Thanks to all reviewers!

Answering theonesakura's question: I cannot give away the plot now, can I? Read and find out. Then you can tell me what you thought of the plot latter. I´ll be very happy.

Hope you enjoy this chapter...

dai86

Chapter 4

Mixed signs

Five years ago...

"Haruno-san." Sakura looked up from the experiment scrolls lying across the lab counter to see who was calling her.

"Yes?"

She saw one of the attendants' head pocking behind the semi opened door. "There´s someone for you at the front desk."

Oh. "Do you know who it is?"

The woman shook her head negatively. "No, the nurse didn´t say. She just said it was a young blond man."

Jin? He never asked for her in the hospital. Usually he would just wait for her at the entrance. Maybe something happened.

Looking down at her scrolls she contemplated her options for a moment. She had to wait another 30 minutes before the antigens reacted with the poison.

"Kanie-san," she addressed the man at the counter behind her. He raised his head to acknowledge her.

"Could you do me a favor? I have to go upstairs for a moment. Would you watch over this experiment for me?" she asked.

He nodded impassively and went back to his own business. The older man was not very vocal, but he was polite and reliable in the lab.

"Thanks. I´ll be right back." Sakura jumped from her stool, hanging her lab coat by the door before leaving the room.

She wondered what Jin could want with her. It was mid afternoon and she had already eaten lunch with Sasaki. Maybe he just wanted to hang out? Having all that free time ought to be boring sometimes…

But no. Jin knew she was busy at work and had always respected that. Usually he would just wait for her at the entrance.

Sakura smiled to herself. Jin was a very persistent man. He made his intentions clear right after they met. The next day after Sasaki introduced her to Kouga and Jin, he appeared in the hospital entrance on lunch time inviting her for a meal, holding a small vase of white cosmos.

Sakura was surprised to find he remembered her saying it was her favorite flower. Cosmos were easily grown under hot and dry weather, explaining their abundance in Suna, but this particular variety – white – was very rare in this part of the desert.

"I have my ways," he shrugged with a smile when she questioned him.

She smiled despite herself.

She´d be lying if she told he hadn´t had an effect on her. But Sakura was on a relationship, or whatever it was she had with Itachi. Besides, she was on a mission away from home, and Jin was a civilian from some village she didn´t even know; even if she was unattached, nothing would happen. She wasn´t the type to fool around just for the hell of it.

If she was Ino, perhaps…

More than once her blonde friend had accused her of being too uptight for her own good. What Ino called uptight, Sakura called cautious. She had her heart trampled one too many times as a kid. And even if she could Sasuke as a friend nowadays, the damage was still there, obvious in the way she interacted with the male specie in general.

She still wasn´t quite sure how she ended up with Itachi of all people. He reminded her very much of a cat, and like all cats he moved at his own pace, liked his own space, and act independently. Sakura did not know how someone like her, filled with trust issues regarding love, settled down with him. But above all Itachi was trustworthy, and somehow, despite all the sneaking around, he made her feel safe. More or less, anyway. But she blamed her own insecure heart on that.

She sighed thinking about him. The high anxiety she felt from missing Itachi on the first days dimmed to a dull pain in the back of her mind. It was constantly there but it didn´t distract her so much anymore.

But when facing Jin´s invitations and flowers, the thought of Itachi came rushing to very front of her mind. The same way Jin was being upfront with her, she hoped to return the courtesy by explaining she wasn´t interested in any romantic relationships at the moment. The young man smiled at her. "I´ll take what I can get," he shrugged, "even if it´s only your company over lunch."

His intense gaze betrayed the casual posture, and at that moment Sakura felt her skin burn. She was probably red as a tomato. Bashfully, she complied with his invitation for lunch that day… and the next day… and the day after that. Pretty soon they were having lunch on a regular basis.

He would always bring her white cosmos. She wondered where he got those.

Sakura was pleased with their interactions. Jin never tried to cross any line she had set, always respecting her wishes. After a while he really felt like a close friend.

But sometimes she felt like she was leading him on, like Jin expected something from her, even after her warning. Having spent her pre-teen years pinning over Sasuke, Sakura could sympathize. She didn´t wish unrequited love upon anybody. Much less someone she cared about.

The second time she voiced her concerns he replied smoothly. "I told you. I´ll take whatever you´re willing to give me," he would assure her. Well, she´d give him her friendship and nothing more. Jin accepted and smiled.

As long as they were clear…

Hanging out with other people – Jin included – distracted her from the longing she felt, and any melancholic thoughts were pushed aside. She just didn´t know why part of her felt guilty in enjoying his company; it was not like she was doing anything wrong. She had dismissed other male´s advances in the hospital and kept on interacting with them without problems. So how was Jin different?

When she first came to Suna, all her thoughts were filled with Itachi during her lonely nights in her apartment. Now she´d would often catch herself thinking about Jin – some story he had told her, some joke that had made her laugh – and realizing she was smiling to herself.

This was not a good sign.

She shook herself and pushed away those thoughts as she reached the front desk on the hospital lobby. Standing on the linoleum floor she searched around her. 'Now, where was this guy...?'

She yelped when she felt strong arms around her waist lifting her off the ground. When she was put back down she span on her heels to face her attacker. Sakura found familiar blue eyes and blond hair. And the most blinding smile she knew.

"Naruto!" she threw her arms around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Sakura-chan! I missed you!" The blond replied spinning her in the air.

They spent a good half an hour fussing over each other. Apparently Naruto had to deliver some package to Suna. It was a C-ranked mission at best, but he jumped at the chance to meet his teammate. They talked animatedly until Sakura remembered her experiment.

"Shoot! I have to go back." She snapped. They could only meet so briefly.

"Let´s grab dinner later," he offered.

"Don´t you have to go back?" she asked surprised.

"Nah," Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Baa-chan won´t fuss over half a day that I stay over."

She laughed wondering if that was true. Nonetheless, it made her very happy to have her best friend here. She gave him her keys and directions to her apartment, instructing him to make himself at home. She would be back later with groceries for a homemade meal.

- 00000 –

The duo watched her leave the market carrying grocery bags. The pink haired girl seemed to be in a good humor.

"Should we approach?" Jin inquired his sempai.

"No," Kouga replied, "let´s wait until Uzumaki leaves Suna. Better play safe. Did you plant the bugs at her place?"

Jin nodded.

"Good. Let´s just keep surveillance tonight."

Sakura hummed walking down the street, unaware of two pair of eyes following her.

- 00000 –

"God! I think I´m gonna die!" Sakura lied on her back on the tatami floor, patting her belly.

"Yeah, me too," Naruto didn´t seem to be any better lying next to her.

She had cooked enough for four people, calculating that since Naruto had just arrived from a trip from Konoha, he should probably be starving. And a starved Naruto could eat for a whole team.

But she could be accused of overeating as well. And after that pie for desert… well, they would explode any second now.

They were lying on the floor with the balcony doors wide open, enjoying the night breeze. Sakura pushed aside her plate with a piece of half eaten pie. "I can´t even look at it anymore."

Naruto raised his eyebrows, looking with interest at the plate. "Well, I think I can manage…" he said as he reached for the plate, intend on finishing her share too. Sakura laughed, a little shocked that he could still eat.

She pushed a cushion under her head and closed her eyes, felling the night breeze and listening to the sounds of his fork scrapping against the plate. Her hand kept running circles over her abused stomach.

"Now I´m ready to die," she heard him say after finishing her pie.

"I don´t know how you eat so much. I swear to God I´ll have to do groceries tomorrow again," she laughed.

"Want some help?" he asked, rolling on his back too.

She glanced sideways at him, "don´t you have to go back tomorrow morning?"

"I could stick around for a while," he said.

"Naruto…" she said in a you-know-better tone.

"I mean it!" he said with a hint of child excitement. "Oh, I know, I know!" he sounded like he had a brilliant idea, the kind that always resulted in a headache for her. "I could write Baa-chan and tell her you need a bodyguard here." He continued excitedly. "In the meantime I could run some errands to Gaara and – "he was cut short by a cushion smacked in his face.

"Ow, Sakura-chan," he complained.

"Idiot," she mumbled. "I do not need a bodyguard."

"I know that. It was just an excuse." He rubbed his nose.

She looked at him and smiled. "I miss you too Naruto. But this mission will be over soon and then I´ll be back in Konoha to my favorite group of idiots." She placed a reassuring hand over his chest.

He looked a little offended but smiled nonetheless. "Don´t you get lonely here, Sakura-chan?"

She paused. "A little, yeah," she confessed. "But this is a mission. I spend most of my time working in the lab. Besides, I made some friends here as well."

"Male friends?" he asked with displeased interest.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "All kinds of friends, Naruto. Geez, I don´t know why you guys think I´m being constantly harassed by men."

"Because you are!" he messed his own hair to emphasize his distress. "If you knew all the trouble I and Sasuke go through." Naruto sounded indignant that Sakura couldn´t appreciate their efforts.

Sakura laughed. Trust Naruto to exaggerate. Watching Sasuke acting like the jealous teammate was something she´d be willing to pay for.

"Chill Naruto. No one´s harassing me here." For a second, an image of Jin ran through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

"I just don´t want you to be lonely here, Sakura-chan," he whined.

Sakura sighed. "I´m a little lonely sometimes, yes," she admitted, "but I like my work. You know, this is a very important mission for me too. I´m really happy Tsunade-shishou trusted me to do this," she explained. "Besides, I´m not miserable here. Suna has its appeal."

She heard him snort. "Yeah? Like what? Sand and dry weather?"

She turned her head and looked in his eyes for a second. Naruto instantly blushed self-consciously. He wasn´t used to her focusing so intently on him. "Uhn…," he tried to cut the silence.

Sakura rose to her feet walking to the door. 'What? Did he offend her somehow?'

He was ready to blurt an apology for whatever he´d done when he saw the lights go off. Sakura had gone for the switch by the door. She came back to pick her cushion from the floor and offered him her hand. "Come here," she asked.

Confused, he hesitated for a moment but eventually took her hand and got up. She picked another cushion from the sofa and dropped them both by the balcony door. She laid there patting the space next to her. Naruto cocked his head blushing a little, but acquiesced. They were both laying on their backs in the dark, a soft breeze running over them. What was she doing?

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto started confused.

"Look," she pointed to the sky.

His eyes left her face to look up. His breath caught.

It was the most beautiful night sky he had ever seen.

"Isn´t it beautiful?" she asked. "I´ve been told that the desert gives you a better view of the stars. Something about the altitude here and the dry weather…"

"Yeah," he replied in awe.

"I used to think Konoha had a beautiful night sky, but in Suna the stars seem to shine more brightly." She continued looking up.

Indeed, it looked like a million bright dots in a black canvas.

"Funny, hn?" she said. "Those are the same stars that shine over Konoha. Yet they seem so much brighter here. When I´m alone at night I look up the stars and imagine that you guys are looking up the same sky. And then I don´t feel so lonely anymore."

Naruto turned his head to look at her. He could barely see in the dark, but her face seemed to reflect the glow of the stars; she had a fascinated expression and a gentle smile on.

She looked beautiful.

He didn´t know what came over him at the moment. It happened before he could even acknowledge what he was doing. Suddenly he was leaning forward on his elbows and his lips were lightly pressed against hers.

They were soft and moist like he had imagined. And they tasted like pecan pie.

He enjoyed it, could stay forever suspended in that moment. Somehow his hand was cradling the side of her head, his thumb against her cheekbone, and his fingers teasing the hairline in the back of her neck.

Everything felt right, until he realized her hand was pushing lightly against his chest. "Na-Naruto…" she stammered against his lips, breaking the spell.

He backed off a little looking as shocked as her. "I-I…" he tried to explain, with little success.

Before he could muster anything she sat down, smothering her hair self consciously.

She averted her eyes looking utterly embarrassed and for a long moment all they could hear was the tick tack of the clock in the wall while they sat there in the dark.

He fought to think of anything to say in that situation, anything at all. Anything. 'Say something dammit!'

"I love you."

'You should've kept quiet moron', he smacked himself mentally.

Another long moment of silence and his heart was thumping hard in his ribcage. She would kill him any second now.

He almost coiled when Sakura rose to her feet, believing she would stomp him like an enraged bull. But the pink haired girl only stood there playing with her fingers self consciously. He couldn´t make out her expression in the dark.

"We better sleep Naruto, we have an early day tomorrow. You have to leave and I have to work." She mumbled.

He raised his eyebrows. Was that all she was gonna do? Had he just dreamed he kissed her and declared himself to her? Maybe he didn´t really say it out loud. Maybe –

He suddenly was aware that she had left for her room when he heard the soft click of a door closing. Naruto was left alone staring at her balcony filled with white cosmos.

- 00000 –

"Looks like you have competition," Kouga sneered next to Jin, who threw a dirty look at his sempai.

They had been listening in the couple's conversation the entire night from the rooftop across the street. So far, no mention of one Uchiha Itachi. From what they could assess, her teammates weren´t aware of her little affair with the ANBU captain. It seems no one knew. Except for Danzou-sama…

Jin wondered how long the medic had been sneaking around to meet the Uchiha. To keep a secret relationship in a ninja village was not an easy task. Their informant had said a couple of weeks at least, but he could tell it had been longer… much longer.

He had been pulled out of his thoughts when the lights went off in the apartment across the street. Jin had looked down on the balcony to see Sakura and the brat lying on the floor, watching the sky. Altogether, it had seemed like a pretty innocent situation.

That is, until the blond boy decided to lean over and kiss her.

Despite himself, Jin scowled. For some reason, the sight displeased him greatly. But a Root agent was above any display of emotion. He limited himself to fist his hands. His sempai of course took notice of this little reaction, proceeding to taunt him.

Sometimes he wondered if Kouga only liked to tease him for the hell of it, or if he was assessing him to put down on his reports. Probably the latter.

Not being the typical ANBU agent, Jin was prone to be constantly analyzed by his colleagues and superiors, more so than others recruits. Well, screw them. Just because he didn´t act like a stoic ass, didn´t mean he couldn´t do the job just the same… better even.

Regardless of his personality Danzou-sama had sought him out, seeking to recruit him. And Jin promptly accepted feeling somewhat flattered by the recognition of his skills. Root, he came to realize, was as specialized as ANBU, if not more. It was an honor to be chosen to be part of it.

Like Danzou, Jin didn´t comply with the present Hokage´s weak nature, as he would call. Diplomacy was such a disgusting concept. Konoha should cast their military superiority through an iron fist, not peace treaties. Jin had lost his mother during the Kyuubi attack. And then, a close friend when Suna invaded Konoha years ago. He couldn´t understand how quickly an alliance with this village worked out afterwards. 'Exterminate the enemy while they are at the weakest' was his logic.

So, when Danzou approached him, he was more than happy to accept the offer. The man shared the same ideals and Jin saw the opportunity to contribute with his village for real. Danzou would be the one to bring Konoha to its rightful place, where no enemy would dare to raise a hand against them out of fear.

He wasn´t concerned about Danzou – the leader of Root knew where Jin's loyalties lay. This constant mistrust however was a little annoying. He didn´t bother to acknowledge Kouga´s taunts, keeping focus on the balcony below. He was more than pleased to see the pink haired girl push the cheeky brat away. Apparently his advances weren´t welcome.

They watched her tell him something and leave for her bedroom, which didn´t have a window facing this side of the building. It seems their surveillance was done for tonight.

Kouga threw one last taunt. "She sure likes playing-hard-to-get, doesn´t she?"

Jin didn't bother to reply.

- 00000 –

Present day...

The world is spinning around her, but she doesn´t care. She enjoys the feel of his lips on her own. Sakura can remember clearly the last time they kissed – it was the night before she left for her mission in Suna. That fateful mission.

She feels his tongue lick her lower lip asking from entrance and complies. His intensity dizzies her and it´s only his hands cradling her waist and neck that keeps her from swaying. They part for a second to breath, only for him to deepen the kiss in the next second, pulling their bodies flushed against each other. Heat pooled in her belly and she couldn´t hold back a moan.

It was all so foreign and so familiar at the same time – his touch, his warmth, his taste.

In their heated interaction, they move a little to the side, bumping slightly on the chair, making it scrap against the tiled floor. At the disruptive sound she instinctively remembers Kazuki.

Kazuki, sleeping in the bedroom a few feet behind her.

Suddenly reality hits and she remembers their current situation. She has a son sleeping in the next room. Itachi is a clan heir who´s engaged – or about to be. And they´re making out in her living room like a couple of horny teenagers.

She´s reminded of the past, when they would sneak around to be with each other, because they really shouldn´t be doing that. Only now the stakes were much higher.

He feels her hesitation and stills against her. She takes the opportunity to step back, finding it hard to drag herself away. Her breathing is labored and she´s a little flushed. Nonetheless her words are firm.

"We shouldn´t have done this."

She looks him in the eyes, and, despite his composure, she can see he's troubled. "What´s wrong, Sakura?"

"We can´t keep playing games!" she snapped. "You have to think about Akina-san, and your clan. And I have to think about Kazuki. He is my priority now. He will always be."

He assessed her for a second.

"I wouldn´t question that. I´m just asking that you let him be my priority too," he said simply. "Both of you."

She gaped at him. "Nonsense… Itachi, you… you´re not seeing this through."

"Are you questioning my intelligence or my resolve?" he asked.

Itachi knew this wasn´t gonna be easy, this girl was nothing but stubborn. He would have to corner her with every possible argument and tire her out of excuses. While he could convince her that the Uchiha clan – or Akina for that matter – wasn´t gonna be a problem, the real issue to her was little Kazuki.

"Now that Kazuki manifested his abilities, you might have problems," he saw her frown at the change of subject. "I wish to help you."

Sakura knew perfectly well what problems he was talking about.

"They have already approached me," she sighed. "I have a meeting schedule in a couple of days. They said they just have some… questions."

'Hn, so they already made their move.'

"Don´t worry," she continued. "I already talked with Tsunade-sama. She´ll back me out. I´ll be fine," she assured him. "I have it covered, Itachi. You don´t need to get involved. Actually, I think it's best if you don't."

She was refusing his help for the sake of appearances and honor. His, not hers. As far as people's opinion went, her honor had gone down the drain years ago. It angered him to remember her being targeted by vicious comments.

The girl he met years ago wouldn´t take that tamely. She would get in the face of whoever badmouthed her or any of her friends. Or deal with this people in a more vicious way. But after Kazuki, things changed. Despite walking around with her head up, Itachi knew she was hiding within herself. He didn´t like it, but could understand where this feelings sprout from.

It wasn´t shame she felt, he realized later, it was guilty. Misplaced guilty.

And after years of guilty, and being the target of the village´s gossip, Sakura had developed a though skin. If Itachi wanted to get through the shell she had built around herself, he´d have to take a leap of faith.

"Won´t you let me in anymore?" he asked with a disconcerting openness.

Sakura was taken aback, not only by his words, but by his tone and expression. It was the most vulnerable she had ever seen her. Itachi was never one to put himself in this position. To nobody.

He held her shoulders, leaving no space for her to run. "You felt guilty. You wanted to punish yourself and ended up punishing me along by breaking us apart," he said.

Sakura had the urge to turn away and run. She had been a fool, she wasn´t ready for a confrontation with him. But the firm hold oh her shoulders prevented any movement. All she could do was avert her eyes.

"You don´t have to feel guilty about anything," he continued. "It was not your fault. Not many could resist that kind of mind manipulation, especially when not aware that you are facing a kekkei genkai."

She frowned. "What? What was Itachi talking about?"

"And he had months to surround and influence you in Suna."

Her eyes widened when she understood what he meant. Itachi thought she had cheated on him with Jin.

He thought she had slept with him.

Please, leave your thoughts and opinions! I like to hear them to change directions in the plot if necessary.

Hope you enjoyed!

dai86

(Edited on May, 2012)