Chapter Eleven

"Sakura." I looked to my left and jumped at the sight of Sasuke. I hadn't even heard him walk up to me after I'd exited the girls' changing room. It must be another one of his abilities that came with his whole alternate lifestyle.

"You scared me, Sasuke!" I whined and began walking towards the gym. "Monday is track, right?" I didn't hear his answer. There was a group of people swarmed together when we entered, talking and excited. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see what was in the middle of the crowd but I was still too short. I looked to Sasuke, who had a grim look on his face. "What? What is it?" I asked but Sasuke nodded forward. The crowd had parted as two figures stepped through. Temari stepped through first, a broad smile on her face and then behind her…

"Gaara." I whispered. Kiba was talking to him but Gaara was looking at me. Sasuke stepped in front of me when Gaara began to walk over in our direction. Sasuke's eyes were sharp, his forehead creased. Gaara stopped walking towards me after taking a glance at Sasuke. His tired, grey-rimmed and hallow eyes found their way back to mine but I avoided them, choosing to look at Sasuke's sleeve.

"I understand." Gaara finally said, monotone as always.

"Huh? Understand what?" Temari asked, looking between me and her brother. She put her hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off and walked calmly away. Temari looked back at me, confusion mixed with irritation. She was overprotective of her brother and I had publicly snubbed him.

"Temari…" I started but she stalked off after her brother. Kiba stood there, staring between me and the pair of siblings' backs.

"I am so confused," he finally admitted and Shikamaru rolled his eyes, muttering something about the whole thing being "bothersome."

"If she only knew…I mean, what gives her the right to run off like that. If she knew what Gaara did…well, maybe not even then. She has such a brother complex, it's ridiculous," Sakura ranted. I wasn't really listening, focusing more on driving and my own thoughts than her complaining. I had to figure out a way to get her alone. Even thinking about it sent my stomach reeling with anticipation and my fangs to ache painfully in my gums. They wanted to taste her flesh as badly as I did, to puncture that milky white skin and savor the taste of her rich, warm blood. The thing I wanted most was to watch her face. I'd seen a Marking done before, the human shrieking in ecstasy, gasping and writhing in her throes of pleasure. I was young at the time and had found it disturbing but the thought of her writhing underneath me…

"Sasuke?" she asked, her face puckered with irritation that I wasn't listening to her mindless banter. I settled with my classic "hn," and she seemed satisfied enough to sink back into her seat without questioning my silence.

"Sakura, I was thinking," I began. I needed to get her alone as soon as possible to Mark her. "We should hang out at your house again, we haven't hung out in a while." She nodded.

"Okay, sure. I just received Insidious from Livedoor Posren and I don't want to watch it alone, it's supposed to be really scary." It wasn't ideal, especially if Tsunade happened to be home but I was becoming desperate.

"Alright, is tonight okay?" She looked at my suspiciously.

"What about tomorrow? I have a test tomorrow…actually we have a test tomorrow and I still haven't studied for it."

"We could study together, then. At my house." I redirected. It'd be much better at my house. With luck, Itachi would stumble in and I'd get to see his reaction, too. That bastard wouldn't know what was coming.

"Well…I guess, but I'd like to get stuff from my house first and tell Tsunade where I'm going," she agreed and I was surprised. I half expected her not to accept. I smiled to myself. Tonight, Sakura would be mine.

I wasn't sure what Sasuke was up to and to be honest it worried me a little bit. He seemed really desperate to hang out. After the other night on the porch, I didn't really want to be alone with him. I'd said yes to studying because I was so surprised but the more I thought about it the less I was excited for it. Number one, I'd be alone with him and number two I was going to the Uchiha household. Where Sasuke lived. And Itachi.

Maybe I'd catch a lucky break, studying with Sasuke. Besides, he was one of the brightest in our class. Who was I kidding, he was the brightest in our class…so far he ranked number one while I continuously got number three, right behind Shikamaru at number two. Sasuke pulled up to a wrought iron gate, vines weaving in and out of the bars. "Uchiha" was carved down the side of one of the gray stone columns in beautiful, perfect kanji. The gate opened and Sasuke pulled through right as the gate was open enough to let the Corvette in. We drove for what felt like forever down a dirt and gravel road lined with willow and oak trees. We finally broke through a line of trees and my jaw dropped as I saw his mansion. I'd seen nice homes before, I lived in one, but this house…

We pulled around a huge fountain constructed of dark stone that matched the columns at the gate, and ended in front of a huge set of stairs, leading up to a columned entryway. Just outside I could count eight serving staff members. The door was opened for me and a hand presented itself to me.

"Miss Haruno," a footman said, taking my hand and helping me out of the car. I smiled and nodded towards him but he didn't smile back. In fact, he didn't look at me at all rather stared straight through me. He turned to walk to the passenger side and pull the car around and I saw a bright pink and purple bruise on his neck that looked fresh. A chill went down my spine and my hand flew involuntarily to my own neck. I had forgotten about another reason I should probably not be in this home.

"And this is my room," Sasuke pushed me into a surprisingly small, bare-walled room with the exception of a flag with the Uchiha fan hanging above his twin-sized and currently unmade bed. Upon further inspection I realized the rest of his room was impeccably clean and tidy. The only other boys' room I'd been in was Naruto's and his was just nasty. I refused to go into his room after I slipped on a ramen bowl, crashing to the floor and opening my eyes to find a pair of boxers on my head. Naruto said they were clean, but I found his claims questionable.

"It's so…clean." I finally said. "Probably even cleaner than my room…" I admitted.

"Here, you can sit on my bed," Sasuke offered, pointing to his half-lofted twin. I shook my head.

"It's okay, I have a skirt on so I probably couldn't hop up there," I laughed and sat down at his desk. He leaned against his desk and turned his steely eyes towards me. I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks and a sweat start to build on the nape of my neck. "So, history…" I opened up my backpack and started getting out my textbook and notebook. Sasuke still sat there, not moving. "Aren't you going to get any material out?"

"I don't need it, I remember everything," Sasuke said, watching me open my notes up.

"Then why'd you want to study together? You obviously didn't need to…" I said crossly. I could have studied alone at home without Sasuke staring at me the whole time. "Why'd you have me over in the first place?" My voice cracked and I swallowed hard. My palms were beginning to sweat too. Was it getting hotter or was my fear that Madara was going to show up out of nowhere and bite me getting out of hand?

"You nervous, Sakura?" Sasuke smirked. "Never been with a boy in his room alone?" He asked, leaning down to get close to my face. His breath tickled my face. If he was trying to get me flustered…it was working.

"N-no…" I stammered. I looked into his eyes, challenging him. "I trust you." Sasuke's face went slack, his eyes widening a little. Then he pushed off from the desk.

"Kami dammit…" He muttered and made his way to the door. "I'll be back," he said and rounded the corner. What just happened? When I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore I realized how quiet it was. I crossed my arms, suddenly cold. I felt a chill run up my spine then back down. My arm hairs stuck up, surrounded by gooseflesh.

"Well, look at what the cat dragged in." A voice sneered. I dreaded every moment my head took to turn and I saw him, standing there in the doorway. His arms were crossed and he was leaning against the doorframe. "What a surprise to see you here. I smelled you the minute your huge forehead crossed the threshold of the Uchiha mansion." My eyebrows knitted together as I frowned at him.

"I'm studying for a test with Sasuke-kun," I explained matter-of-factly, uncrossing my arms and playing with a pleat on my skirt.

"So that's what kids are calling it nowadays," he said, entering the room and shutting the door. My stomach tightened as he walked slowly towards me, running a finger along Sasuke's dresser. "How'd you do it, by the way?"

"Do what?" I asked angrily.

"Don't play dumb, Sakura-chan," Madara practically sung. "We both know you're smarter than that." My frown deepened.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Madara, if you could leave now, I have studying—" I barely had the words out of my mouth when Madara was suddenly in my face, grabbing my chin roughly in his hand.

"I don't know how you did it, you calculating bitch, but Itachi requested to be your night guard again," he snarled, his voice crawling with malice. Even through my fear of Madara, my stomach jumped with excitement. Itachi had requested to be put back on night watch? I was going to get to see him again? Did this mean he wasn't angry about the kiss? Maybe he wasn't mad at me. If he requested it, that meant his father wasn't forcing him to do it, right?

"Stop smiling!" Madara growled, shaking my head roughly in his fingertips. My eyes made contact with his—his irises were bright scarlet and his pupils were moving, alive. All of a sudden a sharp pain flared in my stomach. I groaned and it started growing, ripping me from the inside. I somehow knew it was his eyes and tried to look away but it was as if his pupils were magnetically attracting my own, drawing them in. I felt like we were falling, my stomach in my throat. I tried to scream but I couldn't even open my mouth with his hand holding my face in his death grip. Tears started falling down my cheeks as my lungs struggled to bring air into them but to no avail.

Suddenly Madara was ripped away from me, his nails scraping the sides of my face. He was roughly thrown against the corner of Sasuke's bed. A tall figure stood in front of me, crouched in a defensive stance. The figure stood fully erect when Madara stood. "That's enough, Madara. I don't know what Sakura has done to cause this behavior from you but you can be sure father will be hearing about this. I don't plan on being lenient with your punishment for this, either," Madara approached Itachi.

"I'm sorry, Itachi-sama, please forget this happened," Madara begged, grabbing for Itachi's hands. Itachi grabbed his hand and pulled him so his face was inches before his own.

"Get out of this room, Madara," Itachi scowled, pushing him away forcefully. Madara nodded and gave one last unreadable look at me before exiting the room. Itachi turned around and crouched down to my level. I was shaking but I vigorously began wiping away my tears. I didn't want him to see me like this, weak like always and needing him to come in and save me. Itachi reached out to touch my hand but Sasuke walked in and Itachi stopped, standing up and turning to face him.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" His eyes found mine and he tensed up. "What did you do to Sakura, why is she crying?"

"You cease to amaze with your idiotic choices, Sasuke," Itachi said, his voice still as dark and intense as when he was speaking with Madara. "Uchiha mansion is no place for her. You should know this by now. Whatever compelled you to bring her here?"

"We were studying." I interjected, standing up and clenching my hands together.

"It doesn't matter, Sakura, he shouldn't have left you alone here. Uchiha mansion isn't the safest place for you, Sakura, I'm sure you're aware of the Uchiha family's condition, correct?" Itachi was speaking to me, but his eyes refused to look away from Sasuke's. Sasuke glared back at Itachi, breathing heavy with anger.

"I didn't know you cared so much, Itachi, considering you don't even technically work for her anymore. I thought she fired you, isn't that right?" Sasuke said, smirking. Itachi's face remained indifferent, a solid poker face. I had to stop this before it got out of hand. I knew that even though Itachi didn't show his emotions, that he was probably preparing himself to kill his brother.

"We can study at my house, Sasuke," I said, attempting a cheerful, at the very least upbeat attitude.

"Fine," Sasuke said, leering at Itachi as he passed. He grabbed my bag and my hand and pulled me out the door. I craned my neck to take one last look at Itachi but regretted it. He didn't look angry or upset or even happy like I'd hoped. The image of his steely, impenetrable gaze watching me leave with Sasuke burned into my mind the whole car ride home.

"Oh my god, why is it all dark? He can't find his son if it's all dark! Sasuke, why is it dark?" I squealed, my head squished between Sasuke's arm and the back of the sofa as much as possible.

"I don't know, Sakura, can you just watch the movie?" Sasuke yelled. He sounded angry but the way he was tensed up I could tell it was all an act. So the fearless Sasuke did have a weakness: Darth Maul-like figures invading people's dreams.

We had tried to study the minute we'd gotten home but Sasuke began to irritate me with his incessant mumbling about Itachi, so I suggested giving up all together and watching Insidious. I'd just have to look over history notes later…

"Hey, kids, do you need anything?" A voice came from my doorway. I screamed and covered my eyes; Sasuke jumped up out of the couch and stood in a defensive pose. "Well, Sasuke, I appreciate your dedication to protect Sakura but it's just me," Tsunade said while Sasuke sat back down on the couch with a scowl on his face, muttering something about an "old hag."

"No, we're fine, thanks!" I replied. Tsunade rolled her eyes and left. The second she was gone I burst out laughing. "Oh my god your reaction was hilarious!" I said between giggles, holding my stomach. Sasuke did not look pleased.

"Whatever, at least I did something. You just covered your eyes and practically buried yourself in the damn couch!" Sasuke retorted, crossing his arms. I just kept laughing; my body getting weak, I ended up leaning on Sasuke, shaking with silent amusement. Finally, Sasuke chuckled with me and soon we were both sprawled on my couch, me leaning on his shoulder and gasping for breath. The movie was still playing but neither of us knew what was going on anymore.

I could feel a warm breeze on my shoulder and I turned my head to see Sasuke's lips dangerously close to my clavicle. I started and quickly stood up. He looked up at me and I blushed. "You know, on second thought, I'm going to go get a drink. Do you want something?" I asked, nervously moving a piece of hair out my face from rolling around on the couch.

"No," he said simply but I could detect an air of irritation around him. I quickly left the room and made my way down to the kitchen. Tsunade was sitting at the table looking over a foreboding stack of papers, her glasses perched on the end of her nose and her hair in a ponytail on the top of her head. I headed over to the fridge.

"Is everything going okay up there? You know I don't usually let boys up there…alone with you." Tsunade said, not looking up from her paperwork.

"Shishou! It's Sasuke-kun," I reprimanded her; if she only knew how many boys and men had been going through my room lately… "How's the company doing?" I asked absentmindedly, trying to divert the conversation topic elsewhere.

"Why do you ask? What have you heard?" Tsunade asked too quickly. I looked up from pouring my milk tea. She had taken off her glasses and was squeezing the bridge of her nose.

"No particular reason, I just saw you working on some paperwork and thought I'd ask," I said defensively.

"Sorry," Tsunade sighed. "It's actually not doing too well. We haven't had a lot of investment lately. Many businesses refuse to do business with us and there's been a lot of repair work being done; many of our buildings have been vandalized and there was even a case of arson in our Hong Kong campus. I'll give you one guess who's behind it all."

"The Hyuugas?" I didn't skip a beat in answering. Tsunade nodded and sighed. I went up behind her and hugged her around the neck. "Thanks for everything," I whispered. She squeezed my arm and I left before I teared up.

Sakura entered the room again, two cups in hand. "I told you, you didn't have to get me anything." I said, uncrossing my arms to grab one. Especially since it was just her way to avoid me…I'd been so close that last time, too.

"Sorry," she said, walking to get the DVD from the player, the credits fading into a bright blue screen.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. When was there not something upsetting her? Sakura was too sensitive about things sometimes.

"No, its just…Tsunade is so worried about things lately. She's working so hard and all I'm worried about is…school." It sounded like she'd wanted to say something else but hadn't. "Sasuke, can we finish hanging out another time? I'm really tired from today."

Damn. I wanted to tell her 'no' but decided against it. I'd have plenty of time to Mark her, especially since Itachi never saw her.

"Alright," I finally replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, for school." She nodded and I headed for the door. I took one last look behind me to see her sit on her bed, grab her pillow and curl up. Whatever was worrying her could wait; if she wanted me gone so badly, I'd comply.

I was faintly aware that someone was rubbing my hair. I hadn't had someone rub my hair since my mother did when I was little. It had always made me feel so relaxed and safe. I suddenly opened my eyes wide and turned my head to see a figure leaning over me. My mouth gaped open to yell but a hand clamped over my lips.

"It's me," he said and I closed my lips, smiling. It was true, Itachi was back on night watch!

"Itachi…" I whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I know you removed me from your security, but I also know it was because of my behavior. I thought that if I…apologized, that maybe you'd reconsider," he said quietly and rather awkwardly.

"You don't have to apologize, Itachi-san, it should be me apologizing. What I said before was all in anger, I never wanted you to stop being my night watch, it's just I thought it'd be easier on you because it seemed you didn't want to talk to me and I thought maybe I was being annoying or I offended you by asking so many questions and then I thought that maybe the…er, kiss maybe made you angry and—" I could feel myself babbling it made it worse that it was too dark for me to see his face to judge his reactions.

"No, Sakura-san, that's not it," Itachi interrupted. "It was me. You did ask a lot of questions but what disturbed me was that I answered, not that you asked them. I don't usually feel comfortable with people as quickly, especially clients. The Uchiha clan is not well known for their strong emotional ties." he stopped when I sniffled. "Sakura-san?"

"I'm sorry it's just…it's just a relief that you're not angry with me." I finally choked out between sobs. Itachi put his hand on my head, stroking my hair and caressing a strand. "Wow, look at me," I laughed nervously. "I don't cry in front of anyone but you and Tsunade. It's embarrassing that you always catch me in moments like this." I blushed as soon as the words were out of my mouth. The moon brightened outside and I could better see Itachi's face. My heart raced as I found his eyes, black as pitch and staring right into my own. The soft white light pouring from the window made his skin glow a pallid, unearthly color. I felt like I was falling into his eyes, two black pools drawing me in and soon all I could think of was getting as close to him as possible…and then they were gone. I blinked and Itachi opened his eyes again.

"Sorry," I said, voice faltering. "What were we talking about?"

"Sasuke said you could resist Fazes. I apologize, I wanted to see for myself." My eyes widened.

"You were Fazing me?" Itachi nodded. "I have been before. I wonder while I can't resist yours. I almost fell for Madara's Faze once, but I hadn't even noticed Sasuke's—"

"When did Madara Faze you?" Itachi asked, suddenly serious. "He was never supposed to be near enough to Faze you. Are you talking about earlier today at my home?" I hesitated before answering him. I didn't like Madara, but I didn't want to get him in trouble, either. Punishment in the Uchiha household did not sound fun.

"I-it was a couple weeks ago. It was my fault, Madara actually saved me from drowning and so I took the opportunity to ask him about…about the Uchiha family and vampires." I explained, stumbling on my words as I rushed through them.

"Drowning? He put you in a position where you were drowning? How much did he tell you, exactly?" Itachi asked.

"No, I wasn't feeling well and I took an oxycodine before I took a bath. And Madara told me…enough," I admitted. "Just answered questions I had about vampirism. That's all."

"I'm sorry, it's just…I feel very overprotective of you sometimes. At first I blamed it on my pride I have in my job but…I'm not so sure. I haven't felt sure of anything lately." He avoided eye contact with me when he spoke.

"Itachi, can I ask you a question?" I asked. He didn't answer but he didn't say no, so I continued. "Why did you come back?" Itachi stood back a bit and then sat down on my bed next to me, looking at his hands. When I saw his back, I realized he had two katana criss-crossed on straps that fit his shoulders. He had many different pockets and unidentifiable objects hanging from the belt loops of his slacks. I never realized how equipped he came to the night watches.

"When you let me go, the fact that I couldn't watch you formally worried me. I constantly thought of your safety to the point I could not sleep. I would watch you sometimes, even following you and Sasuke. I'd never felt the need to protect someone as strongly before. I suppose it was our midnight talks, but I realized how similar to me you were and somewhere along the way, I started to care about you, Sakura-san." Itachi looked my way as he said this. "When I saw how comfortable Sasuke was with you, for the first time I truly became envious of my brother because of his relationship with you.

"When you kissed me the other night," he continued. Oh god, he's talking about the kiss…I thought, horrified. "I didn't mind it. I'd never been involved in a kiss where I wanted to reciprocate until I kissed you. What I'm saying, Sakura-san, is that I want to continue to protect you because you've become someone important to me. Someone I want to protect from danger, to keep away from my brother…to hold freely when I want. Is that acceptable? Rather, am I acceptable?" He asked, grabbing my hand. I didn't know what to say. This was the first time I'd been confessed to so seriously before. My face felt hot and was probably red, my hands were shaking and my heart was thumping so loudly I was positive he could hear it, too.

"I'm so glad you feel the same way, Itachi. I thought I was the only one who felt that way." I finally said, taking a hand and running it through my hair. "I missed you."

The edges of his mouth turned up, and he grabbed the strand of hair I had just pushed back and running his fingers through it. He cupped my face in his hand, stroking my cheek with his thumb. I put my hand on top of his, leaning my head into his touch and closed my eyes. His hands were callused but they were strong, reliable hands. He drew my face closer and then I felt his lips on mine. They felt the same as before, but they didn't shy away and they were strong and sure this time. He was very gentle, his hand running up my face and into my hair.

I leaned in closer, urging him on. It was sweet that he was being so careful with me but it wasn't enough; I felt like I had to be closer to him. His kisses became more frenzied and then his tongue ran the edge of my lips. I opened them and his tongue entered my mouth. He pushed me down lightly, one hand on my lower back and the other underneath my head. I lifted up one hand to his neck and the other went to the nape; I pulled out his hair tie so I could run my hand through it better. It flowed down, tickling my face and my arms.

As our kisses became more forceful, I began to gasp for breath. I felt heat spread from my core and out to all the corners of my body. I'd never felt like this before, never as close as this to someone yet still yearning to be a part of him. Itachi pulled away long enough to say my name.

"Sakura…I need your permission," Itachi said between kisses. I drew back.

"Permission?" I asked, confused. "Permission for what?"

"A promise. It'll protect you from others like me. A Mark." He said, pushing my hair back from my forehead. I remembered what Madara had said, that it felt like…sex. A nervous pang began brewing in my stomach but when I looked at his beautiful ivory skin and his face that was so earnestly concerned about my answer, it ebbed away.

"Okay," I whispered. "If it's you, Itachi." I closed my eyes and Itachi kissed my lips again, and I could feel the smile on his own. He kissed my jawline and then down my neck. My body shuddered and goosebumps freckled my skin. I grabbed his arms, bracing myself. I felt him breathing at the bottom of my neck, almost my shoulder. He really was going to Mark me.

Sasuke's face flashed in my mind before I felt two pinpricks, then it was all

Itachi. I gasped as my back arched into him. The feeling was indescribable. I felt myself, then I felt myself as Itachi biting my flesh, could taste it, then I was myself again, shuddering and writhing. I couldn't tell what was happening or how, all I could feel was a great build up and then release, over and over. And then it was finished. I finally became aware of myself, panting and weak on my bed, a sheen of sweat covering my forehead.

"Sakura?" I blinked again and Itachi's face swam into focus, face creased with worry. I smiled and tried to reach up to him but I couldn't; my hand made it into the air but fell down to my stomach. "I've never lost control like that before, I'm sorry. Do you feel okay? Can you sit up?" He pulled me up into a sitting position which I was able to maintain.

"I'm okay, I'm more than okay, actually that was…amazing," I said and flashed a huge smile at him. I couldn't help it; even though I was weak and quivering, I felt relaxed and at peace. "Can we do that again?"

Itachi grinned and then pulled me in to lean on his kiss; that was the first time I heard Itachi laugh.

So this is raw as anything...in my rush to get it out because I wanted to make sure you guys got material I didn't go over it as much as I probably should have. Do you feel that the Marking was too rushed? I feel like it was, but necessary because of later events. Sometimes I wish you all were in my head and could tell me what to do! Constructive criticism is encouraged, I'll probably be editing it or getting some BetaReader help. So here's my present for coming out with Chapter Ten so late: a pre-edited view of Chapter Eleven!