sakura is just continuing to fall for our favorite dark haired Uchiha.
I love everyone's sweet comments, I'm so touched by them. Again, I want to hear your predictions for the future. What do you all think will happen? What will Itachi do? Haha, when in doubt, just ask what will Itachi do?
Until next time.
-im-rite-here