Disclaimer: All Naruto Characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto
Rating: M (ItaSaku)

In the Silence

Chapter 25- Choose your Poison

He couldn't see.

It wasn't the light or the time of day. It wasn't his sharringan- which years later would finally truly steal from him the sight that was so faded now. There was no fabric over his face, no hand to pull away and reveal a surprise.

There was only blood.

His chest heaved in silence, slowly at first, his breathing controlled despite himself, then faster, the air washing down his throat in quiet broken gasps, filling every corner of his lungs in burning drafts. Behind him the jagged points of the rock dug into his back with each excruciating inhale, adding a sharp pain to the dull agony in his chest.

He wiped his face once more, seeking to clear his eyes, but again, like both times before, it served only to ensure that the blood on his fingers ingrained itself more surely in his skin, like a fresh wound spilling out into a crimson mask across his features. He couldn't see past the dark haze, not even to recognize the color that blinded him. His fingers were a murky blur before him, just as was the landscape that stretched on for endless miles.

He scrubbed again, turning his wrist to use the fabric of his glove on the heel of his hand. The cooling blood there, kept warm only by his own body heat, smeared over closed eyes, chipping at the dried brown edge that had built up after so many attempts.

His movements were almost furious now. Gone was the cold quiet abandon of his mission. Gone was the logic and the choice, and even the understanding. In its place was only the violent tearing of fabric as the gloves came free. The frenzied clang of metal as his bracers hit the cold ground. The half human sob as the blood finally came away leaving behind long angry red marks of its own from rubbing, and the drying scarlet smear that was their life.

Wind brushed his stained cheek and unseeing eyes flickered closed against the cold. It stung, wringing tears from his gaze that he never managed to blink away.

There was silence again.

Terrifying silence that echoed over and over again with the screams of a young child asking, begging, why.

He breathed in… slowly, deeply, seeking the quiet collection of the past… only to have it slip and shatter in pieces around him.

The wind was soft and quiet, but the night began to howl.

He came awake suddenly, eyes snapping open and spinning though the rest of his body remained still as if he was still asleep. He was on his side, which was unusual. More unusual was the slim warm body curled into his chest. Yet more unusual than that- though he was beginning to wonder if that was even possible at this point- was the way his arms were wound around her, the way their legs were so tangled even he was forced to take a moment to figure out where hers began and his ended.

He stayed still, his breathing remaining slow and steady though his heart hammered in his chest as the memory faded. He should have put that behind him years ago. The pain should have dulled, faded with time just as any other hurt would have. Instead it was an open wound in his chest instead of a merely painful scar. The blood was still there. On his hands, his soul. In his eyes.

Closing them again he willed away the sharringan, something that years past could have never allowed. Even with the crimson bloodline deactivated he could see her. The slight raise of her shoulder as she breathed deeply in her sleep. The way soft pink strands of hair shifted, falling across her cheek as she moved.

Her gift would never cease to amaze him even if he lost it all over again. Even if the world went black and the sky fell away from his sight, he would never forget what he had been given.

He shifted slowly, untangling his arms from her shoulders and extracting his legs from hers. He was an elite shinobi, trained in the art of silence and stealth, but being this close made even the great Uchiha Itachi look like a genin. He went still when she shifted, allowing the moments to tick by so that she could remain asleep, unbothered by the demons that haunted his dreams, and waited for her to settle again before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

He wouldn't leave her this time. Oh he could have. The door Kisame had locked the night before in jest had never been an obstacle to any of them. It had amused and interested him to stay, to find himself strung along by the woman sleeping behind him. The woman who wore her heart on her sleeve and her soul in her eyes.

She was unlike anyone he had ever known. But even now… when everything was so close to falling to pieces around the world they were giving their lives to protect… he found himself scared… actually scared to admit how much she was beginning to mean to him.

He could lose her. And he knew that one day soon… she would lose him. It was a coward's thought, but he found comfort in the fact that he would not have to see the pain in her eyes when that day came.

His dream filtered back into his mind. Darkness and blood. An emptiness that he had spent years trying to pay for, trying to fill. A coldness that was like a second skin, a blanket he had wrapped about his shoulders, embracing as a shield that would keep him safe.

There was no wind this time to cause the tears that slid from his eyes, and the flames that sprang up at her touch, searing away the darkness and cold, left him all but breathless.

Somewhere in her subconscious she had felt him move, had wondered if it was only a dream, the heavy heat beside her that wrapped about her like rays of the sun. It was like floating in a meadow… or the deep forest just as the sun was high enough to filter through the trees, but not bright enough to break through the dense leafy canopy. It was a place of shadows interspersed with glimmers of light. A place where the wind could whisper or howl.

Her eyes fluttered open when his weight shifted him to the edge of the bed, but she kept her breathing slow, not wanting to bother him, but hoping… a silly hope… that he would stay.

It wasn't until he drew in a ragged breath, his shoulders shuddering just the slightest bit as he exhaled that she realized something was wrong. The tension in his back flickered through taught muscles, as if poised for an attack, but she could sense no outside danger.

Not wanting to startle him, but no longer able to sit idly by, she reached out, her fingers brushing against the smooth line of his shoulder blade. His skin was warm from sleep but he shuddered as if burned. Worried, Sakura pulled herself into a sitting position, her hand starting to fall away before long slim fingers caught it. He had turned just slightly enough so that he could reach her, his hand wrapping around her own, telling her not to leave, not to move away. She couldn't see his face very well in the shadows and his long hair, unbound and sleep mussed- a look that made her insides melt- hid his eyes. But it did not hide the single glimmer of light that caught the slim wet line on his cheek.

"I did not mean to wake you." His voice was low and controlled as ever, washing over her body like a dark promise.

She shook her head but realized that he probably was not looking her way, even behind his hair, and set to convincing her mouth to move. "You didn't. I'm a restless sleeper…" She lied. She knew he knew it was a lie. She could see it in the way his shoulders relaxed just the slightest bit.

There was silence then. A long stranded silence that twirled around them with no place to go. Taking a deep breath, brows furrowed in part determination and part worry she moved a little closer, her other hand reaching out so that once again her fingers brushed his back. "Can I..." She started to ask if she could help… but that was stupid. What could she offer him? An ear to listen to his pain? A shoulder to cry on? This was Uchiha Itachi. She had barely gotten him to tell her why he had left Konoha… but to tell what would wake such a man in the middle of the night, and bring him to tears… even she didn't know how to ask.

It would have been simple if it were anyone else. With Ino she would have broken open a carton of their favorite ice cream and washed it down with enough toppings to ensure that they never ate ice cream until the next disaster. With Naruto it would have been a late night cup of Ramen and a few brash words. Sasuke, a walk through the woods, maybe a run. Kakashi would only ask for silence. The presence of another as they sat together reading and rereading the names forever etched into stone.

But Itachi she was still only getting to know. She couldn't presume… despite what they had done…

"You are in danger here… Sakura." Her name spilled from his lips in a low soft whisper and she blinked.

"Danger…" She didn't say more, but would instead let him speak.

"My path is poison. I pulled you in because I could no longer bare the thought of walking it alone… but now…" He hesitated and she could see the shadow of his eyes blinking, "…but now I find that even less can I bare the thought of poisoning you."

Silence again. She simply watched his shoulders, the way the muscles unconsciously bundled again, tightening so slowly she only saw it because she was looking directly at it. He was so like his brother, so like Naruto and Kakashi. Wanting… no, Needing to protect what was precious to him at all costs. She understood him all the more now.

Steeling herself around her split second decision she moved quickly reaching up past his shoulder so that she could tug it back, turning his torso so that he was forced to face her. She registered only the slightest flash of confusion in his eyes at her abrupt action before her lips crashed against his.

It was heavy and quick, and when she bit down on his lower lip tasting just the slightest hint of blood he growled and spun them so fast that she was breathing heavily by the time her shoulders hit the mattress that was now flat beneath her. He hovered over her, his body outlined in the slight flickers of light that slid through the closed curtains. His fingers held her shoulders as his eyes locked on hers.

"What, was that for…?" Like before his voice was low and dark. Like velvet that brushed against the inside of her thighs.

She smirked, baffling him. "There. Now I'm poisoned." She licked her lips, tasting where she had drawn blood. Maybe she had gone too far, he certainly didn't seem too pleased, but she wasn't going to just sit there and let him think of her like a thing to be protected. She was a kunoichi. The best medical ninja beside the Hokage- better even, in some aspects. The teammate of the legendary Copy Nin, the "last" Uchiha, and the number one knuckleheaded ninja of Konoha who was in fact about to become Hokage. She was a master at ninjutsu and a genius to boot. She wielded two blades like few in her village could and a jutsu so complicated and powerful it could literally steal bloodline traits. "I am not a child Itachi." She finally began. "The next time you talk of poison and paths remember just who it is your speaking too."

He blinked and she could see the words dig themselves into his brain, nestling beside the bit of information stored away that told him quite literally of her ability to play with poison. Medical ninjutsu went two ways. His brow quirked and her heart did an insane summersault when his lips moved up into a smile. They were so rare. Too rare in fact. She decided to work on exposing them more often.

"I see. My apologies." There was something in his voice and words that made her vibrate right down to her toes.

It might have been the fact that they were both naked, and that every shift of his body rubbed against her just right. She felt like an instrument that only he could play. A stroke here and pick there by long slim fingers and she was humming. The thought made her blush and she immediately regretted the thought.

His brow rose again, but instead of speaking first, instead of calling her out on her words or her actions he leaned in doing a parody of a push up that held him bare centimeters above her. She was sure she was beet red now from top to toe, a fact he had indeed notices as her flush spread over her chest. Sakura felt suddenly contrite. "I… I'm um… sorry I bit you…" She couldn't meet his gaze and focused instead on his chin. He was smiling again, so close that she could see the way the muscles around his mouth moved slowly, could feel the soft exhale as he softly snorted his amusement.

"No you're not."

She frowned and her eyes flickered up to his. "Yes I am…"

"I'm not."

All the breath left her lungs then. Had he just said that? She must have been dreaming. There was no way this man, this gorgeous man with all his long hair and sexy muscles and dark eyes that tugged from her every secret she had ever held… had just said that.

"That's not fair…" She pouted. She shifted, not sure if she was trying to get further away from him, or closer. In the end though, it didn't matter since his proximity meant that any movement on her part just ensured that her chest rubbed against his and each such motion stole from her what little clear thought remained.

"What is not fair Sakura…" He was speaking in her ear now, his breath whispering over skin she had never known was so sensitive. "…is that even when I see nothing but cold darkness… you spread warmth and light." If she had been given a chance to respond she might have blushed again. He didn't give her a chance though. Before she could speak his lips were on hers, gentle at first, but soon more demanding. His tongue slid over her lips and against hers, dragging from her soft low moans as they tangled, a battle of wills that she didn't mind loosing.

Her body sang, arms coming up to press against his chest, almost as if she would push him away before they slid around his shoulders holding him too her. Her knees shifted as he moved his hips, settling his own down against hers. He was already hard against the inside of her thigh and she moaned again at heat fluttered through her at the feeling of him, gasping when he bit down on her lip, hard enough to pay her back but not enough to draw blood.

"Nngh, Itachi…" She was already breathless, heat rising across her whole body. Her hands moved to frame his face and jade eyes locked on the dark coal of his. There was something hot there, simmering in the depths of his gaze. Their bodies stilled for a moment as he shifted them, manipulating their position until another movement would bring them as close as possible.

He watched her silently merely taking in the way her hair fanned around her face, the sparkling and hazy green of her eyes, the way she seemed to look deeper, see deeper.

Finally he leaned in slowly, his mouth capturing hers just as he slid into her in one long, slow, thrust.

She moaned and arched against him, her back bowing as she unconsciously strained towards him. He didn't tease, didn't still his movements only to start again. Instead he set a slow rhythm that built over time, the slow thrusts gathering the heat into her very core.

It wasn't like the first time they had been in each other's arms, exploring the one another's body with a wonder that two people had for what should not have been. It wasn't like the heated kisses that they had stolen over the past weeks or the frenzied reach towards need and heat that had consumed them in the shower.

It was a slow worship of the way he moved against her, the way she rocked back up against him. Her head tipped back as he rearranged the angle of his hips causing his thrusts to glide deeper. A breathy moan escaper her and he swallowed the sound with a kiss moving on to her neck where he could just as slowly lavish the warm skin now exposed to him. She ground up against him, wanting, needing more, and only when her muscles fluttered around him with desire did he oblige. His hand slid under her neck and down her back, wrapping around her waist and tugging her hips firmly up against his so that there was no separation as he rocked into her, his thrusts becoming harder as his own breath came in sharp gasps.

The heat built in her center as she raised her hips against him in time with each thrust and she begged him for more, her voice lost in the sounds of their bodies coming together, the sounds of their mutual moans.

"I..itachi… please…" She gasped his name, fingers curling into his back as the coil in her belly wound tight. His breath was against her ear and when he spoke all was undone.

"Come with me… Sakura."

There was no demand in his words, only a low hidden request. So when just for a moment, a split second, he stilled, only to move again and rock up against her striking somewhere deep inside, did she finally spin out over the edge, the coil snapping and sending her whirling into a hot oblivion.

Her body shuddered in time with his and her knees clamped over his hips as her front arched against him. She could feel the shudder of his own body as muscles went taught for a moment only to collapse as his heat washed through her. His weight dropped around her slimmer form, but he was careful to hold himself up. She could feel his heat racing through his chest and when he rolled gently to the side, taking her with him, she was content to rest her ear over it, listening to the way it slowed with hers.

They were quiet for a time as both drifted towards sleep and Sakura found herself comforted by the cool scent of forest and shadows that seemed to cling to him even now.

"I'm falling in love with you." She whispered into her dream as her eyes slipped closed, wondering if some day she would have the courage to say it aloud.

"That is good. Because I am already in love with you." It whispered back.

Chapter 26- The Price of Power

A/N: Short I know, but I figured it was about time I posted something. Im at my minimum word requirement at least, so that should count for something. Well there you have it, some more intimate moments between Itachi and Sakura along with a few more memories. I find that the more I write this story the more I am iterested in digging into Itachi's past. I hope your enjoying the journey with me! More to come soon!