Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Season of the Sakura

Chapter 2

The Wilting Stem

"You don't have to walk me with me," said Sakura one early morning when she walked out of her small house and found Sasuke waiting for her for the fourth day in a row.

"You don't want to walk with me?" As they made their way to the academy, Sasuke adjusted his stride and pace to match Sakura's.

"I d-do!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"I—er—I dunno. I don't want to bug you."

Sasuke made sure to keep looking forward. "You don't bug me, Sakura."

Sakura clasped her hands together, relieved. She didn't say anything else, pleased to be with Sasuke. The rest of the walk was relatively quite; Sasuke never pushed her to talk, seeming to sense her reluctance and respecting it.

They arrived at the academy, a little later than usual. Remembering the way Itachi and his father always held open the door for his mother, Sasuke hurriedly did the same for Sakura.

The hallways were mainly empty, their footsteps echoing. When they reached the classroom, Sakura faltered and did not enter.

"What's wrong?" asked Sasuke, perplexed.

"You can go first," said Sakura, anxiety starting to bubble. Ami had been leering at her a lot more lately since she started spending time with Sasuke and did not want to push it any farther. If she walked in with Sasuke, Sakura was sure things would only get worse.

"Stop being silly and come on."

"N-no, it's okay."

Sasuke observed Sakura's apprehensive demeanor and it struck a cord within him. He couldn't explain why he had an insistent impulse to look after her. "Sakura," said Sasuke sternly, his tone reminding him of Itachi. "Tell me what's wrong."

Sakura bit down on her lip, debating. "Ami will be mad if I'm with you. . . She really likes you."

"Well, I don't like her at all," said Sasuke, unaware of how Sakura's posture straightened up at his words. "Now, come on before we're late."

Sakura followed after Sasuke, no longer worried. It amazed her how Sasuke could ease her uncertainties, it had to be because he was so confident in what he did. Sakura took her seat, her chin raised as Ami scowled at her.

. . .

At lunch, Sasuke and Sakura sat together under the shade of a tree. It had become a habit of Sasuke's to bring Sakura a sandwich and share his meal with her. Happily, Sakura would listen to Sasuke talk; his favorite topic was Itachi and his achievements but Sasuke would give accounts of interesting stories his parents had told him.

"Yesterday, I did this new jutsu with Itachi," said Sasuke. "He's been teaching me fire element and . . ."

Sasuke started to sound distant as Sakura saw Naruto on the jungle gym, accompanied with Shikamaru and Choji. Naruto was staring back at Sakura, looking sad and a little resentful.

Sakura was starting to miss Naruto, even if she hardly talked to him; she never had to because somehow he had understood her perfectly. Since Sasuke started hanging out with her, Sakura hardly saw much of Naruto.

Sasuke stopped talking, catching Sakura looking somewhere else; he turned and when he realized she was gazing at Naruto he frowned. "Is he your friend?"

Sakura's lashes fluttered. "Uh, kinda."

"Kinda?"

"He's always very kind to me and when someone picks on me, he says nice things to make me feel better."

Sasuke's frown deepened. "I don't like that kid."

A spark of anger flashed in Sakura. Even if she and Naruto weren't exactly friends, she felt like they shared a bond: they both knew what it was like to be unwanted. "Leave him alone, Sasuke."

Sakura's voice was still soft-spoken but there was strong emotion behind it that startled Sasuke. Annoyance and another sensation he couldn't distinguish overcame Sasuke. "Why? Do you like him?"

Sasuke's jealousy died when Sakura's eyes filled with hurt and a few traces of tears.

"No, wait," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." The idea of making Sakura cry brought shame to Sasuke. He immediately reacted by taking her face in his hands and used his thumbs to prevent Sakura's tears from spilling over. "Please, don't cry."

Sakura's breath caught in throat, overwhelmed by how near Sasuke was. For a fleeting second, she was memorized by Sasuke's onyx eyes and the intensity of them.

Then, Sasuke hastily pulled away, his blood racing and ears red.

Sakura pushed her hair out of her face, trying to cool down. The movement captured Sasuke's attention, enthralled by the grace in it. Then his brows furrowed, noticing something strange on Sakura's neck. It was easy to spot on her cream skin: a large bruise that resembled a hand.

"Sakura, what's that?" asked Sasuke, pointing it out.

Sakura's hands began to sweat and she tried to shake her hair to cover up the bruise. "What?"

Determined, Sasuke leaned over and brushed away Sakura's hair, momentarily distracted by the floral smell of it. "Right here."

Sasuke touched the spot and Sakura winced. "It's n-nothing."

Sasuke continued to examine the injury; the bruise encircled Sakura's neck, as thought somebody had tried choking her. "Who did this?" he demanded, his voice cold.

"Sakura," he prompted when she did not answer. "Tell me right now."

Sakura said almost too quietly: "My d-dad."

. . .

". . . and then she told me it was her dad!" Sasuke told Itachi. "Her dad!"

The two brothers were washing dishes in the kitchen alone after dinner and Sasuke had taken the liberty to tell Itachi what he had discovered.

He would have told Itachi sooner but his dad had arrived home that day from a trip and his locked jaw made Sasuke hold his tongue; he knew it was for better if he kept quiet when his father was in one of those moods. Besides, the tension between Itachi and their dad was very thick at the dinner table.

Sasuke waited for Itachi's response. There were bags under his brother's eyes; lately it seemed like there was something on his mind bothering him but whenever Sasuke would ask, Itachi would merely smile and dismiss it.

"Did she tell you anything else?" asked Itachi, his grip on a glass cup growing dangerous.

Sasuke was sure the cup was going to shatter. "No, she didn't want talk about it. She said not to worry and that it was fine."

Itachi was having a hard time marshaling his thoughts. There was too much for him to think about. A burden had been thrust upon Itachi and it was wearing him down. "I'll make sure to look into it when I have time."

Sasuke wanted to say something else but he saw that Itachi's eyes were clouded, his mind far away. "Okay."

It was later at night when Sasuke got out of bed to get a drink of water that he overhead Itachi and his mother speaking in hushes voices. He stayed hidden in the shadows of the hall, ears straining,

"Don't do anything too rash, Itachi," said Mikato. "You don't know the entire story yet."

"You want me to just stand aside while a little girl gets abused?"

"No, I meant—"

"There's no excuse, Mother. Assaulting a child is intolerable no matter the reason," said Itachi. "Anyways, I know who her father is and the story fits."

"Itachi, please, don't let your feelings for the girl override your thinking."

"I thought you were fond of Sakura, Mother?"

"I am but I'm also well aware that there's something else bothering you Itachi."

There was moment of silence and then someone got up. "I'm going to bed, Mother. Goodnight."

Sasuke slipped back inside his bedroom, trying to understand what he just heard. He got into bed and did not fall asleep easily, troubled by the conversation.

. . .

Weeks had passed and Sasuke had grown particularly attached to Sakura, spending the majority of his time with her. Out of concern, he kept an eye out to make sure there weren't anymore suspicious injuries on Sakura. When Sasuke found something strange, Sakura claimed that it was due to her own clumsiness. It was usually over a small scratch or bump, so Sasuke could not protest.

Sasuke had managed to get Sakura to come over to his house for dinner a few times. The only reason why he didn't invite her everyday was because of his father; the man made it clear that he did not favor Sakura. His father's opinion didn't bother Sasuke but he could tell that Sakura was rather uncomfortable with his father, so, he made sure to bring her to his house when he was absent.

Then there was Itachi. After listening in on the exchange between him and his mother, Sasuke paid more attention on Itachi's behavior around Sakura. His brother was very gentle with her and after a while, Sakura got over her shyness around him.

Part of Sasuke worried that she favored Itachi over him even though she showed no preference for his brother. She was always by Sasuke's side, glued to his hip.

On a particular day after class, Sasuke walked out of building with Sakura. It had also become routine for Sasuke to walk Sakura home as well.

"Sakura," said Sasuke, coming to a stop. "Will you come with me somewhere?"

Confusion flickered over Sakura but then she nodded eagerly, a small smile on her lips. She asked no further questions and joined Sasuke.

Together, they walked, each enjoying the other's company. It had taken some time, but Sasuke finally got Sakura to confide more in him. Of course, Sakura was still timid but she was starting to add in her own opinion and thoughts whenever she and Sasuke spoke.

"You were amazing today," said Sakura, referring to a sparing session during lessons where Sasuke got the best of Kiba.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, acting as if it was of no real importance, when in reality he had given his all. "It's was nothing."

"I thought it was great."

The corner of Sasuke's mouth lifted. He was accustomed to girls admiring him; they were always complimenting him, but when it was Sakura, Sasuke knew it was genuine.

They approached the business area of the Leaf Village, groups of people surrounding various stands and shops. The mouth-watering aromas of cuisines were carried in the air along with the sounds of cheerful chatter.

"Let's go over there," said Sasuke, leading Sakura to Iruka's/Irucha's a Raman stand and helping her onto one of the tall stools.

The chef grinned at the pair of them, pulling out a notepad to take their orders. "What will it be?"

"Uh . . ." Sakura's face grew pink with chagrin. "Sasuke, I don't have any—"

"Don't worry," dismissed Sasuke. "Order whatever you like, it's my treat."

"A-Are you sure?" asked Sakura, surprised.

Sasuke nodded. "Positive."

Sasuke went ahead and ordered a medium sized bowl of chicken and raman while Sakura settled for a simple meal of vegetable ramon.

Sakura bowed her head, her hair covering her face. "You don't have to do this."

"But I want to."

Sakura turned to Sasuke, taken aback. He did not face her, focusing on the preparation of their meal with forced interest. A faint splash of color was sprouting on Sasuke's cheeks but Sakura decided it was just a trick of the light from the lanterns hanging above them.

The chef appeared, handing Sasuke and Sakura their orders. Quietly, Sasuke ate, observing the way Sakura used her chopsticks. Her fingers were dainty but her grip was firm and maneuvered them with ease.

Sasuke slurped a long string of raman, receiving a giggle from Sakura.

Once Sakura was full and dabbed her mouth with a napkin, Sasuke took a deep breath. "I, uh, have something for you." With his eyes cast downward to avoid Sakura's shocked gaze, Sasuke pulled from his bag a fine ribbon shaded dark blue, the notorious color of the Uchiha clan. On each end of the ribbon was a carefully embroidered sakura.

Sakura let out a little gasp at the sight of it.

"I hope you like it," said Sasuke awkwardly. "I just thought you could use it to hold back your hair . . ."

Sakura's emerald eyes were wide, twinkling in awe. "It's so pretty . . ."

Sasuke went ahead and tied it in Sakura's hair, his fingers threading through it to push it out of her face. The knot was a struggle for Sasuke to do but he managed.

"There," he said. "Now I can look at you."

Sakura beamed at him, glowing. "Thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke blinked rapidly, heat flooding to his neck when Sakura suddenly threw her arms around him in an embrace. He caught a glimpse of a blonde head and saw Naruto glaring from a few feet away. Sasuke smirked mirthlessly and brought Sakura closer.

Sasuke panicked when he heard Sakura sniffle. "Oi! Are you crying?"

Sakura raised her head. "I'm just so h-happy!"

Sighing in relief, Sasuke said, "Don't cry dummy."

"Sorry," mumbled Sakura.

After paying the bill and scowling at the chef for his taunting comments on puppy love, Sasuke led Sakura home. On the way, Sakura took Sasuke's hand and they silently walked.

At the front of Sakura's tiny home, they parted, but not before Sakura gave Sasuke a chastised kiss. Sasuke was left standing dumbfounded after Sakura squeaked and hurried inside her house.

. . .

Days later, in the late afternoon, Itachi arrived to the Village Hidden in the Leaves from his most recent mission. An Anbu mask covered his face as he passed the entry gates, flash-stepping his way over rooftops.

The mission had been a success, very easy for Itachi. He returned unharmed.

As Itachi grew closer into the midst of the village, he was delayed by the strange sounds of jeering and taunting. Perched on a balcony, Itachi scanned below. In the corner, against a wooden fence was a gang of small girls, circled around someone.

Itachi's calmness was interrupted when he spotted Sakura on the ground, trying to protect herself, shielding her head with her arms as she was kicked at brutally.

In an instant, Itachi appeared before the girls who screamed at his presence and ran.

There was an instinctive primitive part of Itachi that wanted to track the girls, yank them by their hair and punish them. The only thing that stopped Itachi was Sakura groaning in pain.

Tenderly, Itachi picked up Sakura's frail and battered form, cradling her against his chest. He was filled with anguish seeing her innocent face cut up with scratches. Itachi brushed his thumb over her split lip, wiping away blood.

Sakura whimpered half conscience.

"Don't worry," murmured Itachi. "You're going to be alright."

Sakura gazed back, her eyes locking onto his, stirring something with him. "I-Itachi?"

Itachi stiffened and for a split-second he thought he wasn't wearing his mask; it was impossible for Sakura to easily recognize him. But somehow she did because there was certainty set in her gaze.

His grip on Sakura tightened and his jaw locked in determination. Then, without warning, he broke into a run, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, heading directly to the hospital.

Luckily, the hospital was not busy when they showed up. Itachi quickly grabbed the nurses' attention, demanding for medical assistance.

No one questioned Itachi about Sakura, he was still in his Anbu uniform, which meant whatever he did was to be kept in secret. The entire medical staff was trained to just do their job and save lives when it came to these types of situations.

When a male nurse started to pry Sakura from Itachi to lay her on a stretcher, Sakura resisted, her hands gripping Itachi tightly. "N-No. . ."

"You must, Sakura," said Itachi. "They're going to help you."

Sakura's fingers uncurled themselves. "Don't leave me. Please, don't leave me."

"I won't," vowed Itachi, gently placing Sakura down and following right behind as nurses pushed the stretcher into an available room. Efficiently, doctors and nurses prepped Sakura, touching certain body parts to check if they were fine and marking her vitals.

Sakura yelped when a nurse touched her ribcage and nearly screamed when the nurse continued to put pressure on it to find out what was wrong. "It looks like a cracked rib."

The doctor scribbled information down on a clipboard. "She has some internal bleeding. Let's prep her and get her into an OR."

Sakura was given morphine and then some liquid to put her to sleep. Itachi watched stoic in the background, arms crossed. No one said anything to him when he slipped into the operating room and leaned against the wall to stay with Sakura.

In an hour, the medical ninja mended Sakura's rib and stop whatever was bleeding inside her. They moved Sakura into a patient's room, the effects of the medicine still working and keeping her asleep.

Itachi did not leave, pulling a chair next to Sakura's bedside. What was most prominent to Itachi was the fact that Sakura's hair was pulled back. It allowed him to appreciate her beauty and for a long time he merely stared at Sakura, memorizing her face. In his mind, he imprinted the soft slops of her cheekbones, the fullness of her lower lip and the length of her sooty eyelashes.

Itachi saw the ribbon in Sakura's hair and then smiled to himself. He remembered how ecstatic Mikato was when Sasuke asked her opinion on what type of material he should buy for a ribbon. He also recalled Sasuke painstakingly stitching flowers onto it and the many times he pricked his fingers with the needle.

Itachi took Sakura's hand, noting to large difference in size. His fingers overlapped when he grabbed her thin wrist. With reverence, Itachi held Sakura's hand between both of his.

He remained that way until the very moment Sakura came to.

Sakura's eyes opened and then drooped, taking several blinks to finally awaken. She scanned the ceiling and took in the environment puzzled, a crease forming between her brows.

"You're in the hospital," said Itachi softly.

Color flooded Sakura's face, realizing he was holding her hand. "I-Itachi. . . ."

From behind his mask, Itachi frowned. "How did you know it was me?"

Sakura rubbed her lips together in contemplation. Itachi found the way she was looking at him unnerving; it was exactly the same as earlier. He froze when she leaned over and touched his mask. Gingerly, Sakura pushed it up to reveal Itachi's face.

Sakura cocked her head to the side and gave her explanation: "Your eyes. . ."

The close proximity of one another made Itachi pause and lose his train of thought. It bothered him how easily Sakura affected his entire being. With a shake of the head, Itachi asked, "Why were those girls attacking you?"

Sakura's posture fell, almost crumpling. "They don't like me," she whispered.

Itachi was in disbelief; how could Sakura be unlikable? The girl was kind and very polite. "Why don't they like you?"

"Because," said Sakura. "My hair is weird, my forehead is too big, I'm ugly and. . ." Sakura swallowed, defeat coming over her. ". . . And I like Sasuke . . . ."

For some reason, Itachi's hold on Sakura's hand turned vice-like. "Don't listen to them, Sakura."

"B-But they're r-right. . ."

"They're not," growled Itachi. "You're beautiful and they resent you for it."

To Itachi's disappointment, Sakura didn't seem to believe him. It infuriated him how oblivious Sakura was to her own beauty, she was so fine and lovely, and it wasn't fair.

Sakura shook her head fiercely. "Even my d-dad thinks that way. . ."

"What?"

Biting on her lower lip, Sakura determinedly averted her gaze. "He hates me," she whispered, her eyes filling. "I'm the reason why my mother died. She lost her life when she had me."

"Sakura, that man doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I'm horrible Itachi," cried Sakura. "I shouldn't be allowed to have S-Sasuke as a friend."

Itachi couldn't handle it, Sakura's emerald eyes were sparkling with tears and he had no control over himself; he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her forehead.

Sakura instantly stiffened. "I-Itachi?"

"I want you to listen to me, Sakura," murmured Itachi. "You are breathtaking and pure. Don't you dare forget that."

Trembling uncontrollably as sobs racked her body, Sakura took refuge in Itachi's chest, his long arm keeping her together. She felt safe and protected in Itachi's embrace but what drew Sakura in completely was that she found tender love within him.

Burying his face into her soft hair, Itachi made a vow to guard the flower in his possession at all costs.

:

A/N: Oh, man. That took forever to write; I hope it held up well. I wanted both Sasuke and Itachi to be likeable here. Things will probably be set into motion in the next chapter, so get ready.

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