A/N: Hello my babies. Sorry this is so late, im writing this on my phone right now at the airport! I'm sorry if there are errors, but writing this on the Notes APP isn't exactly great.

LOL so I extended this to a four-shot, I know, fucking kill me. This is more than the first two chapters combined LMAO so l decided to separate things again. Again, so sorry.

Xxxx Xxxx Xxxx

If that idiot thinks he can get away with it, I'll take his whole damn police force away! Sakura was recalling Tsunade's angry words about Fugaku. I wonder how it'll feel to be stuck in the village for months on end, that bastard! After calming down her teacher, messily and albeit with sake, Sakura retreated back to the hospital to check on Sasuke's condition.

"You're an idiot." He greeted her, the moment she walked through the door.

"I see you're finally up, sunshine." Sakura retorted, crossing her arms and pairing it with a scowl on her face. "What am I an idiot for now?"

"That you yelled at my father while I was unconscious."

"Sorry, but he deserved it."

"I know. But I wished I had a front row seat." This caught Sakura off-guard and she smiled at her teammate. Finally nearing his bed, she checked his chart again if there was anything that had changed in the last few hours.

"At this rate, you'll leave in a couple days and be as free as a butterfly." She commented, putting the chart back. Sasuke moved over to give her some room and she sat alongside him.

"Please do not compare me to a butterfly."

"I am sure you would be majestic."

Sasuke hesitated, looking out the window and then back to his friend, "So how long are you going to be made at your boyfriend?"

"Shut up, now you're the idiot." Sakura playfully punched his shoulder.

"You're a medic punching someone in a hospital bed and somehow I'm the dumbest person in the room?" Sakura took a deep breathe, not wanting to undue all the hard work that went into Sasuke's now healthy condition. So help her, she'll end up punting him across the village.

Sakura took one more deep breath and then stood up to face the window, gazing at the expanse that is Konoha. "Sasuke, I love you. But if you don't shut up about this I'll kill you right now. No witnesses."

He smirked at the predictable response, "As if you could take me, even while I'm injured."

Sakura stilled, humorous nature gone, and threw-back, "Maybe if you took me on the mission you wouldn't be injured."

"And you would be in the hospital bed?" Sasuke asked back, sitting up and getting ready for what he knew to be an argument.

"Damnit. Why do you always have to assume that I can't protect myself? I've trained to be a kunoichi for my entire life, for what? To not be given a chance to prove myself? To get left behind on missions? To-"

At this point, Sasuke was staggering out of the hospital bed, grunting the entire way. By the time Sakura noticed what he was doing, mid-way through her angry-rant, he was behind her with an obviously annoyed expression.

"Listen to me, how about that?" Sasuke poked her in the forehead, stupefying Sakura into silence.

He continued, "How would you feel if one of the people you care most about was put into a life-threatening situation that you could control? If it was up to me, I'd be with you every single mission, Itachi be damned. You go on ANBU missions all the time, without Naruto or myself, do you know how that feels?

"No…"

"Don't feel so left behind, Sakura-chan," He sarcastically emphasized, "Ever so slowly you're leaving us for one of the best ANBU teams available. When was the last time you checked in with us after you came home from a mission?"

"Okay I get it." Sakura whispered angrily, "But you have to understand that no matter what, I'm going on missions. Maybe I wouldn't do ANBU so much if I had a team that took me on missions."

"Touché." Sasuke conceded. The two smiled at each other in silent understanding before Sasuke's eyes widened and he fell into his teammate.

"See? You're the idiot here." Sakura mocked as she all but carried Sasuke back to the hospital bed. It was moments like these that Sakura loved to take advantage of and tease her teammate. Her strength came in handy plenty of times, especially when her teammates need a whipping. Having an unable Sasuke, who can't even walk back to his bed, strewn across her arms bride-style, was so laughable that Sakura almost felt bad.

Sakura placed him back to lie down, no longer holding-back her giggles once he was safely down. He scowled, as per usual, but could not help but inwardly note how truly embarrassing it was getting carried like a baby by his small teammate. Sakura noted his blush, but decided not to continue teasing him, he seemed mortified enough.

"You're right." He replied after a few minutes, blush finally pushed down, "I don't appreciate what's right in front of me."

"Silly Sasuke, that will always be true." Sakura continued taunting him, giving him an once-over with chakra to make sure he did not hurt anything.

"Are you talking about that time you confessed to me or maybe something in the future?"

Sakura grabbed his pillow right from under Sasuke and smacked him with it, "I would do anything for you to forget that."

"I'll trade you. A massage and I won't bring it up at your's and Itachi's wedding."

"Go to hell." Sakura frowned, still beating him with the pillow.

"Just imagine my best-man speech now, 'The better Uchiha can be found by the fact that I had her first.'"

Sakura had to literally stop herself from punching Sasuke through the floor and down into the earth. "You do realize that I can literally punch you into your grave right now?

"I am telling the truth, though."

Sakura stopped her violent offense to place the pillow back down, sitting on hospital bed. "About what?"

"That I didn't appreciate you then."

"It's good you finally understand that."

"If I had known what I know now," Sasuke paused, "I would've held onto you."

Sakura blushed at his pure bluntness and candor, unsure of what to say in response. There were several gasps and her fist kept unclenching and clenching.

Sasuke, internally loving the confused and almost scared look on his teammate's face, continued pushing the conversation. (H secretly called it revenge for earlier). Getting close to her earlobe, he whispered wistfully, "Who says I still don't have a hold on you?

"I'll kill you."

"There it is." Sasuke sat back against the headboard, "Itachi all but pissed all over you." Sakura threw him a look, before remembering that whatever she said did not matter, Sasuke would always assume she had a thing for Itachi.

It was then that she remembered Sasuke's sudden anger from early and that specific physical response that had her completely dumbfounded. "So that poke on the forehead, was that a love declaration or something?"

"You know I love you," Sasuke replied seriously, "But you're an idiot."

"But I'm your idiot, right?"

Sasuke smiled, actually smiled, and not smirked. "We could've had it all."

Sakura gave him a light kiss on the top of his head before getting up, "I have to make dinner. So I'll visit you again tomorrow. I'll… let your family aware that you're awake."

"Sure, whatever." Sasuke replied, sitting back down and waving goodbye to his teammate, letting sleep take over his eyelids again.

Xxxx Xxxx Xxxx

She visited Sasuke the night before, the afternoon sunshine flitting through her blinds. She didn't exactly tell the Uchiha's their son was awake, but instead pressured Ino to tell them for her. And now were the consequences of that behavior. There were only a handful of times that Sasuke surprised Sakura. This was one of those few moments, but this method was entirely a first on its own.

"Mikoto-san?"

"Good afternoon, sweetheart." Being a member of Team Seven had its perks, such as the amazing dinners that the Uchiha matriarch had to offer. After long training sessions at the Uchiha estate, it was silently expected that the kind mother would invite in her younger son's teammates. Bearing only sons, Mikoto quickly latched onto what she concerned her adoptive daughter.

"Not to be rude, but this visit was unexpected." Sakura had the door half open, attempting to conceal her dirty apartment. "Please, let me take a few minutes to tidy the place."

"Unnecessary. And please, drop the formalities. You don't need that nonsense with me." Mikoto offhandedly waved off Sakura's request as she strolled into the apartment, despite the medic's warnings.

"Why-"

"Let me get straight to the point. Why did you break up with my son?"

"Eh?!" Sakura was entirely shocked, hand still on the side of the door, forgetting completely to close it.

"As the mother to such a romantically incompetent son, I must help amend his inadvertent errors."

"Uchiha-san and I were never in a romantic relationship."

Mikoto interjected, "Yet! Sasuke explained the entire situation to me." Sakura was cursing out her meddling teammate for his damn stupid ways, but knew that no matter what she was still screwed. "And I think it's about time I entered this strained situation."

"Please, Mikoto-san. There's no need to-"

"Drop the formality, damnit and let me talk." Mikoto said firmly, turning towards Sakura with her full attention and hands on her hips. "Now don't let this little spat bar you away from all Uchiha's."

"I'm sorry if my decision seemed rash, but I-"

"You no longer want to heal me?" Mikoto interrupted, staring into her emerald eyes.

"Well, no."

"Alright," Mikoto had that scary smile that most Uchiha's replaced with a smirk – like she already knew how this conversation would go. "I'm sorry for assuming this, but after sharing such an extended time in Itachi-kun's presence, I figured it would be easy understand his social ability?"

"Yes, it was..." Sakura chose her words carefully, "But there is only so much one could deal with..."

"Are you saying my son is beyond trying for?"

"No." Sakura was quick to respond.

"But?" Mikoto still had that damned smile on her face, but now with a brow raised.

Sakura hesitated, finally closing the door behind her and offering a seat to the woman in front of her. "Maybe I need some time to gather my thoughts."

"Ah," Mikoto's smile transformed into a smirk, one that Sakura knew too damn well to instantly realize that the women in front is where Sasuke and Itachi inherited from, and not Fugaku. "So just a short break until you reconcile."

"I wouldn't say short." Sakura drew-out, looking away with a shy hand on her opposite elbow.

"I didn't take you for the sort of women who held onto petty grudges." Mikoto provoked.

"I am not." Sakura could see the direction of the conversation, "I'm sorry if it seems 'petty,' but both your son and husband threatened to remove me from my positions. I think they both made it quite clear where my standing is, so why should I be the one to reconcile? Or at least, this is how I feel. And whether or not you think this line of reasoning is okay, it's what I'm going."

Mikoto was digesting every word, nodding to certain parts of it and slowly straightening her smirk into a fine line. "I know how you must feel. Fugaku didn't fall in love with me overnight, after all."

"What do you mean?"

"I was a rising kunoichi, Jōnin, in fact. And when my parents paired me with Fugaku, it was understood that I would go off-duty. It irked him that I waited until midway through our engagement to finally stop."

"What did he do?"

"Just daily Fugaku things, ridicule my every thought and move. Even if I were to get just a scratch, he would admonish me for being reckless or unable to defend myself. It was horrible. Could you imagine your new fiancé hating every single move you did?"

"I mean it is Fugaku-san…" Sakura whispered, earning no response. The medic knew Mikoto heard it, since her lips curled into a smile almost imperceptibly.

"Eventually I confronted him and it was then that I finally realized what was going on. 'You would rather put your life on the line for strangers than care for your future husband?'" Mikoto reminisced, "It took this single question for me to realize why he was such an asshat."

Sakura gaped at her vernacular while releasing small chuckles, "He's mean because he cares?"

"And that is a summary of every Uchiha male, in one singular sentence." Mikoto looked back at Sakura, smiling away.

"Seriously?" Sakura was completely dumfounded."

"I just described to you Itachi and Sasuke's only model for romantic affairs. I thank Kami every day for our good looks, otherwise how on earth are those idiots supposed to get girls to like them?" Sakura laughed at that, finally beginning to comprehend what Mikoto was originally trying to convey.

Seeing the epiphany on Sakura's face, Mikoto took that as a signal that her job was done. Getting up from her spot on the couch and heading towards the door, the Uchiha matriarch turned around one last time to say:

"Please listen to me, Sakura-chan. Do not take his senselessness personally. Itachi has a good heart and when he sees someone he cares about get hurt, especially you, he does not know how to act. He flies into survival mode, as always, like everything is a mission. Just remember how he truly is inside." With a wave, the elegant mother was out the door and heading towards the marketplace.

"Hm." Sakura was unsure where to proceed. This was like a real life game of chess, expect all of her pieces were pawns and suddenly the queen was at her doorstep. It seemed as though every move she made, Sakura would get burned. Save their charge, get yelled at. Save Sasuke, get yelled at. Try to save her mental state, get a visit from Mikoto.

Sakura laughed, suddenly unable to remember the last time she actually felt well about a good deed. If she was going to keep this losing streak, there seemed to be only one destination left in mind.

Xxxx Xxxx Xxxx

Standing at the threshold of the Uchiha manor did nothing to calm Sakura's nerves. There was an innumerable amount of clansmen that she passed along the way and they undoubtedly took note of her presence. Taking one deep breathe, Sakura summoned all her courage to knock on the door.

Two knocks.

Three knocks.

Four knocks.

…

Maybe he was ignoring her. About a good twenty minutes of being stared at later, there was not a single indicator that anyone could possibly be home. It seemed luck would never be on her side.

"Sakura-chan!" A familiar voice hollered, "There's been so much ruckus in the compound, I should've figured you were around."

"Shisui-san." She greeted.

"Here to give another Uchiha a vasectomy?" Shisui joked, "Of course if you're willing, I'd let you touch me."

Sakura took the bait and threw back, "You want a vasectomy that bad?"

Shisui took in a sharp breathe and waved his hands up in a blocking motion, "Just kidding, Sakura-chan. I could only assume your intentions, standing outside of the house of your sworn enemies."

"That's what I'm here to amend. I was verbally attacked right after Sasuke's surgery, exhausted and in no right state of mind."

"Don't tell me you're here to apologize." Shisui shook his head negatively, "You're totally in the right and I'm siding against my best friend here."

"I know. I'm not apologizing for what I decided. But I was rude when I rejected Fugaku-san's apology, it was not my intention to be disrespectful."

"Ah. Well, Fugaku-san does not come home until way later in the day. As our patriarch he heads the police force."

"Oh, right." She could almost slap herself in the face for forgetting.

"I know someone who is home, though."

"Who?" Sakura was genuinely confused.

"Itachi-kun." Shisui had a smirk on his face, which of course, meant that he was scheming something, "Come on!"

Before she could register exactly what was happening, Shisui took her arm in one hand and recited a jutsu in the other. They were standing exactly in the middle of Itachi's room and this made Sakura wonder just how many times Shisui has done this for the justsu to follow through so smoothly.

Itachi was previously laying on his bed, probably taking a leisurely nap, but now he was sat-up and armed with a kunai.

"Delivery for you." Shisui announced and Sakura was fighting against his grip on her elbow. With a smile, the goofy Uchiha was gone.

Itachi sat up until his feet hit the floor and patted his bed, signaling for her to sit down. Sitting a good foot away and not looking anywhere in his direction, Sakura followed his request and started.

"I came here for Fugaku-san, but I was made aware he is not home."

"Just my father?" He was staring intently at her, not at all masking his movements.

"Yup."

"Then allow me to start." Itachi shortened their gap to have their arms press together in contact. "I am sorry."

"You don't mean that." Sakura looked down to the floor, not entirely sure of what to say, "I was injured because I protected our charge, that was true. You shouldn't rescind what is fact.

"But it was wrong of me to threaten you." Itachi clarified.

"That is also true." Sakura smiled lightly, causing Itachi to crinkle his eyes in fondness. He took this the signal of forgiveness and placed a bold hand over her own.

The sudden wide-eyed look or her erratic heartbeat did not go unnoticed by the medic. It was undeniable, even though Sakura loved to spite Sasuke, that Itachi did have a certain hold on her heart. But not right now, her crush had to be minimized for the moment.

"You still hurt my feelings." Sakura commented, taking her hand away to cross it over her other.

Itachi felt a sharp stinging in his chest at the motion. She was shielding herself, from him, because he fucked up and lost her trust.

"It was not my intention." Itachi looked away towards the door, "It was not easy watching someone I care about get hurt."

"So I've been told." Sakura smiled, hearing that explanation three times in two days. It seemed all the major men in her life were the same, Naruto, Sasuke, and even Itachi. They were all so coddling and over-protective in nature.

"You deserve better." Itachi nearly whispered.

Sakura's eyes widened, again, and it was her this time initiating the skinship. "So do you." Her hand was resting on the crook of his elbow, "I should've been more patient, but-"

"I could say the same about myself. You are still adjusting to ANBU missions, it must have been very tense."

The two were finally coming to an understanding, unlike their usual banter, angry or playful. Sakura smiled at his response, fully taking in his sleepy disposition. His hair, while still absolutely beautiful, was slightly unkempt and Uchiha's usually did not accept less than perfection.

Lightly placing a hand to flatten his hair, Sakura giggled at his unusually imperfect self. The blush was slight, but present. It was then, with their faces so close, that he swooped in for the kill.

Their lips meet, in an entirely anticlimactic way. Not on the battlefield with one near their deathbed, like Itachi would so have believed in the past. But on his bed, in peaceful silence as their lips molded together as if created to perfectly fit.

Xxxx Xxxx Xxxx

One more chapter cookies!

To answer any questions about this universe:

A non-massacre story, so yes Naruto's parents are alive. Sasuke's parents are alive. Itachi is alive and happy and a patriot in his village. Everyone is happy. ANnd no one is dead - esp not Neji.

i cri everi day.

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