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6 Years Ago

Konoha Village

When Sakura was twelve she failed her first chunin exam. It had cut like a deep wound

somewhere inside her. Sasuke was in the hospital and Naruto was sulking. Kakashi had smiled at

them all with his one eye but something about his expression had rung false. Sakura wasn't sure

she ever wanted to read beneath the underneath again if it left her with that sick sensation in

her stomach when she realized how disappointed Kakashi was that she was with herself.

Her feet took her to a familiar bridge and she had sat down, letting the late noon sun warm the

back of her neck. She didn't want to be home. Her parents weren't shinobi so they didn't

understand how devastated she felt they hugged her, kissed her, asked her to pick up her

room and went on about the day as if nothing happened. Fingers curling into her hair, she had

sat in silence until a morose Naruto joined her. Somehow she found the strength to talk to him

and somehow they ended up playing cards until it was too dark to see.

She had no idea where he had hidden the deck of cards or why he had them when he was so

terribleat cards. He didn't really understand the strategies any better than he did on a battlefield

and his tactic of charging right through their enemies didn't work here. Somehow she managed

to find the patience to slowly and carefully walk him through the basics of a few simple games.

It was almost evening the second day when they met at the bridge to play cards while they

waited for Kakashi to show up when Sasuke joined them. They were shielding their cards from

the wind with their bodies, bickering about the rules when Naruto looked up and grinned.

"Oi! Teme! Come and join us! I've finally gotten where I can beat Sakura-chan and your next!"

Sakura took a great deal of pleasure in slapping him hard enough against the back of his head

that her hand stung. Sasuke just scowled at them, jamming his hands into his pockets, his

shoulders hunched. There was an expression in his face that had Sakura setting her cards down,

her stomach going cold.

"We're being disbanded tomorrow."

"WHAT?" Naruto shot to his feet, his eyes wide.

Sakura kept herself still with only a great deal of effort. Her voice, when it came out, was very

small. "Sasuke-kun?"

He shrugged his shoulders, the motion jerky. He averted his eyes. "I'm sure Kakashi will tell us

tomorrow."

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"That's stupid! How can they disband us! We just got started!" Naruto's fists were clenched at his

sides, his knuckles white.

"Doesn't matter. We're all being sent our separate ways."

"Where?" Sakura asked quietly, her eyes wide. "We're not even chunin." 'We need to be a team

to be chunin!'

He shrugged again, eyes shaded by his bangs. "The Clan has decided I need more specialized

training. I don't know what they're doing with you two."

"The clan?"

She stared at him with wide eyes trying to understand. She had known that Sasuke was under

the pressure of his family to succeed, but she whose family wasn't shinobi and Naruto who was

an orphan, had always been mildly jealous of having people who understood what they weregoing through. Except nowhe was saying that those people didn't want him on their team

anymore. Somehow she had thought that Sasuke would just receive a pat on the head and

admonishment to do better next time.

She hadn't expected his clan to respond like this.

"Your clan doesn't want us to be on the same team anymore so we're not?"

"Officially we're just getting specialized training." Sasuke said flatly. "I'm going to be training

with Kakashi."

Sakura wondered if it was possible to hurt that much from a single sentence. It was like the

failure of the exams was being ground into her skin so everyone could see it.

They weren't good enough for the Uchihas.

"That's stupid!" Naruto shouted, stalking forward. "We're Team 7! How can you let them just pull

us apart like this!"

"It's what the clan wants," Sasuke snapped back, shoulders straight, eyes slowly bleeding red. "I

can't do anything about it."

Sasuke's look was defiant. For the first time Sakura saw exactly how hard what had happened in

the forest was on Sasuke. Being saved by his brother and now being told that they weren't good

enough by his family Sasuke's confidence had taken the same hit hers had, but instead of

dealing with it he was simply letting his clan steer him in a different direction.

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They weren't good enough. Sasuke wasn't good enough for his clan, she wasn't good enough

and Naruto wasn't good enough for Sasuke. Sakura curled her fists together and got angry. How

could a single family have so much power over a situation? She didn't care that they ran the

police and that Sasuke's brother was so good he could take on monsters in the forest and walk

away from it without more than a scratch.

Sasuke was theirs!

"So you'rejust leaving?"

Sasuke turned away from them and started to walk. "The clan has already decided, Sakura. It's

over."

She remembered Hyuuga Neji's face as he fought his cousin and Hinata's stubborn, frightened

refusal to back down. She remembered the words "fate" and "destiny" and how Naruto had

fought through both. Slowly she turned her eyes to Naruto, staring at him, wondering what he

would do. His hands were still clenched, jaw flexing in anger and his eyes were narrowed to slits.

"They can't do this. I won't let them do this!" He took off after Sasuke, shouting his name as

loudly as he could.

She lowered her eyes to the cards being blown about by the wind. Slowly she reached out and

began gathering them back into the deck. Patiently, carefully she worked her mind racing. She

had always thought 'clan' was just another word for 'family'. Kiba always seemed to so happy

with his and Sasuke had always spoken with a firm sort of pride in his eyes, but now she wasn't

certain. Family to her meant comfort and love and a place to hide when things got hard. Clan

clan meant her teammates were leaving her because Sasuke hadn't met expectations that

weren't his own, meant that Sasuke was willing to just walk away from them because they were

'holding him back' from reaching those expectations, meant that she was alone when she had

been whole before

Sitting there, on the bridge listening to the echoes of the past year whistle through her ears she

felt very, very small.

X

Present Day

Konoha Village

When Itachi had 'kidnapped' was such a crude term, since the last way he thought of Sakura

as was a child abductedSakura from underneath the Team 7's collective nose, he had done so

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fully anticipating a fall out. Team 7 was one of the few genin teams which had remained together

in its entirety despite the layers of rank. They were notoriously protective of each other.

Laying down the gauntlet as he did had served two purposes. The first was to throw his

opponents off balance, the second, as everyonekept informing him, provided him an opportunity

to deal with the fact that Sakura was on his little brother's team. It appeared that he would need

to make certain aspects very clear.

He had not anticipated that they would respond so quickly, but Itachi found himself both

unsurprised and unimpressed. So impatient. He hadn't even made it home yet. Sasuke appeared

in front of him while the blond teammate flickered into existence behind him.

"Aniki," Sasuke said, his voice impassive. Itachi was amused. "Let's take a walk."

The blond wasn't even making an attempt to be subtle. His chakra was coming off him in spirals

and he was close enough to be pushing against his personal space. Sasuke at least had enough

self-preservation to stay out of immediate reach.

Sasuke was all too aware of his brother's amusement as they moved down the old path that lead

to a small clearing near the compound. Gritting his back teeth together, he held his frustration

firmly in check. Itachi had kidnapped Sakura. Right in front of them. When Naruto had come out

of the genjutsu, howling profanities and swearing revenge, he had agreed to this little meeting

because the only other option was to go to Sakura first.

He preferred to deal with his brother.

"Alright, Uchiha," Naruto snarled. "What the hellwere you doing with ourSakura-chan?"

Of course, Itachi, being Itachi, just stood there. He looked at Naruto for a long moment and then

flicked his gaze up to Sasuke. Sasuke smothered a sigh. It was amazing how one little gesture

from his brother could speak so loudly and immediately make him feel five again.

He narrowed his eyes. That wasn't going to work either. They were here for a reason. Itachi

wasn't going to deter him with a look.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "I'm talking to you."

"Then perhaps you should actually say something instead of asking inane questions." Itachi lifted

his brow just enough to show how disinterested he was in the conversation. His stance was

completely relaxed and Sasuke didn't need his sharingan to tell him that his brother hadn't

bothered to pool any chakra for immediate use.

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Why stick to verbal insults when he could use his body language to poke at them as well? Sasuke

struggled to keep from lunging at his brother. That would solve nothing. At least he had the

satisfaction of knowing that Itachi's silent taunts were going clear past Naruto.

"I said," Naruto said as he stalked around, whisker marks stark against his cheeks. "What the

hell do you think you are doing with our Sakura-chan?"

"Learning her."

If Itachi was tryingto provoke Naruto beyond the point of all reason, he was doing a good job.

"It's simple," Sasuke interrupted. "You might be interested in her now, learning her now, but

what happens when you're done, Itachi? You need to understand. She's our teammate."

Itachi's eyes narrowed and he tensed ever so slightly. Interesting. "I am well aware of who her

teammates are, little brother."

"Good." Naruto's voice was guttural. "Because if you hurt her we'll tear you apart. She's our

Sakura-chan first. Don't forget that, Uchiha."

Sasuke watched as Itachi's eyes flickered over Naruto. "I take excellent care of what is mine.

Youshould remember that as well."

"What the HELL does that"

Sasuke reached over and yanked Naruto back. Just like his brother to give such a back handedinsult, suggesting that he and Naruto had failed to care for Sakura at some point in their

relationship. However, attempting to fully body tackle Itachi wouldn't solve anything, but it

would give him ample opportunity to piss them off even more.

"We take care of Sakura just fine, Aniki."

Itachi's mouth curled at the edges. "Do you?"

Naruto's chakra flared so hot, he was practically steaming. Sasuke sent an accessing glance his

way. He'd known for years about the Kyuubi but that was hardly common knowledge. Sasuke

didn't know if Itachi was one of the privileged few who knew about Naruto or if Itachi had figured

it out himself, but if Naruto kept this up there was very little chance of it escaping Itachi's notice

that there were two chakras in one body. Naruto had done a good job learning how to control the

Kyuubi's chakra flux over the years, but anger still brought the Kyuubi out in him. And Naruto

had beenpissedabout that genjutsu, even more now that Itachi was challenging something that

he held very close the protection of his precious people.

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"Naruto. Control yourself," the words were specifically chosen to bring a verbal slap upside the

other's head, and if that didn't work, Sasuke was going to have to deal with him before Itachi

escaped due to a more immediate concern.

Naruto stepped away from Sasuke, towards Itachi,prowledforward with more of the fox in his

movement than not, and spoke, "Just what are you implying, bastard? If you have something to

say, come out and say it."

Something sharp and brilliant flickered behind his brother's eyes. The edge of his mouth curled

as he studied Naruto. "As you have said, you areher teammate."

"Speak plainly, you bastard!"

Itachi just smiled a sharp, thin little smile that made Sasuke want to punch him.

"I wouldn't have thought you would be insecure enough that you would have to separate Sakurafrom everyone she considered friends. Feeling a little threatened, Aniki?"

Itachi just flicked his gaze back to Sasuke and slowly assessed him. Sasuke fought the impulse

to squirm. He knew that look somewhere, he had made a mistake. His brother was in the

process of measuring just how long it would take to bring the ending blow. His eyes narrowed.

Not this time.

"It's not my 'insecurity,' you have to worry about, little brother. I'm not the one instigating a

confrontation over your spending a few hours with her."

"No," Sasuke snapped. "You're the one who came charging into our practice session to kidnap

her."

"At least she likesspending time with us," Naruto followed up, quick as a beat. "She wantsto

practice with us. She wantsto be with us. What does that say about you?"

"You may ask her, if you wish." His voice was smooth, eyes glinting. "I cannot speak for her

personally. Sakura," and he drawled her name in a tone that spoke of familiarity and need. "Has

always demonstrated a unique efficiency in speaking her mind, don't you think?"

Sasuke barely managed to keep from blanching. There was no way in hell Naruto would

managed to keep his mouth shut about this conversation if he and Sakura started arguing about

it, which they would. Naruto was still too pissed to think clearly and bringing up that she had

been kidnapped would embarrass and irritate her.

And then she would react. Violently.

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"You don't think we will?" Naruto challenged, voice low.

Itachi studied him before turning away, dismissing Naruto for the second time that evening.

There was a glitter in Itachi's eyes and Sasuke clenched his fists. That was the expression he

wore when he knew he had won.

Well, there was really no way of avoiding Sakura over this forever anyway. Sasuke knew enough

to know when he was fooling himself. But he couldn't let Itachi just walk away so easily. Not

about this. Sakura was too important. And from what he had implied he would notlet her be

taken from them.

"Aniki. Don't think you can make her choose. If you try, it won't be you."

Itachi turned with fluid grace and Sasuke felt his brother at last begin to gather chakra. But he

refused to respond. This wasn't his fight, he'd done his best to stay out of whatever was going on

with his teammate and his brother, but if there was one thing that Sasuke was absolutely certain

of it was that Team Seven was his family when his family was just a clan, and he wouldfight to

protect that.

Sasuke swallowed, but forced himself to continue in a slow, even tone. "You already know that

we won't stand for it if you hurt her. I don't need to repeat what will happen. Sakura's ours,

Aniki. We've sweat and bled together since we were twelve years old. We've fought to stay

together. She's ours. If you try to keep her just for yourself, you won't be able to do that without

breaking her." Sasuke took one deliberate step forward, a hair's breadth away from his brother,

Naruto's familiar heat one step beside him. "And we'll break you first."

There was a long pause before Sasuke sensed the chakra coiling in his brother relax.

"Maybe not so foolish after all," Itachi murmured. "But too little, too late, little brother."

And with that, Itachi turned and walked away.

X

Tonight was definitely not going how she had planned. She was supposed to have spent the

evening with Ino, catching up on life and doing ridiculous things to her toenails. They made apoint to clear their schedules at least one a month to hang out and catch up; had been doing so

since they had both agreed to disagree about Sasuke. But tonight, whatever plans Ino had made

for them had been cancelled with the appearance of the ANBU member and his soft request that

she report to the hospital immediately. She had barely had the time needed to change and run

into Ino knocking on her door, gasp out several fast apologies before she bolted across rooftops

to the hospital.

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The place had been in an uproar. Two genin teams had been attacked by unmarked shinobi

(Sakura was putting money on Sound or Cloud) and she had been needed to deal with the more

serious of the injuries. Tsunade and Shizune were both neck deep in council meetings. She had

managed to save the young genin's leg, but he would need careful watching. Their Jounin

instructor (had she been told his name?) had needed some serious work done to save his lung

after he had taken a poisoned senbon.

After that, Sakura was quite certain she hadn't had a moment to herself. There had been an

ambush on the border by Rain-nin and then an ANBU squad had reported in for immediate

attention after something had obviously gone verywrong. Broken bones and one very tricky

spinal injury would have been enough, but then she had to deal with torn ligaments and cut

muscles. After that she found herself buried up to her elbows as she helped a particularly gifted

chunin rearrange the internal organs of yet another ANBU who had been cut open. She was

going to have to ask Tsunade if she could read the report on how they managed to get him home

without losing pieces of him.

To put it shortly, she was exhausted.

Sakura pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose and wondered if knocking her own

head off would fix the headache that was currently pounding behind her eyes. Experience told

her she was starting to feel the chakra drain from too many wounds and the way she had to

blink to focus on charts told her she needed to home and sleep. Soon. Except there was still a

stack of charts as thick as her wrist and she had another half hour to go on her shift.

Straightening her posture, she rubbed her face briskly.

She didn't have time to quietly find a corner to collapse in like a silly genin. Picking up the first

chart she could reach, she flicked it open and quickly started scanning the contents. Hyuuga. Gut

wound. Suffering from severe chakra depletion (had to be, for an enemy to get that close) and

blood loss. Concern over infection since the wound was sealed in the field. Allergic to certain

classes of antibiotics. Sakura frowned. That would limit the nurses in treating the patient. While

chakra was capable of burning out infection, unless it was a severe case, most patients were

treated with antibiotics and herbs. It kept particularly stubborn shinobi off their feet longer, gave

their coil systems time to recover and it didn't tax the chakra reserves of the hospital staff for

something minor.

Best to look in on this one herself and make sure there wasn't any internal bleeding left. That

would be something that would need to be dealt with. She would make a note to have Shizune

look in on him in the next shift. She didn't have the chakra reserves to do anything more than

that unless she had to.

Wishing that taking a solider pill wouldn't get her annexed to mopping floors for the next week;

she pushed the door open and blinked as she recognized Mai. Sakura had the vague notion that

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the girl should have gotten off her shift already and pushed it aside. The ambush had left all

hands on deck.

Sakura's tired eyes narrowed in on the syringe in the girls and she frowned.

"Mai?"

The girl jumped. She spun around, her brown eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, Sakura-san! I didn't

hear you enter!"

Sakura tried to smile at her, but her insides were going cold. "Why are you administering an

antibiotic to a patient without his chart?"

Mai's smile faltered and she looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

Sakura lifted the chart in her hand and took several very carefully contained steps forward. "Hischart. I have it. You were treating the patient with the wrong chart."

Mai looked horrified. "But I mean, I was given" her eyessettled on a folder in front of her and

her face paled. Her fingers tightened on the syringe and she swallowed several times. "I was

given a chart, Haruno-san."

Sakura wondered what else could possibly go wrong tonight. Reaching up to pinch the bridge of

her nose, she took several even breaths to contain her growing temper.

"Did you bother to check the bands with the chart number?" Sakura tried to keep her voice evenbut it came out flat and hard. "Protocol demands that you check each patients ID number

against the chart you have."

Mai's lips were trembling a little when Sakura lifted her eyes back to her face. "No, Haruno-san. I

did not check."

Ice crawled down Sakura's spine. If Mai was not checking chart numbers against ID numbers

then the odds that there were more nurses making the same breech in protocol to save time.

Especially on a night like tonight; just the thought of how much retraining it would take to

correct the problem was enough to spike her headache but the real problem was that protocolwas there to protect the patients. Glancing at the tray filled with antibiotics, she glanced over the

names and felt her temper surge. Carefully she tapped down on her anger, holding onto her

temper by a thread.

"So you are unaware that the dose of antibiotics you were about to administer would be lethal

for Hyuuga-kun here?"

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Mai was trembling now, but she managed to answer. "N-no, Haruno-san."

The cold in her stomach turned to acid and her chest burned.

"Turn your name tag in to the front desk. I expect a complete report on Tsunade's desk by dawn

explaining your actions and you will submit yourself for an evaluation." Sakura's voice was tight

with suppressed temper.

"Yes." Mai whispered.

"You will not return to active duty until you have been approved by Tsunade, Shizune, or

myself."

"Yes, Haruno-san."

Mai exited the room silently and Sakura carefully put the chart down. Fisting her knuckles, shetook several deep, deep breaths. Shizune wouldn't be coming in for another three hours. Half a

shift. Mai a normally very competent nurse had almost made a fatal mistake. She had no

choice but to stick around until someone else could take control. They could not could not!

allow this sort of situation to repeat itself. Ever.

The assurance that if they could just make it back to the village, they had a chance to survive

whatever the injury was one that Tsunade had worked very hard to inspire. They couldn't afford

stupid, unnecessary deaths because of lack of protocol! Reaching up, she rubbed her temples.

The backs of her eyes were burning and she counted her breaths until she got her emotions

under control. She was so tired. But she had a job to do.

Three hours. Carefully walking to the Hyuuga, she settled her hand onto his abdomen. The surge

of emotions gave her a little more chakra to work with, but she would pay for it later. Ignoring

the small voice in the back of her head, she went ahead and pushed chakra into the closed

wound and very carefully burned away traces of infection while she checked for internal

bleeding.

He had been too close to dying tonight, unaware an unnecessary deathand one that couldn't

be explained with honor and missions. It was the least she could do. Staggering a bit as she

pulled back, she reached over with surprisingly steady hands and marked his chart as completebefore heading back into the fray.

Only three hours.

Three hours in which she monitored every critical patient, double checked every distribution of

medication, and tried not to fall over or snap off someone's neck. Sakura thought she might

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have to crawl home, and was seriously considering just curling up on her office floor. Except she

knew the moment she closed her eyes someone would come through her office door in a panic.

If that happened, her control was going to snap and she was either going to go on a rampage or

burst into hysterics. She didn't know at this point which was worse. It was nights like tonight

that seemed to destroy her emotional walls. Sakura lowered her eyes to hands and swallowed

when she realized they were shaking.

She needed to go home. She had pushed herself too far again and Tsunade was not going to be

kind if she was around long enough for her sensei to catch her working herself this hard again.

Then she really wouldcry. Pressing the palms of her hands against her eyes, she pulled herself

together enough to hand files over to Shizune, debrief her on the evening and to clean the blood

out from under her short nails. Then she picked up her wallet and kunai from the locker room

and stubbornly walked home.

Dawn had broken hours ago and the morning light made her eyes burn, reminding her of the

pounding headache and how weak she felt. She had used too much chakra. Sakura made a point

to not even brush up against someone. Her eyes and her throat burned with a combination of

frustration, exhaustion, and the emotional grind that nights like tonight left behind. She felt raw.

If she touched anyone, she would shatter and all her control would wind up in a storm of

emotions that wouldn't stop until she had nothing left.

She was staring at her front door for several seconds before she realized it and started to fumble

for her keys. Protein bar. Bed. Maybe her couch. That was all she wanted.

She did notwant, could notdeal with the sudden unveiling of chakra from within her house. But

Sakura had already fit the key into her lock and she was just too damn tired to even thinkabout

teleporting elsewhere. She stumbled into her foyer, kicked off her shoes, and then made her way

into her kitchen. Maybe if she ignored him, he'd go away.

No, even in her tired state she knew better than that. "Leave," she said flatly, while reaching into

her cabinet. There were protein bars there, and she was only grabbing one of them because she

knew her body needed the fuel to recover while she slept.

And then he was behind her. His warmth reached out to touch her even though he refrained.

"That's hardly polite, Sakura."

Damn it. Why did he have to take everything she said like a challenge? Why did he have to show

up now why did he have to show up at all? What he wantfrom her? Why did everything have

to be so, so

"Can't you just once," her voice broke, "just oncecut me a break?" To her horror, her exhaustion

was manifesting itself in what was beginning to look like dry sobs. No, no, there were tears too.

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Damn. Sakura hunched her shoulders and refused to look at him. Uchiha Itachi did not get to see

her cry. He had not earned that right. "Get out," she hissed.

"Your chakra levels are dangerously low." His voice was warm and dispassionate. It should not

have made it harder for her to breathe. It should not have made her want to relax back into him.

"You are nearing exhaustion."

"I passed exhaustion hours ago," Sakura gritted. She would have said more, but she had made a

very definite choking noise at the end of that sentence and it was far more of a tell than she

cared for. She really wanted to wipe her face, but that would have been even worse.

Then his hand was on the small of her back and his other reached up to cup her face, gently

forcing her to lean her head back up against his shoulder. Sharingan eyes met hers and the

intensity in them scorched her.

Those eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. "What happened?"

A calloused thumb scraped the tear track. That soft touch was almost too much so she squeezed

her eyes shut and drew in a dangerously ragged breath. He was so damn warm and the

temptation to just turn and press her face into her chest was difficult to push down. The hand on

her back moved up and down along her spine and she dragged in another long breath. Feeling a

little steadier she opened her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. His eyes still burned

with the sharingan and there was an expression there that made her chest tighten. It took

several more even breaths before she tried to answer him.

"I was on shift" her voice cracked and she had to bit her bottom lip to hide it's tell all

trembling. She averted her eyes and breathed through her lips. She would not sniffle. Not in

front of him. She was trembling with the effort. Digging her nails into her palms she lifted her

chin to tell him to leave. The hand in the small of her back moved to her other cheek and he

proceeded to drag his knuckles along her damp skin. The touch was soft and the long fingered

hand cradling her cheek was gentle. Her breathing went ragged and this time she couldn't hide

the way her lip trembled.

"Go on."

Sakura instinctively stiffened. Both his hands were cradling her face and it would be so easyfor

him to snap her neck right now. Even in her exhaustion, she could feel his chakra coiling, and

even though his touch couldn't be called anything but gentle, she knew how easily that could

change.

He was completely focused on her. Her tears had partially stilled, and she was breathing a little

easier. His very presence had a bracing effectsomething in her was responding to him as a

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challenge, while the rest just wanted to melt into him, and despite the confusion Sakura was

united about one thing. She would not take his orders.

"I've had a bad day. I should be able to come home and collapse. I shouldn't have to deal with

you."

"Then you should have set better traps." One of his hands left her face and slid down her spine

to her back to wrap securely around her waist, and he bent down wrapping his other arm around

her knee to support her as he lifted her up against his chest and carried her into her living room.

Sakura was too tired to do anything other than burry her forehead in the crook of his neck and

grunt in protest. He was warm and solid and comforting around her, and if he would just hold

still she could fall asleep right there.

He sat down on her couch and arranged her sidewise on his lap, her legs across his side, her

back leaning against his other side and shoulder. She was more than a little disgruntled that he

was moving her around so easily and she tried to pull herself together long enough to complain

about it.

"Sakura."

Tilting her head back she swallowed when she realized his sharingan was still bright in his gaze.

Closing her eyes she dropped her head back onto his shoulder and wondered if her arm would be

numb in the morning if shejust went to sleep

"Sakura." This time his tone was a little firmer and she managed to grunt at him. His heartbeatwas steady under her ear and it was trying to lull her to sleep. "How long were you at the

hospital?"

She managed to make a noise. It sounded reasonable to her.

"Sakura."

His tone was soft. There wasn't an edge to it but it struck a nerve anyway. Sakura roused herself

from the comfortable dose she had almost fallen into. Sighing low in her throat she opened her

eyes and found the will to push the words out.

"Hospital protocol." They need shorter words for this.

Annoyance at the man holding her bubbled up in her chest and she halfheartedly tried to rally

herself into kicking him out of her house and crawling into bed. Except her bed wasn't this warm

and she was finally off her feet. Except every muscle she had ached, her exhaustion and

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emotional outburst left her feeling flat and empty. She couldn't feel her fingertips anymore and

the world was slowly sliding away with each breath she took.

She closed her eyes, just for a moment, to gather some strength and focus...

He watched, some part of him with muted awe, as Sakura fell asleep in his arms. He knew that

the kunoichi was tirednear exhaustedbut Itachi could recall with perfect clarity the last time

someone had trusted him enough to fall asleep like this. Sasuke had been four.

It was a novel experience.

Slowly letting the sharingan fade from his eyes, he considered how much chakra she had lost.

With her efficiency, to be this drained meant she had performed multiple surgeries. He didn't

doubt that after a point she would have been excused from such duties a surgeon without

chakra was useless but something had obviously pushed her to her limits. It was nearing ten in

the morning. Shifts were regulated to six-hour revolutions so she had worked at least one full

shift, perhaps two if she was called in last evening and then half of another. There had been

frustration mixed in with her weariness frustration and temper that had only compounded with

her exhaustion.

Sakura was obviously reluctant to talk about the incident. That was fine. There were other ways

to discreetly discover what had occurred last night. Carefully he reached up to run his fingers

through her hair until he came to the knot at the base of her skull. It took a few seconds but he

worked the knot out and slipped her forehead protector off her head.

Running his fingers down her spine he shifted her weight carefully. It was a sign of how

exhausted she was that she didn't stir as he lifted her as he stood. For a moment he considered

settling her back onto the couch and decided against it. The bed was the best place for her to

rest. It was more familiar and she wouldn't wake disoriented.

Her room was a soft mix of color and the smell of aged paper. Her bed was tucked at an angle

that made the window was an easy escape but still managed to be out of immediate view in case

of an unexpected visitor. The spaced along her walls that weren't lined with bookshelves stuffed

with scrolls were filled with pictures; her dresser had a curious mix of half-polished weapons and

feminine knickknacks.

Her bed however, was a rumpled mess. Lowering Sakura onto the mattress he set out organizing

the blankets and sheets she seemed to have tied into a knot. It took a little longer than he had

expected how many blankets did she need?before he had tucked her in. Once he was

satisfied that she was comfortable, he considered his options. He wasn't going to leave her

unprotected in her exhausted state. He supposed he could set a few traps around her window

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and doors, but the chances that she would be coherent enough to notice and deal with them

when she woke were slim.

He had nothing he needed to do today. Walking over to the wall that faced her bed but was still

out of view of the window, he settled comfortable onto the floor and eyed the room around him.

A few things he immediately placed. The photos of her team, what looked like a dying tomato

plant in her windowsill ridiculouslooking plant and the walls scrolls delicately painted with

the medicnin's oath. It was the collection of fanciful ribbons half shoved into a drawer, the dress

thrown haphazardly over the back of a chair and the collection gear next to her closet that most

interested him.

The hapless mixing of woman, medic and kunoichi was fascinating. Scanning a particularly dainty

collection of breakables, he turned his eyes back to the woman who was so blissfully unaware of

his perusal. A small smile tugged at his lips. She would be furious if she knew how many stories

her room could tell him. How he wanted to explore each one, peel them apart and discover the

secrets he could learn.

And that wasn't the only thing he wanted to discover. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he considered

the exhausted form on the bed. Something had upset her. He wouldfind out what it was.

The quiet sound of her breathing filled the room, and Itachi lost track of time as he simply

watched her. From the way her covers had been tangled, Itachi assumed that she moved around

when she was sleeping, but apparently, her exhaustion overwhelmed that impulse. She had not

stirred from where he had set her and something about her stillness caught him.

He wasn't sure he liked it, this strange feeling of something.

Unwilling to have anything within himself that was unknown, Itachi prodded the feeling, coaxing

it out to analyze the emotion. He already knew he was displeased with whatever it was which

had so upset her. He already knew that she fascinated him, that he enjoyed being in her

presence. He knew he was somewhat disappointed to find that he was denied her company. He

knew how he responded to the blatant challenges to what was between them, first by his own

teammates and then by hers. And some deep, feral part of him was satisfied, flattered, with her

trust.

It was that part of him, that part of him rarely touched which was the source of this strange

feeling. It was unlike any feeling he'd ever experienced.

It wasn't simple curiosity anymore. He had dug deep enough into her life, had pushed and

coaxed enough responses that he could predict her fundamental reactions with unerring

accuracy. Yet she still managed to surprise him. She challenged him. She refused to be

intimidated by him or his blood limit. He admired that.

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He wanted more.

Slowly, he turned that thought over in his mind. It wasn't just physical. He had known he was

interested in sharing her bed for some time now. It was more than the way she moved, more

than the way she looked covered in the blood of her enemies, more than how her hands felt

against his skin. He wanted the smile she very rarely gave him; he was fascinated by the way

she laughed when she was comfortable in her environment full throated and open, shaking

with merriment, vulnerable. He wanted all that determination and brilliance directed and focused

on him the way he was now focused on her.

He did not question the way he had focused on her. Itachi was well aware of his own intensity.

But this desire for her to be equally fixated on him. That was something new. He had never

experienced that before.

He had taken lovers before, when he was younger and flushed with hormonally driven curiosity.

They had been older, experienced women who had been eager, interested, and more than willing

to teach him what he wanted to know. Not once in all of his experience had Itachi craved his

lover's attention and appreciation in the same way he was finding that he wanted Sakura's.

Itachi's movement to stand was almost subconscious. He moved like a shadow to stand beside

her bed. Staring down at her peaceful face, he felt the urge to reach out and touch her, feel her

smooth skin, move her hair away from her face, simply be near to her.

His eyes narrowed. This fascination had disturbing consequences. Here he was, giving up his

time and attention, with one part of his brain working feverishly to insure that nothingever upset

her like this again and yet, he was glad to do it. The thought of her being upset infuriated him,

the thought of her being in danger

Itachi grit his teeth. He was emotionally invested. She had become someone precious to him.

All while she persisted in calling him 'Uchiha-san.'

He felt his breathing begin to instinctively deepen, as it did before he was about to do a more

complicated jutsu. Since she had become precious, she had become a vulnerability. The question

was if it was an acceptable risk. The seeming imbalance in their commitments was a factor, but

one hardly worth considering. Itachi could already see signs of her softening towards him the

fact that she had fallen asleep in his armswas a significant one. And he had never failed to get

exactly what he wanted.

The pertinent part of the question was if this vulnerability was one worth protecting or

eliminating. It would be so easy

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Reaching out he feathered his fingers across her hair, barely touching. So easy. To eliminate or

to integrate her into every part of his life. To break the ties he could feel between them, the

draw, or to accept them and allow them to grow.

He had never particularly been interested in something lasting. But with her she sparked his

curiosity. How would it feel to wrap himself so deeply in her life she came to expect it? There

were consequences. Her strength hid a fragileness that would have to be guarded. As strong, as

competent and efficient as she was, her tendency for forming bonds with other shinobi left her

vulnerable. Her relationship with his brother and her Naruto would create complications. He

didn't care to share what was his. As strong, as competent and efficient as she was she gave

too freely of herself to others. There was a weakness in her. It was soft and tender, so easy to

bleed. It would be his, if he chose this path. Her complications and her bonds and her driving

need to protect everything that was hers. It would be his, if he chose this path.

She would become his weakest point and yet to turn away from a challenge because of fear

was contemptible. He had spent his entire life mastering his weaknesses into strengths. This

wouldn't be any different. He wouldn't allow it to be. Slowly he lowered his hands into her hair

and twisted his fingers through the soft strands. Hadn't he already made this decision? Once with

Sasuke and now now with Sakura.

Lips curving into the faintest of a smile he stroked her hair away from her eyes. Yes, he would

accept this. He would take it into his hands and shape it, slowly, carefully. Would dig out her

weaknesses and guard them, strengthen them. He had told her she would be his and now he

would set about making it so. Because he never failed in a task he gave himself and Haruno

Sakura was the goal he had set.

Everything.

She would give him everything she was.

20 Years Ago

Uchiha Compound

Mikoto adjusted the weight of her three-year-old son on her hip and tried to smile politely at one

of Fugaku's aunts. The woman kept reaching out to pinch Itachi's cheeks and making the most

outrageous faces to see if he would smile. Itachi just watched her the way he watched

everything else wide-eyed and solemn. She wouldn't have minded setting him down to let him

totter around, but two days before he had managed to set a trap that had caught his father in a

shower of kunai.

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As entertaining as it would have been to see what sort of devilment was going on behind his

quiet stare, she would have to deal with the aftermath and the elders were already watching him

with eyes that were too sharp. Thankfully, Itachi didn't seem to mind her holding him today,

although she knew he would soon.

Best to extract him from the small gathering. The small, well-kept garden behind the house

usually offered some distraction for her small son and he had stopped tearing the flowers off the

stalks after she had explained the purpose of the pretty flowers. Now he used the garden as a

place to hide and stalk small animals. Adjusting him on her hip again, she bowed as well as she

could and made her excuses. As soon as she rounded the corner, Itachi looked up at her with a

fairly curious expression.

"Was the crazy lady broken?"

Mikoto kept a straight face only by long habit. "No, she's just old. Sometimes old people see the

world differently."

"Why?"

"Do you see things the same way I do?"

He looked at her for a long moment and then shook his head. "No."

She nodded and set him down. Smoothing his hair back, she put on her best stern face. "Stay in

the garden, Itachi. Do not set traps for the gardeners and please do not scare your relatives."

He nodded. "Okay."

Smiling she kissed the top of his head. "I will return in one hour."

"Bye."

She had done all she could. Itachi would do as she asked, but she also knew he would ponder

the exact meaning of her words before deciding exactly how they applied to him. Three-year-

olds shouldn't be that intelligent. Even so, she knew she would come back and find him covered

in mud and examining some new puzzle that had caught his attention. He was still just a littleboy, after all, and took a great deal of interest in the world around him.

X

Itachi was certainly covered in dirt. There was dirt streaking his clothing and a smudge of it

against one cheek. Tonight's bath would require a great deal of soap if the grime sticking to the

bottom of his pants said anything.

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But it was the collection of broken butterflies around him that made her pause. Itachi was sitting

silently, fingers streaked with yellow and blue, holding what was left of the graceful bug between

chubby fingers. His brows were drawn together and his eyes gleamed with an expression she

hadn't seen before. Examining the situation for a moment longer, she walked in his direction.

Itachi looked up and some of the quiet confusion faded. His eyes were wide and his lips moved

into a pout as he regarded her. "Not working."

Setting down next to him, ignoring her own skirts, she picked up what was left of one of the

butterflies. Itachi had systematically shredded the wings of this one, leaving behind the small

body. It was still alive.

"What's not working?"

Itachi blinked at her and sighed, pointing at the bug in her hand. Mikoto studied her son for a

long moment. He was looking slightly frustrated and his eyes were unhappy. Running her finger

along a broken wing, she considered what it was that he had been attempting to learn. Before

she could finish that thought, he held up a wing.

"I don't know how it works."

Ah. She supposed she should have seen that one coming. Itachi's systematic destruction of the

flower beds, his attempts to catch the fast, small mammals that lived in the garden, even the

way he had chased the small lizards to pull their tails off. The way he had shattered a cup to

study the pieces. Itachi tended to take things apart to discover how they worked. He didn't ask

many questions, preferring to draw his own conclusions.

"Is that why you pulled the wings off? To figure out how they fly?"

He nodded.

Mikoto reached out and took the wing from him and set what was left of the butterfly in her hand

down, squishing its head as she went. Reaching down she picked Itachi up. He didn't protest, but

he scrunched up his eyebrows in displeasure. Walking quickly, she moved towards the bushes

she knew her son had stalked to gather his collection. Sitting down on the bench, she sat him

down next to her. He wiggled for a moment but then stayed still.

"Watch, Itachi." Mikoto said calmly, pointing at the butterflies.

"Why?"

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Mikoto arched a brow down at him. The expression on his face wasn't defiance, but it was

stubborn. She tapped his nose. "How well did you learn about how they flew by taking them

apart?"

He crossed his eyes to stare at his nose and then frowned up at her, considering her words. His

chubby cheeks puffed out and his eyes were serious as he studied her expression before he

slowly nodded and turned his attention to the butterflies that were still alive.

She let him watch for several moments, noting the way his eyes tracked first an individual

butterfly and then several. Smiling, she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Did you notice how light the butterflies were?"

Looking up, he nodded again.

"That helps them fly. They're made for it." He looked a little put out but nodded again. Now itwas time to teach him that there were other ways to learn. "Do you see the way they push the

wind with their wings? It's just like the way the wind pushes up falling leaves. Were you able to

see that before? Sometimes, Itachi, it's important to watch before you do anything else."

"Why?"

"Because you can't always fix what you break." She said gently. "What if there was something

important and you didn't know about it? Then, after you took it apart, you realized it was

something you wanted in one piece, but you couldn't put it back together again. It would be

broken forever."

His eyes widened in comprehension. Then they narrowed a little. "So I need to plan first?"

Mikoto decided that for a three-year-old, that was more than she had actually expected. "Did

you plan before you examined the butterflies?"

"Yes."

"Then it's not just a matter of planning. You have to know what you looking for." She continued

to run her fingers through his hair. "Do you try to take a trap apart before you examine it?"

"No."

"What you must decide, Itachi, is if you can learn more from watching something, studying it or

if it's something that requires you to take it apart. If you do take it apart, you must do so

carefully and in a way that you can put it back together." Unless, of course, you want to destroy

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it. But she didn't feel the need to plant that suggestion in his three year old brain. Itachi would

be able to take that step on his own.

His mouth opened in a silent 'O' as he understood what she was saying, eyes lighting up as his

brain quickly processed that bit of information and began applying it everything he knew. She

wanted to tell him that only nonliving beings could be taken apart, that the only time he could

pull it apart in pieces was if it was an unanimated object or a jutsu but that would be putting

an unnecessary handicap on her son. It would mean taking away a tool that he might need in

the future as he grew as a shinobi, and then later he would resent her for it. Understand why she

did it, but resent her for it.

So she wouldn't. Better to guide his feet carefully down the correct path than to block the path

off and let him find it for himself. Smiling she stood and offered him her arms. He considered her

for a moment before one of his rare baby smiles crossed his face and he let her pick him up and

kiss his cheeks.

He was still a baby and he would always be her son. She had time.

X

Present Day

Konoha Village

Sakura pressed her face against her mattress and tried to suffocate herself. Reaching up with

two hands she dragged her pillow over her head and tried to decide if Naruto and Sasuke would

forgive her if she leapt off the Hokage monument. There was only one time in her life she could

remember her head pounding this hard, and that had been during her early training with

Tsunade and the fatal mistake of too much sake after a shift and no food.

This was worse.

Whimpering low in her throat she took a deep breath and somewhere between the sheets and

the pillow, she smelled coffee. Cracking and eye open she worked up the energy to shift so she

could take another less blocked breath.

Coffee. Life giving, blood capillary opening caffeine. It smelled real. Taking a third breath sheslowly eased herself out of her blankets so that her head was resting in her hands. Carefully she

began to catalogue her current predicament. Headache. One full body ache. The growl in her gut

that said she hadn't eaten anything in at least the last fifteen hours. Chakra levels were

ridiculously low. Cracking her eye open she stared at the clock on her night stand. It was close to

six thirty in the evening which meant she had been asleep for the past seven hours, give or take.

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She was in her bed. Both eyes snapped open and she jerked herself straight up and stared at the

door that was just cracked enough to pick up the noises coming from her kitchen. Noises that

suggested someone was in her kitchen and producing those life giving smells. Someone who

Uchiha. In her kitchen.

Sakura groaned and let herself collapse back into bed. Not this. Not him. She was too tired to

deal with him.

But still coffee and food and if he was making it he would have no qualms about coming in

to her bedroom and making her eat it. Her bedroom. Oh kami.

She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow once again. Had he been there since she came

home? Where had he stayed? What had he done, unsupervised in her home?

Sakura's stomach tightened painfully, and the throbbing in her head increased with eachthought. Well. She needed to eat if she was going to get any better. And if he was making food,

she might as well eat it, if just to get the strength to throw him out. And if she was going to eat

it, Sakura didn't want to have him feeding her in bed.

And the fact that that thought turned into a completely inappropriate direction Sakura blamed

entirely on her exhaustion.

Besides, she was too tired for that anyway.

Using her arms as fulcrums, Sakura levered herself upright once again and vaguely noted thatshe was still fully dressed. Gross. But good. She didn't have the strength to kill him just yet

either.

Running a weak hand through her hair, Sakura opened her bedroom door and made her

somewhat hazy way into the kitchen.

He was moving a pot away from the heat of a burner when she finally located him. Adjusting the

temperature knobs as he turned, his dark eyes scanned her face before slowly dragging down

her body. Deciding to ignore him she let her eyes scan her kitchen for any signs of an explosion.

Satisfied that things were still in one piece she swung her gaze back to him and was thankful herreflexes were too dead to jump.

"Sakura." He was standing close enough to hit if she had the energy.

"Why are you still here?" She was pleased her voice only sounded a little rough and was easily

pushed off on the fact that she had just woken up. Never mind that she was almost squinting

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around the pounding in the back of her head. Warm hands settled on her shoulders and turned

her around before she found herself ushered to the couch.

"Sit down before you fall down, Sakura."

"I am perfectly capable of standing, Uchiha-san." She glared up at him. He lifted a brow and

didn't move. She narrowed her gaze and he watched her with an air of suppressed amusement.

"You could say please," she informed him before giving in and dropping onto the couch.

"Would you like one of your ridiculously numerous blankets?"

If she narrowed her eyes any further she would be squinting. "Are you making fun of my

blankets?"

He didn't answer. Instead he slipped around behind her and she could hear him rummagingaround in her cabinets. Reaching up to rub her temples she tilted her head when he appeared

again.

He set down a mug of the coffee, a familiar vile, and a tall glass of water. "Water and medication

first, Sakura. Then you may drink the coffee."

"I'm the mednin Uchiha-san," she informed him as she reached for the painkillers. "I know the

drill."

His fingers closed around her wrist stilling her motion. Feeling huffy, she turned her eyes back tohis and froze at the expression there. She was certain if she tried hard enough she could make

out sparks of his sharingan behind his eyes.

"Sakura." He rolled her name on his tongue like honey and she swallowed. His eyes held her

gaze before slowly lowering to her lips and she could feel his gaze like a touch and her lips

tingled. "My name is Itachi."

Her mouth ran dry and she swallowed in the hopes to return some of the moisture to her throat.

His touch was hot against her skin but his hold was light, so light she knew if she just twisted her

wrist that he would release her. His eyes lifted to meet hers again and she just continued towatch him. She didn't trust her voice.

"Use it." He finished, releasing her wrist and standing smoothly. She watched him walk back into

the kitchen. She wanted to work up the temper to inform him she was too tired to figure out

exactly what she wanted to inform, but she was certain it had something to do with his name

and how she was not going to use it. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and returned to

the medication. It was the stuff she kept in her pack for the field, which meant it would taste

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awful but it would work. She would need to eat a solid meal and drink plenty of fluids over the

next hour, but her unwanted guest seemed to have taken care of that.

The medication was as revolting as she remembered. Pulling a face she washed it down with the

glass of water before curling her greedy fingers around the mug of coffee and leaning back

against her couch and taking a cautious sip.

Her fingers tightened on the mug when she realized he had added the perfect amount of cream

and sugar. When had he seen her drink coffee? She usually preferred tea unless it was the

morning after a mission or a particularly late shift! Closing her eyes she took another slow sip.

She was going to strangle him as soon as the caffeine hit her blood stream.

Whatever he was making smelled good. She wondered what he had managed to pull together

from the meager ingredients she kept in her house. Like most shinobi, Sakura did her shopping

for food on a day to day basis, and as a result the most she kept in her house was eggs, rice, a

few vegetables, and some frozen meat. And, of course, ramen. But that sure didn't smell like

ramen.

Her stomach rumbled embarrassingly and Sakura leaned her head back on the couch. Kami, she

was tired. And hungry. If he hadn't been here cooking she probably would still be asleepor on

her way through her third protein bar as she stumbled back to bed. Or in the shower. Kami, she

felt gross. She could practically feelthe stench of the hospital, antiseptics and blood, clinging to

her hair.

Another hunger cramp, and Sakura took a sip of her coffee to quell it. Breakfast was very nice

and all, but if he didn't finish soon she was getting up and going for her protein bar stash after

all.

She took another sip of coffee and the pounding in her head receded just enough for her to

crook her neck and stare balefully into her kitchen. Why was he doingthis? Her headache

increased at the thought. Right. No thinking. Sakura took another sip and closed her eyes. She

may have fallen back asleep or she might have just lost track of time, because before she knew

it, breakfast was being set on the low table before her.

He had arrangedit. There was stir-fry and rice balls and tiny little pickles which she had

forgotten she had possessed, all artfully arranged by color. There were chopsticks placed on the

side of the tray and

And really the only reason she was staring at it was because she had not expected him to be so

proficient. Sakura was almost scared to meet his gaze because, exhausted or not, she could still

feel the smugness radiating from him.

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"Thank you," she said as she set her coffee down and reached for her chopsticks.

"You're welcome," Itachi settled next to her and she felt the weight of his regard.

Picking up a piece of chicken she popped it into her mouth and carefully chewed. It wasn't until

she swallowed that she felt Itachi move to dig into his own meal and she wondered at it.

Twisting her chopsticks around some noodles she slowly worked through her food. Why did it

seem that she was always eating around this man? She knew the older, traditional families saw

meal times differently than she had been raised with but clearly her exhaustion was get ting to

her and she was reading way too deeply into things.

She had no idea what to say him right now. He seemed content enough in the silence but the

way she could feel his eyes sliding over her was starting to become irksome. Picking up a rice

ball she chewed it slowly. Damn. He really was good at making them. She slid her eyes over to

find him watching her, a half smile tugging at his lips.

He reached over and tucked the hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. "How are you

feeling?"

Tired enough to want to lean into his touch, apparently. "Better," Sakura said shortly. He should

know better than to interrupt her much-needed breakfast. Even if it was dark outside.

"Good," Itachi purred contentedly, moving his hand to fleck a speck of rice off her cheek. "Then

how about you tell me what happened?"

She paused, chopsticks halfway to her mouth and then lifted then all the way. Chewingstubbornly she met his dark gaze head on and twirled another mouthful onto her chopsticks and

lifted that when she had swallowed. His eyes narrowed just a little and she continued to watch

him completely unconcerned at the growing gleam in his eyes.

She was not in the mood to be interrogated.

"Sakura," he started but she was grumpy and tired and she was eating.

Shoving a chopstick in his direction she glowered at him. "I know you weren't about to start

interrogating me, Uchiha-san." Her tone was syrupy sweet and it made her teeth hurt but it wasworth it to see the way his expression shifted. It wasn't startlement but it was damn close

enough to assuage her irritation.

Then his head tilted and he was considering her the way she was fairly sure he looked at an

enemy to take them apart. Except the gleam in his eye was warming her insides instead of

giving her cold chills.

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"Sakura," his tone was soft velvet. Gentle. "You are a capable, efficient kunoichi. Should I not be

concerned that you stumbled home so exhausted that had the village suffered an attack you

would have at the very least been unaware of it?"

Oh damn. He had to go and make himself sound all reasonable. Why did he care? She knew she

wasn't hiding her confusion very well, but he was just watching her with that patient look all over

his face and the sharp gleam in his eyes. Well, even exhausted she wasn't very fond of being

backed into corners.

Setting her chopsticks down she straightened her spine and stared at him. When she spoke

again, it was in her most formal tone. "Thank you for your concern Uchiha-san, but hospital

protocol forbids me from speaking of matters that occurred inside the hospital walls."

His eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly at the corners and she saw something heat behind his gaze.

She didn't see him move forward, but he took his sweet time in raising a hand to cup her face.

"Sakura," he said in thattone. "I am concerned for you."

And the warm chocolate of his voice combined with the focused intensity of his gaze and Sakura

felt her defenses slipping.

"Not only were your chakra reserves completely drained, which goes directly against hospital

protocol you are clinging to, but you were emotionally depleted as well. You are not a person I

would wish to see risk their lives so carelessly."

She stiffened at his words, but he continued in that same warm, calm tone, "I am not asking you

to break a confidence. I am not asking for privileged information. I am asking you to tell me

what upset you."

He was asking her to trust him.

She wanted to turn him down, she wanted to lean away and shut him out and keep herself from

him, keep herself safe. But but he had made her breakfast. He had watched her while she

slept. He'd put her safely to bed. He protected Sasuke with all that was in him. He'd pursued her

relentlessly, and since the moment he'd declared her as a goal, he'd begun to wrap her life

around him. True, she hadn't always likedthe way that he had inserted his presence into her life,

but she had found their exchanges challenging. More than challenging, she'd found them

enticing, electrifying, and enjoyable.

There weren't many men who could keep up with her.

She didn't want to lose that. For however long he was going to be around, Sakura wanted to

continue enjoy it. And this was far too much thinking for being so tired. It was enough to figure

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out that she didn't want to end this, and that is exactly what not trusting him would do. So she

sighed and shifted further back into the sofa, removing her head from his grasp.

"I was called in for an emergency surgery last night." She murmured lightly. Something warm

and then feral flickered through his eyes but she shifted it to the back of her mind to analyze

later. "It ended up being the first of several."

He had settled back into half-crouch but his eyes never left her face as she spoke. It was a little

disconcerting to have him so focused on every word she said, knowing that he was reading

between the lines and interpreting everything she didn't say as much as what she was saying.

"It wouldn't have been so bad except several of the injuries were internal." She was for once

thankful she didn't have to explain how much precision internal injuries required and the strain it

put on her resources. "One required a great deal of organ restructure. With all the injuries we

had coming in, many of nurses were pulling double shifts and some were even working on their

third and we were still almost short staffed."

Reaching up she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Normally Shizune or Tsunade would have been

called in to assist but they had been tangled up in Council meetings and had been going without

necessary sleep. Tsunade herself had implemented the policy that surgeons not resting on at

least six hours of sleep were forbidden from performing even emergency surgeries and the

earliest they could have been of help was with Shizune's arrival that morning.

She lowered her hand and offered him a tight smile. "We had a breech in protocol. So I stayed

until someone else could supervise."

"Any casualties?" He asked his voice still wrapped in melted chocolate.

She shook her head. "No. Although several of the patients were going to require intense scrutiny

for at least today."

He nodded and just continued to watch her, eyes dark with something she couldn't read.

"When will you need to make your report?"

Sakura glanced at the darkened window. "Not until tomorrow. She won't even be in now. And Igave Shizune the necessary details."

Itachi hmmedthoughtfully and, to her surprise, settled back against his end of the couch. His

focused gaze had turned speculative, and Sakura took the opportunity to eat another rice ball.

"I apologize," he said.

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Fortunately, he had waited until after she swallowed, but it didn't help very much. Sakura

managed to choke on air. She coughed a couple of times. "What?"

The light amusement in his eyes did not affect the sincere intensity of his expression. "You told

me to leave and I did not. I apologize."

For the first time in a very long time, Sakura found herself speechless. It didn't stop him from

continuing.

"Throughout this exploration I have sought to honor your wishes. I allowed my concern for

you to over-ride this resolution. I apologize."

She blinked. In the back of her fuzz-filled head, Sakura could think of plenty of times when he

had ignored her wishesexcept, a small voice piped up, every time you've asked him to let you

go, he always has. It might not have been immediate, but every time, even though she'd known

he'd wanted to continue, he'd let her go.

That that was interesting. But she couldn't think about that now because he had finished

assessing her reaction with those eyesof his and was continuing to speak.

"If you allow our association to continue, I cannot promise you that it will not happen again.

However, it is important for you to know that I will not proceed past the boundaries you have set

until you wish it so."

Whawhat? Sakura shoved herself upright and stared at him, eyes wide. Itachi waspledging to

abide by her wishes? Apologizing because he had overstepped the line?

His pursuit of her had been honest; no one could ever say she hadn't been warned, and

persuasive. Forceful. But if you considered the powers he had at his command, the sharingan,

his psychical strength He had also acted with remarkable restraint, especially after making it

quite clear that she was something he wanted. Still, if this was him being respectful of the

'boundaries she had set,' she really didn't need to see him when he didn't feel like being

respectful anymore.

And she had already decided she didn't want to lose him. So Sakura nodded, slowly.

He gave her a smile which warmed her all the way to her toes. "Good." Holding her gaze and

reaching out, Itachi tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before standing up. "Rest. I'll see

myself out."

Still too tired to do anything else but discretely pinch herselfwas she dreaming? Had Itachi

really just apologized and thenleft?

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"And Sakura," he paused at her door, turning back to fix her with eyes that fairly burnedwith

intensity. Sakura abruptly felt her stomach bottom out. "Fix your traps. Or I will."

No, she wasn't dreaming. He was still just as much of an arrogant bastard as ever. Sakura

flopped back against her couch and picked up the remaining rice ball. But at least he could cook.

X

Shikamaru stared at the pile of papers in front of him. They hadn't moved in the past fifteen

minutes. Neither had he, really. His eyes shifted to the gyokupiece resting next to his elbow and

tapped his fingers against the desk. Really, this was so troublesome.

He wasn't entirely sure what was worse. Being forced to deal with pointless paperwork explaining

actions that no one but Tsunade would ever have access to or waiting for Itachi to show up to

receive a verbal report hewouldn't be satisfied with anyway. Sighing again, he stared at the wall

and wondered how much longer he would be forced to stay in the tower.

He wondered if he could fit a nap in before his meeting.

It wasn't like Tsunade would even read the reports. She'd just call him in and have him explain

it. Folding his arms on the desk, Shikamaru sunk his head forward. Itachi would come when he

came. He was tired of doing reports.

It didn't seem like very long at all before some primal instinct woke him moments before Itachi's

chakra signature entered the room. Shikamaru didn't bother lifting his head as he felt the unique

hum of the silencing jutsu Itachi placed on the room. He was vaguely interested to see if Itachiwould try to 'wake' him, but it was far more likely that the genius already knew Shikamaru was

awake. And Itachi was on Shikamaru's list of Too Troublesome to Tick Off, so he stirred,

straightened, and stretched.

Itachi was standing out of view in the window, half silhouetted in shadow. He didn't speak.

Shikamaru blinked.

If this was going to turn into a contest of 'who was going to speak first,' he might as well go back

to sleep. Except sleeping around the Uchiha had never been restful. It was more troublesome

than it was worth to just ignore him. Sighing, he propped his chin up.

Before he could speak, Itachi beat him to it.

"What do your reports have to say about activity in the hospital for the last forty-eight hours?"

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Shikamaru blinked and sighed, moving his head to glance at the endless reports that never

stopped piling on his desk. There. Reaching out he yanked on the file with the blue tab and

flicked it open. Better to just get this over with.

"Three ambushes. Two were ANBU units and one belonged to a team of genin doing minor field

training. We have a few burns from misfired chakra."

"What breeches of protocol?"

Shikamaru arched an eyebrow. "Ichimaru Mai, nurse. Haruno Sakura had her turn in her badge

and expelled her from the hospital. The details were covered in patient confidentiality."

Itachi just crossed his arms.

Shikamaru sighed. "Apparently, she tried to administer medication to a patient without

consulting his chart. The patient was allergic, and the dose was large enough to kill."

"Ichimaru Mai is related to Ichimaru Michi, is she not? Danzo's assistant."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. He offered more information as a confirmation. "The patient was a

Hyuuga."

Itachi's eyes flickered with something Shikamaru didn't quite catch. Over the years, he had

learned to pick up a few of Itachi's tells and the relaxed, almost casual stance was worrisome. It

didn't take long for Shikamaru to run through the possibilities behind Itachi's interest. Haruno

Sakura had been involved and it appeared Itachi was taking a very active interest in theKunoichi's life. He could already hear Ino's reactions to this and decided it would be in his best

interest to avoid the blonde for the possible future.

Pushing aside the personal repercussions of the information, he leaned back. "You think there is

a connection?"

"Mm," Itachi intoned in typical non-committal fashion, allowing Shikamaru to draw his own

conclusions.

Shikamaru sighed. Yes, the fact that the victim was a main branch Hyuuga, some councilman'sson, was interesting. Especially with the ties to Danzo and the fact that they were in a silent war

with Cloud... Cloud, who never seemed to lose their interested in the Hyuuga bloodline. The

death could have been written off as accidental, providing a glaring weakness in their defenses

and potentially a fresh corpse for Cloud to experiment on. He could already feel the paperwork

that was piling up somewhere and it was giving him a headache.

"You believe we have found our spies?"

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"It is a distinct possibility. We already knew the breech was in a location not previously searched

by ANBU. Her ties to Danzo are troubling."

"An ex-shinobi civilian with a grudge against the Hokage." Shikamaru said wearily. "While

Danzo's loyalty is to Konoha, his agenda is skewed. It would not take much to find information

about our weaknesses if his aid is trusted."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "It looks like this will bear further investigation."

Shikamaru sighed again. He knew that look. It meant traps. "I take it you already have the bait

in mind?"

Itachi inclined his head. "You will be apprised of the details."

So, he did have the trap in mind, and he was certain the Hokage would approve. Fantastic.

Shikamaru brought up one hand to his temples and massaged with a groan. This just meantmore work for him.

"You're such a bother," he dropped his hand and glared up at the other man. Itachi was just a

walking paperwork trap. He narrowed his eyes, "Tell me, how was your picnic?"

The edge of Itachi's mouth kicked up and he leaned back. "There is a two hundred yard track of

forest that has been renovated."

Shikamaru hadn't really been expecting any details and wasn't sure he was happy with what he

learned. His shoulders slumped. This was why he stayed out people's private affairs. "You canexplain that to my mother."

Itachi looked nonplussed at the suggestion. Pushing away from the wall, he moved toward the

window. "Upgrade hospital security as part of the new training procedures that our Hokage will

demand after the breech of protocol. See what you can find on the Ichimaru's background."

Shikamaru sighed heavily as the Uchiha slipped out the window. More paperwork.

X

Sakura breathed in the fresh air of dusk and shoved her hair behind her ears. The evening

market was her favorite time to shop. Early mornings were too busy, filled with the promise of

the day and the need to hurry. Evenings seemed lazier, quieter, somehow more subdued. The

smells of fried food and the laughs of young children mingled with the glow of lanterns as they

were lit to combat the growing darkness. She hadn't been home often enough to catch the

evening market in what seemed like months, and she was determined to take the time to get

some air and time to herself.

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Especially after the past few days, she deserved it. Clean up at the hospital was going to be a bit

mind-boggling, but thankfully she wasn't going to have to do more than supervise the nurses.

Well, once Tsunade took her off the imposed ban so she could rest and deal with the seals on the

Akatsuki ring.

She still didn't know what she thought about Itachi. The fact that he had deliberately taken time

out of his day to make sure she was all right it was baffling. She had the slightly uncomfortable

notion that whatever was between them was changing before she could put her finger on what it

was they had in the first place.

Shaking her head, she deliberately stopped that train of thought. Tonight was to relax and to

shop, and then later she would meet up with Ino. Then she could bounce what was going on off

of her friend and figure out what she thought about the matter. Or at least get Ino's opinion. Her

blond friend had a much better understanding of men (and men in clans) in general than she did.

Shaking her head, she deliberately stopped that train of thought. Tonight was to relax and to

shop. Satisfied with her plan, she shifted the small bundles of packages she had already

purchased closer to her body and strolled through the open stalls. She was very happy with her

new brace of kunai. The herb bundles and small container of imported honey would make the

experiment she was working on much easier. The hair sticks that doubled as senbon were more

of a weapon than anything, but they were pretty and she had the coin.

Satisfied, she continued to stroll for food and keep her eyes open for anything in particular that

could catch her attention. She had owned her apartment for almost two years now, but she was

still looking for pieces that she could decorate with and there was the scroll stall that she wanted

to hit and examine for anything interesting.

Since she was supposed to be meeting up with Ino at some point, she preferred to go ahead and

get this part of her shopping done by herself. Ino would never let her shop for anything practical

on open market nights. She maintained that these nights were strictly for the eccentric fun of the

shiny baubles and exotic booths, but Sakura was a bargain shopper.

She moved along with the beat of the crowd, shifting along with the waves of people until she

came to the scroll stall. Nodding at the elderly lady with the sharp observant eyes, Sakura knelt

down and started perusing the scrolls from the bottom up. This woman had a habit of keeping

the good stuff low to the ground, so people had to work to find it.

She was running her fingers along the scrolls, picking at the labels attached to the end so that

she could read the titles when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her body tensed before

she heard it, and she wondered if she should be thankful or worried that she was so attuned to

his presence.

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"Sakura."

Certain that letting the expletive which leaped to her lips drop was a bad idea, Sakura bit her lip

instead. She wasn't sure she was ready to deal with him yet. She hadn't had time to think! She

didn't bother to get up; she just shifted her head to glare at Itachi and his mother. Shit.

"Uchiha-san, Mikoto-san. Nice to see you." Well, nice to see oneof them, anyway.

"Sakura-san, I don't think I've had the pleasure of your company since the chunin exams.

Sasuke doesn't bring you or that nice Naruto boy around often enough." Mikoto said with an

open smile.

After recent conversations with Itachi, Sakura wasn't very trustful of those smiles. She was a bit

distracted from Mikoto-san's comment by the way Itachi's body tensed. Watching him from the

corner of her eye, she tried to smile.

"I think it was around then," Sakura agreed. She didn't really want to touch on the Sasuke

comment. Her friend was quite aware of the reactions either she or Naruto would have the

moment someone said something they didn't appreciate. He was smart enough to keep them

from being able to directly confront the idiots in his clan. Pushing those thoughts aside, she felt

the stirrings of unease at the way Mikoto's eyes flickered from her to her eldest and back. There

was a gleam in her eyes that Sakura recognized from Itachi all too well. Curiosity.

Her train of thought was derailed as Itachi suddenly moved, settling next to her on his haunches,

fingers brushing against the scrolls she had just perused herself. She slid her hand behind her

leg and fisted it. She refused to respond to the silent challenge and faint brushes of his body

against hers in front of his mother!

"Are you looking for something in particular, Sakura?"

"Are you, Uchiha-san?"

His eyes slide over her face, gaze gleaming with something wild. "Perhaps."

Sakura refused to respond to the soft heat in his voice. She didn't dare risk a glance at his

mother; instead she turned her attention back to the scrolls in front of her. She would not berushed and she gritted her teeth together as he leaned his body to follow hers, the clean scent of

his soap mingling pleasantly with the faintly bitter smell of aged scrolls. What on earth was he

doing?

"Do you have plans for the evening, Sakura?"

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"Oh yes," Mikoto cut in a tone that sounded like Sasuke, the one that always made her very

wary. "You should join just for our meal. It's just Itachi and I this evening."

Well, wasn't that just fabulous. Now not only was she being comparedto his mother, she was

being invited to have dinnerwith his mother. Itachi was practically radiating smug satisfaction

and Sakura was sorely tempted to turn around and clock him in the head. And she would have

too, if she wasn't absolutely certain she would find her back pressed up against the scrolls so he

could kiss her in front of kami, country and mother!

Her second option was to sneeze and accidentally form the jutsu to vanish, but then she'd never

get Uchiha Mikoto's rice ball recipe. And from the way his eyes were angled, gleaming with

suppressed amusement, she knew he knew she was considering it. Damn him.

"Thank you, Mikoto-san, but I wouldn't want to intrude. It must be rare that you get a chance to

spend some time alone with your son. I know he's very busy."

Something like approval gleamed in Mikoto's eyes, and it made Sakura uneasy. When she saw

that light in Itachi's eyes, it usually meant she was about to be backed into a corner.

Mikoto's gaze flickered to Itachi.

"She likes tempura," Itachi said.

Sakura clenched her fists. How did he know that?

"Oh, tempura! Sakura-chan, you mustcome. I know this little restaurant which serves the besttempura. We'll go there tonight, all right, Itachi?"

The faint, underlying order in Mikoto's tone should not have given Itachi that smile. That sort of

satisfied smug should have been illegal. Before she could work out an excuse any excuse!

Mikoto was smiling and talking again.

"I need to make a quick stop over at the tag stall for Sasuke. I shall meet you there in say, ten

minutes?" Mikoto asked, her eyes smiling at Sakura before settling back on Itachi. Reading

something in his face, her smile widened and she moved around them back into the crowd.

Leaving her with an entirely too smug Itachi.

"That was totallyuncalled for."

Itachi eyes gleamed. "Was it?"

She leveled him with a disapproving frown. "I didn't tell you I liked tempura."

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His eyes flickered with something hot. "I know."

She managed to keep from responding to that expression with force of will. Narrowing her gaze

at him in warning, she turned back to the scrolls. He turned with her, and hot air brushed

against her ear and the side of her neck with each breath he took. There was little chance that

she would be able to concentrate enough to find something she wanted with him so near, so she

stood with a suppressed growl.

Before she could step away from him, Itachi settled his hand under her elbow, holding her close.

"Was there a scroll that you wanted?"

"No."

His eyes were gleaming again, and when he shifted his hair slide against her bare arm.

Goosebumps broke again along her skin. His fingers slid along her the line of her shoulders toher neck, and down her spine before the palm of his hand settled in the small of her back.

"Is there any place you like to stop, Sakura?" The warmth in his tone startled her into looking up

at his expression. His face was set in familiar, neutral lines and his eyes were scanning around

them so she couldn't read his expression.

She subtly shifted