First, thank you for your amazing support!

Quarantine zeroed my inspiration, but I finally managed to finish this chapter.

Warning: Itachi's prompts are all flashbacks and their real chronological number is in parentheses.

Hope you like this piece as much as I did.

21. Underneath (1.5)

"Are you thinking about the medic?" Shisui asked seriously, spinning a kunai with his index finger.

Itachi raised his eyes from the book he was pretending to read, staring at his cousin's back with half repressed alarm; he had been thinking about her, and after all this time, Shisui still managed to catch him off guard with his uncanny ability to read him so well.

"Don't look at me like that." Shisui said, probably smirking. "You're turning the pages too slowly to be paying any real attention." and he threw the kunai, hitting the center of the bull's eye at the other side of the field.

Itachi sighed, shutting the book.

"She is quite skilled." Shisui continued, turning to face his companion.

Itachi was seated on the grassy field, shoulders a little tense.

"...she is." he agreed after a while, sensing that Shisui wouldn't drop the subject so easily.

"Haruno Sakura." her name rolled off Shisui's tongue, and Itachi's lips arched downwards in annoyance. Shisui's smirk only widened, almost turning into a smile. "She could be a great addition to our team on upcoming missions."

Itachi tilted his head to the side, thinking about the incredible showdown of skill sets they had seen from Sakura earlier, when she was sparring with her team on the training grounds they were occupying.

"Indeed." he answered, thoughtfully. "I'll keep an eye on her...to see if she's truly fit for it."

Shisui scoffed. "Of course you will, cousin." he picked another kunai from his leg holster before winking at Itachi. "Just be careful, she was trained by Kakashi-senpai." he threw the weapon, but before it could reach it's intended target, a shuriken intercepted its path midair.

He bemusedly looked at Itachi in time to see him dropping his right arm back to his lap, a smug smirk on his lips.

"Meaning?" he asked, as if nothing had happened.

Shisui blinked a few times, then chuckled.

"Meaning she is probably good at looking underneath the underneath." he paused. "You're doomed."

22. Hide

Nothing had really changed.

Summer was at it's peak, and so was the heat. Sakura woke before dawn almost every day, hating to be in bed when the first sun lights entered through her window and colored her bedroom a beautiful shade of purple that, for some reason, reminded her of him.

She dressed lightly for the unbearably hot day ahead, tying her pink hair in a high ponytail, and smiled to herself in the bathroom mirror; she felt comfortable in her own skin. Sakura would go to her front door then, wishful sighing in preparation.

Sometimes, her silent prayers were answered when, on her way to the General Hospital or the Hokage Tower, she noticed Itachi walking by the awakening streets of Konoha.

On those occasions, he sensed her chakra nearby and looked around, nodding in acknowledgment the moment his eyes met hers. A tentative, full of secrecy smile formed on his lips, and she felt her heart beat a little faster.

They would go on their separate ways without exchanging even a word, or a second glance across the street.

People from her workplace complimented her smile ‒ that she didn't even realize was on her face for the most part of the day ‒, pointing out how excellent was her mood these past couple of weeks. They wanted to know why she wasn't so grumpy and being affected by the heat waves like everyone else, and since Sakura didn't want to hide anything, she always said, "I saw the most beautiful thing on my way here.".

Because everything was different somehow.

23. Flash (2.5)

Itachi unceremoniously entered Tsunade's office, aware that Sakura was the only one inside.

"Itachi-san." she welcomed when he closed the door behind him, jumping in her seat a little; he had surprised her, apparently.

"Sakura-san." he responded, looking at her.

She was seated by a small and improvised desk near the wall to his left, beside a wooden bookshelf. Her short hair was loose, and it's color clashed horribly with the deep, dark circles under her tired green eyes. She looked terrible, but he knew better than to tell her that.

"It's late." he pointed out, glancing at the clock above her head. Sakura, turning on her seat, so she could do the same, sighed. "Why aren't you at home?" he asked.

She straightened on the uncomfortable chair, a flash of annoyance passing through her eyes. "Tsunade-shishou skipped work today, and she needs these papers‒" she pointed them out, harshly. "‒signed until tomorrow morning."

Itachi had to suppress a smirk.

"What about Shizune?" he pressed, closing the distance between him and her workstation.

Sakura snorted. "She is looking for her." she replied, making a face.

He opened his mouth to reply but paused when she started to yawn, hiding it with a hand while her cheeks colored pink from embarrassment. Itachi sighed to himself; he had to help her someway.

"Do you prefer tea or coffee?" he inquired.

She blinked a couple of times in confusion before answering. "Oh. Tea, I suppose?" Sakura tilted her head, meeting his expectant gaze.

"Unsweetened Black?" he guessed smugly.

Her obvious bewilderment was the only answer he needed, so he lightly tapped with his index on her table and turned to leave the room in search for her tea. Itachi was turning the doorknob when she called for him.

"Itachi-san, wait!" she said, quickly. "Thank you." she then softly added, and he heard the heartfelt smile on her voice.

He closed his eyes, still facing the door.

"Call me Itachi, Sakura."

24. Anger

Sakura was feeling uneasy in her childhood home, and her mother wasn't making things any easier with her looks and questioning from time to time.

"What is his name again?" Mebuki asked from the kitchen, her voice loud and sugarcoated. Sakura rolled her eyes, seating on the living room couch.

Mebuki was like Ino, only worse; she acted like her daughter was still a twelve-year old girl, delusional about boys and the world. She asked all the right answers to make her feel bad for lying, except Sakura wasn't.

Her mother's condescending behavior was causing her anger to flare, instead.

"Itachi, mother. Uchiha Itachi." she responded, her voice a lot higher than she first intended.

"I've heard of him." Mebuki said after, no doubt, thinking about her next course of action. "Great shinobi. He is always on missions though, so I've never seen him personally."

Sakura wanted to scream. She wasn't dumb; her mother's implications were crystal clear.

"He has more free time than you think." she retorted, her voice more restrained this time.

Mebuki stepped inside the living room with two mugs on her hands. Sakura got up to take hers, quietly thanking Mebuki. Her mother seated herself on the couch, while she walked towards the window on the opposite side of the room to keep a healthy distance between them.

Sakura sipped from her mug and made a face; she hated lemon flavored tea, and her mother knew that.

"So," Mebuki stretched the word, a ghost of a smirk on her painted lips. "When did he started to court you?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably against the window, staring at her mother in disapproval. Truth be told, she didn't know how to answer that and was buying time to come up with something. However, her hesitance was the ammunition Mebuki had been looking for this whole time.

"Oh." she said before sipping her tea, her voice as sweet as the drink.

Sakura was about to crush her mug in a fit of anger when the front door of her parents' house opened to reveal Kizashi, all happy and relaxed to see his daughter after weeks without a glimpse of her. She forgot about her mother momentarily, putting down the tea cup on the nearby table to all but run into her father's warm embrace.

His arms were strong and protective as ever around her.

"It's good to see you, sweetheart." he said, his rich voice embedded with love. "Sorry to keep you waiting with your mother." he added in a whisper, half jokingly.

Sakura withdrew from the hug and gave him a bittersweet smile.

"Kizashi." Mebuki called harshly, demanding his attention. Kizashi gave his daughter one last look of sympathy before turning to his wife. "Sakura is under the impression she is dating Uchiha Itachi. Please talk some sense into her." she proclaimed like Sakura wasn't even in the same room as her.

Sakura gasped, turning to face her mother with a red, burning face from the mixture of embarrassment and disbelieve; she was genuinely outraged. If it wasn't for her father's soothing grip on her right arm, she might have even slapped the smugness out of Mebuki's face.

Kizashi pulled her to his side effortlessly when she tried to escape his restraint and Sakura took a deep breath, calming herself.

"Itachi, right?" he said more than asked, raising his free hand to his chin. "He came to my store weeks ago." he paused a second to gauge his wife's reaction. Kizashi smiled then, his eyes shining with something Sakura couldn't quite figure out. "He asked for my permission to date our little daughter. He was polite and very respectful, so of course I gave him my blessings."

Neither Mebuki nor Sakura knew what to do with this turn of events, really.

25. Shame (6.5)

"You're back." Sasuke stated after entering the room they shared and spotting his brother seated by the porch. Itachi turned to Sasuke, giving him a small smile; he returned it with an imperceptible lift of his lips. "How was your mission?" he asked, walking to his drawer.

Itachi observed Sasuke rummage through his clothes. "Fine." he responded softly. When Sasuke didn't seem to find what he was looking for, Itachi chuckled, drawing the younger's attention. "The blue shirt is drying on the veranda."

Sasuke blinked and looked past Itachi, where he could see his shirt on the clothesline. He hid his embarrassment and passed by his brother on the porch to step outside. Itachi smiled to his back.

"How was your day?" he asked.

Sasuke finished dressing and shrugged. "Fine." in his way to come back inside, he stopped right beside Itachi. "I'm lunching with Naruto and Sakura today. Do you want to come?"

Itachi looked up to his brother, shaking his head. "I will lunch with mother, but thanks for the invitation."

The younger raised an eyebrow for a second, saying nothing in response. He walked away with a light huff and was about to leave the room when Itachi sensed he had decided to touch on the subject he had been thinking for a while now, pausing in front of the screen doors. "You're friends with her now, aren't you?" he asked, without turning to Itachi. "With Sakura." he added in a second thought, not wanting to give his brother the opportunity to play dumb.

Itachi looked outside, to the beautiful garden that surrounded his house. "Yes." he responded simply.

He heard Sasuke sigh. "Right. Listen," Sasuke started, seriously. "She has this tendency to like idiots with pretty hair."

Itachi turned to face his brother; Sasuke did the same.

"Don't worry, little brother." Itachi replied, amusement dancing in his black eyes. "My hair isn't as pretty as yours."

Sasuke snorted, his face coloring a shade of pink.

"I'm serious, Itachi." he said, higher than before. "Don't give her the wrong ideas."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I said not to worry, Sasuke." he then lifted his right hand and undid the low ponytail securing his long dark hair. He held the hair tie almost affectionately for a moment before suddenly tossing it to Sasuke's direction, who only caught it due to years of honing his reflexes. "Give it back to Sakura. She must be missing it." he said without a shame in the world.

Sasuke stared at the offending pink hair tie for a long, long minute before finally leaving the room.

26. Adoration

"Stop looking at me like that, Sakura, or I'll have to kiss you." Itachi stated softly, without taking his eyes from the onion he was chopping.

Sakura gasped, dropping the apple she was playing with on her kitchen floor.

"Don't." he said when she shifted to get off the counter she was seated. Itachi put down the knife he was using and wiped his hands on the apron around his torso, getting the apple for her.

She reached out to take it from his grip, but he ignored her, walking towards the sink to wash the fruit. Sakura caught her lower lip between her teeth, and when he turned to face her again, his eyes focused on her mouth with a familiar heat that made her toes curl.

Sakura felt empowered by his reaction.

"What if I want that kiss?" she quietly asked, looking in his breathtaking eyes with a boldness that clashed with the redness in her cheeks.

They had been teasing each other for days now, and Sakura couldn't quite grasp what was really holding them back. Their relationship was serious, steady; even if neither had bothered to formally ask the other out, they knew what they had.

A kiss was just a milestone on a possibly lifelong commitment.

Yet, for some reason, she felt like it would be the turning point of their lives.

"In this case," he replied with a soft, knowing smirk on his lips. He approached the kitchen counter and stopped beside her, his left arm brushing lightly on her thigh. "You will get what you want." Itachi looked her in the eyes; his expression of unguarded and pure adoration for her made her heart burst.

She closed her eyes and sighed, overwhelmed by her feelings; he chose this time to close the distance between them and kiss her. On the forehead, like he always did. Sakura smiled softly at the gesture, and when he started to move away from her, smiling as well, she grabbed his arm.

They exchanged a look that said it all.

Soon.

27. Waves (9.5)

Itachi's first assignment after his life threatening injury was a simple one on the land of waves; he had to track down a rogue nin, follow him for a week and report back his movements to Konoha. It was a child's job, so having Shisui and Shikamaru as his partners said more about his willingness to appease his mother and Sakura ‒ who had brought him back from the realm of dead ‒ than his current ability to succeed on solo missions.

"What is he doing now?" Shisui asked distractedly, moving his pawn on the chess board.

Itachi closed his eyes to access new information about the target's whereabouts trough his kage bunshin. Sighing, he opened his eyes in time to see Shikamaru making his counter-move. "He is at the bar, drinking and flirting with the waitress again." he responded, as uninterested as possible.

Shisui chuckled. "It's all he does, apparently."

Shikamaru yawned, glancing at Itachi for a moment. "Why are we here if you're simply using a kage bunshin to do the job?" he asked.

Itachi opened his mouth to respond, but Shisui was faster. "I am here to make sure he doesn't get beat by some genins because of his wounds. And you‒" Shisui pointed out to Shikamaru, and then to the chess board. "‒are here to entertain us." Shisui made his move and smirked to the shinobi in front of him.

Shikamaru shrugged, murmuring something about Uchihas being tiresome. Itachi gave them a small smile and looked outside their rented room from his seat on the balcony. It was nighttime. He thought of Sakura, eating protein bars and taking double shifts on the hospital because he wasn't there to look after her.

"Look, Shikamaru," he heard Shisui whisper in amusement. "Itachi in his natural habitat, thinking about his girl rather than the mission."

Itachi turned his head to shoot a dirty look at his cousin, feeling his neck heat up in shame of getting caught; Shisui only laughed in response.

"Oh, he does that now, huh?" Shikamaru inquired, scratching his chin. In his defense, Shikamaru managed to keep a straight face for a couple of seconds, only giving up when Itachi seemed to blush.

"I'll murder you both." Itachi quietly said before closing the balcony doors to muffle the sound of their laughter.

"No, you won't." he heard Shisui scream from the other side, getting closer to the pane of glass. "You need your best man alive at your weeding."

28. Apologize

She was at the Hokage's office, helping Shizune catalog hundreds of old mission reports, when Tsunade huffed angrily from her seat, crumpling the piece of paper she had been reading before tossing it on the nearest garbage can.

Sakura and Shizune paused and exchanged a quick, worried look.

"Tsunade-sama? Is something wrong?" Shizune asked tentatively, approaching Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade slammed her right hand on the wooden desk, making Sakura jump. "What do you think, Shizune?" she frowned to her apprentice, clearly not in the mood to be coddled.

Shizune gave her a contrite smile, bowing slightly. "I apologize, Tsunade-sama." she said, firmly.

Sakura knew better than to antagonize Tsunade when she was this upset, so she simply walked towards the garbage can and retrieved the file her shishou had discarded minutes ago; she had a feeling it was an important document.

"You should read it." Tsunade said, sounding quite frustrated. Sakura looked from the crumpled ball to Tsunade, unsure. "Suna requested our help. Your help, to be precise, Sakura."

Sakura pursed her lips, a nagging feeling of dread crawling up her spine.

"Something happened with Gaara?" she asked, hurriedly smoothing the paper in her possession.

"He was poisoned three days ago. The toxin is a slow one, but needs to be taken care of as soon as possible." Tsunade uttered. Sakura nodded distractedly, reading the letter from Suna; she sensed Tsunade wasn't telling the whole truth yet.

"We can afford to send Sakura right away..." Shizune said cautiously.

Sakura looked up from the paper and sighed. Tsunade turned on her chair to stare at Konoha's shadowed silhouette from the large window behind her. Shizune looked at Sakura, expectantly.

"They want me to stay there in Suna for at least six months as well." she said, mimicking Tsunade's previous actions. "Not only Gaara needs my help, but their medicine is outdated, their hospital a giant mess. They want me to fix their health system and are desperate enough to pay us a ridiculous amount of money in exchange."

Tsunade sighed audibly.

"How much?" Shizune asked her in a whisper.

"A lot." Tsunade said, crossing her arms below her large breasts.

Shizune gave Sakura a sympathetic look, but the pink haired girl wasn't paying attention to her; Sakura's thoughts were all about leaving her village behind, saying goodbye to her friends. To Itachi.

Her heart broke into a million little pieces.

29. Waiting (10.5)

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" he asked her one night, laying by her side atop the Sandaime's sculpted head on the Hokage monument.

She sighed dreamily before turning her head to meet his eyes, blushing when she realized he was closer than she had thought. "I," she started, her lips lifting in a beautiful tentative smile. "I don't know."

Itachi shifted to lay on his side, wanting to giver her his undivided attention. He smirked and felt how she almost caught her breath in response. "I can see your future." he whispered to her, ignoring the warm feelings washing over his body.

"Really?" she asked, skeptical. "What do you see then?"

"A kunoichi, strong and successful. The best of her generation. Her name among the greatest shinobi alive." he stated simply, his smirk growing into a full smile. Sakura gaped at him.

"Itachi…" she tried to respond, but he interrupted her with a gentle finger on her lips.

"I'm not finished." he said. Sakura only stared at him with her big green eyes, waiting. "I also see a wonderful woman, loved and admired by her precious people." he added, withdrawing his finger with a light frown on his face; he didn't know what had possessed him to say and do things so bold tonight.

Sakura cleared her throat, and he saw the exact moment the wheels started to spin slowly on her head. She was still oblivious to the extent of her discovery, but the seeds had been planted; there was no going back for him.

It was just a matter of time before she stumbled onto the truth he had simply woken up to face one day.

She was the one.

30. Faith

Itachi,

Living in Suna isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

The days are warm, almost hot. The nights are freezing cold.

There isn't much to do here besides work, but Temari makes sure to drag me to her favorite bars and restaurants every weekend. She is nice, and I can see now why Shikamaru likes her so much.

Gaara told me about Naruto getting engaged. Can you believe it? I cried from happiness, but also anger for not being there to hug him and congratulate them both. I guess I'll miss a lot more of precious moments till my mission comes to an end, huh?

How is Sasuke doing, by the way? He is not fond of writing letters, says it's too embarrassing, so I barely hear from him these days. He has too much of Kakashi-sensei in him.

What about you? Are you taking care of yourself?

I worry about you every cold and lonely night. I keep saying to myself we've been through this before, that I should be patient and have faith. But I can't wait to see you again.

Being away from you is killing me inside.

I‒

.

Yours,

Sakura.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a new (good) story to read yet, so I'll just recommend things I've found this year:

1. Lindt Luirae and WhisperedSilvers's oneshots.

2. Persephone by Adonisia.

3. Sariasprincy (Cold Hands and Hot Kisses, Nightmare in Red…pure gold)

Now, I'm curious. What is your favorite ItaSaku fanfiction, like, EVER?

Mine is Vespertine by Cynchick. *chef's kiss*