Hi, second chapter, hey! The plot begins.

Hope you like it. Please review, they are a great incentive to keep me writing.

Thanks.

dai86

Chapter 2

Pink zircon and emeralds

Five years ago...

"Are you sure of this?" the older man asked in his authoritative tone.

"Yes, Danzou-sama," the Root agent replied.

"And you do not know the content of their conversations?"

"No sir. I've only witnessed their encounters from afar. They've met a few times in her apartment and at the hospital. I also followed her a couple of times towards the Uchiha shrine outside the village. She also went regularly to the training grounds near the Nakano River. Apparently she received clearance to train there from Uchiha Sasuke, but I didn't believe prudent to follow her within Uchiha property."

"Hn," he agreed. This could raise problems. His mouth twisted in displeasure at the lack of more information. "One may think these are nothing but romantic encounters," the older man mused, "but this is Uchiha Itachi we are talking about."

"I thought so too, sir."

Danzou looked down at the man. He did not wish for his input, he was merely thinking out loud.

Without further ado he dismissed his subordinate. Even before the knelled figure vanished he had turned around and sat in his wooden chair. This was worrisome. Haruno Sakura was someone from the Hokage inner circle of trust. And from what he had learned, her rendezvous with the Uchiha ANBU captain had been going on for several months now. 'Hn, like her association with his younger brother wasn't trouble enough.' But Uchiha Sasuke was an inconsequent brat. The clan wouldn't resort to him for political maneuvers. Itachi on the other hand…

He was a astute man, and like every Uchiha he probably wished to broad the clan's political influence in Konoha. And, despite her talents, Haruno was nothing more than a girl – even more stupid than a woman. It wouldn't be too hard to manipulate her to gain access to privileged information. Tsunade shouldn't trust such a young girl in her office. The idiot wouldn't even notice Itachi had been milking her for information before it was too late. Danzou would be damned if he let the Uchiha clan usurp the Hokage position.

It was his place after all.

But perhaps he could use this to his advantage. He had to think of a strategy to sway things his way. Of course, he could expose the couple, but he had nothing to gain from it. Despite the scandal, it would be all dismissed as a love affair. He could not accuse them of scheming for the Uchiha clan; after all, no one was stupid enough to confront them openly. To take down an enemy one should do the shinobi way: a kunai to the back.

He contemplated the situation. He could really benefit from an informant within Tsunade's office. No one would suspect the Haruno girl. Itachi was very cleaver indeed. But two could play that game. He just had to sway the girl his way with whatever means necessary, be it bribes or blackmail. Or he could turn her against the Uchiha heir with a little manipulation, he mused with himself. Yes, it would be the best course of action. And if everything failed, he could at least cut off the Uchiha influence in Tsunade's office.

He had been informed that the Haruno girl had departed last week to Suna for a two months mission. It would be unwise to approach her there. If they didn't manage to convince her she would have ways to contact Tsunade, or worse, Itachi. It would be too difficult to dispose of her discretely within a ninja village limits, be it Suna or Konoha. The best moment to accost her would be on her way back from Suna. If anything went wrong no one would know what took place. They could always blame rogue shinobi.

He held his chin in his fingers thinking it over for a moment. Perhaps the distance from the Uchiha could be used to his advantage. He could set things in motion while she was still in Suna. For now she was away from the Hokage's office and away from the Uchiha's influence. If he planned carefully, two months from now Danzou would either have an informant in Tsunade's office or would have removed a pebble from his shoe.

"Kouga!" he called from his chair. Immediately a man appeared in front of his desk, kneeling. "Danzou-sama," he answered respectfully.

"Get me Jin." With that the man was gone to complete his task.

Danzou had to be very careful. One mistake could cost him a lot.

- 0000000 -

Itachi finished packing for his mission. It was barely dawn yet but he had to be at the rendezvous point in half an hour. He opened his drawer reaching for his ANBU mask. Before he closed it however he looked at the little leather box he placed there. Opening it, he admired the jewel inside, a small white gold ring with a pink zircon stone and two small emeralds. He had it custom made in a goldsmith near the north border. Simple and beautiful.

Yes, it would suit her well.

After only one month of her absence in Konoha he realized he not only missed her, but craved her presence. He wondered if she missed him this much too, or if she typically had lunged herself at work. His duty roster didn't allow him to visit Suna on a whim. He couldn't trust messengers either, given the secret nature of their relationship.

But that was about to change. Once she was back in Konoha he would talk to her. This conversation was long delayed. So far Sakura had shown extreme patience in the face of his circumstances. But he was no fool. Her understanding didn't mean she was anyhow happy about the situation. However, it was only a matter of time now. After she comes back they'll talk, and then he'll settle things with the clan, however necessary.

Strangely, what concerned him more was Sasuke's reaction more so than the Elder's. How'd his little brother take this relationship with his teammate? Itachi had witnessed enough of her team's interactions to deduce that Sasuke and Naruto would not be too pleased. Even Hatake, despite his aloof appearance might have something to say. They were protective of each other like that.

And then there was Sakura's reaction as well.

To say Itachi was insecure was a bit much. He was sure she would be pleased with his proposition. If there was only the matter of their mutual feelings, everything would be more than perfect. There was, however, the matter of his position as clan heir to consider. Sakura had never been very outspoken concerning his clan, at least not in front of him. But he suspected she hate it with passion. As Sasuke's teammates, she and Naruto had felt firsthand how intransigent they could be.

This might give her second thoughts about considering a permanent liaison with him. Also, he had to remember she was very young and career driven. A 17 years old girl might not be ready to make such serious commitment, he contemplated.

This was pointless. He would get nowhere speculating alone in his room.

He closed the box and put back in his drawer. For now he'd worry himself with his duties. He still had a long month before his pink haired girlfriend was back.

- 0000000 -

Present day...

The clock on her wall indicated 10pm. It hadn't been long since she put Kazuki to bed. The four year old must be sleeping peacefully in his room. They had been quietly conversing in the living room. Even so, the magnitude of the subject made her feel like the boy would be disturbed by it at any moment. She feels resigned and distressed at the same time.

She's really worn out.

Itachi looks at her and is reminded of how young she really is. Despite how mature Sakura usually acts and how much responsibility she shoulders, she's only a girl who had been forced to grow up too fast. He can relate for he too was forced to be bear responsibilities at a very young age.

Sakura pushes the document he brought aside, sighing.

"If you're feeling guilty, don't... You're right. I never told you the truth. I misled you. You did what anyone would do: you've moved on. What I did… no one forced me. It was my choice. I could've told you everything back then and keep you with me. I knew you'd help me out of obligation… or guilty. But I'm sure that would have made you unhappy, made both of us unhappy. In the end I was kind of protecting myself too."

He had expected this speech from her.

"Don't try to fool yourself, or me. You did what you did to protect me, and I never asked you to," he told upfront. "And after Kazuki was born and those rumors started, you were worried about Naruto's reputation. You always think of everyone but yourself. This martyr routine is really exasperating… and useless," his non-nonsense posture was grating on her nerves. "If you had told me I would have stood by your side, not out of guilty, like you say. That would have been better for both you and Kazuki. And for me too."

She could not deny. There were times when she would indulge in dreams like this. The three of them – Itachi, Sakura and Kazuki – walking around Konoha as a family, doing ordinary things like shopping or strolling. Or just a meal in their home.

Countless times Sakura caught herself imagining breakfast with Itachi and Kazuki on this very table. Her son would complain about eating vegetables, and Itachi would scold him. The things she desired the most seemed so simple, yet so unattainable.

She snorted a laugh. "Do you remember how hard it was to keep our relationship secret? The way you would sneak into my apartment in the middle of the night? Or the furtive encounters in the shrine, or the forest? Of constantly looking over our shoulders? I even avoided looking at you in public to throw out any suspicion," she recalled. "I kid myself long enough believing it could work. You were the a clan heir. Of course they wouldn't let you be with just anybody. It didn't matter I was the Hokage apprentice, I wasn't eligible. I wasn't good enough in their eyes," she said with bitterness. "And the pregnancy," she paused searching for the right words. "The pregnancy was the last nail in the coffin." She said honestly.

"Don't you understand, Sakura? None of it mattered. I would have stood by you anyway."

Sakura searched his eyes for deceit. She knew most men would claim they'd make things right if given the chance just to sound righteous. But Itachi was not most men, and he was not one of idle words either. She was faced with his unwavering stare. "You would confront your clan? For me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes," he answered with no hint of hesitation.

She didn't know why his affirmation made both her heart flutter and her stomach sink at the same time. Fighting the lump in her throat she managed to respond. "Perhaps it was for the best that things happened the way they did then. I hate that Kazuki does not have a father, but neither do so many children in the village. I'd hate even more to expose him to the scorn of your clan."

"Do you think so little of me, Sakura? If you'd let me back then, I would have been a good father to Kazuki. And no child of mine would ever be scorned by whoever it is."

She was getting tired of this pointless conversation. "Itachi, you couldn't muster the courage to assume me," she spat. "How could you have assumed a child out of the blue? Let's face it. Whatever we had would have eventually faded no matter how much we cared for each other. You had your duties to your clan, and their plans certainly didn't include me."

"You don't understand it," he reached for his pocket. "I would have gone against the clan for you no matter what," he said placing a small leather box on the table and opening it. "I was just waiting for your return from Suna at that time."

Sakura stared at the ring in the small box. It was silver and had pink and green small stones. It was simply beautiful.

Absorbing his words she tried to understand what he was saying. Itachi had gotten her this ring years ago when she was away in Suna. This means… he meant to…

Comprehension dawned on her.

TBC

I'm already working in the next chapter. I'll try to post it within a week or two.

In the mean time I'll watch out for your comments.

See ya.

dai86

(Edited on May, 2012)