Prompt/s: sudden craving for Itachi

Word count: 1448

For S.C.W

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JUXTAPOSITION

(ˌjəkstəpəˈziSH(ə)n)

/ noun

/ the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

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Emerald eyes widened with fear, and then shock, but Sakura quickly righted herself and sent a fierce glare to the tall male. Well, as fiercely as her throbbing head granted her to, at least.

It entertained Itachi to no end.

"Why, you ask?" He mused quietly. Green orbs narrowed. The way the S-class missing-nin toyed with her was not welcome. "Maybe it's because you intrigue me, cherry blossom.

Sakura looked down, and her form froze at the way the Akatsuki's velvety voice had spoken her pet name. It had been the same one that he had used on her when he had been almost visionless, feverish, and half-dead.

The kunoichi slowly brought her eyes up to meet his. Why? Why me? Already feeling the strain, her voice was tired when she said, "Why couldn't you just let me go?"

Silence.

Itachi wasn't blinking, and she tried her hardest not to look down again when she felt that she had been staring at his crimson orbs for far too long.

Sakura gulped. He was near. Too near for her liking. The petite shinobi began to turn away. To her dismay, he caught on immediately and suddenly she felt slender fingers curl upon her pale wrist. Movement stopped. She growled softly with aggravation.

"Tell me, Itachi… what do you want with me?" The pinkette tried to slip into her naive facade again. To her inward despair however, the look on his handsome face told her that he was not easily deceived.

"Come with me." It was a quiet command.

Once upon a time, Sakura would have done exactly what the Akatsuki had desired, no questions asked. But now after she had seen him near death and apparently just as human as anybody else, she had somehow developed a backbone and iron will against this psychotic killer. She scowled at him.

"Why should I?"

"I want to know why you risked everything to help me."

"I'm a medic-nin; I swore an oath to serve and protect and heal."

He raised a slender brow, "I'm your enemy."

"But you're still human."

The Uchiha, for the life of him, could not understand why he would go through such lengths to have someone so unwilling by his side. Of course he was fascinated at first; he was on his deathbed and he knew it, before falling unconscious and then awakening, then realizing that he was actually still alive and breathing and not blind.

Imagine his surprise waking up when he found Sakura kneeling by his side, seemingly half-asleep by the way her eyes were fluttering and her shallow breathing.

He decided to hold her captive, study her. He honestly didn't know why, but she managed to capture his complete and undivided attention. He was mesmorized by the way that a dozen emotions could emerge on her lovely face in under a minute. The way she would defiantly talk back to him was a first; no one dared to act so fearlessly and petulantly before him, for people knew that he could harm them without lifting a finger.

And so, in the two months that they've been stuck with each other, he had finally arrived to the most shocking and horrifying conclusion to ever grace his messed-up mind: he was in love with Haruno Sakura.

He felt faint the first time he had tried accepting that cold, hard fact. Him? With that annoying kunoichi? Impossible. Or so it was in the beginning.

And now he must really be deranged to want to spend his life with her. Seriously.

Brushing those thoughts aside before he gave himself an aneurysm, he proceeded at the task in hand: convincing the petal-haired woman to come with him.

Sakura was nauseous. What on earth was she saying? It sounded like she was trying to give him even more reasons to want her. Damnit. She pursed her lips, pondering over the words that had started this whole goddamn shit.

Come with him? And leave behind Konoha? Her friends? Her family?

She asked again, "Why me? Surely there would be other medical ninjas out there, and would obviously give you much less trouble than I, should and when their services be required." Sakura stared suspiciously at the man not a foot away from her.

"I don't want any other, Sakura. I want you."

The kunoichi gaped at him.

"And you belong to me, just as I belong to you. I can assure you that."

Sakura was really uncomfortable by his proximity and she did not like the way his rainwater and masculine scent pushed her senses on overdrive. He was suddenly so near that their breaths mingled and their noses were just a hair away from coming in contact with each other. Sakura's heart thrashed wildly in her chest she feared her ribcage would shatter.

With a shaky voice, she answered, "You're wrong. I don't belong to anyone, and we certainly don't belong to each other.

Itachi's reply missed a beat.

"I don't think I've ever belonged to anything or anyone. I think I've drifted and I've anchored in places but my feet have never touched soil and I've never planted roots. When the tide came in, I was sent back out by a place that didn't seem to want to keep me. I don't think I've ever belonged to anyone or anything, but I would like to belong to you. I would like to firmly drop my anchor and tie off my sails. I want to plant roots and trees and gardens with you. I want to build a home and find a warm place to lay my head. I've never belonged to anyone, but I want to belong to you."

Sakura's brows shot up.

The petite female felt like she was going to lose consciousness from the amount of shock her body was being put through. Blood rushed up to her face and the rose-haired kunoichi knew that she probably looked as crimson as an apple. What the hell was he trying to imply? The first thing that came to her mind immediately was that he was trying to manipulate her emotions again. She shot the genjutsu expert a ferocious glare, suddenly very cautious of everything.

Sakura made a quiet decision.

Wary emerald eyes soothed, regained their former luster, bright and—

Trusting.

Sakura met his gaze bravely; she had nothing to hide anymore.

She knew that whatever she was doing was very, very insane and wrong.

He had wiped out his clan before the sun had even risen on that dark day. He had joined the very organization that her village and beliefs stood against. He had executed numerous felonies to people who probably were undeserving of his fury and was the sole reason for her childhood love and former teammate's defection from Konoha. He was probably involved in a plot for world domination and Sakura was positive that Akatsuki was after the tailed beast in her blonde bestfriend Naruto. She was probably breaking at least seventeen rules in her village by just her presence, and what she was about to do next was definitely going to get her marked as a snake to her country, not to mention that country's allies.

But it was already all too late to consider such things, for Fate had already decided her life the moment Sakura's path intertwined with Itachi's.

Like everything she had done, like every road that she had taken, there were definitely going to be repercussions. At the moment though, Sakura could only hope that her verdict now would not cause her any regrets in the future.

She sighed softly.

No regrets.

Sakura looked tentatively into vermilion orbs. Despite having regarded each and every one of the evanescent emotions flying on her expressive face, they were vacant and revealed nothing that would allow her at least some knowledge of his thoughts.

A large hand was suddenly lifted, and it planted itself onto her pale cheek. The pressure was light, barely existent.

He was waiting for her.

Sakura took the leap.

Viridian eyes slid shut. She was so tired.

Slowly, surely, she leaned into him, felt his warmth soothe hers in a way she would have never thought about. Her pounding pink head gradually eased, and she pressed her cheek more firmly against his callused palm, not wanting to admit but enjoying very much the pleasant heat against her soft skin. A low masculine chuckle rumbled from the powerful Akatsuki member before her and she opened an emerald eye to peer at him bashfully.

"I still don't trust you."

The Uchiha smirked.

"I know."

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A/N: Wonderful cover photo creds to p3TriFi3d of Deviantart. Please review and tell me what you guys think! Thank you & have a nice day. :)