Vigil of Sorrows

Chapter 13

"The Effects of Exhaustion"

…..

Sakura yawned. She rubbed her eyes as she looked out the window to see the morning sky. She smiled before kicking off the blanket and sitting up. Glancing around her room, something seemed different about it. Like there was something off about it.

"Oh, that's right!" she suddenly exclaimed, as the events of the night before replayed in her mind. She had fallen asleep on Itachi's shoulder and she clearly hadn't been moved back to her own room.

'If that's the case, then where's Itachi?' she thought, looking around the room. However, the Uchiha was nowhere to be found. The pinkette scoffed and leapt off the bed and onto the ground. "Where is that bastard?"

Sakura frowned as her eyes rested on the door. He must've left while she was sleeping. 'Of course he did. And just when I decided we were friends. Bastard.' She released an exasperated sigh and started for the door. "The next time I see that bastard, I swear I'm going to-" she was cut off as she abruptly tripped over something on the floor and landed on her face.

She groaned in pain as she lay on the hard floor. 'Of all the things, of course it had to be a hardwood floor.' She felt someone kneel down beside her.

"Sakura-san," she heard someone say before a hand was placed upon her shoulder. Something about that voice was familiar, but she didn't know what it was exactly.

"Yes?" the girl replied cautiously.

She heard the familiar voice release a sigh. "Are you planning on lying here on the floor all morning?"

'Wait a second.' She was then suddenly able to determine the owner of the voice. "Itachi?"

"Aa," he replied. "Or perhaps it would be more familiar to you if I simply referred to myself as 'that bastard?'

Sakura instantly pushed herself off the ground and into a sitting position before quickly punching his shoulder. "Refer to yourself in whatever way you want, Snail."

Itachi nodded. "As long as I have your permission," he stated. "I will take that privilege into consideration."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Nothing," he said after a moment before his expression became serious. "More importantly, however…" he gave her a pointed look. "I have something I simply must ask you."

Sakura arched a curious brow but it was soon replaced with a sigh as she closed her eyes. "What is it?"

"Well, I'm just curious," the Uchiha began in a soft voice before pausing. "If I really had left you here…what is it you swear you'd do to me?"

Her teal eyes promptly opened and she met his gaze with an awkward smile. "O-oh. That? Well, I was cut off when I tripped."

"Aa," Itachi nodded. "Which is why I'm asking. You see, I wouldn't even have a need if you had completed your sentence."

Sakura dropped her gaze to the wooded floor, avoiding his stare. "I was going to swear that I'd..." she paused, tracing circles on the ground with her finger. "Punch that pretty face of yours until you were beyond recognition then leave you in the street with all the crazy people."

Itachi rose a brow before proceeding to shake his head as a smile formed. "My, Sakura-san," he began, "you're quite a violent little Shinobi, aren't you?"

She smirked and cracked her knuckles. "Well, I was trained to beat people with my fists."

The Uchiha nodded. "That you were," he stated before casting her a wink. "I suppose you have a valid excuse for violence then."

"Hell yeah!" Sakura exclaimed before smiling at her partner. "What about you? Are you not a violent Shinobi?"

Itachi titled his head as he seemed to consider her question. "Well," he started, "I suppose violence is at times inevitable for all Shinobi. However, I prefer to avoid it if at all possible."

Sakura nodded slowly. 'Inevitable, huh?'

"I'm one of those notorious criminals, Sakura-san."

She dropped her gaze sadly. 'Was it inevitable when he…' She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on that. That dreadful truth would only upset her and…she didn't like thinking about Itachi that way. It just made him seem like a completely different person than the one she knew and befriended.

Sakura closed her eyes and released a long exhale, forcing the thought out of her mind. As she did this, another thought replaced it. She didn't really know that many interests of the Uchiha other than his favorite color and food. She looked back up at Itachi with a warm smile. "What's your favorite animal?"

He returned the smile, "a crow."

"A crow, huh?" Sakura thought about it a moment before her smile widened. "It suits you."

"Does it?" Itachi asked.

Sakura nodded before tapping two fingers against his forehead. "It sure does, Snail. That's another thing that will make me think about you."

"Hmm," the Uchiha responded. After a brief silence, he offered her another smile. "What is your favorite animal, Sakura-san?"

She considered it a moment before a smirk suddenly formed. "Certainly not pigs."

Itachi blinked, but he didn't inquire further. Instead he tilted his head and asked, "…then what is?"

"A dove," Sakura replied.

"Oh?" the Uchiha asked. "That's certainly an interesting choice. What is it you like about them?"

The pinkette shrugged. "A lot of things," she stated. "You can always catch glimpses of their beautiful white feathers when they fly past you, even in the dark. They will only have one love for life. Also, they represent innocence, peace and…hope."

"That seems very fitting then," Itachi stated.

Sakura smiled slyly. "Does it?" she asked, imitating his response from before.

However, Itachi merely tilted his head in response before offering a soft, "Aa."

She pouted and brushed her fingers through her bangs before ruffling his own hair with a grin. "Fine, Snail. Be that way."

Itachi offered another small smile before retrieving his cloak from the ground and slipping it on. He then turned his attention to the stove. "What's on the agenda today?"

Sakura rose to her feet and stretched her arms over her head. "We're going to get blood samples from various sick villagers then test them with the plants we collected yesterday. If all goes well, we can begin the testing before noon."

The Uchiha nodded as he rose to stand beside her before proceeding to turn and prepare their tea. "I only hope the villagers are moderately receptive to the idea of us acquiring samples of their blood."

The Shinobi sighed. "Me, too. Maybe if we just took samples from the…more sane inhabitants. Then we won't have to worry about their receptiveness as much."

"Hmm," Itachi responded. Several moments passed as he finished making the tea before he turned and offered a cup to her.

"In any case," he continued after taking a sip of his beverage. "At least it will be entertaining."

"I'm certain it will be, Itachi," Sakura stated with a nod before taking a small drink of her own tea.

…..

Days passed. They generally progressed in a similar way each time. Every morning, they would take the herbologist's plant book with them and they would gather more plant samples before returning to the city. There, they would test different mixtures of the specimens with the blood samples they collected. Sakura essentially handled the experiments while Itachi recorded their daily findings.

After two weeks, they still had very little results, but Sakura refused to give up. She was determined to help these people and her decision to do so never once faltered. It was tough, but she somehow managed to balance the time she spent conducting experiments, offering any aid she could to the ill, and training with her admirable sensei.

They did, however, discover one thing from their tests that was productive: an ointment that treated the reddened skin of the villagers. Recently, the villagers' attitude toward her had seemed to change. They smiled whenever she walked by and seemed to accept her guidance as she showed them how to treat themselves. She remained patient with them throughout the entire process, even if she had to repeatedly demonstrate or explain.

One morning, a man came to her and asked if she could again show them how to purify their water. She smiled and led the way to the well in the center of the city. Slowly, she showed them the proper technique and looked back at them when she was finished. They simply stared at her in confusion and bewilderment. Sakura laughed. Even though the work was tedious, she enjoyed it immensely. What she loved most about being a medic-nin was the joy she felt when she knew she had saved someone's life. There wasn't anything else like it in the world.

Sakura told them to watch closely before beginning the process again. However, when the kunoichi lifted her head, she saw Itachi standing behind the window of the inn. The girl was happy to see him and waved, which he returned before turning and descending the stairs to join her at the well.

Although she was the expert in the medicinal field, she wouldn't have been as productive as she had been these past few weeks without the Uchiha's help. Not only was he aiding her with the experimental process and anything else which required assistance, but his calming demeanor also helped strengthen her resolve to continue after every failure.

As it turned out, some people in the town were crazier than others. Much crazier. Fu Blood, whom she already knew was on that list, often followed Itachi with scissors and attempted to cut his hair. Itachi, of course, prevented every endeavor, but Sakura couldn't help but hold a grudge against the man for wanting to cut the Uchiha's beautiful hair. She couldn't hold it against him too much, though, because he delivered the bi-weekly necessities her mentioned and had even started including medicine in this.

She finally met the herbologist Itachi mentioned. She wanted to thank him for lending them his plant book, but the thought didn't even occur to her again after she met him. He lived outside the village, like they had been informed, on the docks, but what she didn't know, or expect, was his 'hobby'. The man would incessantly beat fish with a mallet. This horrified her and she hid behind her Uchiha partner, preferring to stay hidden and avoid the madman.

There was also a woman by the name of Ariel Lowleaf, who had taken to stalking Itachi wherever he went. The woman was completely obsessed. She would even randomly attack Itachi then offer to hug him afterwards. One time, Sakura had been with the Uchiha and she seriously felt like punching the girl. There were limits to how close you can get to a person, especially if you're a stranger, and Sakura respected a person's space…to an extent. It actually made her consider the fact that she hadn't hugged Itachi before, but refrained from contemplating it much like she had with most things concerning her Uchiha friend.

Every time she thought about the things that concerned her about him or when thoughts she wanted to push away surfaced, she felt utterly confused and, once again, decided to disregard them and perhaps think about it later.

The strangest thing about her time spent with Itachi was that she always sought his company. Even though they had only been together for two weeks, it felt like Itachi had always been around. He was just a part of her life now, simple as that. He was certainly unlike any other person she had known, and doubted she would ever know in the future.

The fact still remained, though, that Uchiha Itachi was a mystery…and she wondered if she would ever be able to solve it. For now, however, she stored this thought with the rest to be considered, if ever, and dedicated her complete concentration to finding a cure.

It wasn't until the night before their sixteenth day there that they discovered the missing component that would connect the individual elements of the cure. They had spent the entire morning gathering the last few plant samples recorded from the book and then devoted a small portion of the afternoon to Taijutsu training…

…..

Sakura held her kunai defensively as Itachi advanced toward her and clashed his own against it. She threw a punch at him with her free hand, but he pushed himself away and landed a short distance in front of her. He came at her again, thrusting the weapon forward before flicking his wrist and turning the kunai sideways, the attack aimed for her neck.

The pinkette instantly leapt backwards to avoid the attack, throwing a shuriken at the Uchiha as her feet touched the ground. Itachi side-stepped and the weapon planted itself in the grass behind him before he rushed toward her. Again, their kunais clashed and she was forced to concentrate on blocking the attack further as his remained pressed against hers. However, she smiled as she formulated a plan to beat her opponent.

Itachi extended his hand toward her other wrist and Sakura moved to the side as she purposefully dropped her kunai and rolled behind him. Itachi quickly stepped back a few feet before throwing his kunai in her direction.

The girl smirked and swiftly reached behind her to grab the shuriken out of the ground before using it to block the aerial attack. Itachi then proceeded to quickly move and step behind her before bringing one arm across her shoulders and slipping the other between her arms, forcing them behind her as his own rested against her back.

Sakura attempted to struggle out of his grip, but stopped and frowned when she realized she couldn't move them. She was restrained another moment longer before Itachi stepped back and released her. "That's enough for today."

Sakura turned to him with a nod. "Aye, Sensei," she answered with a smile.

Itachi directed his attention to the sky a moment before looking back at her then proceeded to gather the discarded weapons.

"You've considerably improved, Sakura-san," he stated as he extended a hand to return her weapons.

"Thank you, Itachi," Sakura replied before placing the kunais and shurikens back into her pouch. "It's always rewarding to hear praise from my teacher."

He lifted a hand and rested it on her head, like he usually did after their training sessions. "Allow those feelings of accomplishment to be directed towards yourself." He smiled, "though I do appreciate the gratitude."

"But I wouldn't be this accomplished if it weren't for my talented Snail-sensei," she countered, returning his smile.

Itachi shook his head and lowered his arm. He sighed in resignation, "whatever you say, Sakura-san."

"Whatever I say, huh? In that case," Sakura tapped her chin thoughtfully. For a second, she was tempted to ask if she could hug him, but immediately shook her head and instead smiled. "Let me hold your hand as we walk back."

Itachi's eyes slightly narrowed and he tilted his head, "of course, I don't recall a time where I ever refused to allow you that request. However…I don't think that's what you really wanted to ask."

Sakura felt her face heat up, but attempted to cover up the blush with a nervous laugh. "It was just something that I've sometimes thought about lately."

"…and what would that be?" he inquired further.

"That I…" she began sheepishly before meeting his gaze with a slight pout. "…haven't hugged you before."

"Hmm," Itachi mused thoughtfully. "Well then," he continued after a moment before extending an arm toward her. "By all means."

Sakura grinned before quickly moving toward him and wrapping her arms around his torso as she rested her head against his chest. Itachi immediately stiffened in response, but slowly rested his arm around her shoulders.

Yet again, it was strange. She had hugged Sasuke once, when that strange mark on his shoulder made him torture those Sound Shinobis and she wanted him to stop. It worked, of course, but she had a very different feeling when she hugged him then how she felt now, hugging Itachi. Perhaps it was simply because of the difference in the situations…or because her feelings for Sasuke were different from her feelings for Itachi.

Either way, Sakura was glad Itachi let her hug him. It made her happy and warm inside. She tilted her head up to see his face and decided she liked that feeling. Her smile widened and she tightened her hold. Itachi's smile widened as well before he briefly looked to the path beside them, which led to the city, then returned his gaze to hers. "You ready to go?"

Sakura's smile faltered and Itachi laughed softly before turning, keeping his arm around her shoulders. "Come along, we have lives at risk."

"You're right," she nodded in agreement, her thoughts returning to her medical duties. "I'm ready to go now, Snail." She turned as well, leaving one arm in place around his waist and dropping the other by her side.

Itachi ventured in the direction of the familiar coastline and Sakura walked beside him, matching his slow, laid-back pace. She glanced around the beautiful terrain they were walking through before resting her gaze back on Itachi with another smile.

However, the pounding on wood forced her to direct her attention to the crazed herbologist, who awarded each of them a toothy grin. She merely turned her head to him, the smile still on her face before quickly setting her attention ahead of her.

As they entered the town, the villagers smiled and seemed to welcome their return. Sakura glanced to Itachi once more. "We made quite the impression on these people, partner."

The Uchiha turned to her with a nod. "Aa, it would appear that way."

She thought back to what she said the second morning they were in the village and laughed. It seemed completely ridiculous to her now.

Sakura saw Itachi tilt his head curiously and looked to him with a smile. "I was just remembering the threat I made the morning I tripped over you," she began before reaching up to ruffle his hair with her free hand. "And I don't think it would work anymore, assuming I could beat you up."

Itachi shrugged, "I'm sure you could, as I would be entirely without the will to fight back."

Her eyes widened briefly before she recalled what he said during that first day of training.

"I just don't think I could ever bring myself to harm you."

"I know, but don't forget what I said either," she warned softly, giving him a quick poke on the forehead then lowering her arm once more.

Itachi smiled and nodded, "I won't."

"Good," Sakura replied before a warm smile formed. Suddenly, she remembered what else she said that same day which had become her routine after every practice session. "Oh, Itachi?"

"Hmm?"

"You're the best kind of teacher."

As usual, Itachi laughed softly and nodded.

'That makes two times he's laughed today,' she mentally noted.

They arrived at the inn and Itachi pushed open the door before entering the establishment, Sakura right behind him. The bartender greeted them with a wave and Sakura smiled in return.

Itachi looked down at her and she nodded to inform him that they should get started. They still had more tests to do with the samples.

…..

Several hours passed as they worked. For the most part, it was silent. The only time anyone spoke was when Sakura would direct Itachi on what he should write. She continued to carefully analyze each sample they had gathered. As they neared the end of their collection of specimens, she had started double-checking her findings to be sure that specific plant wasn't the cure, but none of them had shown signs of countering the pathogen.

However, Sakura's determination wasn't swayed by this fact. She wasn't going to give up, even if none of the plants turned out positive. If that happened, then they would have to come up with another solution for curing the disease. Then again, maybe it would just end up being the very last plant that worked. There was no way of knowing unless she finished testing every single sample…soon, preferably.

Sakura's eyes started aching, probably from staring at the same thing for a long period of time. She let her gaze wander around the room until they landed on her untouched cup of tea. Her eyelids grew heavy as she stared at the cup.

Sakura sat at her table, drinking a cup of lemon tea. It wasn't one of her favorites, but it was all they had until her mom went shopping tomorrow…or rather, sent her shopping tomorrow. She sighed before taking a long sip of the hot beverage.

"Haruno Sakura! What are you drinking?" her mother asked, emerging from the kitchen with a steaming mug in her hands.

She rolled her eyes irritably and replied, "It's called tea, Mom."

"Oh, you're drinking tea?" She quickly walked toward her daughter and sat at the table beside her. "What kind is that?"

"Lemon…the only one we have in our pantry."

"Can I try it?" Mebuki inquired.

"Sure," Sakura replied with a shrug, handing the cup to her mom.

She took a small sip before giving it back. "It's very good. I think I'll get that next time."

"You always drink coffee," Sakura reminded her.

Mebuki laughed and drank her beverage. "I can still try new things. And what about you, little missy? You usually prefer to drink coffee. What's with the tea all of a sudden?"

Sakura smiled innocently, "I can try new things, can't I?"

Her mother glared. "Quit the act, young lady, and tell me."

"I don't want to," she replied before taking another sip of tea.

"You don't want to tell your own mother? Oh, I see! You think I'm not important enough for you to tell me anything!" Mebuki exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes.

"Sakura, just tell your mother so everyone can enjoy the rest of their day," Kizashi said from the open doorway.

Sakura smiled and ran to hug him. "Daddy! You're home early."

He grinned and patted her head. "Yes, I am. They switched my schedule, which means I'll start working in the afternoon from now on and finish around nine."

"I think I'll like this new work schedule better," Sakura informed him happily.

"Me too," Kizashi replied. "By the way, what time is it now?"

"Just after eleven," Mebuki immediately responded, obviously wanting to draw the attention back to her.

"Excellent. I'm going to get a drink," he stated, starting to walk in the direction of the wine pantry.

"Alcohol in the morning?!"

"It's never too early or too late for a drink," he grinned, glancing at his wife. "Besides, I don't consider eleven part of the morning."

Mebuki sighed melodramatically and went back to drinking her coffee.

Kizashi winked at Sakura before turning back in the direction of his destination. "By the way, I meant what I said about explaining your sudden liking of tea to your mother," he said before turning a corner in the hallway.

"Yes, Sakura. Explain this to your mother."

Sakura sighed and walked back to the table where she quickly finished the rest of her tea then proceeded to make her way to the kitchen where she set the mug in the sink. "It has to do with my crush, Mom."

"Oh! The little Uchiha!" Mebuki abruptly left her seat and joined her daughter in the kitchen. "What about that handsome boy?"

Sakura raised a brow at her comment but it was soon replaced with a smile as she thought about Uchiha Sasuke. "I found out he likes to drink tea, so I'm going to start drinking it all the time. Then maybe he'll like me back."

Mebuki smiled proudly, "that is an excellent idea, Sakura. I like that boy and it would be nice to see him more often."

"I don't think it's a good idea!" Sakura heard her father say from the opposite end of the house.

Sakura instantly opened her eyes and rubbed them, inwardly scolding herself for falling asleep while in the middle of something important. She shifted her position and picked up another sample from the pile.

She heard Itachi release a sigh before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like to stop for the night, Sakura-san?"

The girl kept her attention focused on the plant as she shook her head. "No. We've tested all but the last few samples and I could finish the rest tonight. The sooner the better."

Itachi was silent and she continued working in silence. Her eyes still felt heavy and her body was weary from exhaustion, but she tried her best to ignore them, forcing herself to stay awake and continue.

As the current sample once again didn't produce any results, Itachi held one of the plants out to her. A Yucca plant, if she remembered correctly. "Try this one next."

Sakura eyed the plant curiously. What was so special about that one that made Itachi insist they test it? 'I won't know until I analyze it.' She shrugged and took the specimen from him. "Alright, Snail. Let's hope it's the one," she stated.

The Uchiha nodded, "Aa."

A small smile formed as she repeated the same process she did with the other plants. Something about the Yucca plant obviously caught her partner's attention and she had a suspicion that this was going to be the one. Itachi hadn't been wrong before and this would just continue his streak.

When she mixed the blood with the ground specimen, she placed it on a slide and set it beneath the microscope. After it was focused, she peered through the lens in anticipation of successful results. At first glance, nothing had changed, but then she narrowed her eyes and concentrated on a specific grouping of blood cells where the parasitic antibodies were starting to react.

Sakura smiled widely and pulled excitedly on her partner's sleeve. "I think you'll want to see this."

Itachi returned the smile and nodded before moving closer and peering into the microscope. After a moment of silent observation, he released an astonished breath. He tore his black eyes away from the lens and they met with her gaze. "Is this what was missing?"

She nodded enthusiastically. Even after finding the suitable ingredients to aid in the reduction of the fever and serve as antihistamines for the skin inflammation, the virus stubbornly resisted. The Yucca plant, however, was the necessary component for the other antibodies to finally counteract and destroy the pesky pathogen.

"Now we need to gather more Yucca plants," Sakura informed her partner. "After that, I can start making the cure with the other components as well."

Itachi nodded, "I will visit Bogford-san first thing in the morning and try to convince him to offer us some of his collection."

That's right. Bogford was the name of the creepy fish-man. She felt uneasy whenever they walked by the docks now because that's where he lived. Even so, she was grateful for his strange fetish with plants and his allowing them to borrow his plant book.

"Very good, pupil," she said with a wink. "Wake me up when you leave so I can have everything prepared when you return."

"Of course," Itachi responded before returning her wink. "I will also let you make your tea tomorrow morning."

Sakura grinned, "Then I shall dutifully fulfill the task, Snail-sensei. Expect a steaming cup upon your arrival."

"Aa," the Uchiha nodded. "I will be looking forward to it."

"Then be sure to have a quick negotiation and hurry back," Sakura replied. If he was gone for too long, then he would have to wait for the tea he liked so much and…she would miss him.

He smiled, "I'll do what I can."

Sakura yawned before returning his smile with a tired one. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Itachi."

Itachi dropped the pen before gently tapping two fingers against her forehead. "You did well, Sakura-san."

She nodded before mirroring his action. "So did you."

For several moments, Itachi didn't move; only kept his fingers in place against her head as he looked at her. Something about his gaze always captivated her, but it was probably because she liked his dark eyes. The Uchiha withdrew his hold and Sakura felt the familiar sensation of brief longing that occurred every time he lowered his hand from her forehead.

Sakura retracted her fingers as well, running them along his silky hair as she dropped her arm. Smiling, she turned and proceeded to pack up her medical equipment. Itachi helped by handing her several supplies which she then placed inside her bag. After zipping it closed, she glanced out the window at the dark sky.

The Shinobi sighed. It was very late and it felt like she would collapse if she didn't get rest soon, even though she didn't particularly want to go to sleep now. However, she would need her strength for the long day ahead and her complete attention as well. She returned her gaze to Itachi and hid her saddened smile beneath a forced laugh.

"Well…goodnight, Itachi. Remember to wake me up."

"Aa," he responded, rising to his feet. "I will remember." After a short pause, a small smile formed. "Goodnight…Sakura-san."

The pinkette reluctantly followed-suit and stood beside him. She met his gaze briefly before nodding and slowly walking past him, her legs beginning to ache as she moved. 'I must've put a lot of strain on myself today.'

"Are you alright?" Itachi asked.

Sakura turned to him with an assuring smile. "Perfect," she lied.

Itachi approached her, his eyes slightly narrowed. "That isn't true, Sakura-san."

"It's not a big deal, Itachi," she replied before sighing. "I'm just tired."

"If you say so," he replied as he tilted his head. "However, I'll listen if you decide to tell me what's really bothering you."

"Fine." The girl closed her eyes in defeat before opening them to look at him. "I think I overexerted myself today because now my whole body aches, especially my legs when I'm walking, and…I feel light-headed like I'm going to pass out," Sakura quickly explained.

Itachi blinked and simply stared at her a moment before smiling and nudging her forward with his hand. "Off to bed with you, then."

"That's where I was headed before you stopped me, Snail."

The Uchiha nodded, "Aa. So you were."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him and turned to the stairs. "Good night…again."

She then proceeded to slowly ascend the stairs, keeping one hand on the railing to support herself, Itachi following closely behind. When she reached their floor, she sighed in relief and placed a hand on her hip smugly. "Well, that was easy. See you in the morning, Snail."

The pinkette took her hand off the rail and started toward her room before her legs gave out and she fell forward. However, Itachi had caught her before she hit the ground. He sighed before helping her to feet, keeping one arm wrapped around her waist to support her. "Can you walk?"

Sakura couldn't believe she'd almost made it to her room and just when she felt like she'd succeeded, she fell. How ironic. She looked away from him in embarrassment. "Of course I can," she replied. "Thank you for your help, but I can handle myself from here."

Itachi looked at her silently before shaking his head, "come on." She felt his hold on her tighten slightly as he stepped forward and stopped. She groaned and hesitantly followed his example.

"You know, I manage fine on my own. I've been doing that for a few years now and it's always turned out alright," Sakura stated, keeping her gaze on the opposite wall as they made their way to her door.

"Your response to common courtesy remains unchanged, Sakura-san."

Sakura directed a glare at him. "It's a common courtesy to force me to do something I can clearly do without any help?"

Itachi stopped outside her door before looking down at her, "it's alright to show weaknesses every now and then. It's part of being human. Imperfect is the way we were meant to be."

She sighed sadly. Her friends had always protected her when she was in danger, but if the situation was reversed, she was always too weak to do anything. That's why she promised she'd continuously get stronger and never be weak again. She never wanted to be that helpless little girl again.

However, what Itachi said was true. She wasn't trying to be perfect, but she was definitely striving for the impossible to never show weakness. Maybe she was supposed to only be strong while on missions as a Shinobi or protecting people, and the rest of the time just be…normal.

Sakura smiled at the Uchiha before turning to pull him into another hug. "Thank you, Itachi."

He left one arm around her waist and brought the other around her shoulders in a loose grip.

"Aa."

She laughed softly at his familiar, and somewhat expected, response. Another moment passed before Itachi withdrew his arm and he nodded toward the door, a smile on his face. "Get some sleep, Sakura-san. I'll wake you in the morning."

Sakura removed her hold around his waist and smiled. "See you in the morning, Itachi."

He took a step back and withdrew his other arm before casting her a playful wink. "Careful getting into bed."

"I will," Sakura nodded and turned to open her door. Before entering, she craned her neck and returned the wink. "And if not, I'll have to depend on my rescuer again."

Sakura noticed Itachi's smile widen slightly in response. "As well you should," he replied before turning and making his way to his own door.

The pinkette stayed in her doorway, a smile forming that continued to widen as she watched her partner unlock and open his door then enter the room, his cloak and hair swaying behind him as he disappeared out of sight. She blinked and broke herself from her silent reverie before quickly retreating into her room and shutting the door.

However, Sakura instantly regretted moving as fast as it made the dizziness from before return. She didn't want to even attempt walking while she was this disoriented and instead dropped to the floor on her hands and knees and crawled to her bed. She slipped off her boots before climbing onto the bed and wrapping the warm covers around herself as she lied down.

"I get to make our tea tomorrow. As strange as it sounds, I'm actually looking forward to it," Sakura mused aloud as she closed her eyes.

Her mind then traveled to the memory from earlier. She scoffed at her own foolishness. "A lot of things I did when I was younger were just ridiculous. That was one of the most, I think. Just because you drink what another person likes doesn't mean they'll like you," she chastised to herself. As an afterthought, she added, "although, I never actually went through with it. I listened to my dad. The only thing that actually came from that idea was that I ended up liking tea more."

Sakura giggled quietly, "I wonder what Itachi would think if I told him that." Her mind then drifted into sleep as the exhaustion from the day claimed her.