Chapter 4

Itachi wondered about Sakura going to the event. Many hours after she left their house, he was seating in the backyard, quietly listening to the leaves rustling in the tree while he tried to decipher how he felt about her attendance. His little brother would be there, so it would be difficult for him to have some time alone with her without him suspecting.

Their encounter in their last mission had been a game changer. He knew he wanted her, but until that moment he hadn't know to what extent. Now he also knew she wanted him, so in a normal situation the next step would be quite obvious, but this was no ordinary situation. His brother was his competition, his beloved brother for whom he would die without a question. How could he follow his heart without hurting him?

He didn't feel when his mother approached him from behind until she was seated right next him. Sometimes he forgot about the great kunoichi his mother had once been.

"Itachi kun, what's on your mind?", her voice was soft with concern.

"It's… nothing", he said after a while. He should know, though, that his mother was not to be taken lightly.

"You know, when I first met your dad, he was so cold to me", the black haired woman started with a relaxed countenance. "He would always push me away because I was promised to your uncle since birth", she smiled to herself. "It must have been hard for him to handle the situation… he loved your uncle very much but he loved me as well".

Mikoto eyed her son from the corner of her eye.

"In the end, your father realized that he should pursue his own happiness, and that that would never lead to losing the love of his family"

Itachi stood silent, listening to his mother's words. He didn't understand how was it that she always knew what was troubling him. It was almost as If she could read his mind.

He turned his head to face her and smiled teasingly.

"You have any mind abilities that I'm not aware of?", he said with a smirk. Mikoto laughed softly.

"I'm allowed to keep secrets too", she winked at him playfully.

After a while, they both fell silent again.

"Itachi kun, just remember that everything can be solved through words, but it's important to be honest about it", she said softly.

He didn't look at her this time, instead, he focused on the large Sakura tree next him. He faintly thought that there was still a long time left before it bloomed.

Many days later, he found himself getting ready for the annual event. He saw the pink haired girl enter their house and for a moment he was speechless.
Her hair was arranged in a high bow with delicate ornamenting. She was wearing a white yukata with a small cherry blossoms pattern all over it. She looked like a winter flower.
As she looked at him, he saw her cheeks growing pink and her look getting deeper. She approached him and made a polite bow.

"Itachi san, good evening", she said.

He returned the bow and stepped closer.

"Sakura, you look beautiful", he said and watched with fascination as her blush deepened. There wasn't time for much else as Naruto entered behind her and soon everyone was in the receiving area, ready to leave the house.

When they got to the party, he found Shisui already there and decided to stick with him. His cousin would talk about everything and soon he found himself surrounded by people he didn't know. He searched through the crowd for his pink haired kunoichi…

His?

He smiled to himself, trying to remember when did she become 'his'.

He found her eyes looking straight at his amidst a bunch of people. She smiled at him and a heat surged in his chest. Soon she was distracted by some people talking to her and they broke their stares.

It was like that most of the night; he walking around, socializing and looking for her in the crowd. He had drunken a few cups of sake and was already feeling lightheaded. After a while he walked to a more secluded area and leaned against the wall, grabbing another cup of sake as he went.

Not so much time passed when Sakura appeared from within the mob and walked to stand next him.

"This sure is a popular party, isn't it?", she said in a good mood.

"Ahh, more people came this year", he commented.

"The truth is that I always wanted to come… after all, it's one of the greatest events of the year in Konoha…", she trailed off, looking at people talking and dancing.

Itachi regarded her for a second before speaking again.

"I've always wanted to skip them"

She looked at him and chuckled.

"Why, so antisocial! You seem to be the only one not enjoying it, look at Shisui san", she gazed at the older Uchiha.

Itachi followed her look to his cousin, who was happily flirting with a group of girls.

"Well, he's social enough for both of us", he smirked and Sakura giggled softly.

His eyes returned to her. He noticed her cheeks were flustered and guessed she had too, drunken a few cups… Her body was slightly curved to the side as she was having trouble standing still.

Ok, maybe more than a few.

"Still having trouble handling your alcohol?", he asked teasingly and she laughed.

"Only a little", she said between chuckles, her gaze instantly warming up as she looked at him through half lidded eyes. She casually leaned against his shoulder, letting her eyes close for a moment.

Itachi felt the need to wrap his arm around her, but the curious glances people were giving them prevented him from doing so. He needed more privacy.

With that thought in mind, he gently took her hand and leaded her outside the building.

The night air was chilling as a cold breeze blew against his hot skin. Sakura shivered with the sudden change of temperature and looked at him.

"What…", she muttered without taking her eyes off him.

He stepped closer until he was a mere foot away and felt his heart rate increasing.

His hand reached up to cup her cheek and she softly leaned to it, closing her eyes in the process. His eyes went to her rosy lips and he suddenly felt a compelling need to kiss them.

His face approached her slowly until the tip of his nose was brushing hers. He felt her hold her breath as her eyes opened minutely. Her sweet, intoxicating scent was luring him into a spell he couldn't break and in a swift movement he placed his lips on hers.

It only felt natural.

He felt her relax under his touch as she gave in to the kiss, merging into it. His lips softly massaged hers, nipping at the bottom in a silent request for more. She complied and his tongue brushed past hers, eliciting a rush of electricity down his spine. His hand moved to the back of her head, guiding her as he deepened the kiss.
Her mouth was hot and moist and he could taste the faint flavour of sake on her.

She suddenly broke the kiss and moved away.

"I… can't do this", she whispered. His hand didn't move an inch from her head.

"I know about it", he cut her in. "Sasuke told me about your date", he said slowly, almost testing the words.

She lifted her gaze and looked at him questioningly.

"But you see, Sakura…", he moved closer again. "I'm not used to feeling this… attraction, so…", his words were whispered against the tender skin of her lips. "…I don't intend on giving you away", he placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth, then another one and then another as he moved to the centre of her lips, each time more intense, possessively reclaiming her as his, as she finally gave up and kissed him back, passionately, almost desperate.

His insides turned and twisted with her unexpected passion as he pulled her closed into his embrace.

In one swift move, he lifted her off the ground into his arms before jumping to the rooftops and then again until they reached his house.
He landed in the backyard and walked them to his room, closing the door behind them.
Sakura looked at him with such intensity that suddenly there was no room for words.
He crushed his mouth into hers, devouring her in a mind blowing kiss, massaging and biting and licking until both of them were panting. He grabbed her hips and pulled her to him, letting her feel his arousal as a soft moan escaped her mouth.

Itachi grunted, feeling unable to think properly anymore. He moved them towards the bed and lowered her body onto it, placing himself on top of her between her sprawled legs, pinning her down. His lips found hers again as he kissed her deeply, pushing his hips into her and marvelling at the intense sensation. Sakura moaned his name against his lips and he did it again, this time harder.

His hand skilfully loosened the knot holding her yukata together and slid beneath the fabric until he reached the underside of her breast. His thumb caressed the border of her bra before stealthily moving underneath it.

His other hand went to her hair, running his fingers through it as he had wished to do so many times before. Then he roughly pulled it backwards, forcing her head up and leaving her neck exposed for his kisses.

He fully cupped her breast under her bra, massaging it slowly before rolling a hardened nipple between his fingers. She moaned louder, making him grow harder against her core.

His mind had gone to a place where he could only feel her and nothing else existed; her skin, her lips, her soft moans and the way she whispered his name…

Itachi knew that after this, there would be no going back, but he couldn't bring himself to worry about the consequences.

He just wanted her.

She woke up to warm skin.

She inhaled deeply and marvelled at the intoxicating scent she felt. Her belly turned inside in an automatic response as drowsiness wore off and she became very aware of where she was and who she was with.

'Oh my god…', inner Sakura was jumping and fuming with delirious happiness as she strained to control her sudden rushing heartbeat.

Her face was pushed into his chest and neck and his strong arm had her tightly grabbed from the waist. She noticed how her leg was shamefully intertwined with his and her arm was wrapping his torso all the way to his back.

But for the last remaining of her prudery, the most mortifying discovery was her nudity. Against his nudity.

Ok, she had done it. To hell with it.

There was no going back now, and from the fact that Itachi's sleeping embrace felt the closest she had been to paradise, she suspected she didn't have much intention on doing so anyway.

'Shame on you Sakura!', she mentally berated herself, contradicting her body as it snuggled closer to Itachi's.

His breathing was soothing and his heated skin felt like silk against hers.

She figured Ino would be crying out loud with hysterical surprise if she saw them right now.

After a while she realized her right arm and leg seemed to be no longer attached to her body, so she concluded she really needed to change positions.
Of course, the dominant Uchiha next to her thought otherwise. He stirred from his sleep and lazily brought his hand to her shoulder, without opening his eyes. His thumb softly caressed her skin, tenderly at first, but as seconds passed by, his touch became firmer and his hand started to wander around in her back.
Sakura was really enjoying his caresses, until his hand moved to her waist and slowly made its way up to the side of her breast.

She held her breath.

Not so much because of his wandering hand, but because in that precise instant, something warm seemed to come to life against her thighs.

Really, at this point it just seemed stupid to be blushing about such a thing, but the hotness in her face made her wonder if Naruto had been right and she was really a prude.

In a swift movement, she found herself flat against the bed, face down and being roughly pinned by the strong and very naked body of Uchiha Itachi.

He took hold of her wrists and pushed them down against the mattress. She felt the delicious weight of his muscular body pressing on her back. His lips moved to the side of her neck to trail soft kisses all the way to her nape and then moved downwards until they reached her shoulder blade.

"Good morning", she heard him mutter darkly against her skin.

Sakura couldn't help the chill that ran through her body.

She could get used to waking up like this.

An hour later, Sakura learned a new definition of tiredness, seeing as her limbs just wouldn't respond.

She looked at the man at her side, his breathing still laboured as he enjoyed the aftermath of his own orgasm, and noticed how a tingle of heat pooled in her belly. Again.

She really needed to get out of that sinful bed.

As she managed to sit on the mattress, she wondered how she would get out of that room without being noticed.

"Hey", she heard Itachi calling from behind her. She was about to turn around when a strong hand held her by her middle and forced her back to bed.

She couldn't help a smile creeping up her features as his face buried in her neck.

"Need to go somewhere?", his voice was muffled against her hair, and it tickled pleasingly.

"How am I going to get out of here?", she asked softly.

"Through the door. I'm quite sure that's its purpose", he teased. Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean, I can't just appear from your room as if nothing"

Itachi fell silent for a while, apparently contemplating her words. Then he placed a small kiss on her shoulder and moved backwards to look at her straight in the eyes.

"We're going to have to talk to Sasuke", he said, his tone acquiring a more serious edge.

She nodded a bit reluctantly, not feeling ready to deal with it.

In the end, she managed to get out of his room to the bathroom and back without being noticed. Apparently everyone in the household was either asleep or out, but whichever was she thanked all the kamis she knew –just to be sure, for not running into Sasuke.

Later that day, as she read through medical ANBU procedures in an attempt to improve them, her mind insisted on wandering back to last night, and earlier this morning.

She blushed when remembering all the series of events that went by since last night.

Sakura realized that, even thought she had decided on forgetting about them both, her heart had made her decision without consulting her. But what about Sasuke? How would he take it?

'Bad of course', she mentally rolled her eyes.

Nevertheless, she tried to steel her resolve and made a mental note to talk to him as soon as possible. The more she hid it from him, the more betrayed he would feel.

He had known something was wrong the minute his older brother entered the house.

Sasuke was sitting in the backyard with a book on his hand when he felt the front door slide. He immediately recognized him as his brother for his distinctive chakra signature, but there was something in its intensity that spiked his attention.

Some time passed before he stepped into the garden and calmly walked around it.

Sasuke alternated his gaze between the pages of the book and his older brother, trying to figure out what was exactly off about him.

A sudden breeze flew in between them, lifting some leaves and making the pages of his book swirl around, but it was the scent it carried to his nostrils the thing that really set him off.

He could have never mistaken that scent.

It was Sakura's.

"Aniki, what's with you?", Sasuke asked him. Her scent was too strong and the repercussions of that train of thought made him suddenly feel sick.

Itachi fixed his gaze on him with such intensity that almost made Sasuke flinch. There was a long pause which only increased the tension.

"What is it?", the younger brother repeated impatiently.

"I'm interested in someone", the questioned Uchiha said. The oddness of his statement threw Sasuke a bit off, as he tried hard to understand why his usually closed up brother would confess such a thing to him.

Of course, in the back of his mind he already knew the answer, so before Itachi finished his speech, he was already shaking his head in denial.

"More than interested, actually…", Itachi's face was emotionless. "Haruno… Sakura", he finished.

"No…", Sasuke said. "You can't be serious"

Itachi only sighed long and deep and closed his eyes in an exasperated way.

"Why, Itachi? How could you do such a thing?", Sasuke's voice started dangerously rising as he stood up from the bench. "You knew how I felt, I told you!", his eyes were narrowed and his brows furiously frowned.

"I didn't look for it, it's just something that happened", he replied in his usual tone.

"I don't fucking care! You should have backed away!", Sasuke was yelling now. "Have you tried anything with her?", his eyes where wide with sudden fear.

"That is none of your business", Itachi said and that was enough for Sasuke as he launched towards his older brother at full speed. He easily dodged his attack and got to stand behind him, twisting Sasuke's arms behind his back to secure him.

"Sasuke, I won't fight you over this"

"Shut up! Fucking traitor! You can't touch her!", he screamed, desperately trying to break free from his brother's iron grip.

"I'm sorry little brother, but I won't back away", Itachi said.

Sasuke struggled in his grip, finally managing to escape him to stand several feet away. His eyes were narrowed, dripping with anger as he stared back at his older brother.

"Why… why did you laid eyes on her in the first place?! She's my teammate! My friend!", he spat venomously.

The older Uchiha regarded him composed. Sasuke felt like cracking that blank mask off his face.

He couldn't understand how the hell this had happened. Sakura had been forever his, and it never even crossed his mind that she would be interested in someone else. But he had seen the glances the pair exchanged, he had noticed how she blushed in front of his older brother, or how she suddenly acted all awkward when he was mentioned. That day in the Uchiha shrine, he had known, deep in his mind that she was drifting away from his grasp, but he hadn't wanted to face it.

"I'm sorry Sasuke", he repeated. "I just… fell for her…" he trailed off, a troubled look settling on his countenance. "If she's so important to you, you should let her follow her heart, instead of imposing yourself to her".

Sasuke only grunted in response. What did he know about what she wanted?! He saw him cast one last glace in his direction before jumping off the garden into the roof to completely disappear seconds later.

'The bastard ran away!', he thought, gritting his teeth.

How could he?! Sasuke was furious. He never thought Itachi could have harvested any feelings towards his pink haired teammate. Hell, towards anyone really. So what had occurred that made him notice her?

Where was Sasuke when this happened? She was supposed to be in love with him, it had always been that way and should have stayed the same, so why was he suddenly the rejected one?
And his brother of all people! He would have even expected some competition from the Hyuuga guy, but Itachi…?
He was at a loss of what to do. He felt betrayed and rejected and didn't really know how to handle these foreign emotions.
He needed to hear it from Sakura. He needed to know the truth.

Sakura was floating around the streets of Konoha. Cloud nine was nothing compared to this.
She had this ridiculous huge smile plastered on her face and didn't even feel the need to worry about the way people were looking at her. Her chest felt warm and inflated as images of a certain long haired Uchiha flashed before her eyes.

She couldn't help it.

She had spent the day training medical squads in the ANBU headquarters, and by the end of it she just wanted to drag her sorry ass to her apartment and just lay there in silence.
She was fantasizing about a most comforting bubble bath as she opened her front door when she saw a very agitated Sasuke standing in the middle of her living room, his stare harsh and dark, his whole body stiff.

"Sasuke kun! What's wrong?", she said concerned, hurriedly walking to him to make sure he wasn't injured, but as she got closer, he harshly backed away.

She looked at him confused.

"What's going on between you and Itachi?", Sasuke spat fiercely, as if those mere words where disgusting.

Shit…

She was really too tired for this.

Sakura fell silent, understanding dawning in as she sighed minutely, trying to find her inner strength to deal with this. She finally met his gaze and was taken a little aback by the coldness of it.

"Sasuke kun… I've been thinking over and over on how to tell you this…", she closed her eyes for a moment. "…but I guess there's no easy way to say it."

Sasuke waited silent for her answer.

"I… I can't be with you", she blurted, making Sasuke narrow his eyes at her raw honesty.

"Regardless of who I'm with, I just can't go back to those old feelings I had about you", she said slowly.

"Is because of him, right?", he asked in a low tone.

Sakura shook her head.

"No, it could have been anyone… I even dated Neji, so no…", she stared at him with resolve, finally finding her inner conviction. "The truth is that just because you're suddenly aware of me, doesn't mean I'm going to run into your arms"

"I spent a whole lot of time trying to forget about you, you don't know just how painful it was, and after years I finally managed to feel comfortable around you, to care for you without expecting your love in return, I learned a new kind of love…"

Sasuke was about to reply, but she just continued.

"I admit at first I got confused, I'm truly sorry for that, it took me by surprise, but now I've realized all of this… I'm not going backwards", she finished and the room fell silent, heavy with tension as they both stared at each other.

"Sakura…he's my brother", he said in a weak voice, almost pleading. Sakura felt her heart break at that precise moment.

"I know… please believe me when I say I didn't look for it… I'm so sorry", she whispered, trying to keep the upcoming tears at bay.

Sasuke silently looked at her for the longest time, to the point where she thought he would just leave without saying anything else, until his smooth voice reached her ears.

"I can't forgive you", he finally said, and after a deep sigh he closed his eyes and walked past her to the door behind.

She felt him open it and close it as he stepped outside and then she was alone in the middle of the room, realizing she was now the wielder of Sasuke's hatred.

She didn't want to hold the tears anymore.

"I admit that's pretty fucked up, even for you, Forehead", Ino said to her pink haired friend as they sat in her living room. She had appeared in her doorstep with her eyes swollen with tears, so the blonde patiently sat next to her in the sofa, hearing her shocking story.

"But I'm proud of you", at this, Sakura looked at her questioningly. "You see, for the longest time you dreamt about Sasuke, and the idiot never ever reciprocated, so it's only logical that you would move on", the blonde stated. "If anything, he deserves it for having been such an asshole and take you for granted"

"And let me tell you something, even if Itachi can be quite scary…", her gaze softened as she looked at her best friend. "There's no man who deserves you better", she gave Sakura a warm smile.

"Thank you Ino", the pinkette smiled slightly.

"And, not to mention he's ridiculously handsome and one of the best Shinobi in Konoha, of course", she said lightly. "You know, I'm kind of envious of you"

Sakura chuckled softly, visibly relaxing her stance.

"He is quite handsome…", she said almost shyly.

"Did you sleep with him already?", Ino quickly turned into her characteristic light mood.

"Ino!", Sakura blushed furiously and looked sideways.

"Ahh Sakura! You're such a prude! Come on! Tell me the details!", Ino giggled and relaxed as well, noticing how her best friend was feeling better.

Honestly, she didn't know what Sakura would do without her.

Later that night, as Sakura laid in her bed trying to fall asleep, she heard a light knock in her window.
Itachi was standing in her balcony and she let him in.

"What are you doing here Itachi? It's late", she said, fighting back a yawn.

"I came earlier but you weren't home, so I came again to check you were ok", he said.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his bland reply.

"Sasuke talked to me today… I thought about telling you before he came to you", he continued after a while.

"Well, you're a bit too late, he was here this afternoon…", Sakura said as she walked to her bed and sat down crossed legged.

The Uchiha regarded her intently, waiting for her to elaborate.

"It was awful… he was truly heartbroken"

"I know", he said while moving to seat at the other side of her bed. "It will be hard for him to forget it"

"He hates me, he will never forgive me", she commented almost to herself.

"No, he will get over it", Itachi said as he looked at the night city outside the window.

"How can you be so sure?", she asked confused, looking at his profile.

"Because I'm his brother, and you…", he trailed off. "He loves you very much, you're his family too", his face turned to look at her.

Sakura smiled lightly, realizing how difficult it must have been for Itachi too. She knew he loved his little brother with all his heart, so she couldn't begin to comprehend what he must have felt when facing Sasuke.

And he did it for her.

Her smile grew bigger as she reached for him, gently touching his cheek. She brushed the tip of her nose against his and lightly pressed her lips to his. He immediately switched his position to hold her as he kissed her back.

Deep in her heart, she knew she had made the right choice.

They would be alright.

FIN

A/N: This story was more of a personal project. I never intended to publish it until today, when I finished it and re read it many times and wondered if it was any good. So basically, I'm publishing this to know if it's good or it just sucks. It hasn't gone under the meticulous inspection of a beta reader, so expect many mistakes.