Chapter 14 – I Need Your Love

By the time their break was over, Naruto managed to drag himself out of bed, meaning it was time for them to leave.

Sighing, she relaxed in her boyfriend's arms, grateful for the privacy. Had they not been alone, she seriously doubted that he would have embraced her for so long. He definitely wouldn't have kissed her.

"When you're home, we'll go on another date," he told her and leaned forward, kissing her deeply, making her arch into him. Gods, she loved it when he kissed her like that.

And the date sounded like perfection to her, especially after their last one. "Are you going straight home or are you going on a road trip?"

Sasuke shrugged, his expression uncaring, like it didn't matter to him what he was doing with the rest of his weekend. It worried her, if she was being completely honest. Uchiha Sasuke hated wasting his time. It was too precious to him. For him not to care, was… It wasn't natural.

"Well, call me," she said, a little awkwardly. "Whichever you decide to do."

He was the worst at goodbyes, Sakura reminded herself as she watched the pair leave, trying to ignore the ache in her heart when Sasuke didn't look back. Had their situations been reversed, she knew she would've looked back. She would've ran back, wanting one last hug.

It only briefly worried Sakura that she was grateful for Itachi's presence when she returned to the dressing room, biting the inside of her cheek in a sad attempt to remain strong.

Whenever they said goodbye, she was always left with the pessimistic thoughts (she refused to call them realisations, because she knew it was only her paranoia) of her love being greater than Sasuke's – not that she could really call it love, as he'd never said the words to her. Was it more appropriate to say she liked him more? Or was she supposed to settle with her feelings being stronger? Probably the latter, Sakura decided while throwing herself down in a chair opposite Itachi's. It made her seem less pathetic.

"They are gone?" She nodded. Then, to her displeasure, Itachi sighed and pocketed his phone, telling her, "We must talk about it at some point, Sakura-san."

"I just want to forget it," she replied tiredly. On her lap, her fingers played with the spandex-like material her outfit was made out of. "And pretend like it never happened."

Every time she recalled those moments, her heart was on the very border of entering dangerous territory. The thought of Itachi's hands on her waist shouldn't send shivers down her spine. The thought of them holding hands shouldn't make her feel warm. The thought of them kissing (or nearly kissing) shouldn't make her stomach flutter.

Sakura averted her eyes, swallowing and focusing on the artificial plant in the corner of the dressing room. It'd been a dining room previously but the furniture was moved around for the photo shoot, transforming it entirely. The table was shoved up against the wall beneath the massive, luxury mirror, acting as a dressing table, with a couple of the dining chairs scattered around for them to relax in between sets.

"It would be for the best," he agreed. "Though, I can't help but think this has changed our friendship."

Without a doubt. While she couldn't speak for him, Sakura was willing to admit that she was more alert of Itachi now – was that the right word? Alert? Perhaps wary was better? No, because she wasn't wary. No, her heart – or maybe just her body – was on high alert whenever he was close.

Their second photo shoot, with the couple's yoga, hadn't even worked to keep her distracted. For the most part, sure, otherwise she could've seriously harmed herself or Itachi. But whenever they had to hold the poses, whenever he first touched her, it was like her skin heated up and she was terrified of it being obvious to the others, too. Obviously, Itachi would know about it. How could he not when he was the one holding her? He would feel the difference, right? He could feel that heat between them too, right?

What if he couldn't? She looked back to him, frowning. What if he didn't feel that heat and it was only her? That… was better, she supposed. If it was totally one-sided, it was easily dealt with. She could brush it under the rug. However, if it was coming from both sides, what was she supposed to do? Avoid him? Avoid someone who'd become a friend? A confidant? Who would she go to for advice? For help?

"I don't want it to," Sakura admitted and her frown returned.

For once, his eyes were expressive to her, telling her that he felt the same way. But more than that, they expressed to her that… She wasn't sure. But it looked how she felt on the inside: confused, but longing. Attracted, but determined. Neither of them would hurt Sasuke, she realised in that moment and for that, her shoulders relaxed somewhat.

"Neither do I."

Resting one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hip, legs folded and feet tucked in, Sakura steadied herself, making sure her body was relaxed but alert as Itachi extended his arms, performing the push up and holding the position for Kurotsuchi.

Unlike when she'd done the same for her boyfriend, there was no struggle in Itachi's body. It was surprising to her, as she'd always assumed Sasuke to be the stronger of the two due to having the bigger muscles. Itachi was lither, he was lean, whereas her boyfriend was going after raw strength and power.

The set they were currently using was inside the cabin and she guessed it was why the break had been so long – they'd had to set it up. All bedroom furniture was removed from the plainest of the guest bedrooms, replaced by gym equipment that they had to pose on. It wasn't the best makeshift gym she'd ever seen and it was laughable when compared to the Uchiha's home gym. She wondered if Itachi was thinking along the same lines as herself, as several times, she noticed him looking around himself, eyes contemplative.

"Are you willing to try a different kind of pose?" Kurotsuchi asked her suddenly. When she nodded warily, the woman smiled encouragingly and told Itachi to lower himself to the ground. It was only then that she told her, "Stay on his back, but hold your legs out straight. Yeah, like that."

She shifted her position, giving Itachi's shoulder a brief squeeze to tell him she was ready when he was. Again, there was no struggle, despite how long he'd been holding the previous position for.

"Cross your legs, like you're sitting on a chair."

It felt weird thinking of Itachi as a chair, but she did as directed, crossing her legs and because she kind of understood where Kurotsuchi was headed with her directions, Sakura sat up straighter, hands coming to rest on Itachi's side behind her, chest sticking out. She looked down on the camera, shoulders squared, head tilted ever so slightly to give the impression that she was above them all.

"That's it!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed. "Hold that position, Sakura!"

Being praised so enthusiastically made it near impossible to hold onto her seriousness, but somehow she managed, remaining professional as she stared the camera down. After the third flash, she tested the waters by favouring her right arm, applying more pressure on Itachi's shoulders by leaning that way.

"Hiroki-san," Kurotsuchi suddenly demanded. "Get over here and get her hair down."

"Kurotsuchi-san, it's going to look bumpy-"

"Just do it, before she loses that confidence!"

Her chest swelled with pride towards herself and it grew even harder to remain serious. She allowed herself a moment of pause while the hair stylist did what she could with her hair, grinning over in Deidara's direction when he looked to her, impressed. As expected, there was the tell-tale signs of her hair being up for several hours, but determinedly, Hiroki worked hard on it, straightening and straightening and straightening, until Sakura was certain she was going to have dead ends right up to her roots.

"I'll give you a deep conditioning treatment once we're done," the stylist informed her.

Good. Modelling was fun and all, and she loved being the cause for that look in Kurotsuchi's eyes as the visions she'd had in her mind came true, but it was so not worth having dead hair.

Once Kurotsuchi began taking pictures again, she told her, "Don't feel like you can't change poses while I'm taking pictures, Sakura. I'll tell you if I need you to hold a pose."

Nodding, she once more leaned on Itachi's shoulders, holding the pose for a moment before running a hand through her hair, head tilting back.

"That boyfriend of yours is never coming on set again," she muttered behind her camera, grinning. "You get too nervous."

There was a knowing expression on Deidara's face, but she paid him no mind, instead telling Itachi, "I'm gonna try moving. Do you want to lay down for it?"

He replied with a single nod, lowering himself to the ground. She took her time laying flat on his back, allowing him a break without bringing attention to it, before tapping his shoulder, telling him she was ready, all the while her heart was beating erratically.

Once his arms were extended, she crossed her ankles, bending her knees and bringing her feet into the air, head in one hand, other hand trailing its index finger down the Itachi's shoulder blade. Whether she took him by surprise or not was unknown, though she couldn't deny the butterflies that took over when she noticed his goosebumps. Once she was certain Kurotsuchi had the picture, she warned Itachi she was moving again, before doing so, hands positioning themselves carefully on his shoulder blades, wary of causing him pain. Then, placing her feet on his calves, she pushed up, doing a push up on top of his.

"Okay, let's try something else," said Kurotsuchi, allowing them a few moments to get up.

Sakura smiled up at Itachi, said smile widening at the pride in his eyes. Of course, he would have been able to see the poses she'd been doing due to the floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the opposite side of the room, allowing them to get comfortable with how they looked during the photo shoot – well, it helped Sakura, anyway.

"Can you do pull ups?"

She'd believed the question to have been spoken to Itachi, but when he watched her, raising an expectant eyebrow, Sakura cursed herself mentally for focusing on him instead of their surroundings, fighting back a blush.

"Yeah."

"Have you ever tried doing a pull up on someone?"

What the hell kind of question was that? Sakura's mind blanked, trying to think of how that would even work and her cheeks raged as she thought of her legs hooking over Itachi's shoulders. When she pulled herself up, his face would be between her…

"No!" she snapped, wide eyes going to Itachi's. He seemed slightly taken aback too, much to her relief. "I'm not doing a pull up from his shoulders."

And then, to her utter horror, Kurotsuchi also blushed and Sakura's increased in intensity when she heard Deidara laughing. "N-Not on his shoulders," she told the younger woman. "At least, not facing him." Sakura breathed out a deep sigh, willing her rampaging heart to calm down. "Gods, Sakura, your mind is filthy."

"What? No, I just-"

But she had already dropped herself in it. Knowing that, she fell silent, pouting up at Itachi, eyes apologetic. Gods, why had she made such a scene? Calling it embarrassing was too much of an understatement.

Deciding it was best to move on before she caused herself further embarrassment, Sakura walked around Itachi. Apparently, he already had an idea of how Kurotsuchi wanted them to pose, because he didn't kneel, he squatted, making her pause as she questioned his balance. She shouldn't have, considering how steady he'd been during the yoga poses, but it was only natural to be cautious, right?

There was no getting rid of her blush, though fortunately for her, everyone assumed it was from her mess up only moments ago. It made it easier for her to hook her legs over his shoulders until she was seated on them, for him to hold onto said legs, keeping Sakura steady as he stood from his squat. His hold was tight, strong and she felt that dreaded stomach flip in response to his hands on her thighs, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. It was impossible, given how close they were.

"Only do it if you feel ready," Itachi told her. His stance was secure, prepared, his legs still in the position that would allow him to perform a squat, back straight, arms tense.

First, she had to calm herself the hell down. Relaxing her body, as she certainly didn't want to cause him more difficulty, she began leaning back, further and further until their backs were touching, her hair suddenly in her face.

"Damn it," Kurotsuchi suddenly snapped. "How the hell did we forget that? Hiroki-san, get-"

"Already here." The stylist made quick work of fixing her hair, setting it into a messy bun on the top of her head. "How's that?"

"It'll do."

But it wasn't what she had envisioned.

Oh well, Sakura thought to herself, face no doubt bright red at that point as she felt all the blood rushing to her head. It was a rookie mistake but instinctual that she held her breath when coming back up, core tight as she used her upper body muscles, arms crossed over her chest. Itachi's support was flawless, she thought to herself, keeping her expression as neutral as possible because of the camera. While she was used to doing the occasional set of pull ups with Sasuke, she wasn't used to doing them on somebody.

Possibly sensing that, Itachi took her breath away by giving a warning squeeze on her thighs, holding her still, suddenly lowering himself into a squat.

"Perfect!"

"I don't think I'll be able to move after this photo shoot," Sakura huffed, leaning backwards again once he was stood up straight.

There was a chuckle in response from Itachi and he told her, "At least you can say you didn't skip exercise for today."

He was on about her running. She smiled, though paused in her reply, once more pulling herself up. It was harder that time, but his unwavering support and secure hold on her legs helped. "I might have to skip it tomorrow at this rate."

"We'll move to the equipment now, I think," Kurotsuchi informed them. "It'll give you both a break."

She sighed with relief, though squealed when instead of squatting, Itachi reached higher up her legs, taking her by surprise when he managed to shift her around his shoulders until she was sat on one with an undoubtedly awkward balance. Then, he pulled, allowing her to fall into his arms.

Sakura could only look up at him in stunned silence, yet another blush rapidly colouring her cheeks. Would she ever go back to her ordinary colour? She doubted it, especially when he looked at her like that, with that look from the dressing room, the one that twisted her stomach before it exploded with flutters, her breath catching.

Maybe she stayed too long in that position, being held in his arms in the bridal style, because there was suddenly another flash of the camera.

Neither of them noticed.

As expected, she was in agony. They hadn't prepared for those kinds of workouts. She hadn't eased her body into such (in her eyes) extreme workouts, when she was used to cardio, with only the occasional strength workout.

At least one good thing had come out of the experience, though – two, if they were including her new boost in confidence. She and Itachi were slowly but surely moving on from the awkward tension between them, deciding to ignore it.

"So," she began, massaging her calves. "Are you ever going to tell me how you know ballet terminology?"

There was a momentary pause in his sitting down on the bed. Part of her knew that it was inappropriate and, due to their previous interactions, it was risky too. However, the door was open and neither of them were willing to hurt Sasuke. They wanted to remain friends and friends hung out with each other without issue, right? She was able to sit in a bedroom with Naruto without wanting to jump him so why–

Her cheeks warmed at the crass thought and she focused more intensely on her muscles, expression shielded by her hair.

Itachi sat down and she could feel him watching her as she sat on the floor, legs bent at the knees, spread apart, allowing her to stretch out in a cooldown exercise as well as massage her aching muscles. "My mother used to enjoy ballet."

Had she? She'd never told her such a thing and she'd known the woman for five years now. Frowning, Sakura looked up and asked, "But not anymore?"

"No," he answered with a sigh. "She was once the best ballerina of her class and I accompanied her to several of them, for she believed it gave her an opportunity to share one of her greatest passions with me, allowing us to bond through it." There was a but coming and it sickened her, for she knew exactly where it was going. "Father did not know until he was invited to a recital. When he saw me perform on stage with Mother, he walked out."

Bastard, she wanted to snarl. It was so obvious why Fugaku had been against it. Traditional men always worried about it, always shied away or grew angry when their sons took part in something that wasn't one hundred and twenty percent masculine. "He was worried you would be gay."

"Yes." There was another sigh before Itachi sat in front of her, surprising her as he held out his hands, allowing her to hold onto them and finish stretching out, her sigh of relief when her joints cracked like they'd been begging to all damn day making him smile faintly. "Mother was never the same after that weekend. Father sent me to my uncle's-"

"Madara?" she gasped in shock, pausing in straightening her legs out.

He smiled at that and released her hands, holding her knees, pinning them instead, allowing her face to reach the ground fully. Once she had, he eased her legs into straightening further. Much to her utter delight, she noticed a vast difference in her flexibility. A few more workouts like the ones they had earlier and she would be able to do the splits again, like when she and Ino were kids.

"No, a different uncle. I was there for a few weeks. When I returned, Mother refused to dance."

She could only guess at what kind of punishment she'd been forced to endure. It sickened her just thinking about how long Itachi was sent away for, making her heart ache viciously when she thought about how badly he'd harmed her.

"How old were you?" she questioned, voice quiet.

"Four."

Her blood turned cold, head snapping up. There was only five years between the brothers. "During that time…?"

He nodded once and looked down at the little space between them. Even when she straightened her back to look up at him, he didn't meet her eye.

"During that time, Sasuke was conceived."

"Did…" Sakura swallowed hard, the dread that was running up and down her spine sickening her. "Was it…?"

"Rape?" he asked quietly. Slowly, gently, he released her legs, allowing her to come out of the near-split position, sitting with his back against the bed. "I don't know. It is not my place to ask."

And it was hardly a discussion Mikoto would want to have with her son. Gods, her heart went out to the woman, for Sakura couldn't imagine what hell she'd been through in her lifetime. It was all speculative, she knew that, but during those few weeks alone that Itachi was not there, she was more than likely beaten, mentally and emotionally tortured and then, the worst possible thing that could happen to a person: raped. But not just raped, impregnated. A product of rape. Sasuke was–

No, if that had happened–

Then, what?

"You have to understand, Sakura-san, that Sasuke can never know."

Like she would even bring up how he was conceived under normal circumstances! "Have you ever told anyone?"

"Relatives have their suspicions – of the abuse, not about Sasuke." Dark eyes averted from hers, his eyebrows coming together. "For all their suspicions, however, they never intervened while we were growing up. They allowed it to happen. They witnessed the change in my mother and never questioned what was happening."

"What about her family?" she asked softly. It hurt her seeing such… What look was that? Gods, it was difficult to place. He looked pained. Lost. Alone. How much had he seen in his lifetime? "Didn't they notice?"

"I have never met my mother's side of the family."

She was at the complete mercy of Fugaku, Sakura realised brokenly and she bit the inside of her cheek, willing away the sting of her eyes. Was that why she stayed? Was it because she had no-one else to go to?

Why had she never noticed the level of abuse before? After all the times they'd spent together, after all the holidays and the sleepovers and whatever else, why had she never noticed the abuse? Was it–

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath. "Your mom always invited me over because your dad controlled himself while I was there."

Understanding flitted over his features, like he suddenly had the answer to a puzzle he'd struggled with for a long while. "I never understood why they allowed you to stay over. It is hardly appropriate, given your relationship with Sasuke."

It made her feel sick. "It was to keep up appearances."

In a way, she'd become a safety net, of sorts, for Mikoto. Whenever she stayed, the woman was spared abuse. It was why she filled the drawers full of stuff for her in case of a last-minute stay over, why she was always so happy to see her.

There was no holding back the tears.

"Sakura-san…"

She shook her head, knees coming up to her chest. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

"Do not feel as though you must shoulder this burden."

Was he for real? Shooting onto her knees, she snapped, "I was the only thing stopping the abuse-"

"No, you put it on hold-"

"Either way, it stopped because I was there," she yelled at him, sobbing. "And then I stopped staying because of everything with Sasuke-kun. Who knows-"

"It is not your responsibility-"

"I-"

When she sobbed again, arms came around her and she all but collapsed into him, unable to control the crying.

"You do not deserve this pressure," he told her seriously, comfortingly. The arms around her tightened, his chin coming to rest on the top of her head. "It is not your burden."

She didn't and it wasn't, but that didn't change facts, did it? While she sunned herself in their lavish garden, worked out in the gym, stayed at their house like she was part of their family, she unknowingly acted like a shield. With her around, to keep up the pretences of being a respectable family, to have her as an ally should Fugaku ever be questioned, Mikoto was untouchable.

How the hell did she withstand that kind of pressure? It was as Itachi's hand came to the back of her head, stroking her hair, that Sakura realised she couldn't. She couldn't withstand that pressure. Every time Mikoto invited her over in the future, she would know and she would feel obligated to drop any and all plans. Hell, she wouldn't even wait for an invitation. She would invite herself over.

"Sakura-san," he called out to her and pulled back, hands on the sides of her head to make eye contact. She wished he wouldn't – Ino had repeatedly warned her that she was an ugly crier. "This is not your burden."

"It is," she cried.

"No, it's not," Itachi told her firmly, looking like he was just barely holding back from scowling. "My dysfunctional family is controlling your life and breaking you apart as it is. I won't allow for my mother to use you as a crutch."

But that was…

"Sakura."

Having him addressing her so directly, without the use of any honorifics, knocked her out of her self-pity and stress. Teary, green eyes stared up at him, widening as she realised how close they actually were, her breath catching the second she realised she could feel his mixing with it.

The look in his eyes was stern, it held a clear warning, but for the life of her, she couldn't focus on it.

"Don't let them drag you further down," he murmured to her after several moments. Was he suddenly aware of the close proximity, too? Was that why he'd paused? "You deserve better than that."

All she could do was nod, too lost in his demanding aura that dominated all senses, leaving her to meet his eyes unsurely.

He really had received all the best genes from the proud Uchiha name, Sakura thought numbly and she reached out, fingers tracing his well-defined jawline, the aristocratic nose and cheekbones, but… Her eyes returned to his, fingertips lingering on his cheeks. His eyes were indescribable. They were heartbreakingly beautiful and she wanted to explore them further, to truly understand the emotions that he tried so hard to bury, to see what those eyes looked like when he truly smiled and laughed and cried and…

"Sakura, this…"

The words trailed off when she looked to his lips, watching how they moved as he spoke. Why did it send a spark through her, hearing him saying her name without any honorifics? Why did it make her stomach flutter seeing how her name fell from his lips?

Her eyes shut when Itachi tenderly brushed her tears away. It was difficult thinking clearly when he looked at her like that, with that single look that told her he was experiencing so many overwhelming emotions. She was…

Hand slipping from his cheek to his chest, she didn't stop him when he leaned forward, their noses brushing, her lips parting, ready, willing, needing–

"Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted. Don't come searching when I go missing. Close your eyes or just try to look away! Don't want to hurt you."

And just like that, the mood was shattered and she pulled away like she'd been burned, falling on her ass in her haste. Itachi seemed just as shocked at their actions, his hands falling to his knees, dark eyes wide as they remained locked on hers.

"We live in a world someone else imagined. The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished."

Thankful for the distraction, she turned, almost frantically searching for her phone, following the sound of it ringing. But then she saw who was calling and her heart stuttered.

"It's Sasuke-kun."

"Remember my heart, how bright I used to shine–"

The phone was taken from her, the button on the side of the phone silencing it, though allowing it to continue ringing. It would make Sasuke think they were still in the middle of a photo shoot without arousing any suspicions–

Gods, what the hell was she thinking?

He was standing too close again, Sakura thought to herself, swallowing hard. But if she moved, she would fall back onto the bed and the feeling of the back of her knees bumping into the mattress solidified that thought.

"Is this a heat of the moment thing, too?" she asked quietly, unable to speak any louder than a whisper. Was it because she was scared of somebody walking in? Somebody overhearing them and seeing the position they were in? Gods, the door was open. "Itachi?"

At her words, he took a step back, allowing her to move away from the bed and she did so gratefully, putting as much distance between them as possible without actually leaving the room. Like Itachi had told her yesterday: they needed to talk about it. Things couldn't be left to fester, otherwise it would all no doubt come out at some point – knowing her luck, it would be in front of Sasuke, too.

"Yes," said Itachi seriously and he sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. "We are both in a state of emotional upset. It's only natural that we seek comfort from one another."

Comfort? That was all it was? Frowning, Sakura slowly approached him and sat beside Itachi. It only went to prove how immature she was when it came to relationships and lust then, didn't it? She couldn't even identify the differences between them. How childish did she seem to him? Gods, she wanted to laugh at herself.

"Maybe we should try and avoid being in the heat of the moment, then," Sakura said with a twitch of her lips, trying to smile. "Before we end up hurting the person we love most."

"And if we can't?" he questioned, glancing down at her. "What do you suggest then?"

Well, they… She shrugged. They had to. For Sasuke's sake, they had to avoid ever getting into that predicament, had to avoid all possibilities of betraying him in the worst way.

They could do that.

Less than twenty-four hours later and Sakura was sitting down at the dining table with the Uchiha family once more, though much to utter delight, Naruto had joined them, too.

There'd been a split-second pause when he first entered and saw Mikoto's face, because while it had certainly healed considerably over the past couple of days and her makeup worked fairly well, it was still noticeable. Sasuke must have warned him prior to their return from their road trip, however, because he didn't comment on it, merely sent a dark glare in Fugaku's direction – one that was, unsurprisingly, ignored.

They had arrived just as dinner was being dished out, taking all of five seconds to join the rest of them at the table. Until that point, Mikoto had been politely asking how their weekend had gone and whether it was something they wanted to do more of. It surprised her, as Sakura hadn't thought his parents knew what they were doing, though she supposed it was better to explain that rather than disappearing with her boyfriend's older brother for an entire weekend.

"Sasuke-kun really saved us, at one point," explained Sakura and she smiled at her boyfriend from across the table. "They wanted us to do yoga poses and you should have seen some of them, Mikoto-san. I felt like a contortionist."

She looked vaguely surprised, meeting her eldest son's eye. "You took part, Itachi? I assumed you were merely there as a guardian."

He simply nodded his response.

It didn't surprise Sakura, now that she knew about his past and how his bastard of a father thought. Yes, people were entitled to their own opinions and sure, it was a free country, he could say and think whatever the hell he wanted. But to beat the shit out of his wife because he didn't want his son partaking in ballet? Because he was scared of his only son (at the time, anyway) being gay?

"What was the rest of it like?" Naruto asked, too busy focusing on shovelling the next mouthful of food in to pay any real attention to them.

"Fairly simple." Was there a deeper meaning to his question? Was there a reason why he stole a glance at her? Yes, there had to be, because there was a suspicious glint in his eyes. "Basic stuff, really. We posed with some gym equipment and had to perform a few workout things."

Sasuke's interest was clearly piqued when he asked, "What did you have to do?"

"Nothing too much," she told him. "I had to do pull ups, though."

There was a minute hint of disapproval in his expression, much to her surprise, though it was gone before the rest of his family could see it. No doubts it was because of how much pain she'd been in before he left.

"Itachi had to do a few push ups, too. Oh, and squats!"

"Did you enjoy yourselves?"

She smiled brightly at Mikoto's question, answering truthfully with, "Definitely."

"That is the most important part," she told them, pausing in speaking as she had another mouthful of food. "Enjoying yourselves and making positive memories. Speaking of which," she then said, smiling at her youngest son. "Sasuke, I have arranged a party for your eighteenth birthday."

Oh, he didn't like the idea of a party at all, Sakura could tell. However, he masked the disliking well, offering a small smile in his mother's direction. "Thank you. Have you already invited people?"

The woman nodded, frowning minutely before the lines smoothed out. Did it hurt to frown? That brief flash in her eyes told her it was a possibility and Sakura had to look away, scowling down at her food. Just sitting in Fugaku's presence made her skin crawl now. "I invited your classmates and family. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he replied, surprising Sakura with how relaxed he was being considering he disliked parties. They were too crowded for him. "I only ask because I would like to invite a few others – we only recently became friends."

Sakura frowned at that. Who had he become friends with that she didn't know?

He nodded in Itachi's direction. "When we went to the theme park, I got on well with Nii-san's friends. I want to extend the invitation to them, too."

That seemed to please Itachi, she noticed, as he smiled faintly over in his direction. Of course, he would know better than anyone how much Sasuke used to dislike his friends. Hell, during Itachi's 'Welcome Home' party, Sasuke had all but dragged her away from them, saying they weren't to be trusted, like they were part of some top secret, highly dangerous organisation that would kill her.

"Of course," Mikoto said, equally pleased. "I shall contact them tomorrow to inform them."

His birthday was in just a week's time, Sakura wanted to argue. It wasn't as simple as people just turning up – they had to book it off work. She already had. In fact, it was one of her first requests when she was given more holidays at the start of the tax year. Sasuke's, Naruto's and her own birthdays, along with their anniversary weekend. The rest she either scattered about or saved for important occasions.

Already, she had his presents, card and the perfect outfit picked out. Gods, she was probably more excited than him, although that had always been the case with them. It no longer bothered her like it once had, as she knew Sasuke expressed his excitement in other ways, or simply didn't want to show how much he was looking forward to something.

When dinner was over, Mikoto asked the dreaded question of whether she would like to stay, but just as Sakura opened her mouth, trying not to show her uncertainty or reluctance, Itachi had spoken up, supposedly reminding her of her promise to her own mother. They were supposed to be going shopping early in the morning. Part of Sakura felt incredibly guilty, truly she did, but even Sasuke didn't seem overly fond of the idea of her staying. Had he caught on? Had he always known? There was no use in questioning him – he would only grow defensive and refuse to answer. Instead, she settled on saying her goodbyes at the same time as Naruto, the pair of them leaving together, walking towards their own cars in companionable silence until he destroyed it.

"How did it really go?"

Was that another accusation in his eyes? "Do you really think that lowly of me?" questioned Sakura as she grabbed his arm, forcing him to come to a stop with her. "Do you really think I'd hurt Sasuke-kun like that?"

His eyes were narrowed, expression wary. "You didn't see how you were looking at each other, Sakura-chan. You-"

"We were acting," she snapped in disbelief. Gods, she would've yelled if she knew it wouldn't attract the attention of others. "We had to pretend that it was our wedding day for Kurotsuchi-san. It'd be kind of ridiculous if we didn't look like we liked each other, wouldn't it?"

That seemed to throw him off a little, but there was still that worry in his eyes. "Promise, Sakura-chan. Promise nothing's happening."

"I honestly thought there was no-one who knew me better than you," she told him, unlocking her car with a push of a button on her keys. Taking a step back, she frowned at him, shaking her head. "You, of all people, know how much I love Sasuke-kun and how much I put up with."

"You could've grown tired of him," he tried to reason.

"I'm going," she announced, already sliding into her seat and shutting the door. Seconds later and it was opening again. "Naruto, go away-"

"No."

Idiot! "You can't insinuate that I'm cheating on Sasuke-kun with his brother and demand that I stand around and talk to you." Grabbing the door handle, she looked at his hand before her eyes snapped his and she warned him, "I'm shutting the door. Move your hand or lose it."

It wasn't until she started to move the door that Naruto released it, taking a step back.

She drove off without another word.

Frowning at the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket, Sakura ducked, pretending to fold clothes as she checked the text message. Part of her hoped it would be Naruto, as they'd hardly spoken since their argument outside the Uchiha Manor. It broke her heart realising it was the longest they'd gone without talking and what made it worse was the fact Sakura knew it was because of her own selfishness. It was because of the semi-truth behind Naruto's accusations.

Being back at work sucked. The heat was inescapable, her uniform making it thrice as much so and no matter what part of the store she went to, it was all stale air. Gods, the fitting rooms were the worst and she pitied the poor souls who were stuck in there.

Are you free? – Itachi.

Minutely, her eyes widened, surprise filling her before she quickly tapped out a response, informing Itachi that she was stuck at work until closing.

Before she even had the chance to stand, her phone was buzzing again.

Kurotsuchi-san called. She has the photographs and wishes to meet with us. – Itachi.

She hadn't heard much from the woman – hadn't heard anything, actually. Sakura had assumed that she was busy selecting her favourite photographs and editing them. Had that not been the case? Was she in regular contact with Itachi?

It wasn't any of her business.

Maybe his dating Kurotsuchi would help, she thought after a few moments. It would certainly keep those heat of the moments at bay, since they would never be close enough for that to happen. Then again, Sakura would have thought the fact that she was in a relationship with his younger brother would have done that, since Sasuke was someone they both loved dearly.

Gods, they were awful people.

Had she been avoiding Itachi? Not entirely, but kind of. She hadn't been lying when she told him that she didn't want all that had happened to change their friendship, but it had. There was no escaping that, because there was always, always, going to be something that caused her to need comfort. What if she went to him again? What if he comforted her, like he always did as of late, and it escalated? Itachi said that it was emotional upset, spurred on by the heat of the moment. In her relationship, there were many emotionally upsetting moments.

Damn it, why couldn't she just have self-control? What was it about Itachi that stripped her bare like that? That forced her to confront the ugliest parts of herself?

When? She tapped out.

Standing, Sakura smiled sweetly at her supervisor who suddenly went by, too busy on her phone to acknowledge her properly. It aggravated her that they got away with doing it so openly when the sales assistants (such as herself) would receive disciplinary action if they were caught. Knowing there was no use in raising a dispute, Sakura kept her head down, but like hell she would let them walk all over her. Of course, she didn't use it out in the open, but there were many hiding spots in the store.

While waiting for a reply, she strolled through her given area of the store, pretending to look busy by occasionally organising piles of jeans, putting a couple of them back on their hangers. In all honestly, she couldn't be bothered with her job anymore. There was enough in her savings account to get her through university, should she choose to study in Konoha and once the payment for the photo shoot came in, she would be more than comfortable.

"Sakura."

The harsh calling of her name startled her, back going ramrod as she turned, facing her supervisor. Damn, was the woman a mind reader? Where had she even come from?

"Stop walking around so listlessly," she ordered before gesturing to the lingerie section. "Can't you see they need fixing?"

Lingerie was not her area, she wanted to argue. After they had failed standards due to being understaffed, more people were hired and they were each handed a section of the store at the start of the day. Hers, for that day at least, was jeans. It was the largest section in the entire store, the variety something to marvel at and it was, without a doubt, the most difficult to organise. Everybody wanted jeans, though it took rifling through several different styles to find the perfect pair.

"I was placed on jeans-" she tried to explain, but was rudely cut off.

"I don't care where you were placed – get over there and fix them."

Okay, she was so not paid enough to be spoken down to like that and in response to the woman's demands, she felt herself bristle, anger curling hotly in her stomach. "If my area isn't in good shape when an auditor comes to the store, I'll be the one who's held accountable," she explained patiently.

"Sakura?"

Gods, not now, she wanted to snap at the man who called out to her, but upon glaring over her shoulder at him, she was surprised to find not only Itachi standing behind her, but Sasuke and Naruto, too. What the hell were they doing there? Why were they together? It wasn't her lunchtime was, it? They were always on time since one person being held back from lunch, meant everyone's lunches were suddenly being screwed around with. In the end, someone out of the entire staff on rota for that day, would go without lunch.

A single glance at the clock above the checkouts informed her that her lunch was twenty-five minutes late.

It seemed she would be the one who was going without lunch. Again.

"We were waiting for you outside," mumbled Naruto, his blue eyes narrowing fractionally on the irate woman standing close to her. He knew what went down during each of her shifts, as he was usually the one she ranted to as of late. Before passing her driving test, he was also the one who gave her lifts everywhere. "Your lunch is always at one, right?"

Her heart warmed at the lack of anger towards her in his eyes. Were they friends again?

"You're not going until you've finished the lingerie," her supervisor snapped.

Deep breaths, she warned herself. Making a scene in front of customers, who were already giving them a wide berth, would reflect poorly on the store. "Gin-san, you're being unfair," she told her, keeping her back to the men behind her. Why the hell did they have to be there? They were going to make it worse. "There's only two of us on jeans today and you know how hard it is to keep up with–"

But Gin's dark eyes flashed with an increasing annoyance, making Sakura wonder what the hell had crawled up her ass and died. Minutes before, she'd been frustrated with her phone, sure, but what had caused such an explosion of anger? And why the hell did she find it acceptable to take it out on her?

The woman was in her late twenties and from the day Sakura started, she'd quickly come to the realisation that Gin had anger issues. It got to a stage where customers complained about her, repeatedly leaving poor feedback on the store, which, in turn, brought the rating for the store down as a whole. She'd thought the higher ups of the company would intervene at some point, but apparently they didn't care enough.

"Maybe if you were better at your job," she snarled at her, the sudden harshness of her words taking Sakura's breath away, "instead of flouncing around with men, you wouldn't have this problem-"

"Oi-"

She held her hand up to Naruto and Sasuke, who'd simultaneously interrupted Gin, meeting the gaze of the three men with a warning clear in her own: don't get involved. It wasn't their battle, it was hers. It wasn't their supervisor berating them in front of a store full of customers, uncaring of the humiliation it caused as Sakura heard people snickering at her burning cheeks. It was hers.

And she was so goddamn tired of being a pushover.

"Gin-san, I-" She went to interrupt her, but before she could, Sakura narrowed her eyes, snapping, "Don't interrupt me."

It felt like the entire store fell silent.

She noticed the other poor girl stuck on jeans pop her head up from behind a shelving unit of the cheaper ones, her hazel eyes wide with horror, mouthing, "What are you doing?"

"I have always accepted how you speak to me because I truly believed this job and the money I'm paid was worth it," she told her seriously, calmly. Gods, she was so angry. Her blood was boiling, the air around her feeling thick with tension and there was a faint tremble to her hands. "It's one thing for you to criticise me on my job competency in front of customers, but like hell am I going to stand around while you bring my personal life into it and slut shame me in front of the customers, too."

The silence somehow doubled at her use of the word slut, like it was taboo.

"You-"

She raised her hand again, like that alone could silence her. "I didn't say I was done, did I?"

Behind her, she heard Naruto snicker.

"Just because you're sad, old and single, doesn't mean you can take it out on me," she told her, still speaking calmly, ignoring Naruto's whoop of encouraging. "My boyfriend has come to visit me with his brother and friend during what is supposed to be my dinner break – don't you dare insinuate that I'm in any way promiscuous."

It was obvious Gin was going to lose her shit at any moment, her clenched fists shaking, scowl looking etched into her features.

"How dare you–"

"No, how dare you," Sakura interjected angrily. "I've worked hard for this company for the past couple of years, always picking up the slack and taking extra shifts when you're short staffed."

How long had her argument been building for? Like anyone else, she'd always envisioned the day she would stand up for herself against her tyrant of a supervisor, though always settled for calling the woman harsh names under her breath instead. She'd always lacked the courage to actually defend herself, truly believing she needed the job.

Well, now she didn't.

"I'm done," she said suddenly, chuckling and shaking her head. "I'm done with working for such a bullshit company that'll only turn around and ask me to give something else up after I've already given them everything. I'm done with wasting my days here, where I'm constantly being disrespected and treated like dirt. And I'm done with your bullying ways, Gin-san. I'm done – I've had enough. Find someone else."

The look she was given told her everything the woman thought about her and more as Gin smirked nastily. "You can't quit just like that – you need to work your notice."

Glancing over her shoulder, she gladly accepted the pen and paper given to her by Itachi, the pride in his eyes making her heart stutter, but she was too angry to focus on it for too long as she used the display shelf as a desk, quickly and irritably scribbling two words onto the paper before holding it up for the nearest camera.

"I quit," she announced, tossing the paper at Gin carelessly. "As for working my notice, I think I'll take back all the missed dinner breaks I was owed and never paid for and-"

"You rude bitc-"

When she took a threatening step forward, instincts warned Sakura to move backwards, to put more distance between them as it was definitely about to turn physical.

Instead, she stood her ground and stood tall, refusing to be intimidated even as Gin came nose to nose with her, her dark eyes furious as they darted between hers. It was clear in her sudden pause that nobody had ever stood up to her before, instead backing down since the majority of those working at the store had the same mindset as herself: needing the job, so willing to put up with all the bullshit.

But she was tired of it!

The woman was an inch or so shorter than herself, her unnatural auburn hair parted down the centre, revealing that she had failed to keep up with the dye as her dark roots showed.

"I'm not scared of you," Sakura told her, adrenaline coursing through her veins at the confrontation. That adrenaline only increased at the thought of those behind her watching, witnessing that she was capable of standing up for herself, that she wasn't some helpless pushover who constantly needed defending. "Yell at me all you want, give me the dirtiest look you can, but you're done with making me feel bad."

Gods, it felt amazing standing up for herself.

One of Gin's hands clenched into a fist.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, though otherwise remained unmoved, never looking away from her eyes. "I dare you."

"I wouldn't," Naruto muttered seriously, all traces of humour vanishing. "She'll knock you on your ass."

"And if she doesn't, I sure as hell will."

It took everything in Sakura not to react to the sudden intrusion on her badass moment, her heart feeling like it was beating a mile a minute at the familiar voice that she'd missed so badly. No matter how badly they argued, no matter how much she disrespected her relationship with Sasuke, she would always love her best friend.

"Is that a threat?"

Ino came to stand by Sakura's side, making it difficult to keep the daring expression on her face when all she wanted to do was smile at the blonde and tell her how much she'd missed her. "You tell me."

Realising she was outnumbered, Gin glared around herself, finally deciding she didn't like the audience who were watching with mouths agape, phones in their hands. No doubt it would be viral on the internet – everything was, nowadays.

"Give me your employee badge and get the hell out of my store," she snapped, taking a step back.

It was off her neck in seconds and like her resignation, it was tossed at her. "Gladly."

Without waiting for a response or to watch as Gin picked the badge up from the ground, she spun on her heel, making a beeline for the staff room to collect her stuff and leave. It would have been more dramatic leaving instantly, but she really needed her stuff. Her car keys and purse were back there.

"Oh my Gods," Ino gushed as they left the store, the shopping bags hanging on her arms bashing into other shoppers. She didn't care in the least. "That was amazing."

Her boyfriend didn't look overly pleased, but she paid him no mind, instead smirking at the clap on the back from Naruto, her heart warming at the nod of approval from Itachi.

"I wish I'd done it sooner," she said, smiling.

"Don't go all shy on us now," warned Ino and she slipped the bags from her arms, shoving them into Naruto's hands. He squawked while unwillingly accepting them, awkwardly trying to keep hold of them lest he wished to incite Ino's renowned rage. "Not when the girl I fell in love with is finally showing herself again."

The words warmed and broke her heart all at once and she felt herself becoming emotional. "Ino-Pig," she whined.

"Welcome back, Forehead," she said with a grin, linking their arms together securely.