Chapter 2

Sakura

Darkness. A paralyzing fear coursed through Sakura, her limbs were heavy and her voice was muted. Not again. She slowly turned her head to see Konoha's gates, and the back of a much younger Sasuke leaving. Everything faded to black, and in the next instant she saw him return, this time much older and war-weary. He looked at her with an apologetic look, the words "I don't love you" hung in the air while Sakura sobbed. The darkness surrounded her and gripped her around the neck; she woke up gasping for breath and searching around the room. To her surprise it was already morning. Usually this nightmare woke up her much earlier. Is it accurate to call something you've actually experienced that you relive in dreams over and over again a nightmare? Perhaps it's better just to call it a memory, Sakura thought to herself.

She slowly stepped out of bed and stretched, feeling her chakra awaken in her cells to prepare her the busy day ahead. Sakura couldn't help mulling over that day years ago when Sasuke told her he didn't love her. The pain those words brought her felt like they would end of her life. She waited for him for what felt like ages, holding onto hope that her lifelong love would take root and come to bear fruit when Sasuke finally returned to Konoha. She spent so many lonely moments imagining their future together, their children and their house, the happy days they would spend there. Those words "I don't love you" echoed in her head as she got out of the shower and toweled off, her silky pink hair falling behind her shoulders. It took almost a year for Sakura to move on, to be able to see him on the streets of Konoha without wincing in pain. That was the worst, seeing him look at her with a mixture of pity and feigned pleasantry. Of course, Naruto tried endlessly to ameliorate the situation, but despite his efforts Sakura could barely bring herself to smile around him. He would walk her from the hospital to her apartment and tell her about his day to distract her from her thoughts, which she did appreciate, however his presence always made her think of Sasuke; the three of them together, Team 7, a distant yet cherished part of Sakura's memories. Eventually, Sakura realized that while she was at work she couldn't focus on her pain. Helping other people brought a genuine smile to her face, and even when she felt exhaustion in her bones she knew that it was better than the gut wrenching heartache she felt when she was alone in her room.

As she poured herself a cup of coffee and flipped through the newspaper absentmindedly, Sakura reflected on her encounter with Itachi the day before. Somehow, she wasn't nervous for their dinner that evening. Being around him had a strangely calming effect on her. Looking into his eyes, the same black Uchiha eyes that she held in her memory all those years, she felt a warmth slowly seeping into her heart. Despite their potential for lethality, Sakura knew that Itachi wasn't the villain she heard about all throughout her childhood and adolescence. From the few times she spoke to him over the years she knew him to be a quiet and reserved man, and yet yesterday he was so forward. Sakura smiled as she remembered his nervous yet assertive proposition. She didn't want to admit to herself how easy it was to pretend it was Sasuke asking her the same question, something she had imagined over and over again. But this wasn't Sasuke. It was Itachi, with his taller stature, longer hair and handsome, yet slightly wearier face.

Sakura hastily dressed in her work uniform consisting of black pants and long sleeved black shirt. Before stepping out the door, she grabbed her medical coat and took a minute to appraise her face. For a woman of almost thirty, she had quite a youthful face, her pale skin and pink flushed cheeks giving her an innocent look. Sakura smiled softly, remembering the years of her childhood that she spent glaring at herself in the mirror, wishing she could make her forehead smaller or her face less rosy and childlike. One of the perks of getting older is you stop giving a damn what people think and start appreciating yourself, Sakura thought as she head to the hospital. Early mornings in Konoha were always quiet, yet Sakura found herself marveling at the peace she felt walking the streets by herself. Things really had changed. Peace was something she began to forget about years ago, and yet now that it had returned it felt like slipping into a familiar dream. Despite how hard it was for her to overcome her broken heart, Sakura felt lucky to be alive, lucky to be doing what she loved in the village she loved. Lucky as well, to be able to go to dinner with a handsome man who just happened to be Sasuke's older brother.

Sakura shook her head vigorously while internally chiding herself for thinking about Sasuke again, even indirectly. She opened the door to the hospital, donning her coat and waving hello to the receptionists. Another busy day awaited her, a chance to forget about her own worries and indulge in the daily dramas of the villagers. Rarely did any serious cases come through these days, mostly bumps and bruises and shinobi returning from missions getting their aches and pains checked out, and yet she never had more than a few moments to spare in between patients. She enjoyed putting on her professional persona and watching her patients' eyes widen as she lit up their injured bodies with her healing chakra. Soon the hours began to slip by and Sakura found herself anxiously awaiting the end of her shift so she could get home and get ready. She realized she would only have about thirty minutes to get ready. Whatever, she thought, it's not like I'm really trying to impress Itachi!

"Uh, Sakura? You can leave once you finish up with that chart." Shizune popped her head into the door, looking hurried.

"Oh, thanks Shizune-sama. I'll be done soon." Sakura began to hurriedly finish up her notes before gathering her things to head out. Despite her inner self proclaiming she didn't really need to make any kind of special effort this evening, Sakura wanted to dress up, not for Itachi, but for herself. She hadn't had a reason to put on a nice dress or do her hair and makeup for quite sometime. It would be nice to embrace her feminine side for a change. Maybe Itachi would think it was for him, but she didn't really concern herself with that. To be honest, the thought of male attention did excite her. It was something she had definitely experienced from time to time throughout her life, but since she kept her heart locked away for so long it wasn't anything she ever allowed herself to explore. Tonight would be different.

Sakura decided upon a deep red dress with long sleeves and a low neckline paired with low-heeled black sandals. She pinned back her bangs using a gem encrusted pin, applied mascara and red lipstick, and then checked the clock in her bedroom. Right on time. As she locked up her apartment and head down the stairs to the street she briefly wondered if he would be late or blow her off. Shut up Sakura, her inner self scolded. She scanned the street and noticed him rounding the corner, his face lighting up at the sight of her. She smiled tentatively, closing the gap between them while taking in the sight of him. He was without a doubt very handsome, especially when he smiled. He wore a black button down shirt with jeans and leather shoes, looking well dressed yet effortless.

"Good evening, Sakura." He was still smiling at her warmly.

"Good evening to you too… So where are we heading?" Sakura asked.

"I was thinking of going to this amazing sushi place. It's by the edge of the village so it'll be a little walk, if that's alright." He gestured back toward the direction he came and the two of them began to walk.

"Of course, that's fine. I haven't had sushi in forever."

"Well I think you will like this place... It's a pretty quiet place too, so we won't have to fight for a table or anything."

As the two of them walked, villagers definitely took notice of them. Itachi was never the type to get dressed up and take a girl out, Sakura realized with an accidental laugh. Itachi looked over at her with a touch of nervousness.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Nothing..." she glanced over quickly. Itachi's concerned look encouraged her to continue.

"Well, I guess just how people are looking at us. It's like they've never seen two people on a date before." Sakura inhaled sharply at her use of the word date. Itachi laughed, and Sakura exhaled with relief.

"I guess that's fair enough…It's probably them noticing how unusual it is for me to be with a beautiful girl like you."

The breath that Sakura had just released immediately caught in her throat, a small choking noise escaped as she tried to disguise it as a cough.

Get it together, Sakura! Her inner voice echoed as Sakura looked at Itachi with what she hoped was a pleasant smile.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Itachi definitely wasn't convinced by her smile, which probably looked more like a grimace.

"Oh, I'm fine. Probably just tired." Sakura struggled trying to remain calm. She really did not anticipate Itachi to have this type of effect on her. She took a deep breath and peered over at him again. He was still looking at her with genuine concern. Sakura cleared her throat and changed the subject, asking him about what he had been up to recently. Itachi's eyes glowed as he told her about his peaceful days, his long walks and how he had recently taken up cooking. Sakura was a little surprised to hear about the quiet life the former Akatsuki member had come to live. Throughout their conversation, Sakura could tell that he really was happy despite everything he had experienced. The ease in which their conversation flowed struck her as well. Despite her initial loss of composure, the rest of the walk to the sushi restaurant went by in a pleasant blur of upbeat conversation and laughter. Sakura began to realize she had been unwittingly tense up until that point, but with every passing minute of their evening together she loosened up and began to genuinely enjoy herself. The two of them shared a cozy table in the mostly empty sushi restaurant. The sake and the sushi were both delicious, and as the night wore on Sakura began to forget all of the strange apprehension she had felt earlier that day. Although, Sakura began to feel secretly glad that Sasuke was on a mission, because the thought of seeing him with his older brother gave her a bit of a sick thrill that she did not want to entertain. She was here for him, not to enact some sort of twisted revenge scheme.

As she pondered these thoughts that arose from the darker part of herself, Itachi looked up at her and asked "Shall we be on our way then, Sakura?"

She looked up suddenly. The restaurant was empty and the owner seemed to be waiting for them to leave so he could close up. Sakura smiled and said, "Of course, we might as well let this man go home."

As they exited the restaurant, the chill of the night began to settle on Sakura's skin, sending a shiver down her spine. The sake was definitely numbing the sensation, but it was enough to cause her to inch closer to Itachi's warm body. She could feel how his skin radiated heat despite not even touching him. "So warm…" Sakura said quietly.

Itachi responded by gently taking Sakura's hand and pulling her towards him. The instant warmth that flooded through her hand made Sakura gasp quietly.

"Not sure why, but I've always been able to make it through the cold without much trouble." Itachi said with a small smile.

"Thank you… I think that I should be able to make it home without getting sick now… Can't have that… with work and all…" Sakura wobbled a little bit, quickly realizing she might have had a few too many cups of sake.

Never seemed to be able to hold sake very well, right Sakura? She thought as she noticed her vision had become slightly blurry. She concentrated on the warmth from Itachi's hand to keep her as steady as possible.

"Sakura, if you want, I can carry you home." Itachi said, reaching out his arm to her as she struggled to maintain a decent walking pace.

"No, I'm fine, but thank you Itachi." Sakura was slightly pissed at herself.

This is what happens when you take a night off. You drink too much and can't even walk home… Pretty embarrassing for a kunoichi like yourself, huh? Sakura's somehow much more sober inner voice chided her, and yet despite that Sakura turned around and stopped walking.

"Actually… I really think I could use some help…" she began to wobble a bit again as she came closer to Itachi.

"Of course. Let me carry you and I'll help you get to bed." Itachi swiftly placed her on his back. His warmth immediately spread all over the front of her body. Drowsiness spread as she leaned on him and wrapped her arms around his chest; she placed her hands under the front of his shirt, seeking more warmth.

His skin is so soft… Much more soft than it looks… Sakura thought before she drifted off, the village disappearing from her vision as her eyes slowly closed.

The next thing she knew, she was slowly being lowered into her bed and tucked into her quilt. Itachi's black eyes looked upon her tenderly. He placed a glass of water by her bed and instructed her to take a few sips before falling asleep again.

"It's so cold in my bed…Can you stay here until I fall asleep again?" Sakura whispered.

Itachi looked a little surprised by the request. Sakura's inner voice would have given her another reprimand but even she was missing that delicious body heat. He quietly removed his sandals and lay down by her side, tentatively wrapping his arms around her. Sakura immediately curled up on his chest, her hands seeking his chest again as she began to doze off.

So warm…

As Itachi slowly traced the soft outline of Sakura's face with his thumb, she was already gone, sleeping without dreams, neither good nor bad, neither memories of happy nor traumatic events to disturb her. Instead, Itachi's warmth enveloped her in a blissful state of calm and comfort. For the first time, Sakura wasn't facing a night of gasping for breath and staring out into a sleeping Konoha waiting for the sun to reappear. She was sleeping in the embrace of a man that until yesterday was little more than a stranger, and yet it was the most calm she had felt for what felt like a lifetime.

Thank you so much for reading! I apologize for how long it took for the second chapter to be posted. I'll try to update as often as I can but since I am returning to school next week I can't be certain how often that will be. Hope you enjoy!