Everyone enjoyed Itachi's utter bastard-ness in the last chapter, yes? Well, it's about to get better, if I do say so myself. :3 Oh, and for those who asked: Yes, Sasuke and Itachi killed Madara. It'll be explained in detail in the next chapter.

Please read and review! :)

Sakura's eyes snapped open and she flew into a sitting position. Immediately, a hand clamped onto her shoulder and steadied her. Her gaze shot to her right to see Itachi sitting on the side of her bed, watching her with something glinting in his eyes. She was in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts.

"Slowly," he advised, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder.

His warning was too late, though. A massive migraine pounded in Sakura's temples, bringing a grimace to her face. She dropped her chin slightly and rubbed her forehead with her left palm, inwardly swearing up a storm and not realizing that Itachi's hand was the only thing supporting her.

Yeah. Sitting up that fast probably hadn't been such a great idea.

Then Sakura remembered:

Itachi had faked his own death in order to evoke a sense of victory in Voldemort so that he could then strike him down in his distracted state. He just hadn't counted on Sakura going psycho and basically destroying everything because she'd thought he was dead — because of her. Very violent reaction. And then the jackass had had the gall to smirk at her. Smirk!

Sakura glared at him fiercely from beneath a few strands of messy hair.

"Bastard," she growled at him.

Cue amused smirk.

"My sight must have been deceiving me, Sakura," Itachi murmured smoothly, smugly, "because it seemed as though you had something in your eyes — something that caused you to tear up. Dust, perhaps? Dirt? By all means, enlighten me on this matter."

It was true.

When Deidara had said her name and she whipped around and yelled, they had been there. Tears had welled up at the corners of her eyes, but she hadn't been crying, damn it. She'd refused to let the tears fall, ergo she wasn't crying.

End of story.

So there.

Sakura shot Itachi the most deadly glare she'd ever formed in her entire life and threw his hand from her shoulder as she punched him in the side. (Probably not so smart, seeing as she swayed and had to catch herself with her other hand after losing Itachi's support, but fuck it.) Sure, she hadn't used any chakra, but it was still a damn good punch. If Itachi had been a civilian or even a genin, he would've yelled out. But he was a shinobi — an elite shinobi — and he could take pain. A lot of pain.

Her action seemed to amuse him to no end, serving to further piss her off.

When Sakura had first joined the Akatsuki, she was as stone-faced as Itachi. She was bitingly cold to everyone, and she spoke to no one. Deidara was the first to spark a reaction out of her. He'd been sparring with — ahem, fighting — Itachi, and he'd had his ass handed to him in fifty seconds flat. Itachi, being the kind, caring man that he was, sought out Sakura and ordered her to go heal the blond. After glaring at him briefly (she didn't take too well to orders), she stalked off and did so.

Deidara was an absolute mess. Itachi had beat him all to hell and back. His injuries took a surprisingly long time to heal, even for Sakura. Noting the blank look on the kunoichi's face as she patched him up, Deidara made it his personal mission to get some kind of reaction out of her. So, throughout the entire healing session, he pestered her with questions, none of which she answered, and jokes, none of which effected her. He had even tried the really lame, really stupid ones that no one could resist laughing at.

Except Sakura, obviously. (And Itachi, but that was beside the point.)

Deidara frowned to himself when he saw that nothing was working. He sighed.

"You should smile once in a while, yeah," he remarked bluntly, appearing to be brooding slightly. "I bet you'd be really pretty if you did. And stop acting like that anal Uchiha bastard, 'cause that's seriously not attractive."

That time, Deidara hadn't been trying to get a reaction from her; he'd just been stating a fact. Sakura halted the healing process immediately and stared blankly at the blond. He arched an eyebrow.

"What, yeah?"

Sakura appeared to snort in amusement. Then she flat-out laughed.

Honestly, it scared him at first. Deidara jumped, not know what to expect, and his instant thought was: Oh shit, yeah. She's psycho.

But then he grinned when he saw that she was laughing. And boy, did she laugh. It didn't end for a long while, and the entire time Deidara wore an expression of deep self-satisfaction. Ego boost.

Unbeknownst to them, Itachi had witnessed the event. From that moment on, Sakura allowed herself to express emotions — not much at all, though, but still progress. She smiled (a true smile) once in a blue moon and she had yet to laugh since that day (excluding the previous day, because Itachi honestly did not consider that hysterical cackling 'laughter'), but anger seemed to be the emotion she could identify with the most.

And, Kami, did it amuse Itachi to rile her up. It was addictive.

Sakura shifted to climb out of the hospital bed, but Itachi rested a hand on her right shoulder again to stop her. She fired an accusing glower back at him. His smirk had faded.

"Don't," he ordered. "Stay here for an hour or two until you are certain that you're well."

Sakura was greatly offended by his statement. Did he think that she couldn't take care of herself because she was a girl? She was a medic, dang it, and she knew her limits. She'd be fine on her own, and she didn't need — or want — anyone's help.

"What — do you own me know?" the kunoichi snapped.

Suddenly, Itachi's smirk returned full-force.

"Yes," he replied smoothly. "I believe I do."

Sakura nearly exploded after staring at him stupidly for a good two minutes.

"What did yo—"

In less than a heartbeat, Itachi's mouth was at her ear. She stiffened, the words dying in her throat. Her mouth dried up. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin around her ear, sending unwanted tingles down her spine.

Did this man know what he was doing to her? she wondered faintly. Did he realize the reaction he was causing?

"I intend to claim you," he murmured lowly, possessively, "and I have for quite a while now. After witnessing your reaction the other day, I expect you not to complicate things by resisting."

Sakura stared wide-eyed, momentarily rendered speechless. 'And I have for quite a while now'? Exactly how long was he talking about? She clamped down the wall in her mind.

No.

Her gaze slid slowly over to the man beside her, drinking in the closeness of his face to her own and his devil's advocate smirk.

"Wh-what are you—"

"Lying," Itachi cut her off, "to both yourself and me will get you nowhere, Sa-ku-ra."

Sakura involuntarily shivered, absolutely horrified with herself for the way that she was reacting. She couldn't keep the small dusting of red off her face. Itachi's eyes were naturally black when his Sharingan wasn't activated, but they had darkened considerably over the course of their conversation — or lack thereof. His hair was slightly untidy (shockingly!) and a few raven-colored strands had escaped the band at the nape of his neck, resting lightly against his cheek. His lips were still curved up in that damnable smirk, and his low voice did wonders to Sakura's nerves. The way he'd said her name, pausing slightly after each syllable, pronouncing each letter in that impossibly smooth liquid-fire voice of his, made it sound almost dirty.

The man was much too attractive for his own good. It was practically illegal to be that good-looking. Plus, adding in the fact that he was a genius, a prodigy, and a master of seduction —

Then, that clicked in Sakura's head.

He was a master of seduction. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and he was enjoying every minute of it.

Son of a bitch.

Sakura could have killed him. She honestly could have killed him. Rage boiled in her stomach and bitterness clamped her throat closed. Kami, she was so stupid. What was she thinking? Itachi finding Sakura intriguing — as a woman?

Honestly.

There was a better chance of Deidara getting toe fungus and Kisame licking the man's foot.

Itachi watched with mute curiosity as the rosette progressively became more furious. To his surprise — and furthering to interest him — Sakura looked like she was either going to burst into tears or explode in pure anger. She had never once cried since joining the Akatsuki. She was not someone to easily be rendered emotionally weak. He wondered what she could be thinking that upset her so badly.

"You bastard," she hissed, face red with rage, teeth gritted, fists clenched. Small drops in the corners of her eyes. "How dare you. Is this all a game to you — because I'm not fucking playing."

Sakura knew what his answer would be. His smirk would widen and he would chuckle. Then he'd look at her in amusement and say, "Of course, Sa-ku-ra. Did you honestly think that I could ever be interested in you in that manner?"

Sakura knew he was going to. She just knew it.

But he didn't.

Instead, his expression flattened, no trace of amusement visible. In fact, he almost looked a little...angry.

"Is that," he said coldly, "truly how you perceive me?" His eyes darkened. "I am not playing a game, Sakura. As amusing as it may be to encourage your temper, I do not participate in games such as that."

Sakura's anger disappeared and her mind went blank. She was thrown back to square one. He...what? He wasn't toying with her? This wasn't a game? He—

Oh, Kami.

He was serious?

Sakura abruptly whipped around and sat rigidly, her back to him and her hands clenching the sheets of the hospital bed.

But she hadn't been quick enough. She hadn't been nearly quick enough.

Itachi had seen her eyes shoot open wide, and he had seen her face blaze thirty shades of red — plus fifty more when he smirked at her knowingly. The Uchiha chuckled lowly under his breath.

"How utterly childish, Sakura," he murmured with the underlying tone of a taunt in his voice.

Two Hogwarts students passed by, staring openly at the pair. Sakura shot them a demonic scowl, and they were gone. Itachi chuckled again and lowered his voice generously. A few other Hogwarts students, plus Madam Pomfrey, were still taking their sweet ass time in the Hospital Wing, and it was best if no one overheard them. He had a feeling that that would piss Sakura off even more, and as amusing as that would be to see, this was neither the time nor place.

"There is no cause for alarm," he remarked, obviously wickedly entertained. He had leaned in again, deriving smug satisfaction from the way her back stiffened. "I will not rush it; I'll take my time in claiming you so that we both might be gratified."

Itachi didn't need to see Sakura's face to know that she was coloring considerably. He could feel it.

Plus, many of the students had stopped to stare — damn rubbernecks — and were whispering to one another.

Shaking his head slightly, Itachi stood and gazed down at Sakura, who still blatantly refused to look at him. That was enough for today — or for now, at least; anymore, and Sakura would probably knock a chunk of the castle off. (He wouldn't put it past her.) His expression grew sober for a moment.

"Do not leave the Hospital Wing," he advised. "If you must, give yourself a medical examination, but stay here for at least an hour."

"Why?" Sakura demanded, obviously still royally ticked off.

But Itachi wasn't smirking. He was serious.

"You were out for two days."

Sakura stilled, falling silent. She didn't know how to reply to that. Itachi watched her for a moment longer before turning and walking out of the Hospital Wing.

.

.

.

It wasn't until sometime around noon, about four hours later, that Sakura finally left the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had pushed a rolling cart up with a plate full of unidentifiable gray matter for 'lunch', and the kunoichi had been out of there faster than you could say, "lunch is served". So, obviously, the first place Sakura went was the Great Hall. (She probably should have gotten clothes from her dorm and changed first, seeing as she was wearing bloodied and torn shinobi attire, but she honestly didn't give a shit.)

And, of course, everyone fell silent and stared shamelessly when Sakura walked in. She scowled at them all.

"'The hell are you all looking at?" she growled.

Immediately, four hundred plus students turned away to stutter out weak conversations. Scowl still in place, Sakura stalked over to the Slytherin table and claimed her spot between Draco and Itachi. Sasuke, to her mild surprise, sat on the other side of Itachi. (What the heck was he still doing here? Oh, whatever; it wasn't liked she cared, anyway.)

Itachi, to her great irritation, looked amused. She openly glared at him, and he smirked back. Sensing that he was about to speak, Sakura cut him off.

"Not. A. Word," she ground out between clenched teeth.

The man simply smirked at her a moment loner before returning to what he was eating (bocchan dango and rice). Sasuke eyed the pair with a slight frown, chewing on his third tomato and reaching out to grab a fourth. Sakura glanced down at the food sitting before her. Curry rice, unagi with sansyo, and udon sprinkled heavily with shichimi. She grimaced at the sansyo-covered unagi, grabbed the plate, and held it up a little higher than her head.

"Oi!" she called. "Kisame!"

The talking all stopped, and everyone turned to stare at Sakura. Itachi raised an eyebrow. The blue-skinned man looked at her blankly from across the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table. Sakura delivered a fake smile and pointed at the dish.

"Want some eel?" she offered loudly. "I know you don't eat fish and all because they're your cousins, but eels are different, aren't they?"

Kisame seethed in his seat and glowered at the rosette's shit-eating grin, jaw clenching when Deidara laughed at his side.

"You better watch your back and sleep with one eye open," he threatened darkly. "Just you wait."

Sakura merely beamed at him. "Oh, so you don't want it? Such a shame. How about you, Deidara?"

The blond was grinning widely at Kisame's glare. "Sure, yeah."

Sakura turned and hopped out of her seat, striding calmly across the entirety of the Great Hall to deliver the plate to Deidara. The professors — even Snape, who scowled at the kunoichi — remained silent, because honestly? What could they do to stop them?

Deidara was nearly laughing again when Sakura gave him the plate, (fake) smiled brightly at Kisame, and returned to her seat as if all was right in the world. The shark-affiliated man was obviously pissed.

It was quiet for a long moment. Gradually, after sitting in a tense silence for nearly three minutes, the students began to talk again. Itachi shook his head lightly, smirk curving on his lips. There was something wrong with that girl.