Chapter 9 – I Will Leave The Light On

Running became her favourite pastime.

While Sakura had always enjoyed being active and keeping fit, it had never been such a necessity. She'd never felt the urge to drag her ass out of bed at the crack of dawn, desperate to feel the morning rays soaking into her pores. The cold, crisp air that burned her lungs whenever she failed to keep her breathing in control. Music blaring through her earphones, but then the sounds of morning life greeting her when she took a break. It was refreshing. It was possibly the only thing keeping her sane during…

It wasn't a break up. They'd agreed on that when she stalled in leaving his car to go home, unable to look at him under the suffocating pressure but unable to leave at the same time. They were taking a break – still together, but taking time apart. Not that that made it hurt any less. She'd gone from seeing Sasuke every day, from phone calls late at night when neither of them could sleep, to texting every so often to see how the other was doing, if that.

The night before, she'd received a text from Deidara, telling her that they needed to hurry up with their decision. Something about Kurotsuchi getting impatient and annoying him. Honestly, Sakura had pushed the modelling to the back of her mind, as just thinking about it reminded her of that night and the look in Sasuke's eyes when he said the words. It'd been a complete mirror image of what she felt inside: broken and lost.

So why had they decided on the break if they were both so against it? Her mother had explained it to her simply: sometimes, people needed to fall apart to come back together. They'd spent so much of their childhood and teenage years glued at the hip – needing to find themselves individually was a major step in life. One of the most important ones. And while Sakura knew that, in the long run, it would be beneficial for the both of them… Well, she childishly – perhaps even cowardly – wanted to skip the painful part.

She sat on the edge of her bed, gaze travelling to her phone when it alerted her of a new message. Gathering enough energy to check said message was impossible in that moment, so Sakura remained seated on her bed in a towel, fresh from the bath. She'd seriously pushed herself with her most recent run, taking an extra lap around the park. Everything was hurting already despite her warm up and cool down, but while it was unbearable, it was also welcomed.

It was the sound of her phone ringing that had her moving with a sigh, only briefly glancing at the caller I.D before she was answering with a mumble.

"You sound weary. Is this a bad time?"

Did she? "No, it's not. I'm fine."

There was a contemplative pause on the other end of the line, but it was soon replaced by his voice as he asked, "Did you receive a reminder from Deidara-san?"

"Yeah," Sakura replied and fell back onto her bed, eyes shutting at the agonising relief that spread throughout her spine, legs and feet. "I was going to call you about it."

"Do you still want to do it?"

Oh, there was a new mark on her ceiling, she noticed with a small amount of fascination once her eyes reopened. She wondered how it got there. "Part of me does."

"And the other part of you?"

She sighed deeply at his question. "The other part of me wants to wallow in my own self-pity. I miss him so much that it hurts, Itachi-san," came her weak reply. Then, after a short pause, she asked quietly, "How is he?"

"Quiet," replied Itachi. "But you know my brother better than anyone, Sakura-san. You should already know that he is hiding how he's truly feeling."

Yeah, she guessed so. Was it wrong of her to want to hear that he was struggling, too? That she wasn't the only one suffering?

"Can I make a suggestion?"

So unlike his brother, Sakura thought with a small smile. Sasuke wouldn't have asked if it was okay to voice his opinion – he'd say it without a care. If people were offended by his words, it was their problem, not his. "Sure."

"Going on this trip will give you the chance to clear your mind, so please, join me." However, like Sasuke, Itachi also sounded sure of himself. Despite asking for permission to speak out, he sounded composed and assertive. He wasn't asking her to join him, he was telling her to. "Sitting in your bedroom wallowing in your self-pity will get you nowhere."

Yeah, she knew that already. Kind of hard not to get that particular message when her mother repeated it several times a day, ignoring her father whenever he told her to get off her case. But what else was she supposed to do? Her routine – the routine she'd followed for five years – had been broken and the only part of her day that resembled any sort of structure was her going to work. Even then, that was ruined. For the first couple of days after her break, she'd waited outside for five minutes before remembering with a heavy heart that Sasuke wasn't going to be meeting her for lunch. Now, she remembered when reaching the locker room, leading her to turn on her heel and join other employees in the dull staff kitchen.

She didn't feel like going out with friends. Didn't feel like reaching out to people only to be rejected or hear about how they're so busy with everything that's going on around them. Honestly, Sakura wasn't even sure who her friends were. Just like she didn't reach out to anyone, nobody reached out to her. There was, of course, the odd text or phone call from Naruto checking in on her, but he was always glued to Sasuke's side. She wasn't about to pour her heart out to him knowing Sasuke would hear or read everything. How pathetic would that be?

"Sakura-san."

Had she got lost in her thoughts again? She repressed a sigh. "Fine," came her distant reply. "What do you want to do?"

"We should discuss what we hope to gain and avoid between ourselves first, do you agree?"

"I guess."

"Then, we can approach Kurotsuchi-san with those details and demands."

Did she really have the energy for any of that? "Where?"

"Sasuke has accompanied Father on a business trip-"

"I can't come to your place, Itachi-san," she cut him off, uncaring of sounding rude.

"Sasuke won't be in Konoha and shouldn't be home until this evening, unless there is an issue with the meeting."

No. It was too risky. There was every chance something could go wrong during the meeting. If it did, she would have to see him. As much as her heart begged to just see him, to speak with him for five minutes, she wasn't going to. Just the thought of facing him hurt. How would it feel being feet away from him?

"No-"

"From what Sasuke has told me: you are on a break. Wouldn't it be best to try and remain amicable during said break?"

Probably, yeah. Was it as easy as that? Hell no.

"How do you expect to come back from this if you refuse to speak to one another?"

Despite her head warning her to remain strong, Sakura found herself looking to the right, gazing at the framed photograph of her and Sasuke, the longing of her heart almost crippling. The smile on his lips, in his eyes, as they stood hand-in-hand in the snow, only made the pain worse. Gods, she was like a drug addict, wasn't she? But could anyone really blame her? They had never gone so long without seeing one another. They–

Before she could stop herself, she asked, "When does he leave?"

"In less than an hour."

"I better get ready then."

What was she doing?

What in the hell was she doing?

"Sakura-chan," Mikoto greeted in surprise. Only seconds later and she was ushering her inside, her dark eyes were warming with a mixture of relief and happiness. "Please, come in. Sasuke is with his father in the study. I will go and tell him you're here."

She tried to find her voice, to inform Mikoto that it was actually Itachi she was there to see (with a giddy heart hoping and praying she just so happened to see Sasuke, too), but she found herself silenced. By what, Sakura wasn't sure. All she could really tell was that it felt like a tiny glimpse of heaven being back in the Uchiha home, knowing she was so, so close to him.

Already, Mikoto was gone, leaving Sakura to slip off her shoes and replace them with her slippers. The older woman had bought them mere days into hers and Sasuke's relationship, telling her both silently and in words later that day that she wanted her to always feel welcome in their home. Now, whenever she replaced the family's slippers, she replaced hers, too and she couldn't believe how much that meant to her now. Previously, she'd been grateful and happy for superficial reasons. Now…

"Sakura?"

All rational thoughts came to a screeching halt when their eyes met, the ache in her heart seeming to ease slightly with his presence alone. In his slim fitted suit, with his hair smartly slicked back and off his face, he looked almost perfect. Like there was no significant changes in his life that could potentially run him down or cause emotional upset. But, she knew different. It was in his eyes. Even if he wanted to, Sasuke would never be able to keep his eyes from telling her the truth. People called her crazy when she told them that, when she argued that he did care about her despite his cold displays, but she didn't care. They could call her whatever they wanted. They couldn't see what she could see. Itachi said it himself: she knew Sasuke better than anyone.

"You should have told me you were coming," he said quietly and reached for the living room door, opening it for her. Unable to say anything, Sakura silently walked into the room, glancing over her shoulder at him when he shut the door behind them. "I'm leaving for a meeting with Father in fifteen minutes. Had I known…"

He would have cancelled on his father? Told him he had something more important to attend to? They both knew he wouldn't do that. He needed Fugaku's approval and praise too much. He wouldn't risk disappointing him.

"You look good."

Did she? She'd rushed through drying and straightening her hair, spending even less time on her makeup (she wouldn't have bothered at all, but she wasn't sure whether they were meeting the photographer later and Sakura didn't want her to think she'd made a mistake in asking her to model for her portfolio) and her outfit was anything but spectacular. It was nice, sure, but it was casual. It was an outfit he'd seen hundreds of times in the past year alone. Then again, there wasn't an outfit she owned that he hadn't seen her wear.

"How-"

"I miss you." Her mind yelled at her heart for taking over her speech, but Sakura ignored the two, instead watching as Sasuke's eyes dropped to the ground, his eyebrows knitting together. Unsurprisingly, he only nodded, but she could tell from the way his jaw clenched that he wanted to say something in return. He wouldn't, however, due to the possibility of his family overhearing him. "Even if we're on a break, can't we be friends?" she asked pitifully, heart on her sleeve. "I know you're still here if I need you, but…"

The seemingly flawless composure cracked as Sasuke sighed and sat on the arm of the sofa, shoulders slumping somewhat. "Sakura…"

"I know," she murmured in response. The only thing stopping her from closing the distance between them, from reaching out to him, was how badly it had been received the last time she tried. "I know we said we'd take the time to try and grow as people and I know I'm being clingy and annoying-"

"Don't say that." At her confusion, he reiterated, stating, "Don't say you're annoying."

It took more energy than she originally realised for her to try and smile at him. "Oh? Is it only okay when you say it?"

But the poor joke went straight over his head. She could tell when he met her eye. "No, it's not."

"I meant-"

"Why are you here, Sakura? We need to stick to our word if we want to work on our relationship."

The cold outer shell was returning, she noticed with a heavy heart and honestly, Sakura wasn't sure she had the energy to try and knock it down. "Actually, I-" Was it really okay to admit she wasn't there for him? Wouldn't it seem like a low blow? "I…" No, she had to be strong. Both for herself and their relationship. If Sasuke thought it was only him who was putting an effort into changing, what would he think of her? "Itachi-san and I need to discuss the photo shoot before meeting the photographer."

Her nerves and heartache almost caused her to miss the way Sasuke averted his gaze, attempting to hide the disappointment. Almost. "You're not here…"

You're not here for me.

Had she said the wrong thing after all? Should she have lied about why she was there? But if she did, how would that better their situation? They were taking time apart to better themselves, which would hopefully help their relationship. How were they supposed to make their relationship stronger if they lied to each other?

"I didn't have to meet Itachi-san here," she found herself admitting, cheeks growing warm. "He told me you were still home and said something that I know is true." When Sasuke only looked at her, Sakura swallowed, shifting in her stance. "How are we supposed to come back from this if we refuse to speak to each other?" The words had an impact, even though he hid it the best he could. "I'm not going to let five years of my life go, Sasuke-kun. I'm not letting you go."

Was it pathetic that her heart skipped a beat when he stood and held his hand out? That, when their skin touched, it felt like a weight left her shoulders, her entire body tingling with the relief of being in his arms once more. Their fingers grazed, soon linking and she found herself meeting his eye almost shyly, that relief only growing when she saw that he was feeling something similar to herself.

"Can we meet when we're both home?" came her quiet question. It was hard meeting his eyes again and part of Sakura was annoyed that she felt so childish and giddy, but she also felt an indescribable amount of joy – one that was overshadowing her embarrassment and annoyance. "To… To catch up?"

She held her breath when Sasuke's free hand faltered mid air between them, having been about to tip her chin in his direction so that they would make eye contact. His hesitance continued to show in the way he glanced at their joined hands, then to her features, frowning.

"We can't move past this if we don't communicate." He nodded. "You want that too, right?" she asked worriedly, biting her lip. "To move past this?"

"Of course I do," he told her with a sigh. The hold on her hand increased in strength and she breathed out a sigh of relief. "But I-"

"Sasuke?"

They stepped away from each other at his mother's apologetic appearance, trying her best to offer them a smile of encouragement. Once she had their full attention, she stepped further into the room, eyes showing her apologies.

"Your father is waiting for you, Sasuke," Mikoto informed him. "He would like to leave now."

Sasuke nodded and stood up straighter, turning on what Sakura and Naruto had often jokingly called his 'business mode'. He fixed his jacket, sparing his appearance a glance in the large, luxurious mirror situated above the fireplace. What he saw was good enough, he must have decided, because he faced her again. The words died on his tongue, however, and he hesitated once more.

Then, he warmed her heart by stepping forward and kissing her cheek. It wasn't something he'd ever done before – she had always been the one to kiss his cheek. But it conveyed the same sweetness and affection, she liked to believe and for the brief moment that her eyes met Mikoto's, she saw hope in the older woman's expression, leading her to believe that yes, it was a good sign.

She lingered when her son left, waiting until they heard Fugaku's car leave before turning, asking, "Would you like some tea, Sakura-chan? You have come all the way out here – it would be a shame for you to leave so soon."

"I'd love to, but," she began and paused for a moment, hearing footsteps in the hall. "I'm here to see Itachi-san."

The smile faltered, surprise written everywhere. "Itachi? You're here to spend time with Itachi?"

Like speaking his name summoned him, Itachi entered the living room, dressed as casually as herself and looking relaxed despite the stunned silence his mother greeted him with.

"You managed to get here early." She could only nod. Mikoto's uncertainty and surprise deprived her of her voice, filling Sakura with equal amounts of uncertainty. "Shall we go?"

As they left, she could both see and sense the one question that Mikoto was dying to ask her:

Why?

"I'm glad it went well."

"I said I think it went well," Sakura repeated. The cold glass before her kept her palms from sweating too much as they talked, her anxiety increasing whenever she thought back to Mikoto's disbelieving… accusation? No, she hadn't been accusing her, had she? Had she? The more Sakura thought about it, she couldn't help but feel like there was an accusation somewhere in there. "Sasuke-kun seems just as wary as I feel."

A dark eyebrow lifted, questioning as Itachi asked, "And that surprises you? My brother is only human, Sakura-san. It doesn't matter how hard he wishes for it to be different – he experiences the same emotions as the rest of us. You are not the only one in pain right now."

There was an undertone to his words, to the way he watched her. It made her think of a protective older sibling and she almost slapped a hand to her forehead as she realised that was exactly what Itachi was: Sasuke's older brother. Of course he was going to be protective of him. Not entirely defensive, but at the same time, showing hints of it. He wasn't going to choose sides – not that she would expect that from a man she barely knew. No, from the conversations she'd had with him, Itachi always said his piece and moved on, if it was possible to do so. He would defend his brother but wasn't above admitting he had his faults. That what he did was wrong.

How much did Itachi know? How much had Sasuke shared? She knew he saw the ending to their argument. He saw his brother shove her and heard him yelling. But did he know why it escalated to that? An emotion she couldn't fully describe settled on her chest and green eyes bore down into the glass dripping with condensation, her fingertips soon tracing the droplets. Finding out how much he knew wasn't on her to do list. It felt… Sakura wasn't sure. Wrong? Shameful? Why did she feel ashamed?

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "I know."

"I try not to get involved in situations such as these, especially when I don't know the whole story or the events leading up to it. It creates unfair judgement, not to mention I am biased by being Sasuke's brother." Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he set his cup back to the table, making her wonder how he was able to stand drinking tea in such hot weather. "It is difficult not to take sides."

"Then…" She shrugged helplessly, trying to smile. "How about we don't talk about it? What if we just hung out as friends?"

"Friends?"

As pitiful as she felt, having to ask to be friends when usually (in her experience, anyway) friendships just started, Sakura couldn't deny that she wanted to be friends with Itachi. "I always thought that if anything happened or I needed someone to be there, my friends would help me, but I haven't seen most of them for weeks now." The next smile came easier when she finally met his eye, working hard to push aside her shame. "You looked after me and spoke to my parents for me so I wouldn't have to. And you got me out of the house today."

"Friends," he repeated a second time and smiled faintly. "I would like that."

The sincerity in his smile had her returning it shyly, once more looking to her glass, unable to understand why it caused her cheeks to feel warm. When was the last time someone had seemed so genuine when it came to her? Had any of her other friends ever seemed so happy to be in her presence?

"We should talk about the photo shoot," she said after a few moments, brushing the hair behind her ear. "Do you have anything in particular you're against?"

Sitting back in his seat comfortably, Itachi nodded once, stating, "As you already know, one day, I will take over my father's company. I cannot do anything to jeopardise my future – or, in the long run, the company's."

Meaning, should the photo shoot be distasteful, there was every chance it could come back to bite him in the ass one day. They couldn't risk anything that would destroy their reputation – his own, his father's, the company's. She wasn't sure which he valued more, although Sakura liked to believe it was his own. Sure, the company was important and sure, they pretty much ran Konoha, but who cared? What was the point in becoming a powerful businessman if he could no longer look at himself in the mirror?

"I'm against anything inappropriate, too," Sakura agreed with a nod. Unlike Itachi's relaxed semi-recline, she sat up straight, elbows on the table as she leaned forward ever so slightly. "I want it to be something I'm proud of, you know? Something I can show my parents without fear of disappointing them."

"So, we agree on remaining fully clothed."

She smiled, pretending not to notice the surprised look an eavesdropper shot their way. "Definitely fully clothed."

While the photographer – Kurotsuchi – had insisted on the photo shoot being wedding themed, there would still be a reason why their swimsuit picture captured her attention. Any woman could pull off a wedding dress, kimono or suit, just as any man could. It was their half nakedness, their close proximity, that had her recruiting them. They would need to be adamant in their decision. It wouldn't be difficult, but Sakura knew she would feel guilty if Kurotsuchi had to change her planned theme because of them. How long had the woman spent planning everything to the finest detail?

"Do you have any other requirements?"

There was a long moment of pause as Sakura seriously considered his question, asking herself what possible embarrassing scenarios she could encounter. Other than being indecent, she couldn't really think of any. She–

Wait.

Ignoring the heat rising in her face was difficult. "We're obviously going to be posing as a married couple – or as about to be married."

Itachi faltered in sipping his tea, holding the cup to his lips and eyeing her silently for a second or two. "Yes."

Her blush deepened. Was he going to make her spell it out? Was he purposely being obtuse? Why was it only just truly dawning on her what their photo shoot would mean? "So we're going to have to be close," she said slowly and once more began fidgeting with her glass. "Really close."

"I see," he murmured, placing the cup down after a long sip. "You are worried about what level of intimacy is required of us."

Basically, yes. They had to make it look believable, after all. Their connection had to seem real to potential clients, making it seem like a real wedding. At a real wedding the bride and groom always seemed so in love. They held each other. Kissed. She… Sakura swallowed, unable to maintain eye contact again as her blush began to rage. She couldn't do that. She couldn't kiss her boyfriend's brother. She couldn't kiss or pretend to be in love with anyone who wasn't Sasuke. It felt wrong.

"I don't know if I can do this," came her uncertain whisper. Briefly, she glanced at him, only to look away again when she found him watching her. "Sasuke-kun is-"

"My little brother," stated Itachi, cutting her off gently. "I am against anything that will cause him distress, also."

How was she supposed to look at Itachi and pretend to be in love with him? Reluctantly, Sakura forced herself to meet his eye again, drinking in his features. Despite several similarities, he and Sasuke didn't look all that alike – a good thing, she warned herself only seconds later. Imagining he was Sasuke was a dangerous path, she decided. Though, Sakura supposed, she could try and pretend that it was hers and Sasuke's wedding photographs she was posing for. Sasuke was a fairly private man. A prude, more or less. He wouldn't want to be all over one another in their photographs or in front of others. But would that be okay for Kurotsuchi?

"We will inform Kurotsuchi-san of your commitment," he assured her with a small smile. "Try not to let it upset you too much or take the fun out of the experience for you."

Sakura smiled her thanks and finished the last of her drink. "I don't think there's anything else," she said after a while. Fingers trailing down the now empty glass, she sat back in her seat. "As long as we keep our dignity and don't have to be all over each other, I'm happy with everything."

"I must admit: I have no knowledge when it comes to photo shoots, therefore I don't know what to expect or request."

Was he always so formal? It had her biting back a smile. Maybe it was only when he was uncomfortable with admitting something, as Itachi certainly hadn't seemed so formal previously. "Communication is key, then," she answered. "If we tell Kurotsuchi-san that it's our first time in that sort of environment, she might clue us in on a few things."

He nodded. "Would you like to meet with her today?"

"Right now?" Another nod and she swallowed hard. It was a good thing she'd made sure to apply makeup earlier, as well as bring her emergency supplies. "Yeah. Sure."

Nerves had her reapplying her makeup twice before she was happy with the final result, returning to the table with a shy smile. Sakura wasn't sure how she felt when a look of understanding flitted through Itachi's gaze, his lack of questions leaving them to fall into silence. Was it an awkward silence? No, actually. She didn't think it was. It felt… oddly peaceful. As far as she could remember, Sakura had never been able to sit silently in a new friend's presence – she'd always felt obligated to keep the conversation going. But not with Itachi. With Itachi, she felt relaxed, like there were no expectations.

Smiling at the relief that flooded her system, she brought her glass to her lips, grateful to find Itachi had ordered another round of drinks. There were also a couple of muffins sitting between them and for the first time since that messy night with Sasuke, Sakura felt a pang of hunger, her stomach growling at the mere sight of the melting chocolate chips.

"No dango?" she asked teasingly, reminding him of the night at the theme park when he'd had several helpings of the stuff.

"Life is about trying new things," came his simple reply.

He'd never had a muffin before? Sakura's eyes narrowed playfully. "They had no dango, did they?"

"That is beside the point."

Oh, was he upset about that? Had she hit a nerve? "Muffins are great too," she soothed, but it was spoiled by the smirk on her lips. Picking the closest one up, she peeled back the brown casing. "You can't always go back to what you're used to, no matter how amazing they are in the moment."

A dark eyebrow lifted and it took her an extra few moments to realise the deeper meaning to her words. Once she saw it, however, the smirk slipped away and she sighed in relief as her phone binged, informing her of a text message.

"They're nearly here," she informed him.

Deidara was accompanying Kurotsuchi, possibly planning on working as a negotiator for them all – that was what she was hoping, anyway. Obviously, the blond knew what he was talking about when it came to photography and art. Would he be capable of finding the best fit for them all? He knew the photographer. He knew Itachi. He kind of knew her, too.

"I suppose you're right," said Itachi after finishing the last bite of his muffin, placing the neatly folded case back onto the plate.

Was he trying to soothe her nerves by keeping her talking? "About what?"

"Muffins."

She smiled faintly, wryly. "Replacing one unhealthy addiction with another."

"That is the pessimistic way of seeing things."

"It's the only way."

"Is that what you truly believe?"

"Don't you?"

"No," he stated, corners of his lips pulling upwards slightly. At her demanding stare, he enlightened her, saying, "I see it in conjunction to what I already said: life is about trying new things. Whether that be food, places or friendships. You can't always go back to what you're used to for a number of reasons, but more often than not, that allows room for something even better to grow or be achieved."

Her smile returned. She liked that way of thinking better. It didn't seem so dark. Before she could reply, however, the door to the café opened and she spotted Deidara. His long hair was half up and similar to the weekend at the theme park, half his face was covered by thick bangs. He certainly stood out in a crowd, just like Ino did, their appearances demanding all attention and it had her wondering what would happen, should they ever meet.

The woman following him was beautiful, Sakura noted instantly and she wished she'd put more thought into her appearance, suddenly feeling inadequate in her casual outfit. Kurotsuchi's hair was cut short, barely even chin length yet it managed to frame her pixie-like features, her wide brown eyes the main focus when one only saw her face. But it was her outfit that captured Sakura's attention, her eyes drawn to the high slits of her dress because holy shit how in the hell was that supposed to keep anything covered? The wind was going to blow the wrong way – it was going to blow any way – and whoosh, her pale ass would be on show to the world.

Sakura followed Itachi's example when the pair approached, standing and greeting them politely. Instead of sitting in his previous seat, however, Itachi stepped aside and offered it to Kurotsuchi with a warm smile, taking the seat beside Sakura only a moment later.

"A gentleman, huh?" the woman said with a smirk. Dark eyes going to Deidara, she then said, "I thought you said he was an asshole?"

Wow. She was forward, too. She looked up at Itachi, though wasn't surprised to find his lack of response to her words. It didn't even seem to have registered with him.

"Don't start a conversation like that, Kurotsuchi," Deidara amazed her by admonishing her like an older sibling would. "Especially with potential clients."

"They'll come to learn-"

"That there's no hard feelings," he finished with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. "But not everyone will stick around if you insult them before the meeting's even started."

Oh, was he a mentor to her? It was hard to believe, but at the same time, seemed to work pretty well. By that, she meant that it seemed natural for him to fit into such a role, though that could have possibly been due to their relationship.

"Don't argue," came Deidara's aggravated grumble. "Now, hurry up and get on with it. You're losing their interest."

He was a harsh mentor, too. Before Sakura could try and offer any sort of assurance, Kurotsuchi was quick to slip into her business mode, surprising her with how serious she became. "I want to apologise in advance, because this is going to seem rushed," she explained without missing a beat, hands coming together on the table. "Deidara-nii told me this is your first time becoming involved with anything like this – both of you. Is that correct?"

It was a little disorientating having her switch between acting like a playful younger sibling, to an assertive business woman.

Wait. Did she say Deidara-nii? She'd said that on the phone too, hadn't she? Glancing to Itachi, Sakura noticed the brief question that ran through his mind, also. He must have decided it wasn't important enough to enquire about, however, instead choosing to answer Kurotsuchi's question with an equally short, "Correct."

"I know you, Uchiha Itachi, have been involved in family photo shoots – your family is famous and I've done my research. You, however," she said and paused, meeting Sakura's gaze inquisitively, "are a mystery other than the odd cameo on the arm of his younger brother."

That was because she was from an ordinary background, from an ordinary family who weren't stalked by paparazzi or invited to countless red carpets. The most exciting event that had ever happened to her family was her mother's promotion to the leader of her team, as said team had then thrown her a party to celebrate, inviting her nearest and dearest to join them.

"Don't look so worried – this isn't an interview," Kurotsuchi added, smiling and Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief in response, willing herself to release her nerves. Her throat felt uncomfortably dry, but she didn't trust herself to have a drink without somehow making an idiot of herself. Knowing her luck, she would end up spilling it either on herself, or them. "I've already said that I want you both. Even with your lack of experience, I know you're going to add something I'm missing to my portfolio. Before we get into what you're hoping to gain from this experience, are there any questions?"

Again, Sakura looked to Itachi, wondering whether he wanted to take the lead and be their spokesperson. His only response was to meet her gaze steadily, discreetly glancing towards the pair opposite them, telling her to speak up. She wasn't sure she liked that. The pressure was something she didn't appreciate. She was too used to other people taking charge.

"What will happen on the day?" she asked lamely, unable to formulate one of the hundreds of questions she had spinning around in her mind. "What should we expect?"

"Honestly? That depends entirely on your choices and work ethic," she told them both. "If you choose to spread a photo shoot out, meaning we'll have an entire weekend to work together, you could find you prefer it. It doesn't necessarily mean a lesser workload, but it does mean you can take longer breaks or go out and enjoy yourselves afterwards – so long as you don't do anything to disrupt the shoot the following day."

The thought of spreading it out definitely appealed to her more, Sakura thought. If they found the whole thing too much, they could break it up. They could try and find ways to make it more enjoyable. It also gave them the chance to get to know their photographer better – and her them – making it easier to work together.

"Will it be busy?" came her next question, deciding Kurotsuchi had answered the first one in enough detail for Itachi to pick apart, should she happened to have missed anything. "How many will be there to watch us?"

"Hopefully, not too many. Everyone has a specific role and if they have time to stand around and gawk, then they're not doing their jobs," she replied with a shrug. Sitting back, she assessed the café before pointing out, "Look at that waitress there. The one on her phone." Sakura followed her line of sight, eyes narrowing fractionally at the sight of the young girl. Her colleague was busy rushing around, trying to keep up with orders, his features apologetic when he met the watchful gazes of their table. It wasn't until that moment that Sakura realised Deidara and Kurotsuchi had yet to receive their orders. "Instead of clowning around on her phone, she should be cleaning tables – at the very least."

Nodding, Sakura murmured, "Her standing around actually creates more work for her colleague."

"Exactly." The dark haired woman paid no mind to Deidara as he stood and approached the waitress. It was hard following her example when Sakura picked up on the disapproving, almost condescending tone he used when addressing her. "I expect my hair and makeup artist to be there, so that they can work with me when there's changes in lighting, or potential shine, et cetera, et cetera." There was a pause in conversation when Deidara returned with two drinks, the woman from the counter soon storming by them to clean the table closest to the door. He offered them a mere shrug when both Sakura and Itachi looked his way, sipping away at his drink. "Depending on what idea we go with, you might see a few guys hanging around, waiting to add more props or adjust the setting."

Again, she nodded. It didn't sound half as daunting as her mind had been making it out to be, she decided. In TV shows, if there happened to be a photo shoot, there was always a room full of people watching the person posing for the camera and Sakura couldn't think of anything more uncomfortable. She knew already that she was going to feel self-conscious – why add to the stress by having an unnecessary crowd?

"Deidara-nii might be there, too," she added after another couple of moments and a sip of her drink, setting her glass to the table. "But he won't be getting involved much – hopefully."

What else was there that they needed to know? Why couldn't she ask any of the questions she'd been thinking of only an hour ago? Why had they flown straight out of her mind? "Is there anything we need to do or bring?"

Kurotsuchi was thoughtful for a few seconds, tapping at her thin lips before saying, "Bring some music – it'll help you both relax. Other than that, I can't think of anything, since the photo shoot is entirely my idea. We'll be using my props, you'll be wearing outfits chosen by me, your hair and makeup will be professionally done and, obviously, you won't have to think about how you want the pictures taken, whether you need them to be head shots, formal, et cetera." Waving a hand, she added, "I take care of all that, so you just need to show up on the day as blank canvases, fully rested and with your own music."

"I can only think of one more question," Sakura said almost apologetically, looking between the group.

The older woman smiled encouragingly and shook her head, telling her, "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure to give you my number. If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to call or text. Please keep in mind, however, that it might take a few hours for me to get back to you. It's been pretty hectic lately."

"If we're not comfortable with something at any point during the photo shoot, would we be okay to refuse? Or is there a strict plan you're trying to follow?"

"Oh, absolutely – to both," she replied easily. "Your comfort comes first and I'll always run my ideas by you before going through with something. So I won't turn up to your dressing room with crotchless panties and expect you to be out in front of the camera within five minutes. If you tell me you're not happy with one of my ideas, we'll work around it. The best part about my portfolio is that it's flexible. It's going to include a bit of everything."

Just the thought of those kinds of underwear had her face heating up dramatically, eyes a fraction wider and she heard Itachi chuckle once – no doubt at her reaction.

"I also believe in the whole 'no touching without permission' thing, meaning I won't suddenly be in your face and physically moving you into another pose," Kurotsuchi assured them both and smiled again. "I wouldn't expect either of you to do anything I myself wouldn't be comfortable with. Does that answer your question?" When Sakura could only nod, still stuck on the thought of wearing crotchless panties, she then said, "All questions asked by the other models started with payment, which makes me think it could be in your list of demands?"

Again, Sakura looked to Itachi questioningly, inwardly frowning at the wording of Kurotsuchi's sentence. Demands sounded so harsh and rude, like they would refuse to help out should she not agree to something. That wasn't the case, though. They were more than willing to negotiate. Sure, there were a few minor details that weren't up for discussion and Sakura supposed that made them demands, but still.

"We are happy with whatever you are offering," Itachi replied for them both and she couldn't deny that she was relieved he was taking charge when it came to negotiating. He would definitely be better for the task. "However, there are several details we believe need to be brought to light. Hard limits, I suppose you could call them." Nodding once, seriously, Kurotsuchi sat forward, making it obvious she was listening. "Firstly, I would like to ask you why you chose us specifically. Deidara-san captured many photographs over the weekend, many of which appear more professional than us lounging around."

"Ah," Kurotsuchi said with a nod, smiling again. "It's the lounging around that I liked most. It seemed natural to me. Even now, just sitting here together, you both seem to be at total ease around one another. That's what I want to capture."

"And it has nothing to do with us being half naked?" questioned Sakura. Beneath the table, her fingers fidgeted endlessly until a hand reached out, taking her by surprise and stilling them. She swallowed at the feeling of the large hand circling hers, unable to understand why it only added to her nerves.

The woman frowned briefly, admitting, "I'll admit: you guys look great together, but Deidara-nii has already told me you're actually in a relationship with… Sasuke, was it?" There was a vicious whip at her heart and in response, like he could sense the pain, there was a single, comforting squeeze from the hand holding hers before it fell away, leaving Sakura to feel oddly cold. "Who is your younger brother, correct?" Itachi nodded once. "Look, I don't want any drama brought to my doorstep or even created because of me. I promise to respect your relationships one hundred percent."

She smiled with relief. "Thank you."

"Saying that, it was your bodies that had me enamoured."

The smile dropped.

"Excuse me?"

Smiling at the reaction, she explained, "You clearly take care of yourselves. If the wedding photo shoot doesn't work out for us because it feels too weird, or doesn't look natural enough for my liking, then we can go to my backup plan."

"Which is?"

"Well, I want to appeal to all audiences, so I want to try and add something that could class as sports advertisement – or sports clothing. I'm showing potential clients that I can cater to their tastes, no matter what they happen to be."

"You're adding unnecessary-"

"Shut up, Deidara-nii. It's my choice!"

They were like brother and sister, Sakura thought with a small smirk, unable to tear her eyes away from the bickering pair. And as much as Deidara tried to hide behind his mask of annoyance and disbelief, grumbling about how unnecessary Kurotsuchi's extra workload was, she could see the through it. She had experience with proud, stoic men, after all. If she hadn't learned how to read Sasuke after so many years of being together, it would have driven her insane. So, Sakura knew there was no negativity between the pair and she bit back a smile at the sight of the fleeting pride that shone in his eyes. Kurotsuchi must have seen it too, as she suddenly grinned brightly at him, sticking her tongue out.

The sound of her phone beeping loudly had Kurotsuchi cursing and digging into her purse, ending the alarm with another curse. "Sorry, guys. I'm due to start a photo shoot in about an hour. I had to-" She cut herself off like something had only just occurred to her and huffed, muttering, "I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Would you both like to join me, if the models are okay with you watching them? That way you can get a feel of what to expect on the day. We can have you sized up for your outfits as well, to save an extra trip."

That seemed like a good idea to her, Sakura thought and looked to Itachi, smiling encouragingly when he looked back. There was a question in his eyes and in response, she shrugged. She didn't mind tagging along if the models were okay with it – it was a learning experience. It could even help them make a final decision on whether they were truly up to modelling for Kurotsuchi.

"Let me go call them," she said while standing, already dialling a number. "I shouldn't be too long."

Once she was out of earshot, Deidara smirked, asking, "Overwhelmed yet?"

"You exaggerate too much," Sakura argued and smiled. "Kurotsuchi-san isn't half as bad as you make her out to be."

"Nii?"

The blond rolled his eyes and sat back, nodding once to Itachi's question. "We're not actually related, but our grandparents were close friends and more often than not, they were the ones who took care of us." Before they could think of any kind of reply, he questioned while critically assessing them both, "Seriously. Are you up to this? You're stiff Uchiha Itachi and you couldn't stand the thought of Sasori drawing you."

Not that again, she inwardly whined and grimaced. "It's not that I couldn't stand the thought of it-"

"Sorry, no. Your boyfriend wouldn't be able to handle it." Blue eyes rolled again, followed closely by the folding of his arms. "Regardless of how nicely Kurotsuchi tries to word it, you're going to have people all over you, yeah. You're pretending to get married. You both know what that involves, right?"

Intimacy. Touching. "We know."

"And you're okay with pretending to be into each other?" he asked suspiciously. "What if she wants to capture the first kiss as husband and wife?"

"We haven't finished discussing what we are willing to do," answered Itachi, his reply simple, accompanied with a faint, half-hearted shrug. "Kurotsuchi-san seems to understand for the most part, however."

Deidara had a point, though. Sakura bit her lip worriedly and glanced in the direction of the window, watching as Kurotsuchi lowered her phone before lifting it to her ear once more, resuming conversation. While talking, she ran a hand through her hair and took a step back, making more room on the pavement for an elderly couple, smiling warmly at them.

No, there was nothing to worry about. "Kurotsuchi-san said she has other ideas for us, if we're not comfortable with something. I know it's not ideal, but…" She shrugged helplessly. "We'd still be helping with part of the portfolio, right?"

Itachi nodded once in agreement, giving her a fleeting smile. "We will do our best to stick with her original plan, but I believe business involves compromise. Nothing goes as smoothly as one would hope."

"Bad news," came Kurotsuchi's disappointed, loud voice as she returned, not bothering to wait until she was at the table. Placing her phone down, she sat with a sigh, telling them, "Due to the nature of today's photo shoot, the models have asked for a closed set and I need to respect that decision. However," she stressed when Sakura couldn't help but pout. "Tomorrow, I have a couple of dancers coming in for a shoot and they're more than happy to have you join. They're newbies, too."

Tomorrow? "I'm pretty sure I'm free," she said and met Itachi's eye. "Are you?"

"I can arrange working from home as long as it does not become a regular occurrence."

"Great," Kurotsuchi gushed with a grin, standing and swinging her bag over her shoulder. It was silently that Deidara followed her example. "I'll send you the details later, but right now I really need to get moving. It was good meeting you both."

"We're looking forward to working with you."

A/N - I feel like I'm saying this with every update now, but I'm so sorry that it's taking so long to update. We have just six weeks left until our baby is due and no matter how much work we get done, it still feels like we're not prepared in the slightest. Adding surprise bills and unnecessary spending on things I shouldn't even be buying and you've got one highly stressed, hormonal pregnant lady. Please wish my SO good luck in dealing with me.

To answer all kind messages at once, since there's been so many: the baby has given us a few scares since the last time I updated you all and I'm starting to think he's enjoying pranking us. Ew and I've had to have way too many of those anti-d jabs due to being rhesus negative, too. Usually, you only get three. So far, I've had about six and I still need another after giving birth, too. That's because of knocks to the bump, spotting, reduced movements, etc. We did get an extra scan out of it, which I guess is a silver lining. Even if the baby looked like a demon...

But it's not all doom and gloom, as Russell Howard says! I'm decorating the nursery myself, hand drawing and painting designs and stuff, before my SO is going to help with the heavier stuff. It's our little project. Oh, and my baby shower is in a couple of weeks. Going against tradition, I've asked that it be for both myself and the dad-to-be, since he deserves to be showered, too. After all, he's becoming a parent and has to deal with my whiny ass during labour. So far, I can barely even deal with Braxton Hicks and how intense they've been getting - to the extent where I can't even walk around much anymore due to the pains. Imagine what he has to put up with while I'm in labour. That poor, poor man. At least I'm easing him into it now, I guess.

The best news of all? No more being sick. Not much, anyways. There's still the odd day where I seriously struggle, but that's rare to happen. Now, if the Braxton Hicks eased the hell up and let me walk around without crippling pains, or feeling like my uterus is about to fall out, I would be the happiest person.

Okay, now for the sad news. There's no guarantee to be another update for the rest of this year now. It sounds like a horrifically long time, I know. I'll do what I can, but even though I'm a first time mum (going off advice, memories of my nephews being babies and how the baby has tormented me these past couple of months with his scares), I already know I'm gonna be run ragged.

So if I don't manage to update again before giving birth, just know that my stories aren't abandoned. The hiatus will end. Please, be patient with me.

REVIEWS TO CHAPTER 7:

SorrowfulAnjel: I'm so sorry to hear about everything you've gone through! How are you feeling now? It's hard staying strong, but we can do it, right? I can only hope things get better for you, or at the very least, more comfortable. And work the scar! It's easy saying "don't let people's words bother you" but we can try!

WhisperingPen: Oh, trust me. There will be plenty of tension coming your way from all different directions!

Fluttershy 2059123: Thank you! But believe me, it hasn't always been that way. I can't even look at my older stories without cringing. Keep working at it and I promise, you'll see improvement!

Carlouie: Seriously?! I'm not even being weighed anymore wth :O

Nana-Chan: I am so sorry that I probably didn't reply in time. Next update, I'll update with a link to my playlist. That way, you'll always be updated on the new songs that inspire this story.

I'm in here: When is it not intense when it comes to Uchiha Itachi?

Alexlovessugar: Really? Omg that actually makes me feel really happy. How is your writing going? Good luck with it!

It's both heartwarming and upsetting having so many of you replying with your own stories about acne. While it's nice knowing I'm not alone in it, it's upsetting because no matter where you are in the world, there's still judgemental people out there who are more than happy to tear you down. What makes it worse is that some of them don't even realise they're doing it.

Thank you to nerd94, Yami no Emi, Sakuharu1 and Guest for your reviews and support!

REVIEWS TO CHAPTER 8:

heyalliye: Thank you so much! I hope it makes you so many feels too - it's what you want in a story, right? And I won't lie, I'm more of an ItaSaku fan, but thanks to Boruto, I've been falling more and more in love with SasuSaku again, so who knows how this is going to turn out? Even I don't know, since it keeps changing with every chapter. One minute I want it to end with ItaSaku, the next SasuSaku. I'm just as eager to find out as everyone else haha!

loveitasakuxx: Was this a breath of fresh air for you? Or still a lot of drama? I'm trying to show in this story that more often than not, the way we act is from things we've seen or experienced in our lives. They can be learned behaviours. Does that make any sense? For a writer, I'm awful at explaining how I think. I can explain it better in my head hahah.

Guest: Word of advice? Don't. If it's honestly as dark as chapter 8, do not stick around or wait for things to change. I've been in a similar situation and as heartbreaking as it is to admit at the time, sometimes it's healthier to let go. I truly wish I'd let go instead of holding onto hope that he would change. But that never happened. Instead, it escalated to the point where he assaulted me several times. Physically, emotionally and mentally. Please, take care of yourself.

I'm in here: I've always believed that Sasuke has her best interests at heart and in Boruto, that's only been strengthened after seeing him with his family. And what I find really interesting and difficult to write is witnessing another character's change of heart or having the main character watching them mature. Sometimes, it's so subtle that you can't see it. Other times, the MC notices straight away and they're like holy shit, what are they thinking? I need to be in that head of theirs!

Hana-Taisho: About Itachi and Mikoto, like I said earlier: there are patterns in behaviours. Sometimes, without us even realising, we behave similarly to how we've witnessed those around us behave. Itachi got out and now that he's back, he's starting to realise these things, you know?

LetteMom: I'm honestly torn on how I want this story to end. I can't decide!

Thank you to kazuyaryo, Yami no Emi, Uchiha Misaki, ThePurplePyroHedgie, Guest, Guest, LetteMom, SilverGhostKitsune, Sakuharu1 and Guest for your reviews and support!

Hope you enjoyed!