Protein Bar: Sometimes, it's the most insignificant details that are the most telling.

I do not own any rights to Naruto

Events were set into motion quickly after Sakura's many revelations.

As soon as the remaining poison was removed from Kankuro's system, he regained consciousness and provided them with a retelling of his battle with the Akatsuki member, not sparing a single, chilling detail of the Puppetmaster.

Not only that, but, as soon as he managed to unclench his fingers, a critical piece of evidence was given to them. The namesake black cloak with red clouds. Finally, physical proof of the rumors they had been chasing for months, and now, with Kakashi on their team, they also now had adequate means to track their quarry.

It would mean, of course, that they would have to enlist Team Kakashi, rather than wait for the additional ANBU backup that Itachi had requested upon their arrival. He also had to consider the fact that Gaara would more likely than not require immediate medical assistance once they did manage to retrieve him. Sakura's presence would undoubtedly be necessary.

Unsurprisingly, this was not seen favorably by the Sand Council. However, they had little other choice but to approve sending his team as well as Team Kakashi after their stolen Kazekage, while their ANBU teams remained to protect the village. Their only stipulation was that the Elder Chiyo would accompany them on their journey, to ensure Sand's best interests were maintained on the mission.

Itachi saw little problem with allowing the Elder to accompany them on their journey, so long as she could pull her own weight.

Within 12 hours Team Alpha, Team Kakashi, and the Elder Chiyo were on the trail of the Akatsuki pair, following Kakashi's nin-ken across the countryside.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long until they ran into trouble.

A large, unfettered chakra greeted them less than a day's travel from the gates of Suna. Immediately, Itachi examined the terrain and found suitable ground for them to meet their new opponent. As soon as they landed in the spacious clearing, a large blue-skinned nin appeared, resembling more shark than man.

"Hoshigaki Kisame," Shisui informed them immediately. "S-class missing-nin from Mist. One of the Seven Swordsmen."

"I'm flattered," the nin known as Kisame noted as he unsheathed his monstrosity of a sword from behind him.

"The Seven Swordsmen," he heard Sasuke note quietly behind him. "Like Zabuza."

Briefly, Itachi remembered that Team Kakashi had experience with the Seven Swordsmen in a deadly mission that had shaped their young lives, an encounter that nearly cut their shinobi careers short. But this man was not just one of the previous Seven Swordsmen. He was clothed head-to-toe in a cloak of black with red clouds, and, according to the Bingo book, this man had executed the remainder of the Seven Swordsmen from Mists ranks. This was beyond anything Team Kakashi had faced.

His decision was immediate.

"My team will remain and take on Hoshigaki," he ordered. "Team Kakashi and Chiyo-sama will proceed in pursuit of the Akatsuki members that hold the Kazekage captive. We will join and provide backup when we are finished here."

Team Kakashi followed his order without hesitation. "Hai, Taichou," they responded before leaping one-by-one back into the trees.

Sakura, who had been positioned next to him, was the last to do so, and, though they were on a mission, though he knew this was the wisest course of action, he couldn't help but reach out to her as she bent to follow her team. At the feel of his fingers around her elbow, she stopped and turned to face him, her expression puzzled.

He said nothing for a moment, but, finally, too quiet for anyone else in the clearing to hear him, he intoned, "Be careful."

His words made her features soften for a split second, before a fierce light re-entered her eyes. With a final nod, he released her elbow and watched her disappear into the tree line.

"Yo, ANBU-san, are we going to fight, or are you going to make goo goo eyes at your girlfriend all day?"

Itachi said nothing in response, merely turned and slowly let his bloodline limit activate.

"What the hell was that about?"

Sakura wondered if it was physically possible to roll her eyes any harder than she was currently doing.

"Sasuke, now is really not the time. We have a mission to think about."

"So you can flirt with my brother during the middle of a mission, but I'm not allowed to ask about it?"

Her eye was beginning to develop a telltale twitch she seemed to only get around her teammates. "Nope."

"But Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura is right, Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi scolded from his position as point. "We have a mission to think about."

On any other occasion, she would be sticking her tongue out at Sasuke and blowing him a nice raspberry.

"If she doesn't want to talk about her new boyfriend now, we'll just have to wait until we save the Kazekage to interrogate her."

She didn't have to turn around to feel the disapproval radiating off of the Elder that followed in step behind them. "You Konoha nin are all so unprofessional. It's a miracle you can accomplish anything with the way you carry on."

Sakura's eyes were going to get stuck in the back of her head if she kept this up. "For the last time, it's none of any of your bus-"

Her tirade was interrupted from the sudden cacophony of Kakashi's nin-ken barking in a signal she had learned to recognize. They were getting close.

Not two minutes later, they were met with a large rock structure, protected by a series of seals that littered its surface. All of Kakashi's hounds confirmed that the scent continued on behind the rock, and they could feel the pulse of more than one powerful chakra signature to confirm.

"I will take point. Naruto, Sasuke flank me. Sakura," Kakashi ordered tersely, "break it down."

Pulling her gloves, Sakura gathered her chakra in her clench fist. "With pleasure."

Rearing back, she unleashed her monstrous strength in a single blow that brought the boulder crumbling down. Immediately, she fell into step behind her boys, watching their back and protecting Chiyo.

Once the dust settled, they were greeted by the sight of two more cloaked nins. One, a creature resembling a scorpion, she recognized from Kankuro's description. The other was a tall blonde shinobi that bore a disturbing resemblance to Ino.

She didn't have time to ponder that further, though, because the blonde was seated on top of the body of the Kazekage they were so desperate to save.

"Get off of him, you bastard," Naruto roared from her left. Cutting her eyes to him, she noted with a sense of alarm that his sunny blue eyes had turned a hellish red, and his features had sharpened in a way that resembled more fox than man.

Rather than be alarmed by his outburst, the blonde grinned in a way that made Sakura want to plant her fist in his face. "You want your little Kazekage? Then you'll have to catch me first!"

It was then that Sakura noticed the giant white bird settled behind the pair. She watched it come to life and grip the Kazekage in its large beak before taking off with a powerful gust of air.

Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto sprung into movement, leaping out of the caves and pursuing the Kazekage and his captor.

"Damn it," Kakashi cursed. "Sasuke, with me. We need to calm him down. Sakura, you and Lady Chiyo take care of this one."

"Hai!"

Sasuke turned to follow Kakashi, but flashed her a quick smirk as he passed. "Be careful."

"Sasuke, when I'm finished with this one, I'm coming for you first."

Itachi had seen battle enough to know that victory was not as black and white as the stories portrayed.

Their win over Akatsuki had resulted in the retrieval and resurrection of the Kazekage, an act that would no doubt permanently solidify the alliance that existed between the two villages. Not only that, but they had managed to gain valuable information about several different Akatsuki members, and dealt a blow to the organization in the form of Sasori's death.

They had not, however, emerged unscathed.

Both Shisui and Kakashi were still resting and recovering in the hospital following their battles. Kisame had managed to put Samehada in the path of Shisui's Shunshin, a feat Itachi had never seen before. Kakashi, it seemed, was recovering from his use of the Mangekyou Sharingan, something Itachi wasn't even aware that he possessed. He made a mental note to question him more about it once they had returned to Konoha.

In the meantime, he had something else to attend to.

In one of the debriefings he had attended earlier in the day, one of the other Sand Elders, Ebizo, informed him that Chiyo's funeral would be taking place the next day. Despite the intensely secretive and private nature of their culture, he was adamant about extending an invitation to Sakura.

"In her final moments, she spoke of Sakura with great respect. I never thought I would see the day my sister would lay down her past to fight alongside a Konoha nin. Something happened in that cave that changed her mind. I know she would want Sakura there with her tomorrow."

He had intended to seek her out earlier, but her time in the hospital and his time meeting with Suna leadership had kept them apart. Though it was now late into the evening, he wanted to give her time to consider Ebizo's offer.

Stopping in front of her quarters, he knocked firmly and settled in to wait for her to wake and come to the door.

However, he found himself surprised to immediately hear the sound of footsteps making their way towards him. Several locks tumbled, and the door swung open to reveal her surprised face.

"Itachi," she greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"May I come in?"

Her surprise quickly gave way to a flustered welcome that he couldn't help but find endearing. She waved him inside and turned to close and lock the door once more. Stepping into her living room, he noticed she had been given the same suite he had, one that had a small kitchenette and living space separate from its own bedroom and bathroom.

"How are you feeling," she asked, walking into the room behind him. "Genma told me you were wounded during your fight with Kisame, but I didn't see you in the hospital."

Itachi fought the urge to roll the aching shoulder he had managed to dislocate while dragging Shisui away from Kisame. "It was nothing serious."

Suddenly, she appeared in front of him, a frown crossing her delicate features and hands firmly planted on her hips. "I've heard that tone enough from all of my teammates to know that's not true."

He thought about brushing it off again, but took one look at her narrowed gaze and knew she would not be letting it go. "I may have damaged something putting my shoulder back in its socket."

"I knew it," she seethed reaching up towards him. Rather than touch him, she kept her hand level over the top of his shoulder and brought the green glow of her chakra to life. "You shouldn't be so cavalier about shoving your joints back together. You've torn your labrum and damaged part of the joint capsule."

It took her a matter of minutes to fix the damage done to his shoulder and ease the ache, but, he found that something that should have been simple for a medic of her caliber to heal had left her visibly drained in a way that made him pause. He was tempted to activate his sharingan and assess her chakra levels, but knew it would only earn him another scolding.

His eyes strayed from her wan features and caught on a bandage wrapped firmly around her upper arm. Though he was aware of the ultimate result of her battle with Sasori, he hadn't yet been given any details regarding their fight.

Carefully, he lifted his fingers and brushed them against her injured arm, immediately gaining her attention.

"You, also, did not have an easy fight," he noted quietly.

Something unfamiliar crossed her face, but, before he could question it further, she took a step away from him, placing herself just out of his reach.

"I need a cup of tea," she blurt out suddenly. "Something herbal, I think. Would you like some? I'll make a pot."

As she moved to step by him, he took her by the shoulders and firmly, but gently directed her to the couch in her small sitting room.

He smoothly cut across any protests she made. "You are tired. Sit. I will make tea and be back shortly."

He made his way to the kitchen and found the tea pot already sitting her stove. As he turned on the faucet and began to fill it, he was surprised to find a colorful mug in several pieces at the bottom of her sink. Realization crept slowly over him as he threw the broken pieces in her trash and finished making their new mugs. Sakura was doing her best to keep herself together, but was obviously struggling, which he should have expected. She more likely to shoulder her burdens on her own than turn to another for support.

His suspicions were only confirmed when he returned to the living room, only to find that she was up and moving around again, searching through several different medical texts she had been loaned from the Suna archive.

"Sakura," he called as he set the mugs down on her coffee table. "Sit down for a moment."

"I just need to look something up really quickly," she replied in what was supposed to be a blasé manner, but only came out sounding slightly frantic. "I have to return these books before we leave for Konoha, but I still need them to figure out-"

"Sakura," he called again.

In the middle of flipping through several pages, her hand caught on the edge of the book and sent it tumbling to the floor. "Damn it," she cursed, already reaching down to retrieve it. "I just -"

He caught her hands before they could make it any father and was only slightly surprised to find them trembling. "Sakura."

The unfamiliar look he had glimpsed earlier returned to her face again, and, this time, Itachi recognized it for what it was. Sakura was at a place where fear met shock and exhaustion.

Her eyes were wide and bright with tears as a haunted whisper escaped her lips. "I can't stop shaking."

He didn't hesitate to pull her towards him and fold her into his embrace. She came without a fight, fisting her hands tightly in the front of his his shirt, as if trying to force them to hold still. Once she was in the circle of his arms, he found that it was not just her hands, but her whole body that was quaking. Without thinking, he removed one of his hands from her lower back to gently rub it down the length of her spine over and over again.

Her face was buried deeply in his chest, and, when she continued to speak, he found he had to rest his cheek against her temple to even hear her.

"It was awful," she whispered into his collarbone. "They aren't human, Itachi. These are monsters. How are we supposed to face them?" He could feel the way her breath hitched slightly, tucked as she was against him. "How are we supposed to keep Naruto from them?"

He tightened his grip on her even further, frustrated by his inability to chase her new nightmare away. "You have something they do not."

He felt her huff against the skin of his neck and couldn't help but be amused. "Pink hair? Annoying teammates? Anger management issues?"

"Your humanity." She stilled in surprise against him. "When you face monsters, it's the thing that becomes most important, because it separates you from them. You determination to save Gaara already helped you defeat one Akatsuki member. They will not get to Naruto because you will not let them."

Gradually, her shakes began to die down, and her breathing evened out to match his. He held her throughout, stroking her back until she gathered enough strength to pull away from his warmth. When she finally did, she peered up at him with a small, grateful smile.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded, saying nothing, not needing to.

Her gratefulness quickly gave way to embarassment when she finally took note of how close they had become. Nervously laughing, she stepped away from him, face bright red, and moved to the coffee table where their tea was waiting for them.

"Sorry about that, I guess the last couple of days really pushed me over the edge."

From his position behind her, he watched as she reached for one of the mugs on the low table only to flinch suddenly, hissing out a breath as her hand reached for her abdomen. In a flash, he was by her side, heart pounding as he supported her and laid his hand gently over her own.

"Sakura."

Her reply was automatic. "I'm fine."

His eyes narrowed on her expression, as he could see the effort she took to breath deeply and even out her features, masking the pain her movement caused her.

"What happened?"

Stubbornly, she shook her head. "It's fine really. I was hurt during our fight with Sasori, but Chiyo managed to heal me on the battlefield."

The more she denied, the less inclined was to believe her. Gently turning her to face him, he forced her to meet his gaze. "How were you injured?"

"Itachi-"

"How, Sakura."

She was quiet for a moment, determined not to back down in front of him. However, after a few seconds, her shoulders slumped slightly under his hands as she sighed and admitted, "It was a sword."

His whole body went cold in a way he had never experienced before. He was filled with a secondhand terror that he had no way to combat now that the danger was already gone. He found that he could not unclench his hands from her shoulders as the sudden realization rose that he had almost lost her so soon after she had managed to appear in his life.

Sakura seemed to sense his unmitigated panic because she lifted her hands to his cheeks and used her grip to slowly pull his face down until his forehead rested against hers.

He could feel her breath on his lips as she reassured him quietly. "I'm all right. It's okay. He's gone now."

Looking down past her face, he saw that in the process of lifting her arms, the hem of her tank top had lifted slightly, enough for him to see the edge of a bandage. Without meaning to, his hand found its way to her side, tracing under her shirt to see how far her wound went. It didn't take him long to discover traces of blood blotting the white fabric.

"Your bandage needs to be changed," he told her quietly.

Her head shook gently against his. "I can do it later."

He would have none of that, though. Seeing her med kit on the table out of the corner of his eye, he pulled away from her and bent to retrieve it.

"Itachi, really, I can take care of it later."

He didn't even bother responding. He simply led her over to the couch and sat her down at the edge as gently as possible as he knelt between her legs in front of her. It was as if she were suddenly made of glass, his grip was so careful. However, his hands never left her, like he couldn't keep his fingers from tracing her skin.

Sakura knew that recovery from battle was as mental as it was physical. She had already proven it in the way she had insisted on taking care of his shoulder. It didn't matter that she had been nearly out of chakra, or that any medic could have easily fixed his labral tear in the morning. She had needed to feel him, to make sure that he was okay, to reassure herself that he had made it out alive.

So, when he handed her pain medication, she swallowed the pills down with her tea. When he started cutting her bandage away, she obligingly held her pajama shirt out of the way. When he traced her wound with his fingertips and asked again how she was injured, she answers him truthfully.

"Sasori evaded one of our attacks, and managed to position himself behind Chiyo. I stepped in the way of his katana and was run through."

She could feel the way his whole body tensed at her words and knew that he hadn't realized the full extent of her injury. Slowly, his hand moved from her side to her back where his fingers sought the twin to the wound he had already found.

Sakura could almost see the way that his thoughts were churning behind his eyes as he moved back and forth on her skin between her incisions and gave him a minute of quiet to process his emotions.

However, she could have never predicted the next words out of his mouth.

"I should not have left you."

Whatever she had been expecting, it certainly wasn't his regret. She wondered if he would admonish her for getting in the way, but instead he blamed himself for her injured state, for giving the order that had put her in Sasori's path.

She reached for his hand and stopped it midway on its circuitous path. "You couldn't have predicted this would happen," she told him, "and, remember, we came out the victors here."

He stared into her eyes, searching for a moment, before nodding and returning to his work. Carefully, he cleaned her wound with alcohol and applied a salve she had made earlier, then, slowly and methodically, he had her lean forward so that he could re-wrap her bandages.

When he was finished, he put everything back exactly the way he found it in her pack and handed her her tea, which she accepted with a quiet "thank you."

"Chiyo's funeral will be tomorrow," he informed her quietly.

She nodded and found that her throat burned slightly with unshed tears. "I know. Ebizo found me earlier today."

He stood up to his full height. "Then you should get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."

The thought of being alone again paralyzed her for a minute, and, before he could move to take a step away from her, she managed to catch the edge of his shirt in her hand.

Not having the courage to meet his gaze, she looked down at her toes muttered her request to the floor. "Stay. Please."

Seconds of heart pounding silence followed, and suddenly she felt very childish. She released her grip on his shirt as if it had burned her. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. You don't have to."

However, instead of walking away as soon as he was freed like she expected, Itachi reached for her fallen hand and used it to pull her up from the couch. Without looking back at her, he led her through the familiar layout of the apartment to her bedroom, releasing her only to remove his pouch and his sandals and place them neatly by the bed.

She had already been wearing her pajamas when he arrived, so, careful not to disturb her new bandaging, she lifted the corner of her sheets and slipped underneath them.

A few seconds later, another weight shifted the mattress and she felt the warmth of his body behind her. One of his arms smoothly slipped under her pillow while the other rested hesitantly on her hip.

"Are you in any pain," he asked quietly, his breath brushing the hair at the top of her head.

Her side ached, but she would never admit to it. The need to be held outweighed the pain. She reached for the hand at her hip and pulled it firmly over her side to rest on her heart.

He seemed to understand. He entwined their fingers and their legs together before breathing a sigh behind her.

It was first night since her battle with Sasori that she slept peacefully

Here's another chapter!

Sorry this took so long! For some reason this one just refused to be written the right way.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!