Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 12

The Uchiha Clan's Next Leader

It was half past six when Sakura woke up. She rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes as she tried to get use to the sudden intake of light.

Slowly, she sat up and looked around her. She saw a large, light brown closet, and a bedside desk with a lamp on it, carpet, scrolls and other interesting things. Realization suddenly dawned on her. This place definitely wasn't her room. It was more beautiful and certainly larger. Somehow, she could feel an air of masculinity in the room.

Faint flashbacks of what had happened last night hit her semi-conscious mind.

She remembered how Itachi had tried to stop her from leaving and instinctively, raised her hands to her cheeks. If the warmness in her face were any indication, she knew she was definitely blushing. She also knew that if he continued to be kind to her, she might fall in love with him.

Her glance fell to the floor and she gasped. There lying on a makeshift futon was none other than Itachi. How thoughtful of him to let her sleep on his bed while he settled for the floor. She observed him closely. His whole body was covered in blanket except for his face and neck. He must have felt really cold last night. With his heavy breathing, he looked like he was not going to wake up anytime soon.

Gently and as quietly as possible, she stood up from the bed and kneeled beside his sleeping form. He looked calm and peaceful as if he didn't have any problems of his own. She didn't want to wake him up and end his moment of tranquility. She raised one of her hands to caress his face softly. His skin felt strong and warm against her hand and she found herself staring at him until finally, he began to stir.

Itachi opened his eyes, suddenly becoming aware of the pair of emerald eyes that were looking at him.

Sakura smiled at him. "Ohayou, Itachi-kun," she greeted warmly.

He knew it was Sakura but he was too sleepy to talk to her. His new position as ANBU captain proved to be a grueling task for a twelve years old boy for he didn't get enough sleep for the past few days.

"Need…………..sleep." His voice was barely audible. She let out a low laugh. It was hard to believe that someone like him actually had a vulnerable side.

She decided to go to her room so that he would be able to rest without anyone bothering him.

"Itachi-kun, I'll go now," she said as she made an attempt to stand up from her position. It was a wonder how, despite his sleepy state, he was able to hear her voice loud and clear.

"Don't go," he murmured, still with his eyes closed. He raised his hand and held onto her wrist. Then, he pulled her downward towards him and wrapped his arms around her.

Her blush deepened when she felt her face on his bare chest. He wasn't wearing any shirt. She didn't notice it before because the blanket was covering his body.

She tried to struggle but his hold on her was too tight.

That was when she heard someone knocking on the door and the sound of doorknob turning.

……………………………………….

Mikoto was pretty sure that Sakura was in her room last night but this morning when she checked the room, she was nowhere in sight. Panic surged through her. She couldn't have possible ran away from them, could she?

She looked for her in Sasuke's room. The only one she saw was her younger son curled underneath his blanket.

There was still one room left. Could she be in Itachi's room? There was only one way to find out. She went to her elder son's room and stood in front of his door. She raised her hand to knock on the door.

No one was opening it. Did something bad happen? She was really nervous now. She was sure that her knocks were loud enough for her son to hear and she also knew that he was a light sleeper. She tried to turn the doorknob and realized that it wasn't locked.

"Itachi, are you there? I'm coming in!" she shouted from the other side as she pushed the door open, revealing her sleeping son with Sakura on top of him and not only that, he was shirtless and his arms were wrapped around her.

Sakura was really embarrassed when Mikoto caught them in that position. She didn't know what to say.

"Mikoto-san, it's not what you're thinking of…" she started to explain but Mikoto cut her off.

"I understand," she smiled and quickly closed the door.

She looked at the closed door and sighed. Of all people, why does it have to be Mikoto who would see them in that position? And worse, she didn't even give her a chance to explain. She could only guess what she felt. Judging by her expression, she didn't see any traces of displeasure. She just went out of the room with a smile on her face. Wait, a smile? Was she happy? Argh! All this thinking was driving her nuts.

"You don't have to worry, my mother knows we're not doing anything wrong," she heard him say underneath her.

"What! You were awake the whole time?" she asked as she struggled in his grasp. He was too strong.

A smirk made its way to his face. In her opinion, it made him look hotter. "What if I said yes?"

"You're so mean, Itachi-kun," she pouted childishly. He just chuckled.

Then, he glanced at the round clock on the wall in his room. "I'm gonna be late for my training and ANBU meeting. I have to go now. I guess I'll just have to deal with this later, ne?" he said as he finally released his hold on her and stood up. She had to admit that she was beginning to have feelings for him. However, something was holding her back.

And it was her lost memories.

Present………………

Sasuke stood in front the Hokage's office. He had a good guess as to why Tsunade asked him to come but he didn't want to raise his hopes up.

Slowly, he lifted his hands to knock on the old door. A faint 'come in' was heard from the inside.

With the Hokage's permission, he opened the door and went inside where he found himself face to face with her.

"I presume you already have an idea why you're here," she said as she put her elbows on her desk.

He nodded his head absentmindedly as he stared at her, waiting for her next words.

"I just want to ask, why did you volunteer?"

"If I'm not mistaken, I think I've already answered that question," he answered almost impolitely. He didn't want to talk to anyone about his personal life. That just wasn't him.

She felt the urge to hit him hard on the head because of his rudeness but it wouldn't be wise. She was a Hokage and she should always show calmness.

"I wanted to hear it again," she replied, almost matching his rudeness

"I rather not talk about it," he said firmly.

Tsunade sighed. Damn, this Uchiha was really stubborn! She decided to just ignore it and go on.

"I don't know it this is a wise decision but I'm choosing you over Naruto," she said without beating around the bush. She looked at his face, trying to see hints of any emotion but he was really good at hiding it. He just nodded his head.

"However, there's one condition,"

"What is it?" he asked.

"You must not do anything to change the history,"

He frowned. Just when did she learn to read minds? But of course, there's no point in asking that question. She was a Hokage after all and she is wise enough to come up with that assumption which turned about to be true. He did have a plan to change everything that happened. After all, this chance comes only once in a whole lifetime.

And he didn't know whether a promise would be able to stop him from doing what he wants.

Past…………………

Little Sasuke was washing his hands when Sakura came into the kitchen and saw him.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she looked at his hands. They were dirty and had some cuts and signs of dried blood.

He just smiled at her. "I'm all right, nee-chan," he reassured her. He sounded like an adult and she couldn't help but be amused. After washing his hands, he went over to the table and grabbed the single rose on it. Then, he handed it to her.

She looked at the single red flower on his hands. A pink ribbon was tied around its stem. "For you, onee-chan," he was beaming at her.

She took the rose from his small hands. It had no thorns. Maybe he had removed it so as not to prick her. He was such a thoughtful child. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

Sasuke was glad that she liked his gift. He got it just for her, to make her happy. He saw how happy his mother was whenever his father gave her roses. She also told him that a red rose is a flower that signifies love. That was why he decided to give it to her.

"Nee-chan, do you like me?" his eyes were shining with hope and anticipation as he waited for her answer.

"Of course I do like you," she answered immediately.

"What about my aniki? Do you also like him?" he asked.

She was taken aback by his question. He was just seven years old but it seemed like he already knew a lot of things. Well, this morning, she was asking the same question herself.

"Well, I kind of like him," she admitted to the little boy who was looking at her with utmost attention. His eyes kind of reminded her of someone but the memory quickly disappeared before she could even ponder on it.

"So that means from now on, aniki is my rival," he said determinedly as he went out of the kitchen, leaving Sakura confused.

Present……………………..

Sasuke went inside Sakura's room with Tsunade behind him. The only person they saw was Shizune.

"Where are the others?" Tsunade asked her assistant who was sitting beside Sakura's bed.

"Naruto told me that he would be gone for a while to treat Hinata to some ramen while their sensei went out to change his clothes and to eat. They stayed here all night so I decided to volunteer to take care of Sakura-chan for a while in order for them to rest. They both look tired and hungry." She chuckled a bit when she remembered the tired look on their faces. Sakura was really lucky to have teammates and a teacher who cared for her. Her glance fell upon Sasuke as if she was talking only of him.

The prodigy glared at her before giving his full attention to what Tsunade has to say.

The Hokage wasted no time. Immediately, she asked Sasuke to stand beside Sakura so that she could start performing the jutsu. She was surprised by his compliance because he showed a little of that this morning when she was interrogating him.

Before forming some hand seals, she reminded him of his promise that he wouldn't do anything to alter the future.

Sasuke nodded weakly, not bothering to come up with a response for he was sick of making promises he knew he would have a hard time fulfilling.

The next thing he knew was being enveloped by darkness as if everything was fading away from him.

And he fainted.

Past…………………………….

Before going to the ANBU headquarters, Itachi decided to pass by Shisui's usual training grounds. He was really bored and he doubt that going to the ANBU meeting would make his situatio better.

He was getting closer to the place and he could even hear the sounds of kunais and shurikens hitting the trees. He decided to hide his chakra and surprise his friend.

Stealthy, he went nearer and there he saw Shisui, panting, almost finished with his training. He had his sharingan on and didn't show any signs that he finally sensed his presence until he spoke.

"I know you're there, Itachi," Shisui blurted out, looking at the tress that were in front of him. Itachi wasn't surprised. Shisui was considered as one of the geniuses in the Uchiha clan.

"I was really expecting you here," he said as he appeared from the shadows.

"If I'm not mistaken, you have an ANBU meeting, right? I bet it was about another mission again."

The prodigy frowned. "You said it. I'm fed up with it."

"Well, that's the price for being the first born son of the Uchiha clan's leader." He went towards him and patted his shoulder a couple of times. "They're probably waiting for you by now."

He merely shrugged. "I don't wish to be the next leader of the Uchiha clan or to be an ANBU captain."

Shisui felt sorry for him. "Want to spar?" he asked, trying to cheer him up a little. He couldn't imagine being in his place. All this time, his friend was never allowed to decide for himself. He was like a living puppet that only did what his master told him to do.

"Sure," he said as he got into a fighting stance. He needed to do something in order to get his mind off his problems even for just a while.

AN: That's short. Forgive me but I'm really busy. Thanks to all my reviewers.