Hello! I hope you'll like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or any OCCness.

Character age:

Akane, Itachi: 23

Naruto, Sasuke: 17

Shisui: 26

Kakashi: 31

I sighed in pleasure, tilting my head on the side to give Itachi more space. I ran my hands in his back as he took his time kissing me in the neck. We were making out on my bed and he decided to leave my lips to give my neck attention. My lips found his jawline and kissed it, making him shiver.

I blinked at the hardness against my thigh, and he sighed.

"Please ignore it," he whispered to me.

"We didn't...do much…" I stuttered as he went back to kissing and sucking on my neck.

He straightened up, straddling me and glanced at me with a deadpan.

"Do you know when the last time was we did anything?"

"Huh...that time we saw each other in the war?"

"It was in December, it's almost July. You got me used to a certain level of satisfaction regarding this and we didn't do anything in seven months, almost eight. I'd probably get a hard on if you take my hand and smile at me at this point." I chuckled, thinking he was joking. I stopped quickly when his face didn't change.

"Wait, you're serious?" He frowned slightly and nodded. "Do you want to do it th…"

"Yes, of course I want to do it. Masturbation can only do so much." I leaned on my elbows.

"Thinking of me?" He smirked and leaned toward me, his hands on each side of me.

"Who else?" he whispered in a sultry tone, his teeth nibbling on my bottom lip.

"Should we do it then?"

"No." I raised a brow. "I won't be able to fully enjoy it if you're not totally comfortable with me again, so for now, I'm fine with kissing and touching you." He frowned. "But if it bothers you I can deal with it quickly and…"

"I'm...used to it you know." He kissed me and I was pinned to my bed once more, Itachi's hands fondling my body knowingly.

I mean...I did have the feeling he was pacing himself. Our kisses would get more and more heated and passionate and then it was sweet and gentle, with pecks on my whole face. He was restraining himself to go at my pace. I felt really moved, but also annoyed that I was putting him through that. It had been almost eight months after all.

I switched our place, now on all four on him.

"Now you're turning me on on purpose Akane," he said between kisses.

"You can stop me if you don't like it," I retorted with a smirk. My hands went down his chest to his hips. I frowned in the kiss when I felt something hard in his pocket. "What's that?"

"Nothing, don't bother wi…" I pulled it out and was confused at the pack of cigarettes. I shot him a disbelieved look, waving the pack at him. He cleared his throat. "I forgot to tell you I started smoking?"

"You're smoking?" I asked him. "You? Uchiha Itachi? Smoking?"

"Why are you so shocked?"

"I'd expect it from Sasuke, or Shisui, or me, not you. You're…" He raised an expecting brow. "Well you!"

"It was during the war, after you guys left, I was stressed and Shikamaru offered me one so…" I pursed my lips. "I thought I'd stop after the war, but then you were gone, and in a coma, and my clan...I haven't touched one since we got back together."

"It was yesterday," I reminded him sternly. He shrugged.

"So not one today." I rolled my eyes and got off him. "Akane, come on, it's not…"

"You're going to stop, right?" He sighed.

"Yes I will, I know I'm the last person who should smoke anyway but…" I scoffed and threw the pack back at him. "You're not keeping them?"

"As if you wouldn't go buy another if you wanted to, why bother." I pointed at it. "You smoke one, you can't kiss me." He looked plain annoyed. "Stale tobacco is disgusting Itachi!"

"Fine, fine…" He threw it on my nightstand and slid to me, hugging my waist. He kissed my shoulder. "I'll stop, I promise, so can we please go back to kissing?" I opened my mouth when more than one person knocked on my door.

Itachi sighed and laid back on my bed, his face in my pillow. I kissed him on the head and went to the door. I furrowed my brows at the four members of Team Seven.

"Nii-san, I know you're here, come!" Sasuke exclaimed. "It's important!" I just blinked at them.

Itachi was by my side in an instant and was taken back as well.

"Are those…?" I trailed off.

"Flak jackets, yes!" Sakura replied. They were all wearing one, even Naruto and Sasuke.

And Naruto was sad after Obito threw them in an alternate dimension situation to still be a genin…

"We all got war promotions. Sai and I are jounins now."

"I was already a part of the ANBU," Sai pointed out with a fake smile. Sakura waved him off.

"So you guys made it to chuunins?" Naruto made a weird face as Sasuke just smirked smugly.

"Naruto is a chuunin," Sakura confirmed with an awkward smile. She was between the two after all. "Sasuke-kun…" Itachi raised a brow at his brother, who shrugged.

"I did great work apparently, so I went from genin to jounin, like Neji did. And I'm still a part of the ANBU too, of course."

Well, they wouldn't remain genin for the rest of their lives at least.

"Congratulations Sasuke," Itachi congratulated him, poking him on the forehead. Sasuke was just resigned at this point.

"Apparently, that I played a decoy already got me promoted, then Gaara backed the promotion up after Iwa."

"How is giving me heart attacks and headaches promotion-worthy?" I muttered to myself. Sasuke heard me and shrugged.

"Have you told Kakashi-san and Yamato-san?" Itachi inquired.

"Not yet, Naruto wanted to show Akiko-san his jacket but she's not here so we came to tell you." I grinned at them and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"I'm so proud of you!" He grinned, his finger under his nose.

Sasuke cleared his throat. I shot him a quick glance and he returned it, expecting something. I just waved him off.

"I'm your apprentice!"

"Call me 'master' then." Everybody looked at him and he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Hell no."

"Then I don't have anything to say," I shot back with a shrug. Naruto stuck his tongue at him.

"By the way nii-san, Grandpa wants to talk to you."

"Hn." Naru frowned at Itachi, who ignored him.

"Let's go find Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taicho," Sakura suggested, taking Naruto with her. Sai quickly followed.

Sasuke shared a look with his brother and left too.

"Maybe it's best not to make the old man wait," I suggested to Itachi.

"Hn." He was concerned.

"Did Naru talk to you?"

"He doesn't talk to me anymore." Was he...sad about it?

"I talked to him. I asked him to give you a chance." Itachi looked at me. "He accepted." He raised a brow.

"Really?"

"I think he's mainly scared of me not spending much time with him anymore and doing so if I ever get hurt again. I did leave him out of many things, I can't really blame him. He's taking it out all on you." He took my hands in his.

"Maybe we should have told him earlier."

"Maybe, but then he would have been worried over what would happen to me if people found out and still take it out on you." I tip-toed and pecked his lips. "I doubt there was any good moment to tell him." He averted his eyes. "You should go."

"I don't want to, I'm fine here." I chuckled at his pout.

"You don't have to spend all your free time with me, go deal with your grandparents." He looked down at me.

"I want to spend all my free time with you," he whispered against my lips. I put my hand between us when he was about to kiss me.

"It's probably important." He sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

"Fine. But I'm coming back once it's over." I shook my head.

"Sure." He kissed me one last time, taking his sweet, sweet time before leaving.

Indeed, he was back four hours later. I was doing an exercise for therapy after working on some fuin when I heard Mom greeting Itachi.

"She's in the study."

"Thanks Akiko-san."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Nonsense, with what you do to my daughter you won't impose for dinner!" I widened my eyes and crawled on all four out of the study.

"MOM!" I yelled, as crimson as Itachi was. Poor him, he had known my mother for a decade, yet she'd still drop things like that out of sudden, taking everyone by surprise...he clearly did not expect that.

"Akane, you and your brother didn't come from a game of cards, so I know…" she started to tell me, looking at me above her shoulder with mirth-filled gray eyes.

"Oh my God, shut up!" I didn't want to think about my parents having sex, I didn't want her to talk about this in front of my boyfriend, it was just so embarrassing.

But of course, Itachi would take the chance to tease me.

"I apologize, should I have asked you before?" I opened my eyes wide. Mom seemed surprised too, but she waved him off with a grin.

"Don't worry about it, I know how hard it is to control yourself when you're youn…" I slammed the door of the study behind me and went back to the table, burying my face between my arms.

Itachi quietly entered the room, closing the door behind him. He sat down behind me, his legs on each side of me.

"It's so embarrassing," I whined in a muffled voice. He chuckled and kissed me on the back of the neck.

"It is funny once you get over your mother saying such a thing." He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. "What were you doing?"

"Something Inoichi-san asked me to do for next session." I showed him the paper. "I have to write what I did during the war I struggle to accept and check the boxes. Did I deem it necessary, was it actually, do I regret it, and so on and so on." He took the sheet of paper and gave it a quick look. "I think we would all benefit from it."

"Hn." I started filling it, Itachi's cheek against the back of my head. There were some moments where I'd...breathe faster, or start to relive whatever I was writing down but Itachi's warm presence behind me was soothing all of that.

"What did he want by the way?"

"He said he was proud of me for going against the clan's rules."

"Heh?"

"I didn't really understand it either, they both are at odds with the whole clan apparently, but Mother never really talked about it to Sasuke and me. Then he told me they'd be in Konoha for at least three weeks."

"Oh, you'll hangout with them then?"

"We'll see. Actually, he insisted on the fact their house would be empty."

"And?"

"Do you want to go?" I blinked and turned around.

"At your grandparents' house?" He nodded. "Why?"

"To have a weekend away from here, just the two of us."

"Like a romantic gateway?" He poked me on the forehead with a smile.

"Exactly like that."

"Where is it?"

"In the mountain near the Land of Tea. It's very pretty actually, there's a lake hidden in the forest nearby...it's a beautiful place." I put my finger on my lips.

"Just the two of us?" He nodded. "That's quite a walk. If it's two days there it's a four-day trip, just the two of us." He nodded.

"Awful, isn't it?" I chuckled.

"Terrible. I can already hear you sighing at my very bad jokes." He smirked.

"Is that a 'yes' then?"

"It is a yes Uchiha-sama." He groaned and kissed me. "You know you were very hot at the wedding by the way, authority and all…"

"You liked that?" he asked me in his deep, smooth voice.

"A lot...and the suit, and then when you came to find me the jacket was off, like the tie, and sleeves rolled up and…" Itachi raised a brow, tilting his head on the side.

"You really thought that at that moment?"

"Being depressed doesn't mean I'm blind." My eyes traveled from his eyes to his nose, his perfect mouth, to his jaw, his Adam Apple…

"Not that I'm not very happy to see that look on your face after so long," he whispered to me with a teasing smirk. "Your mom in on the other side of that door and you can get loud."

"I never heard you complaining before." He hummed.

"You give a new ring to my name I really love." I turned back around, blushing.

He chuckled and leaned against me once more.

Dinner was awkward, Naru wouldn't stop shooting Itachi glances every now and then but never talk to him. Itachi was clearly on a mission to be appreciated, Mom enjoying the discussion. It was nice, even if Naru would just shake his head, playing with his meal when I'd give him pointed looks.

He bit his tongue when I told them Itachi was taking me away for a few days.

"That is not a house." It was a full-on minka surrounded by trees and flowers. Itachi frowned and looked at it.

"I'm pretty sure it is," he said as if I was stupid. I rolled my eyes.

"I mean, I thought it'd be a small cabin for mountain people!" He raised a brow at me. "Not that your grandparents...I mean...urgh I hate you."

"I just looked at you and listened to you," he droned flatly as he went in the house.

He put his backpack down and walked around, turning things on as I looked around. It was elegant and lavish in spite of the location, everything you'd expect from the Uchiha clan, even if…

Seriously, what was the deal with Mikoto-san's parents? I never heard her mention them either, or Fugaku-san, literally no one.

"Do you want to share a room or…"

"Obviously," I replied immediately.

"I'm giving you space like you asked."

"Don't give me too much." He smiled. "It's too satisfying to push you away if you get too excited." I grinned at his exasperated expression.

"You're the worst." I grinned happily at him, and he poked my forehead before taking my hand, his bag in the other. "Follow me."

"You're not giving me a choice."

"True."

The room was plain, but more than enough. Itachi pulled two single futons from the closet.

"Do we need to go get food?"

"We have meat ready already, and we'll need to see what is in the garden if we need anything." I smirked. "There's no shop ar…"

"Mountain people." He slapped me behind the head.

"They're still my grandparents."

"I'm not hearing you denying it." He rolled his eyes. "Best weekend ever, let's see how long you can keep yourself from telling me to shut u...omph!" He kissed me out of sudden.

"It's not telling you, is it?" he asked me with a victorious smirk. I pouted.

We were quietly talking on the engawa, Itachi telling me some of the few memories he had from the place, when voices could be heard outside.

"It sounds like…"

"It better not," he said coldly. I stood up and went to the front door, opening it to find Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.

I felt Itachi's anger immediately when he stood behind me. He glared at his brother, walked past me, and grabbed him by the shoulder, walking away.

"Why are you here?"

"The guys wanted...some off time?" Sakura tried to explain, as surprised as me to see them. "I didn't know you were there on...are we crashing on a romantic weekend!?" I shrugged.

"Pretty much yes." She glared at Naruto, who was grinning.

"You. Sasuke-kun is already being yelled at, so come with me." Naru tried to grab me to stay away from his teammate, but I stepped back, waving as Sakura took him further away.

My eyes went from Itachi clearly scolding Sasuke, who didn't seem to care, to Sakura on the verge of giving my cousin a concussion.

"You should consider yourself lucky, it's just us three, not the whole team. They were busy." I looked at Sasuke. "Grandma said I could, it's not my fault if they didn't discuss it beforehand!" Itachi was not buying it.

"Look, the house is big, so let's just...share it," I suggested, miffed. Itachi's eyes went wide as he clearly didn't want that, but I shrugged and was tackled in a hug by Naru.

"We're gonna have so much fun!"

"Yeah, we're not spending all of our time together either okay?"

"What if we went to the lake together to have some fun and then we all...go do our own thing?" Sakura suggested before pointing at her teammates. "I'm...not staying with you two all the time, I'll kill you." I got rid of Naru and joined her side.

"Great idea let's do that! Not the killing part, of course."

They agreed, not necessarily happily but they agreed.

Itachi installed his futon and fell on it, on his stomach.

"Come on, it can be fun."

"Hn."

"'tachi…" I kissed his shoulder gently and lay down next to him. "I know they crashed on our time together but…"

"I had the whole weekend planned and they just ruined it," he confessed quietly.

"...you planned things for us?" He nodded; his face buried in his pillow. "You're so cute." He made a sound, a mix between a whine and a groan.

I straddled his lower back.

"Come on."

"Hn."

"Fine then." I got up and grabbed my swimsuit in my belongings. It was a simple two-piece black swimsuit.

I removed my shirt quietly, shot him a look and threw it at his head. No reaction. I did the same with my bra, but nothing. The same went for the rest of my clothes until I was naked. His head was buried under my clothes, but not even the slightest look. I rolled my eyes and put on my bathing suit. When I turned around, Itachi was on his back, examining my panties in his hands.

"Seriously? I literally stripped!"

"I noticed." I glared at him as he put my clothes aside before looking at me. He licked his lips unconsciously.

"Does it look the same to you?" He blinked, looking up at my face in confusion. I turned at ninety degrees. "I mean, some muscle turned to fat since I woke up. I'm going to go back to serious training and a better diet but…"

"You're still perfect to me." I blushed and walked up to him when he stretched out his hand. I took it and plopped down on his lap. He grabbed my waist and squeezed it a little. "You're softer than before."

"Softer? Since when was I soft?" He hummed.

"Always," he whispered, leaning to me to kiss me. I hugged his neck as I kissed him back.

It got heated pretty quickly. Itachi's hands went to my butt and squeezed it, making me moan. Immediately my back met the futon, Itachi keeping me against it. He started to kiss my neck, then to go lower when he stopped suddenly.

"Sorry, I…"

"Don't stop," I murmured, my eyes half-closed.

He didn't do much, but it was enough to turn me on. He wasn't the only one being horny.

"Please don't stop," I repeated.

"Then I won't," he replied with a lustful voice.

He stopped hiding his lust, looking down at me like a starved animal and I was the prey. I put my hand on my mouth to muffle my moans as he sucked on my pulse point, but he removed it, pinning my wrist to the futon. His tongue was more aggressive, his hands more daring. I threw my head back when he started to fondle my breast, quickly pushing my top aside. He gulped and dived toward one of my nipples, taking it in his mouth to suck and nibble it.

"Itachi…" I sighed, my fingers in his hair. He went back to my face and kissed me hungrily. I kissed him just as hungrily and passionately, hugging him close to me.

Someone knocked on the door.

Right, we were not alone.

"Ignore it," he whispered huskily to me. They knocked again.

"Are you ready to go?" I didn't have the heart to do that to poor Sakura though.

Itachi saw it because he sighed and lay down next to me.

"Five minutes!" I told her.

"Okay, we're downstairs!"

"Five minutes is enough," Itachi muttered. I kissed his cheek.

"We can continue this later, get dressed." He looked at me, then my boobs.

"They are a little bigger."

"It's the only good thing." He changed and I put my clothes back on, minus the underwear of course. I hugged him before we left the room. "It can be great, don't pout." He sighed and hugged me quickly with one arm.

"Yes, I hear you."

Naruto chatted all the way up there, dragging me with him by the hand, obviously trying to keep Itachi and I apart. I shot Itachi a look. He was behind, an aloof look on his face and merely averted his eyes when I smiled awkwardly at him. I felt bad.

"Hey, let's jump from there!" Naruto suggested, pointing at a higher point above the lake, from where the stream was falling. We all agreed except Itachi, who sat down under a tree.

We took our clothes off and went there. I shot a quick look down. It seemed higher from here.

Sakura yelped as Sasuke picked her up, ran past me and jumped. I heard Sakura's scream until they touched the water. They resurfaced a few seconds later, Sakura telling Sasuke he was insane and scared her to death.

"Do I get on your back?"

"Yes!" I did and he readied himself to run. "Ready?"

"Sorry in advance for your ears." I tightened my hold on him as he started running.

I screamed too, like Naruto as we were falling. Then it went from hot because it was July after all now to cold as we met the water. Naru let go of me then and we went back to the surface.

"That's...really fun," I admitted with a grin. "The good kind of adrenaline really does the job."

"Again!"

Sasuke said a few words to his brother and joined us. I pursed my lips at Itachi, apparently fine on his own but...I wanted him to have fun too.

"He doesn't want to come," Sasuke told me as Sakura was on Naruto's back.

"Did you come here knowing we were there?"

"...Naruto convinced me." I rolled my eyes and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I know, we ruined your guys' plans."

"Well, you're here, so let's just get along. Itachi told he had planned things, I hope it's nothing too private or anything." He pursed his lips.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Hum?"

"Would you say yes if my brother proposed to you?" I almost choked on my saliva. "It's hypothetical!"

"No!" He widened his eyes. "I mean...I just got out of an engagement with you, I'm not looking to be engaged again and...I don't know, I know marriage is like a natural step in a relationship for most people but...I never saw it as necessary." I furrowed my brows at him. "Why the sudden question?"

"Just wondering where you guys are heading." I sighed.

"I'm tired of people asking this."

"I'm kind of part of this relationship too."

"How so?"

"I've been calling you 'nee-san' since I was seven, there's a reason to it. I figured if I said it enough, Itachi would get the message. He spent years in the friend-zone, that's all." He picked me up. "Our turn."

I held onto Sasuke for dear life. It was fun, like the first time around, but this time I went to Itachi, wringing my hair. He looked at me in faint surprise.

"You looked like you were having fun." I knelt next to him.

"I was, it fills you with adrenaline, it is fun." He didn't seem convinced. "I'm surprised you didn't try to keep me from doing it." He rolled his eyes. "You're fine with me and water then?"

"No," he muttered, annoyed. "But you're having fun, so I don't say anything."

"It changes from your need to control everything in your personal life." He frowned at me.

"What?" I tilted my head.

"You didn't realize? You're kind of a control freak."

"I'm not."

"Itachi, you have OCDs." He shook his head. "Come on, when you get back from mission you get really obsessive about showering and washing your clothes or tidying the apartment." I could see the wheels turning in his mind.

"I never realized. Why didn't you tell?" I shrugged.

"I figured you deserved to have total control on at least one aspect of your life, and the apartment is a safe place, you do what you want to keep it that way." He looked down.

"Am I a controlling partner?" I shrugged.

"Sometimes, like when you think you know better than me how to handle myself. It can be annoying, but I let you do it." He leaned his face in his hands and I leaned on his leg. "Nobody's perfect, there are stuff about me that are annoying. Don't tell me now though."

"I don't want to be a controlling boyfriend," he mumbled, not meeting my eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about it, if you go too far for me, I'll tell you."

"Hn." I kissed him on the cheek and stood up.

"I promise it is fun Itachi, you should try it at least once." He looked at Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke up there. I stretched out my hand at him.

He sighed, admitting defeat and took my hand. Once he was only in his swimming trunks, he followed me as I had his hand in mine. Once at the top, Team Seven now in the lake, he shot it a quick look.

"So I carry you?" I nodded at him. "Do you prefer something?" I shrugged.

"You're doing the heavy lifting, you pick." He picked me up bridal style. I hugged his neck and gave him a quick kiss.

"Don't make me deaf," he whispered to me with a small teasing smirk.

"Huh huh."

He ran and jumped. I did try to contain my voice, so I hugged him tighter instead. We got in the water and went back to the surface a few seconds later. Itachi coughed some water.

"Did you really swallow water?" I asked him with a chuckle. His response was to shake his head, sending water on me.

I jumped on his back, trying to drown him and Naruto yelled 'Fight'. All hell broke loose. It was pretty fun, whatever team that was formed dissolving quickly and it was every man for themselves.

We stayed until the sun started to set, then we went home.

"So, did you have fun?" I asked Itachi, a towel on my shoulder as I was done with my shower. He already had his.

"Yes, I did. Happy?" I nodded eagerly. "You don't have to do that you know."

"Do what? Make sure you're enjoying yourself? Yes I do, whatever you had planned may not happen so I want to be sure you're still having fun." He opened his mouth and I raised a finger. "If you say something like 'as long as you're having fun I am too' I will punch you in the nose." He closed his mouth. "You went through some rough shit too, you can think of yourself too." He had a conflicted look on his face. "Itachi?"

"It's just that…" Naruto knocked on our door, saying dinner was ready. Itachi left quickly, clearly avoiding the conversation.

What the hell was going on? I mean, was he clingy? Yes. After so much time spent apart and his clan, I was expecting this, but it was more even I had anticipated. He really was spending all of his free time with me, making sure all of my needs were met and just pampering me. He usually was like that when I'd come back from a mission, and I was expecting it too but...as I said, it was a little too much, even for him.

He always seemed to restrain himself around me too. We had not had sex yet and I asked him to wait, sure, but there was something deeper he wasn't telling me, most probably because he wanted to take care of me more than himself.

I joined them for dinner nonetheless. I kept an eye on Itachi though, who now was talking with Sasuke. When they came back to us, Itachi wouldn't meet my eyes. I shot an inquisitive look at his brother, who shook his head.

"Okay, what's going on?" I asked him firmly, shutting the door of our room behind me.

"Nothing."

"I see right through you Uchiha, if I did something then tell me!" I had to slip between him and the wall so he'd look at me.

"Can't we just get back to what we were doing before going out and call it a day?"

"...you don't want to talk to me?" It seemed to strike a chord because he gently grabbed my arms.

"No, of course I want to talk to you Akane, it's just…" He sighed deeply and leaned his forehead against the top of my head. "Sasuke...told me you didn't want to get married."

"That's it?" His face turned cold and I widened my eyes. He did say in his letter he wanted to marry me. "I mean...I know you want to get married at some point, but I really was talking about now. Anything that has to do with marriage is not for me right now."

"You said it wasn't necessary."

"I don't know, I always thought people with a strong relationship already had what people usually looked for in marriage!" I explained, scared of where this was going. "I never saw it as essential to see your partner as family or build things with them or…"

"I want to marry you," he muttered, staring at the floor.

"I don't want to go through that shit show again," I admitted to him. "I don't want our relationship to be a show for whoever wants to see it and…"

"Me neither, I just want to marry you and officially make you my family," he said quietly.

"We'll get married then!"

"I don't want you to pity-marry me!" he shot back with a frown.

"I don't care! If it's important to you then we'll...do that one day!" I ran a hand on my face as he stepped back. "Why are we fighting about this now?"

"Because Sasuke told me…"

"No, why are you thinking about this now? We got back together barely a week ago, now you're pissed because I said something about marriage! You're freaking me out!" He blinked. "If there's anyone I would ever marry it's you you dumb ass, but not for years! What, were you going to propose maybe?" He wouldn't meet my gaze and I paled. "Wait, Itachi, don't tell me that…"

He just fled. I swear, if he ever called me a lunatic again I might use this against him.

I went after him, finding him easily as apparently, a tree must have looked at him the wrong way from the fuming mess. Ultimately, I found him sitting on a rock, staring at the night sky.

I carefully inched closer to him, my hands in my pockets.

"Mind if I join?" I asked him shyly.

"Hn." I sighed. I sat on the rock but left some distance between us. There was a long silence between us. It was...very uncomfortable.

"Sorry," we said at the same time. We exchanged a look and I laughed quietly, Itachi cracking a smile.

"What's going on Itachi? I love being with you and I'm more than happy to make up for lost time but…"

"I know."

"It's rushed. Proposing is rushed."

"I know," he repeated, licking his lips. "Trust me I know but...I saw the ring when I walked by the store and just bought it. It's like every single emotion of mine were multiplied by ten."

"What? Since when?"

"A few weeks. I've been having...these weird dreams too…" I frowned. "You're here, and me...and a woman I've never met...and there's one where I spied on you when you were swimming in a pound naked and…"

"I'm sorry what?" He blushed in shame.

"I don't know, I've never done that...but something tells me they're not just dreams."

"How so?"

"I'm wearing an Akatsuki cloak in them. Most of them." I froze.

What? How could that even be…

"When did it start?"

"The day after the first dream I saw you have that mark instead of the Claw." He looked at me with a thoughtful frown. "Whatever you did, could it have impacted him?"

"I mean...maybe. I don't...I don't remember what happened so it's a possibility I guess."

Wait, did it mean old Itachi peeped on me?

"You'd have your own feelings but his as well?"

"I...think…" I breathed out slowly. "And I knew you wouldn't say 'yes' but I just...it's like it was something I've wanted for so long and finally could have."

Did he think about marriage, maybe even kids, before then? It would have been pointless but here…

"It's a lot," I whispered, more to myself than him.

"I'm terrified you're going to leave me." I looked at him in disbelief.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you'd feel left out or something, that I messed up in one way or another and then you'd look for a man who can treat you better than me. I don't understand why you've decided to get back together with me with how I…I treated you so bad with my clan and all of that…I'm so sorry…" I kissed him, just wanting him to stop talking.

"I'm not going to leave you, you're a hell lot of work already." He gulped. "You may have priorities, but it doesn't mean you'll always have the time for them. It doesn't mean you don't have them in mind during whatever it is you're doing. I know you saw a way to fix your clan in me and Sasuke and…it sucked, it sucked and hurt so bad to see you with her but…" I cupped his cheek. "I'm not planning on leaving you, I know what I'm getting into. You're the love of my lives Itachi." He was visibly shaken. The only source of light we had was the moon but I was pretty sure his eyes were getting wet.

I immediately hugged him, his head under my chin.

"We can talk later 'tachi, that's okay," I whispered to him gently. "We can go back and cuddle and fall asleep like that if you prefer." He nodded weakly.

We went back, hand-in-hand, in total silence. We put the two futons together and made the bed together. Itachi even followed me when I went to the bathroom to get ready for bed, looking like a lost puppy.

I really hated this empty expression on his face. I had no idea he was going through...something like this.

"I can be the big spoon if you want," I offered him once we were both under the covers. He just poked me on the forehead. "He…" He hugged me around the waist and shoulder blades, pressing me tightly against him. He even trapped my legs with his. "I love you."

"I love you," he whispered back to me, burying his face in my hair. I heard him take a deep breath.

I took a deep breath, my nose buried in his shirt. His scent was home, there was no doubt about it, but my heart felt heavy. Once I knew he was sleeping by his slow breathing, I raised my head to him delicately, so I would not wake him up. Now my face in front of his, our nose touching and breathing mixing, I caressed his cheek.

"You can break down too Itachi, I'll be there to pick up the pieces like you've done with me my love," I whispered in the silent night.

Itachi never broke. I did to keep going, he just put everything aside and never broke. If he did now...I was afraid of how much pieces there would be.

I just wanted him to be okay. This weekend had taken a turn I wasn't sure how to feel about yet.

Hey! Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter!

Bye!