By the time Sakura had gotten back to her apartment to wash the blood from her hair her nerves had been calmed. She had just kissed Itachi Uchiha – practically made out with him on the training fields!

Sometimes it seemed like Itachi was an entirely different breed of man. Sakura, of course, had never been romantically involved with anyone before, but that didn't mean she knew nothing about men. She observed Ino and the plethora of men that had come and gone from her life, the games they played with her (or more often, the ones she played with them). She saw the dynamics between the rest of the Konoha 12 – Naruto and Hinata, whatever the hell was happening there. Shikamaru and Temari. Neji and Tenten.

But watching those relationships form (and un-form) didn't really give her any insight to Itachi. He was simultaneously open about his attraction toward her, and reserved about acting on it. She imagined that he must be as confused as she was. After all, wasn't he in the same position? To her knowledge, Itachi had never been romantically involved with anyone, either.

Maybe he was hesitant, too.

She stood in her shower, letting the water run over her hair and her back. Pink water filtered around her feet and down the drain behind her. She washed her hair with her vanilla shampoo and then quickly scrubbed the rest of her body, cleansing it of the sweat and grime from their spar. She noticed the bruises on her arms and her chest, and she imagined there were a couple on her face as well. Itachi certainly hadn't gone easy on her.

But she didn't heal them. They would heal on their own, and she needed to save her chakra for Itachi.

Sakura quickly got dressed, this time in her medic uniform, and brushed her wet hair. Usually she would dry it, but she didn't want to keep Itachi waiting. Instead she let it fall free down her hair, where the dampness of it caused it to curl up more than normal.

Mentally, Sakura steeled herself to see him again because it seemed too soon. Would she be able to face him again without blushing? Would things be weird between them now?

In spite of her apprehension, Sakura was excited to see him again.

.

He was waiting by the door of her in-patient room when she arrived, and she cursed herself for being late.

But when he saw he walking toward him he smiled, a smile that made her heart turn to liquid and pool down into her belly. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that he had showered, too. His hair was still damp, but straight – unlike hers.

Willing herself not to blush (after all, she had no reason to be embarrassed), she smiled back and brushed past him to unlock the door. He followed her inside and took his place on the table.

"Itachi-san," she said, keeping her tone cool and professional. That was the way it had to be when she was conducting business. She noticed a hint of a frown flitter across his face. "This last session should completely eradicate your disease and prevent your body from harming itself anymore. It won't take too long, but I'll need to be very focused, so please don't distract me."

She was referring to what he had done last time – touching her hair and her face. Now that he had kissed her, she worried he would feel emboldened to do more this time. Not worried, per se, because she couldn't deny that she'd likely enjoy whatever ministrations he chose to inflict on her. But now was not the time.

"You called me Itachi-san," he said. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that he was pouting.

"I'm in medic mode," she replied, "I have to be professional."

"I like you better in just plain Sakura mode," he said. He reached out his hand and grabbed hers, pulling her closer to where he was sitting.

"Cut it out," she huffed, "I have work to do."

From his position on the table, they were eye to eye with one another. He leaned in close to her, the tip of his nose ghosting along her cheek. "You smell good," he said, "Like vanilla."

She pressed a hand to his chest, and with a minute amount of chakra, she pushed him back away from her. He looked surprised, but also amused.

"I apologize, Sakura-san," he said reverently.

She resisted the urge to laugh because she didn't want to encourage him. Satisfied that he was not going to make any more attempts to distract her, Sakura began to channel her chakra into him. At this point, she was familiar enough with his body that the procedure should be simple.

This was the last step he needed before he could resume active duty. He must have been stir crazy sitting at the Uchiha compound this whole time. Other than the Danzo fiasco, he probably didn't experience much excitement. And Tsunade had said that she had a mission for him. He must have been looking forward to it.

But now that she thought about it, she didn't really know. Maybe Itachi wouldn't want to take missions for Konoha. After all, what the village had done to him was unforgiveable. Maybe he wanted to stay home and live in peace.

"Are you looking forward to going on a mission?" she asked, her eyes still closed in concentration.

"I thought you needed to be very focused," he said. She could hear the smirk. She opened her eyes to glare at him.

"It will depend on what the mission is," he answered after she'd closed her eyes again, "I'm primarily suited for stealth missions, but I have never worked under Tsunade-sama before and I don't know what type of mission she will assign me."

"Tsunade-sama is smart," Sakura answered, carefully threading her chakra through his heart and lungs, "I'm sure she will give you a mission that plays into your strengths."

Itachi grunted in response.

"Do you disagree?"

Itachi shifted on the table, but Sakura didn't open her eyes to look at him. "I don't think she should have assigned Team 7 to anything that involved Danzo," he said, "It seems like a pretty big conflict of interests, especially with Sasuke involved."

Sakura didn't have a response for that, and even though her first instinct was to defend her mentor's honor, she kept her mouth shut.

"But I suppose I had some pretty poor judgment where Danzo was concerned as well," he admitted.

Sakura opened her eyes to look at him. He was watching her with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

Tsunade-sama can be… progressive," Sakura said, "She clashes with the elders a lot because of that, but I think she's an amazing Hokage."

Itachi's face broke into a wide grin. "Her apprentice is pretty great, too," he said.

She closed her eyes again and willed herself not to blush. "Don't distract me," she said.

He remained silent while she finished her work. When she finally pulled away from him, she opened her eyes to find him staring at her still.

"You're all finished, Itachi-san," she said, picking up his chart to fill in some new information, "How do you feel?"

He stood up and she could feel him towering over her shoulder as she worked on his chart. "I've never felt better," he said, and she could feel his breath in her hair.

"Itachi…" she said, dropping his chart on the table beside her.

"You're out of medic mode now," he said. "That's good."

She spun around and found herself in his arms, pressed far closer together than was entirely appropriate. His hands had found their way to her waist and she could feel that they were trembling.

"Hey," she said, pressing a firm hand to his chest, "You're the one who said we should slow down, remember?"

He took a step back away from him and she swore she saw a faint blush on his cheeks. "Right," he said, "It's just hard not to kiss you when you're so close."

If Inner Sakura still existed, she'd have been screaming.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't stand so close, then," she suggested.

"That would be wise," he said, unfazed. But then his fingers were trailing over a particularly nasty bruise on her arm. His eyes were locked onto her face, probably looking at her cheek where she could feel that she was slightly swollen. "Why did you not heal yourself?" he asked.

Inwardly, she pulled her chakra to where she felt herself injured, a green glow emitting from her bruises. "I just wanted to make sure I'd have enough chakra to fix you up," she answered.

He watched in fascination as her bruises faded into her skin, leaving no marks behind. He grazed his fingers across the smooth, unmarked skin of her arm.

A knock at the door made them both spring apart. Without much more warning, the door opened, revealing Shizune.

"Sakura," she said briskly. She paused for a moment when she saw how close Itachi and Sakura were still standing, but to her credit, she didn't let her gaze linger. "Tsunade-sama wants to see you."

"I'll be right there," Sakura said.

Shizune shut the door, but Sakura noticed the slight raise in her brow before she left. She would not asked Sakura about it – she respected her privacy, but she would be curious, that's for certain.

"I'll come with you," Itachi said. "My medic just cleared me for active duty and I think I've got a mission to go on."

"Your medic?"

He grinned in response.

Sakura felt a heat rising in her cheeks and her heartbeat felt heavy in her chest. "You're being awfully flirtatious, Itachi," she said, "It's not like you."

"Is it not?" he asked, bemused, "How would you know?"

"I guess I don't," Sakura admitted, "But I can't imagine you flirting with other Akatsuki members. Did you have a bit of a thing going on with Kisame?"

Itachi's expression faltered for a moment and she wondered if that was something she shouldn't have said. She had only been joking.

"I'm sorry, Itachi," she said, "I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, Sakura," he interjected, "It's been a while since I thought about him."

"I shouldn't have brought it up," she said, feeling guilty.

"This coming from the woman who routinely brought up the darkest moment of my life in the first days we'd known each other," he said with a hint of a smile.

She couldn't look at him then, because he was right. She had thrown the massacre in his face at nearly every opportunity to. She hadn't known, of course, the truth behind things. Had she been aware of the kind of man Itachi really was she would never have said such cruel things to him. It pained her now to think of what he might have been feeling back then – knowing who she was and what she thought of him.

"Don't look so sad," he said, "Things turned out just fine, didn't they?"

"I said some really cruel things to you," she whispered, on the verge of issuing another apology, but unable to find the right words. "And I made jokes about the massacre – offensive and mean jokes."

To her surprise, he laughed. "Truthfully, Sakura," he said, "I found those jokes refreshing. And funny."

She cast her eyes down to the floor, not quite able to meet his gaze yet.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you the truth," he said, "The night you discovered the cure. We were talking about Sasuke and I thought about all the mistakes I made with him. And then you asked me why I did it, why I murdered everyone. It broke my heart to have to lie to you. You were just starting to see me as a man instead of a monster."

She remembered that conversation well because he had scared the shit out of her afterwards. But now wasn't the time to dwell on any of that.

"We can talk about this later," she said, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. She didn't want him to think that she was avoiding the subject. "I need to go see Tsunade-sama."

"Okay."

.

"Sakura," Tsunade said, "You brought Itachi with you."

"We just finished up his last healing session, shishou," Sakura answered, "He's officially cleared for duty."

Tsunade's eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them. "Good," she finally said, "He can leave for his mission today."

"Today?" Sakura asked, startled.

Tsunade looked at her sharply. "And I have another mission for you as well," she said, ignoring Sakura's question. "Suna is working on developing a poison and they requested the help of our resident poisons expert."

Sakura bit her lip and glanced over at Itachi. He would be leaving today? How long would he be gone?

"The Kazekage was quite adamant that you be the one to come," Tsunade continued, sensing that Sakura was only half paying attention. "After all, you did save his brother's life."

"Why do they need my help?" she asked, "Why are they even developing a poison?"

"Gaara wants a poison he can infuse into his sand," Tsunade answered, "But he obviously does not want to poison himself. According to the request, the first stages of development are finished and they're looking for a way to infuse it into the sand and keep Gaara from being infected by the poison."

Sakura tapped her lips with her fingertips. That seemed easy enough.

"You will leave within the next couple of days, but there is no rush," Tsunade said, "And Shikamaru will be going with you."

Sakura nodded.

"And Itachi," Tsunade said, shifting her attention to the Uchiha, "I understand if you do not feel ready to take a mission yet, especially the one I'm about to assign as it pertains to Akatsuki."

Sakura tensed up. She resisted the urge to grab Itachi's hand and hold it.

"But before you can do it, we need to discuss what you know about Akatsuki," Tsunade said.

"I am ready to take missions again, Hokage-sama," he said, his voice far more formal that Sakura was used to hearing it. "As for Akatsuki, I'm not sure if they are still looking for me. If the mission requires a run-in with them, perhaps someone less conspicuous would be a better choice."

Tsunade's eyes connected with Sakura's. "You're dismissed, Sakura," she said.

"But—"

"Go."

Sakura gave one final glance to Itachi who did not look at her before she left, letting the door slam shut behind her.

.

"Suna, huh?" Ino asked. Sakura had come home, unsurprised to find Ino in her living room. "Gaara's pretty hot."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "If I marry the Kazekage I'll have to move to Suna."

"Who said anything about marriage?" Ino asked indignantly.

"Don't be crass, Ino," Sakura said.

Ino crossed her arms over her chest and kicked her feet up onto Sakura's coffee table. "All I'm saying," she said, "is that you're finally over Sasuke and you need to get laid. I mean you haven't even kissed anyone before, have you?"

Sakura blushed and pressed her lips together. She wanted to tell Ino about her kiss with Itachi, but Ino had a notoriously big mouth and she wasn't sure that it was a good idea. And it seemed that she had forgotten about her little crush on the elder Uchiha.

"But the Kazekage?" Sakura asked, "That has to be crossing some sort of line, doesn't it?"

"That's what makes it so hot!" the blonde exclaimed, "He's the Kazekage."

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, Ino. I'm supposed to be on a professional mission, not seducing the Kazekage."

"Yeah, you're right," Ino said, "You wouldn't even know where to begin anyway. Seduction is serious business. You don't have the chops for it."

That was probably true.

"But he's good-looking and he specifically requested you," she continued, "So I think you should at least flirt with him a little bit. What could it hurt?"

"He specifically requested me because he knows I'm good with poisons," Sakura pointed out, "And if there had to be another reason – which there doesn't – he also is quite fond of Naruto and knows I'm his teammate. And I also saved his brother."

"See?" Ino said, "Look at that list! A little flirting would be good for the both of you. It would help you get your mind off that damn Uchiha family. Not to mention, most girls are probably too scared of Gaara to flirt with him. I'm sure even a guy like him needs some feminine attention once in a while."

"Uhh," Sakura said, "I'm pretty sure Gaara has a fan club. Girls love him now that he's the Kazekage."

"Well, no one of your caliber," Ino pointed out.

Sakura grinned at the compliment.

"Quit being silly," she said, "I won't be flirting with Gaara on my mission. I have to be professional."

"Fine," Ino conceded, "But when you get back I'm going to take you out and we're going to find you somebody to practice flirting with."

Sakura rolled her eyes because she didn't feel like she needed practice flirting. In fact, she thought she would be quite good at it. Especially where Itachi was concerned. She already knew some of the things he liked – batting her eyelashes, tossing her hair over her shoulder so he would catch its scent. He even liked her jokes, offensive as they were.

"I'm going to raid your closet and find your best outfit," Ino said, already charging toward the bedroom in spite of Sakura's weak protests.

"I need to see what I'm working with!" she called from the bedroom.

Resigned to letting Ino do her thing, Sakura followed her into the bedroom and changed into her pajamas – an oversized shirt of Naruto's that she had nicked during a mission.

"Mm, those are some sexy legs, Sakura," Ino said, still riffling through her closet, "We'll have to find an outfit that showcases them since you don't have much to work with in the chest department."

Sakura had a retort poised on her tongue when she heard a knock at her front door. Ino paused, a red blouse hanging from her extended hand.

"Who could that be at this hour?" she asked.

"It's probably Naruto," Sakura answered. "Door's open!" she called out. It had been a while since Naruto had come over. Ever since Sasuke had returned the two had been spending a lot of time together. She wasn't jealous, she found, though she thought she should be. She was happy that the two had worked out whatever had been happening between them before Sasuke left.

But she'd be lying to herself if she thought she didn't miss Naruto. He was one of her best friends, and she was excited to see him.

But her smile faltered a bit when she bounded back into her living room and found that it was not Naruto who had knocked, but Itachi. She should have known better. Naruto never knocked. Or used the front door.

He was standing in her living room, looking quite out of place. The room seemed much smaller with him standing in it. His gaze lingered on her exposed legs in a way that sent heat straight down into her belly.

"Itachi," she greeted, a little more breathless than she would have preferred.

"Sakura," he said, his eyes moving from her legs to her face, "I apologize for coming over unannounced. I didn't know you'd be… indecent."

Her ears burned. "I thought you were Naruto," she said.

He didn't answer. She watched his gaze dip below the hemline of her shirt again, this time for only a second before he was looking back at her face again.

"Okay, Sakura, you don't have much to work with, but I think this dress will have to do. If you wear a push-up bra under it it will make your breasts look fucking huge. That's probably why you bought it, huh?" Ino spewed, walking around the corner with a black sequined dress hooked on her pointer finger.

Sakura grunted and narrowed her eyes. Like this wasn't already embarrassing enough.

"Oh, Itachi-san," Ino said, a look of pure shock on her face. As if just remembering that Sakura had a crush on the elder Uchiha, and that he happened to be standing in her living room at an inappropriate hour of the night, Ino's eyes widened and a slow grin spread across her lips.

"Yamanaka-san," he greeted politely. If he was surprised to see her there he didn't show it.

"Are you hurt, Itachi?" Sakura asked, concerned that he might have shown up here with an injury that he would only entrust his medic to heal.

"No," he answered, "I'm leaving tonight to go on my mission."

"What mission?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

Sakura crossed her arms and pouted. She was curious, naturally, but she was also worried. She knew his mission had something to do with Akatsuki, and even though Itachi was one of the best ninja in the village (and also used to be in Akatsuki), she still felt concerned for him.

But maybe she could pry something out of him. She whipped her head around to glare at Ino who immediately put her hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving," she said, making her way to the door. "And Sakura," she added, turning back to look at her, "Don't forget what I said about Gaara." With a wink, she was gone.

Once she was gone, Itachi tilted his head to one side and gave Sakura a curious look. "The Kazekage?" he asked.

"Where are you going, Itachi?" she asked, ignoring his question, "Can you at least tell me that?"

He gave her a reproachful look. She took a step closer to him, close enough that he would be able to smell the shampoo he seemed so fond of. Close enough that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to.

"Please tell me," she said, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

Lightning quick, his hand shot out and gripped her arm just above her elbow, almost too tightly for comfort. "That's a dirty trick, Sakura," he said, his voice low and warning. This was the Itachi she knew from Toyeiki, and this time she wasn't afraid of him. She wondered if she had affected him like this even back then.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, moving even closer so that their bodies nearly touched. "I'm just worried, that's all. I don't want anything to happen to you."

He closed the gap between them, using his hand against her back to press her against him. "I came here to tell you goodbye. I don't know how long I will be gone," he said.

"You aren't going off to fight Akatsuki by yourself, are you?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"No," he said, rubbing her back between her shoulder blades, "Naruto will be with me."

She shoved him away. "What?"

"Naruto and I are taking this mission together," he answered, looking somewhat chagrinned, "Just me and him."

"Where is he?"

"He's with Sasuke right now."

Sakura frowned. "And that's why you're here?" she asked.

"I'm here because I wanted to see you," he said, his expression somber and serious. But then it softened into something more tender. And then a smile cracked his features, small but warm. "I didn't think I'd get to see so much of you."

She blushed, but otherwise ignored the comment. "It sounds dangerous."

"You don't need to worry."

"But what if you don't come back?"

"I will come back."

Sakura crossed her arms in petulance and glared up at him. He was a fool to think she would not worry, not just about him but Naruto as well. And if he didn't come back, she would hold Tsunade responsible.

"I like that you're worried about me," he said, coming closer to her again.

"Why?" she demanded, stepping just out of his reach, "You enjoy seeing me suffer?"

"Of course not," he said, his gaze drifting down to her legs again, "It's just nice to think that when I come home that you'll be here, happy to see me."

"I'd be happier if you just stayed here."

"I can't do that."

She turned her back toward him angrily, but not necessarily because of him. It didn't seem quite fair. Itachi had done such much for Konoha, sacrificed his chance at a happy life, and bore the burden of Konoha's hate on his shoulder for half his life. And now that same village was sending him off on a mission that was surely going to end in his death.

How could one man fight Akatsuki?

"Sakura."

"What?"

He placed his hand on her shoulder, but did not move her. "I'm sure you've realized that I really enjoy your company."

She swallowed and turned halfway toward him.

"When I get back," he began, "I'd like to take you on a date."

She turned to face him all the way. She pressed her palm to his chest and then let it slide down his abdomen and settle on his hip. She felt his breath hitch. When she looked up at him through her lashes she saw that his eyes had darkened and were focused on her sharply.

"But what if you don't come back?"

He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her face up to his. "I'm going to come back," he said and he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "And so will Naruto. I know there is no point in telling you not to worry, but I will do everything in my power to get us both safely back here. I will do that for you, okay?"

"For me?"

"And for the village," he said, but then he smirked. "But mostly for you."

"Please be safe, Itachi," she said quietly.

"I will."

Feeling emboldened, both by the way he had stared at her legs and the fact that he had kissed her tenderly, Sakura stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss just under his ear where his jaw met his neck.

He sighed raggedly and tangled his fingers in her hair. He pulled her toward his mouth, but she resisted.

"You can kiss me again when you come back," she said, smirking.

"I'll hold you to that."