Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 8: Uncharted Waters

Sakura slept through the day into the evening. Startling awake, her heart beat quickly in her chest. Her dreams had not been pleasant. She could still hear the sounds of crying in her mind, and she had to fight back tears. A hot shower washed away the visions. Readying herself for the clinic, she didn't want to dawdle and keep the staff waiting for her. She made an exception and stopped at Nikoto's ramen stand for a to-go order, getting two orders of ramen for herself and a bowl of broth for Itachi. She wanted him to try and get some kind of nutrients into his body now that his GI tract was healing. Nikoto insisted on giving her order to her on the house. Sneaking a large tip into his little jar when his back was turned, she thanked him and finished the walk to the clinic.

Yanagi had left already so one of the nurses filled her in on the day's events. Itachi was still stable and resting much to her delight. After quickly slurping down one of her bowls of ramen at her desk she headed to his room. His steady gaze was on her as soon as she walked in. Instinct caused her to look away before she caught herself. Sakura forced herself to look him in the eyes as she reminded herself again he was no longer her enemy.

"Hello," she greeted as cheerfully as she could.

"Sakura-san, good evening," he politely answered, watching her as she approached him. It still unnerved her just how much he looked like Sasuke, no matter how she tried to avoid thinking about it. The shape of his face. The color of his eyes. The pallid skin. The curve of his mouth when he gave her the smallest of smiles in greeting. She caught her stomach doing a little cartwheel inside of her and she mentally kicked herself, thankful she was wearing a mask. Sakura smiled with her eyes, trying to keep thoughts of the younger Uchiha brother from her mind.

"The nurse told me you had a much better day today. How are you feeling right now? Are you in any pain?"

"A little, yes. In my abdomen." That was expected. She hadn't had a chance to work on the ulceractions yet, and her analgesic chakra would have worn off by now. Even though he was receiving intravenous pain medication, she knew it must be uncomfortable.

"My plan for tonight is to take care of all those ulcers. That will help the pain. I'd like to get you eating, too. I picked up some broth from our ramen shop; something light. As the others probably already explained to you, your tissue and blood cultures will take a few days to incubate before we can start testing them, so in the meantime we're going to keep gearing up to be safe," she said as she pointed at the gown and mask she wore with her gloved hands. In her nervousness, her clinical mode kicked in and she couldn't stop her rambling. "Protozoal infections aren't usually airborne, but just in case you might also have a secondary infection, it's best we don't cause an epidemic." She laughed a little at that, trying to lighten the mood, but Itachi just gave her one of those unnerving blinks. She cleared her throat. "Once those cultures come through we'll know exactly what's going on and then we can narrow down your treatment." She pointed at the little bag of antibiotics that was empty, still hanging on the IV pole. "That's a broad-spectrum medication, meaning, we can't be certain it's going to kill off whatever bugs you have creeping around inside of you and their spores, especially since both Yanagi-sama and I aren't familiar with it. But once we run the tests we'll be able to narrow it down and figure out which medication to switch you to." Silence stretched uncomfortably between them. Sakura didn't know if she should repeat herself.

"Sounds good," Itachi finally acknowledged with another languid blink. She knew he wasn't uneducated and understood everything she said to him, but the way he just stared at her as if he didn't grasp a single word she spoke made her want to fidget. God, this is awkward, she groaned to herself.

"Right… uh… I'm gonna get to work if that's okay?" He nodded and she stepped closer. Now that he wasn't on the verge of death, it felt too intimate to just sit on the edge of the bed like she normally would with her patients for the sake of her back. She opted to stand beside him and raise up the bed to accommodate her height. This time her clinical mode had a hard time kicking back into gear, that heavy stare unnerving her. Suddenly she felt thirteen years old all over again, training under Tsunade and experiencing the medical world for the first time. Clearing her throat again, she made herself meet his gaze. "I'm going to begin," she informed, her voice sounding loud in her own ears. If he caught on to her nervousness he didn't show it, and she was silently thankful. Closing her eyes, she lit her hands with chakra.

Manage his pain first, she thought to herself as she mentally walked through the process. She washed her chakra down the walls of his intestines, and he relaxed into the bed. Lungs next, she decided. Whatever bug he had, it had damaged his lungs again since her previous session, but just in a few small spots. She urged them to heal with her chakra before working on them as a whole. I'll recheck all his injuries now, and make sure they're healing properly. Thankfully they were; she was glad to see each wound was still progressing well, nearly flawless. Saved the hardest for last. The next task was to address the ulcerations that riddled his GI tract. It would take time to go inch by inch to find each ulcer and heal them.

"Well, everything's looking good so far," she said as she leaned back for a moment, trying not to think about how stuffy she felt in the isolation gown and mask. She looked up in time to see him open his eyes. Each time she saw the deep blue and not red and black, relief she could not help flooded through her. He just watched her aloofly, patiently waiting for her to continue. For as much as he looked like his brother, Sakura was realizing how different they were in their mannerisms. Itachi was quiet, polite and unbothered. Sasuke had been cocky and borderline disrespectful, rarely using honorifics. Always exasperated with the world around him. Always watching with that subtle predatory gleam in his eyes. Everyone and everything was an obstacle to his goal. But Sakura remembered just how volatile those eyes currently watching her could become when the occasion called for it. A tiny shiver trickled down her spine. Focusing back on her task, she cleared her throat. "I'll get started on the ulcerations, now." Itachi's answer was a blink and the slightest of nods.

As the minutes drug on and her back began to ache from leaning over him to hover her hands above his abdomen, Sakura did her very best to not let her mind wander. Healing the ulcers was actually not all that difficult, simply tedious. She soon got into a routine that let her go on auto-pilot. Normally the silence never bothered her, but currently it was pressing in on her in a suffocating way. The beeps and their breathing and the slight rustle of cloth as she fidgeted were steadily driving her mad. She knew it was because her patient was Uchiha Itachi and not just another villager. Sakura longed for something to fill the tense silence. Maybe it was because she knew he was awake by the cadence of his breathing. It'd be different if he were asleep. Licking her lips behind her mask, she dredged up all her courage and braved the new uncharted waters of their tenuous relationship.

"Itachi-san?" she asked, impressed at how steady her voice sounded.

"Yes?" His tone was dismissive, but she knew if he didn't want to talk to her he'd simply feign sleep and ignore her. "Is something wrong?" he asked when she hesitated, his voice still disinterested, but she felt the subtle spike of his heart rate, betraying his concern.

"No, no, sorry, nothing's wrong," she quickly assured, fumbling over her words. "I just… Umm… I…" She suddenly felt stupid, her mind drawing a blank. He's just a man, Sakura. Just a person. Talk to him, you idiot. She was glad she had her eyes closed to visualize his insides better, not wanting to know what his face looked like at the moment while he waited for her to speak. Latching on to the first thing that crossed her mind, she all but blurted out: "Will you tell me about Kakashi-senpai?" She tried not to cringe, but the silver haired ninja popped into her mind, and she knew they had a history together in ANBU.

"Kakashi?" he repeated. "Well, he was my senior in ANBU. I was assigned to his squad and we worked together for a while." She could hear a little nostalgia as he spoke.

"What was he like back then? He was always so lackadaisical, so carefree, until…"

"Until he wasn't," Itachi finished for her. Sakura nodded her head, memories bombarding her mind. It still gave her chills remembering that switch he made from an unbothered sensei she thought had no business being a shinobi to the deadly S-rank weapon he truly was during their first big mission to the land of waves.

"Kakashi was a different man in his ANBU days… I hardly think you'd recognize him. The loss of his mentor and friends had changed him to the point that he was reckless with his own life. The Fourth Hokage enlisted him into ANBU because of his potential, but such trauma and emotional burdens, coupled with the nature of work that the ANBU dealt in, only placed a heavier burden on his shoulders. As I understand, it was The Third Hokage who retired Kakashi from ANBU after the…" His words trailed off. After the Uchiha Massacre. He didn't have to say the words aloud for her to know that's what he referred to. He carried on as if unperturbed. "I was interested in him because of his reputation, but mainly because of the Sharingan Obito gifted him. It always amazed me how well he handled it, having not been an Uchiha himself. I was glad to know he left ANBU… it did not suit him." Sakura was glad, too, otherwise he'd never become her sensei. "I remember how happy I was the first time he praised me for my abilities." She could hear a slight smile in his voice as he said those words, but she wasn't brave enough to risk a glance at his face. "He was brutally honest, but genuine. He did not placate my ego like my clan had. Like my father had." She thought she heard bitterness creep into his voice but she couldn't be sure.

"Kakashi-senpai was never one to give out praise flippantly," Sakura agreed with a chuckle. "I know exactly how you feel. Did you ever get to see-" she started to ask before she could help herself, but then she clamped her lips shut. It surprised her how comfortable she'd grown in the small span of their reminiscing. The slightest chuff of air came from Itachi, and she couldn't help but peek open her eyes to look at his face. Though he still looked as aloof as he always did, she saw the tiniest twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

"See behind the mask?" he finished again for her. Sakura stared expectantly at him, ignoring how easily he seemed to finish her thoughts. "No. Not once." Sakura deflated, and then laughed quietly.

"When we were still just kids - Team 7 - we would go to such lengths to try and get that damned mask off." She shook her head as she laughed again. "We'd spend entire days trying to trick him, but he was always too clever for us. I remember one time, Naruto and Sasuke-kun, they-" she stopped abruptly and looked at him hesitantly, feeling a bit mortified with herself. This time his face softened a fraction.

"Please… Continue." The unspoken words hung between them. He wanted to hear about Sasuke. About the little brother that he so dearly loved. Sakura's heart constricted in her chest, but she carried on with her story. Trying not to be hyper aware of his reactions, she focused on her healing again as she talked, but risked glances at his face from time to time. It was still so novel to her to sit and talk like this with him. Yet, as strange as it was, Sakura slowly found herself growing more interested in Itachi. Just what kind of man was he? What else did he cherish as fiercely as his little brother? As Konoha? Of course, it was far too early in their relationship to ask, but she studied him beneath her lashes, trying to learn about this new comrade of hers little by little.

Sakura continued her routine of staying at the clinic overnight with Itachi while the rest of the staff went home to sleep. It wasn't ideal. She disliked her temporary nocturnal schedule after two years of rising with the sun, but there was no getting around it. Whether it was a blessing or a curse that Itachi was on a similar schedule, Sakura couldn't decide. On one hand it allowed them to talk freely without suspicion during the long night hours. On the other hand… Well, it allowed them to talk. She was doing her damndest to bridge that gap between them in order to form a rapport, and she knew the only way to build that relationship with him was to get to know him better.

To his credit, Itachi did his best to be social with her and she couldn't deny that he was actually quite pleasant company when his eyes weren't displaying his kekkei genkai and he wasn't trying to kill her, falsely or not. The largest hurdle she was trying to overcome was his resemblance to Sasuke, which liked to torment her at the most inopportune moments and make her body react in ways wholly inappropriate for a patient-medic relationship like theirs. It was no different tonight.

In an attempt to get him to ambulate, Sakura started to get Itachi out of bed the same night she healed his ulcers. He readily agreed, eager to stay active despite his illness. They started easy, getting him up and sitting in a nearby chair. Even that had been a small feat for his ailing body. The past handful of days laying in bed coupled with his illness was taxing on him, she knew, but he was determined to not let himself waste away. Again, it was strange to see him incapacitated thusly when she'd only known him to be exceptionally strong. But being ill, fighting until he was practically on death's door, making a mad dash to Hougyoku, and then having his disease aggressively flare up put his body through tremendous stress.

He was actually making great progress and had graduated from the chair to doing laps around the room, steadily adding more when she or the daytime staff got him up and moving. His goal for tonight was just ten laps, but he wanted to up the ante and aim for fifteen. Sakura obliged him, and she currently walked beside him as he held on to his IV pole for support. About to start his fourteenth lap, she was ready to reach out for him should he threaten to waver. There'd be no falls on her watch.

"Doing okay?" she asked for what seemed like the hundredth time as he put one foot in front of the other, his face a stoney mask of concentration and resolve. Itachi just nodded sharply. "Let's finish this lap and call it good for now," she suggested as she glanced at his white knuckle grip on the metal pole. He just nodded again. Slowly he made his way around the room once more, Sakura helping to make sure none of his lines got caught on anything, until he came back to the bed.

Typically he didn't need help to sit back down, so she patiently waited for him to do so. But one moment he was standing and the next he took a stumbling step forward. Out of instinct she closed the distance between them. His chest connected squarely with her right shoulder and she wrapped her arms about his waist. Luckily she had the quick judgment to channel some chakra down into her feet, planting them firmly on the ground so they wouldn't topple over. He was a head taller than her and even if he had lost weight he was still much heavier than Sakura, but she would not drop him. She felt as his hands came to grip her shoulders as she pushed him upright, ignoring the hot breath that fanned her right ear and her racing heart. He shakily pushed himself away from her, and she looked up to catch his eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked concernedly, trying not to think about the warmth of his body so close to her own. He took a deep breath before his eyes swept down to hers. This close she could see her reflection in his onyx blue gaze, his face mere inches from her own. "Itachi-san?" He gave her another small nod before his eyes left hers, looking down at his hands still on her shoulders. He quickly let go of her and leaned back into his full height, but she still had her hands on his waist. Clinical Sakura was still activated, and she didn't want him to fall.

"I'm fine," he answered her after another shaky breath. "I just got a little light headed - that's all." Unconvinced, Sakura continued to look up at him as her hands came to rest on his chest, worried he might fall a second time. She didn't notice how stiff he'd become beneath her touch.

"Your body is still under a lot of stress from your illness. You've gotta take it easy." She felt guilty for indulging him earlier and letting him take those extra laps. He averted his eyes from hers, but he gave her a nod in understanding. She knew he was trying to prepare himself for the future. For facing Hakumei. But, they still hadn't even figured out a proper diagnosis for him. And damn if that didn't remind her of Sasuke and his fierce determination. The high standards he set for himself. As she stared up at him, it once again struck her how much Itachi looked like him, and a sense of deja vu hit her hard. How many times had she looked at Sasuke with worry on her face while he did everything in his power to not meet her eyes, just like Itachi currently was? But where the younger had always appeared irritated, the elder just looked uncomfortable.

It dawned on her that she had her fingers still splayed against his body as they stood toe-to-toe, Itachi ramrod straight and refusing to look at her. Heat rose inside her, mottling her neck in a slightly rosy tint that she knew had nothing to do with how stuffy her gown made her feel. Immediately she snatched her arms back as if she'd been burned, and she took a step away that was anything but casual. Her heart made a ridiculous little leap in her chest. She told herself it was from the shock of the moment as she cleared her throat. Sakura was once again grateful for the mask she wore as it hid at least half of her face from view, but it didn't hide the embarrassing look in her eyes. She cleared her throat a second time.

"Let's get you back in bed," she suggested in a rush of words, trying to let her clinical mode take control again. This time, Itachi sat down without any complications, and he was soon settled. The strong desire to make a dash for the door was overruled by her concern for him. Palms sweaty inside her gloves, she made herself look at his face. "I'm gonna do a quick assessment, make sure everything looks okay in there."

"Of course," was his monotone reply. Any sign of discomfort from the incident he had shown was now gone, and his expression was as blank and indifferent as it usually was. It helped Sakura settle her own nerves before she leaned over him and lit her hands with chakra. Either he wasn't as fazed by it as she felt, or he simply wanted to pretend that little event hadn't happened. She was perfectly content to do the same if it was the latter. Kicking herself mentally until she knew she had the equivalent of a mental bruise, Sakura chastised her behavior. He's just another patient, Sakura, she berated. Stop acting so damn nervous around him. Just treat him like you would any other patient. Steeling herself, she did her assessment. Determined to not let her nerves get the best of her, she attempted conversation.

"The samples I took will begin testing tomorrow," she informed him. The daytime staff were likely keeping him updated, but she needed something to grasp on to to diffuse her nerves and fill that silence between them.

"That's exciting news," Itachi replied after a moment, his tone of voice still detached. Sakura peeked a look at him. Usually during her assessments he'd lay with his eyes closed. She was surprised to see him staring fixedly up at the ceiling, hardly blinking. But, as always, it was hard to tell what thoughts were on his mind by his disinterested expression.

"Very exciting," she agreed. Itachi did not respond and she drew a blank on how to continue. She bit down on her bottom lip, taking advantage of her mask concealing her mouth. A few more minutes passed until she finished her assessment. Leaning away, she looked to see him still staring up at the ceiling. "Looks good. How are you feeling?"

"All things considered, I feel okay," he answered, looking her way for a brief moment before looking back to the ceiling. "Just tired." Sakura couldn't be sure if that was his way of saying he wanted her to leave or not, but she took it as a cue.

"All right. I'll let you get some rest then. Call if you need anything," she reminded him, pointing at his little call light button. He made a sound of acknowledgment. Once outside his room, Sakura went to sit at the nurse's station down the hall and plopped her face into her hands. A habit, she mused momentarily, she was practicing more and more these days. Taking a deep breath, Sakura refrained from groaning.

"That wasn't awkward at all," she mumbled to herself as she rubbed at her face, hoping to rid the memory of her hands on his chest from her mind; she had all but felt him up. A small, muffled wail escaped the back of her throat despite herself as she cringed. "Ugh." She prayed for no more embarrassing moments.

The tissue samples and blood cultures they collected were ready for testing the next morning. When she returned that evening, Sakura was thrilled to find that they discovered Itachi had no secondary illness. They were able to take him off airborne isolation and move him into a different room. Unfortunately, the tissue sample tests were so far inconclusive and they were no closer to finding an answer. Sakura tried to remain patient. It was too soon to get discouraged. Still, they needed to know what bug in particular infected him, otherwise there was no sure way of killing them, and the spores, all off. Itachi continued to show surprising patience and faith in her and the clinic staff.

Because he no longer needed to be in the airborne isolation room, they moved him to a room across from the nurse's station. Sakura could sit there at the desk and see him through his open door. It made it nice to be able to sit and talk with him without having to wear a stuffy iso-gown. It also let him bear witness to her attempts to solve the mystery of his infection with her own methods. Sakura had shuffled her way into the clinic the next evening, her arms full of large books. She had gathered all the medical texts she owned to try and find some answers of her own while the clinic staff continued to run their tests during the day and she performed her own at night. From his room Itachi watched her, his expression a bit bemused, as she set down her heavy load at the nurse's station with a grunt. Pushing her long hair out of her face, she looked up to see him watching her and she gave him a little grin.

"Hello," she breathed out as she unceremoniously fell into a chair. He gave the same respectful greeting he always did when she first arrived before looking at her stack of books. She followed his gaze and grinned a little wider. "Figured I'd look for answers on my own," she answered his inquiring stare as she reached over and patted the top book on her stack. Itachi inclined his head in acknowledgement. At his side on the little hospital nightstand, he had a smaller stack of books Yanagi had brought him. Sakura knew he greatly appreciated it by how consumed he was with them, having read through one book already since Yanagi loaned them to him two mornings ago. One sat bookmarked on his bedside table, waiting for him to continue.

"I see," he answered as continued to stare at the stack. Many of them bore the Konoha Leaf symbol. The sight of it was surely bittersweet for him, just as it was for her, but neither mentioned anything about the sigil.

Sakura performed her start of shift assessment and gave him his evening dose of antibiotics after a nurse came and gave her a quick report. The nurse handed her a stack of papers from their lab technicians that would provide her with their data from their testing that day. Soon after, the remaining clinic staff left until it was just Sakura and Itachi once more. A few hours passed as Sakura sat scouring through her books while Itachi read his own. Eventually, he politely asked for some of the light soup Yanagi's wife had made for him. Sakura went to run a quick test in their lab after she brought Itachi his meal, returning to the nurse's station an hour later in a cloud of defeat. A soft growl of annoyance left her mouth as she sat.

"Sakura-san?" she heard Itachi ask. She grunted to let him know she heard him. "Could you use your ninjutsu to kill all the parasites?" Itachi inquired a moment later. Sakura turned a baleful stare at him before fixing her expression into something less menacing, trying not to take her annoyance out on her patient.

"I'd love to," she sighed as she placed her elbow on the desk and rested her chin in her hand, "but it's the spores that pose the biggest problem. They're tiny and difficult to visualize with my chakra. And there's a lot of them. I'm afraid I would end up doing more damage than good in the end." Itachi made a sound of understanding, surely put off by that information, but he didn't show it. With another soft growl of frustration, Sakura dropped her head until her large forehead gently smacked against the open pages of her current text. She missed the amused look Itachi wore. "I'm better suited at dealing with poisons and battle wounds, not parasites. The infections we see here in Hougyoku are common and easy to treat…" She trailed off, but then realized she was being negative again. Catching his gaze, she sat up. "But, I will find an answer. I promise you." Even if I have to leave the village to find it, she said to herself, but she did not say it aloud, hoping she wouldn't have to go that far. She wanted to have as much faith in herself and the staff as Itachi did. She just needed to keep scouring the books and trust that she'd find the answer soon.

"I'm certain you will," Itachi reassured her. Sakura smiled briefly, grateful for his optimistic attitude, before she hunkered down and dove back into the pages of her text.

A few more days passed and Sakura and the team were no closer to finding an answer to the mysterious protozoan infesting Itachi's body. Sakura logged countless hours into reading her medical books, but nothing. Twice she thought she had finally found the answer, but something wouldn't match in the end and she was back to square one. Itachi even offered to help if he could, but as smart as he was, the medical field was not his forte. Sakura appreciated the offer but she wanted him to focus on his recovery.

"No luck, then?" Itachi asked one evening from where he lay in bed, enjoying another soup recipe Yanagi's wife had thoughtfully prepared for both Sakura and him. Once again she was pouring through the pages of another medical book from Yanagi's own small collection, a pinched look on her face as she read. She glanced up to see him drinking soup from his bowl through the open door. Her dour expression evaporated and her lips pursed around a little grin as she watched him eat. He all but inhaled it, not even bothering with the spoon. Having had some earlier she knew how delicious it was. A bento sat on the table near him, tied up in a handsome cloth. She had her own waiting for her in the breakroom. It made her incredibly happy to see his appetite returning with such a gusto.

"None so far," Sakura grumbled, but Itachi gave no sign of disappointment.

"All in good time then," he replied, but Sakura pursed her lips again and gave a look that said 'I guess so'. Leaning back in her chair, she cracked her back and made a soft groan before slumping forward. Itachi watched her with that enigmatic gaze of his. She felt her pulse quicken in response. As always, she wished she could decipher his thoughts and know what he was thinking, his face always so damned difficult to read. Unlike her own. Sakura was well aware that she had trouble keeping her emotions from showing; she was like an open book. Averting her gaze as she grew unnerved under his intense regard, she glanced down at the text again. Sakura instead focused her thoughts on what she had been trying to avoid. With the way their tests had been progressing and her own attempts futile, she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds before sitting straight again with resolve in her eyes.

"I think I'm going to have to make a trip to the capital. Do some research." The way she said it made it obvious that this was a last resort decision. With Hakumei looking for her it would be dangerous going to such a large city, but if she couldn't find the answers here, then she would have to start looking someplace else. By the capital she meant Tenshu. It was the most industrialized and advanced city in these parts. Surely there would be more hope there than in this little village.

"When will you go?" he asked curiously. It sounded like he wanted to go with her but they both knew that that was out of the question due to his condition. Sakura was finally getting comfortable sitting with him and making conversation without being on edge the entire time. The idea of traveling with him so soon was too much to bear.

"Tomorrow. You're stable enough now that I can risk leaving for a day. I'll sleep here tonight and leave once Yanagi-sama comes." He nodded his head.

"Tomorrow, then." She made herself smile. His apathetic expression made it hard to get a good read on how he felt about this announcement. Surely happy if it meant Sakura could find the answer to the mystery of his infection. Fetching her bento, the two shared their dinner together, Sakura rolling her chair closer to the doorway of his room, the box in her lap.

"Have you been to Tenshu before?" he asked as they ate. It wasn't often he struck up a conversation first. She took it as a good sign that he was growing more comfortable around her.

"I've been a handful of times with Yanagi-sama. We've gone to a few conferences. Once we went to appeal for a grant so we could get some equipment for the clinic. He has a lot of colleagues there. A lot of connections. His son lives there, too… Have you?" He shook his head no.

"This is the farthest north I've ever been," he admitted. "But I've heard a lot about Tenshu from others."

"I'd imagine so," she said with a little laugh. Tenshu was well known as the capital of Tanisoko - the country Hougyoku resided in, a large land many times bigger than even the Land of Fire. "Yanagi-sama studied there in his youth. It's where all the students go in these parts for higher education." A wistful look played across his features for a moment. Another life, another dream - that faraway look said. Sadness swept over her for him and his lot in life, trying to devour her. Pushing through that grief, she swallowed her nerves and tread upon uncharted waters once more, trying to keep the conversation flowing and learn a bit more about him. "Have you… ever thought about what you'd do in life if you hadn't been born a shinobi?" His eyes refocused back on hers and she watched him as casually as she could. She was sure the expectant look she wore was anything but casual.

"I haven't given it much thought," he answered, and she felt a pang of disappointment lance through her. Either he was speaking the truth or he wasn't comfortable enough with her yet to share such whimsical fantasies.

"Oh," she muttered as she looked away, trying to hide her disappointment. She chuckled and motioned around herself with a wave of her hand, her chopsticks cutting lazily through the air. "I think I'd still end up here, working in the medical field," she told him as she tried to dispel the awkward silence before it could form. "I can't really picture myself anywhere else." Itachi rewarded her with a little smile.

"It suits you well," he agreed. "You are," he paused as he thought about his response, "very dedicated and strong-willed."

"Strong-willed?" she parroted back as she lifted a brow. "Should I be offended or was that a compliment?" she tried to tease, unable to help herself. Thankfully Itachi made that little smile of his again.

"A compliment, of course." She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not, but there was that slight twinkle in those dark eyes again. Sakura was recognizing that it was his subtle way of showing his amusement. It made her grin. He is definitely teasing me, she thought with a laugh to herself.

"Hmm," she retorted as she took another bite, trying not to smile like an idiot. It made her stupidly happy that their rapport was slowly strengthening to the point that they could start to have conversations like these. That she could even tease him a bit, even if they still had a long way to go. But as each day passed, it was nice to know that Uchiha Itachi was just a human like anyone else, and she was slowly learning the subtleties of his demeanor. After finishing their dinner, Sakura did one more assessment before telling him she was going to get some rest.

"I'll be in the room next door," she said, pointing to the room to the right of his. Sakura bade him goodnight and made for the room, kicking off her sandals before getting into the not so comfortable medical bed. It was better than nothing, and she couldn't just leave Itachi overnight alone. She smiled as she lay there staring up at the ceiling, thinking about how hectic her life had become in such a short time. How one man could alter the fate of one little village so much. Not for the first time she mused at the knowledge that everything the clinic staff had done to keep Itachi alive would affect so much more than they could possibly wrap their minds around. They had no idea that saving one man's life could potentially mean that they could keep theirs, and she prayed that they'd never have to know it.

Author's notes: For my original followers, I hope you're enjoying the revamp. As you can see, not much has changed so far. I wanted to correct some mistakes I made when I first wrote this all those years ago, and really just expand on Sakura and Itachi's growing companionship.

To my new readers, hello and welcome and thank you for reading my little story. :) I appreciate all your likes and follows and comments ️

Also, If I get anything wrong about the Naruto universe or you think I'm forgetting something, feel free to let me know!