I am so sorry this took so long to get up. Between some personal issues and schoolwork, it just seemed to get lost, but here it is. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you all so much for the reviews and favorites.

The Forbidden Fruit:

Chapter Four

What was it about the Uchiha house that seemed to have her preconceived ideas turning inside out? She performed her duties perfectly and exactly as her master wished, yet she could not shake the feeling that she was doing something horribly wrong.

Socialization was expected and permitted, yet the degree she was beginning to feel more comfortable with Uchiha Itachi was unsettling. Everything she had once thought about him was wrong—he was kind and lenient as well impossibly intelligent. Every night, they would stay awake and speak on a variety of subjects from philosophy to literature, and the challenge on her mind allowed her to flourish and grow to respect him more.

Sometimes, he even inquired after her personal life, and she had opened up to him. The fact that he had not spoken more than three sentences about himself was blaringly apparent, but she never pushed the topic. After all, it was not her place to even come to know her master intimately, nor was it within her rights to drill him for answers pertaining to something as trivial as his preferences…

The loneliness within her craved a friend, but she would never be allowed anything but a man who treated her kindly in the necessary evil of her work. Though, as time went on, she found that her desires had been answered—and in the most unlikely of ways.

While her master and the rest of his family seemed to grow more restless as the days went on with talks of war and preparations, the Yamanaka family became more frequent visitors with more information and insight. Ino became a more frequent girl in her life, and in the time they had together, Sakura found that she had become quite attached. Surely, it was against some policy to relate to someone so well who was classes above another…

The stresses and paranoia in her life were building steadily, but she could still not bring herself to regret conceding to come here. It was days that Itachi gave her time off that she was especially grateful for him; walking with her cousins served to provide her time to unravel her thoughts and analyze her predicament.

Three sets of feet tread rhythmically through the plush grass that stretched over the outskirts of the village of Konoha, and the sound of their voices along with the dim ambience of nature were the only disruption of the serene silence. In the warm, springtime sun that caressed their backs with its heat, the girls had found themselves alone and far away enough from the Uchiha home.

Their shoes dangled from their thin fingers and clattered together with each step over the soft grass beneath their feet, and a few tendrils of their hair fell loose from their tight styles in the heat of the late morning. It was bliss for Sakura—to be herself in the presence of her cousins.

However, as she and her fifteen-year conversed, the youngest of them, Mina, let out a heavy sigh. Her small shoulders slumped slightly with an over exaggerated arc of her back in her weariness. Slowly, she raised a hand to her face to draw it across her sweat-coated forehead.

"Can we stop here?" she drawled out, her irritability reflected in her voice and the pinch of her brow.

The other two girls silenced themselves briefly. Ai studied her younger sister intently, and she heaved a sigh. Unwillingness seized her voice for a moment, but she reached forward to brush the stray hair from her forehead and feel the heat on the girl's incarnadined cheeks.

Sakura noted the girl's back straighten slightly, and a twinge of surprise pulled upon her heart. Concern tore through any reluctance to cut their walk short, and she hurried forward. "Is she all right?"

Ai angled her chin up at her older cousin and nodded stiffly. Uneasily, she pursed her lips into a thin line, and she bent over to her younger sister, and the tendrils of her loose hair hardly moving from the sweat that clung to the strands.

Mina looked hazily up at Ai, and she only whimpered at the soothing words she uttered. The heat hovered close to her, stifling out her equilibrium until everything seemed to waver into doubles. Despite it, she was comforted through her disorientation by the gentle strokes on the side of her face.

Ai lifted her into her arms and nestled the girl's head into the crook of her neck. "She'll be fine," she stated, recognizing the symptoms, When one was out in the sun so long, one tended to get sick. The red upon the little girl's cheeks attested to it.

Sakura clenched her jaw tightly, feeling that as the eldest in the group she should have paid more attention, but she had been partly selfish in her want of a long walk and neglected to her responsibility. Thus, it was up to her to take action. This was exhaustion from the heat and sun, so they needed to find a water source and get the girl's temperature down.

"We need to cool her off—then get her home." Her voice was firm and authoritative.

She was relieved at the sight of a lake in the vicinity. She muttered a quick 'come on', and darted off with her two younger cousins in tow. The trees overhead provided passing shade to the three as they hurried towards the water. At last, panting, they approached the lakeshore with their feet sinking into the mud along its banks.

Ai dropped to the ground, carefully cradling the girl's head by resting her hand at the nape of her neck, while Sakura dipped her hands into the clear surface to gently pat Mina's face with cool water. They worked quickly while the sun was obscured by a cloud and tucked behind the protective limbs of the trees behind them that overlooked the glasslike, serene surface of the lake.

Once Mina's parched lips had been moistened once more and her thirst slaked, she began to adopt a healthier but paler glow. Flooded with a rush of relief through her veins, Sakura loosened the collar to the girl's yukata and watched as the drops of lake water cut glistening trails down the expanse of her neck. Wordlessly, Ai lifted her again and they carried her to the broad trunk of a tree.

"You're okay," Sakura whispered while she settled her against the oak and made sure she was bathed completely in the shade.

Ai and Sakura knelt at her sides, soothing her with gentle touches and words while her head lolled to the side to lazily rest on her sister's shoulder. "Can we go home now?"

Sakura let out a tremulous breath at the sound of her voice and allowed herself to go lax against the tree in relief. "Of – "However, before she could finish her sentence, the sunlight filtering down from the side was obscured by three broad and tall shapes—the silhouettes of men that had the blood nearly freeze in her veins.

Ai gasped and shrunk back against the tree, her head lowered both in submission and to conceal her face. Though the breath caught in Sakura's throat, and she felt the faintest wave of nausea tear through her, she rose to her feet defiantly.

"Well, well," one of the men began huskily. His head tilted to the side, like a predator scrutinizing the weaknesses of his prey. His shoulders drew back, and Sakura only lifted her chin higher. "A bunch of defenseless little girls."

Ai embraced her sister tightly, while her pink-haired cousin stood in front of them, despite the fact her malnourished frame could scarcely hide them from view. "Go away," she growled, her eyes narrowed to slits. "We're not dealing with criminals."

"Pompous," another man spat. He slunk beside the first one to speak with a set of piercing eyes stabbing directly through Sakura. "Ah, I know you. I've seen you walking with that Uchiha swine—no wonder you've got that horrible attitude."

The trio laughed, and despite the faint trembling in her knees, Sakura stood intrepid, her shoulders back, hands clenched tightly, and she lifted her chin with only the illusion of haughtiness. Yes, they recognized her… They would just insult them, like the cowards they were, and then skulk off to their miserable existences.

With the Uchiha name to protect her, no one, not even these Yakuza, could harm her. They were merely bitter, as was ingrained in them… She had heard the stories of the bloody civil war with them and the Uchiha on opposing sides that had occurred nearly sixteen years ago. The senior members fed them all sorts of lies to cause this prejudiced hatred to fester. They remained bitter to this day on their loss.

"Go to hell," Sakura grit out. Her muscles ceased their quivering while she held her ground, and she spat upon the ground at their feet. "The Uchiha will crush you into the ground again."

The third man snarled. "Got a mouth on you, huh?"

Sakura took a half a step back when the three moved closer. "Sakura!" Ai cried out helplessly, worried, holding Mina's mouth as she moaned her discomforts and fear.

The first one to have spoken was the largest, and headed the group. He pounded his fist into his opposite, open palm. "Guess we're going to have to teach you a lesson."

Sakura steadied herself enough to keep her voice even, and she let out a single note of laughter. She outturned her elbow and flicked her palm patronizingly, disbelievingly. "And what's the worst you can do?"

The three burly men exchanged glances, and then chuckled darkly. It was then that Sakura regretted standing up to them, as she truly believed they would not touch her. Now she was risking her cousin's safety. My how reckless she had become.

"Ai, get out of here." She said firmly, never taking her eyes off the yakuza in front of her.

Ai seized Mina's tiny hand in her own. "Come on!" If they went fast enough they could get help, but right now what could she do but leave?

As they ran away two gripped each of Sakura's arms in a bruising vice, while the other lifted her legs from behind to hoist her off the ground. Flailing wildly through the air, she cursed and hissed and struggled—more loudly and violently than they had ever dealt with from a girl before.

"Let me go, you bastards!"

However, the struggle did not last long as they carried her to the lake's edge and swung her backwards. They used the momentum to toss her into the water, and she broke the surface tension with a resounding 'splash' that sent a rain of water droplets around her. The ripples lapped hungrily at the shore, and the three Yakuza laughed raucously despite the fact they nursed small scratches from her.

Sakura, once again, regretted that supposedly unquenchable fire within her. Today it could cost her life, as she could not swim and the fabric weighed her down. Icy panic slithered through her small form, and she desperately writhed through the murky water while the breath and life was choked out of her. Her heart raced, her eyes widened in stark terror as she was pulled under…

"Someone," she screamed, though only bubbles came out. "help me…"

Just as the water rushed into her mouth, something gripped her collar and yanked her abruptly. She was thrown, rolling and sputtering, onto the warm grass, and splayed out limply on her side. A coughing fit gripped her while she struggled to dispel all the water from her lungs.

When she recovered at last, shivering violently and appearing even smaller and weaker with her disheveled hair and her clothing clinging to her skin, she looked up to see none other than Yamanaka Ino surrounded by several armed guards, each with one of her assailants in his grip.

Her eyes stung with tears, and the remnants of terror and a newfound gratitude cut furrows into her brow. Ino, whose eyes held all the concern in the world, dropped to her knees with an unceremonious shush of the grass.

"Sakura," she breathed and pulled the girl into a crushing hug. Their hearts raced together, and Sakura weakly trembled as the blonde stroked her back. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know," she rasped and shook now from the chill. "I thought…"

Ino waved her hand over the girl's shoulder, and her guards, whose spear points glinted ominously in the harsh sunlight, led their prisoners off. "You weren't thinking!"

Slowly, she drew away, her brows knit together in a stern medley of concern and anger. "You could have been killed, Sakura. You don't mess around with them."

The words cut deeply into her, and she lowered her head, ashamed and righteously angry at what happened. The simmering rage, however, took all of her strength to suppress and not lash out at her friend. "I… I know."

Ino let out a weary sigh, and her blue eyes softened while she tucked the pink hair behind Sakura's ear. "Come on; let's get you home. And, hey, you're getting me soaked."

Her last comment was laced with tentative humor, and the ashen face of the Haruno girl creased reluctantly into a smile. "Yeah…" Everything grew fainter and darker, until her eyes slowly fell shut.

Fleetingly, he considered that the events transpiring around him were determined to kill him one way or another. The prospect of war had been a heavy burden upon his shoulders, and his every memory plagued him from within. Even though sixteen years had passed, he saw through the eyes of a four-year-old in his dreams.

The wind rushed by his ears and ruffled his hair in a messy array, and the sounds of his breathing in time to the tempo of his footfalls were almost too harsh and too distant to be his own. Despite the heaving and burning within his lungs, he could never stop running—not with the branches scraping upon his skin, not with the exhaustion setting into his body.

Perhaps this was why he never slept, and when he did, he awoke exhausted from the exertion of his slumber. All he heard was screaming and all he saw was blood—blood that never washed away regardless of how the rain pounded upon his form.

The memory of it even now sent cold chills down to his bones. Would he ever escape this world of fear? His breaths were shaky as he neared his room, and he clenched his fists a few times to ease the tension that pulled his every muscle taut. War was far off, he maintained fiercely with a set of his jaw and an arduous, painfully slow swallow, as if to gulp down his misgivings.

He had more pressing things to deal with, after all—things that were happening now.

A different sort of fear engulfed the prior one, and the agitation that simmered within his blood burned them both away. Sakura… The foolish girl had run her mouth to the wrong people, and despite the dark curl of righteous anger that grew within him, he could not bring himself to wish to punish her.

It was what made her fascinating, despite his most ardent efforts to ignore her entirely. There was something indefinite that drew him in—it was certainly not her beauty. Exotic, yes, but she was so simple--not at all as beautiful as some other women. But her spirit was breathtaking.

Uchiha Itachi prided himself on being a man of restraint—a man who could deny any attraction or obstacle. Yet, a mere servant was undoing all that he had strived so hard for, and if there was one thing he truly hated, it was losing control of a situation. She managed to live out all that he despised in nearly getting herself killed as well as drawing him in with that damnable will.

Carefully, Itachi pushed open the door to his room, and frowned at the emptiness that greeted him. His bed was made and undisturbed, with the sheets smoothed over the soft futon mattress. His desk's papers were in order, just as he had left them— unlike how they usually shifted just so when she cleaned.

Her small 'injury' was felt, and he was surprised at the fleeting hollow feeling he felt when instinct placed her as forever missing. Shaking his head, Itachi moved forward with his feet creaking very lightly upon the tatami mat floor. His hand rested upon the wall and slid along it until he stopped before her door.

Through the thin paper, he could see the outline of her slumbering form; pity slithered through him as he pulled the door aside. The softened view of her in these moments made him painfully aware of just how small her room was when he stepped inside. But the most shocking sight of all was her wan pallor when he gazed down upon her.

A shaky sigh was drawn from his lips, and he felt a painful twinge of his heart. Usually so vivacious, the young man almost felt it out of place to see her so very vulnerable. Her body was laid out upon her thin mattress, with one palm supine beside her head; he looked over her, who was now so pale and fragile. His sympathy drowned out any anger he could have felt at her carelessness, and he knelt down beside her.

His hand twitched with a strange velleity—to touch her. And though everything within him screeched to resist, he could not help but lay two fingers on the underside of her jaw. Her pulse thrummed steadily and surely beneath his touch, and his entire stance went lax with relief. The skin was soft and yielding beneath him, but he managed to jerk his hand away.

When he settled his hand back at his side against the ground, he noticed a pair of wide, hazy eyes gazing through him.

"Sakura," Itachi breathed, and relief washed over him and purged any stoic tension from his face.

Soft, pink lips parted while she focused more intently upon him, as if finally coming into true awareness. She blinked a few times and grunted while rising. The rough sheets fell down her body, and her sleeve pooled at her elbow when she raised a hand to rub her temple. He was here…

It took a few minutes for true realization to sink in; her heart leapt wildly in surprise, and she felt the heat rising to the back of her neck in pleased surprise. "Ita—" she began, only to cut herself off, thoroughly humiliated that her pleasure had made her so forgetful. Gripping her upper arm with her opposite hand, she cleared her throat. "Hello, master."

Never would she had imagined that she would wake up to a visitor. No one in this house was her friend, nor did she expect them to be. But, even this aside, to have Uchiha Itachi kneeling beside her, with such a concerned crease on that handsome face… It was nearly surreal, and she gripped the blankets tightly to still the faint shiver of nervousness.

Itachi supposed he was not surprised or hurt by the shock that etched itself onto her body from her expression, down to the shy twist of her body away from him. It did not change the way he felt, and though he found himself shifting slightly, his head turned down toward the fabric upon his lap, he experienced no regrets for coming. If only he knew what to do for her now.

"You worried me."

"Forgive me," Sakura whispered gently, if not with a bit of a bite hidden behind her tone. She would be damned if she would be trapped within this house every day, but she sighed lightly with another apology uttered when she realized how exhaustion made her disrespect him so.

"How are you feeling?" Itachi asked quietly, almost subdued, and he tucked his hand in his sleeve when he felt it move towards her again.

"All right," she replied, sighing heavily while she dropped her head back upon the pillow. Her hands folded on her stomach, and she stared up at the white ceiling above her. "Tired."

"That is good." Pinpricks of guilt made their way up his spine; of course she was. She had nearly drowned, and he interrupted her sleep. "I shall let you go."

"Thank you…" Sakura pulled the covers up to her chin, and she mentally withered in shame and frustration. She could think of nothing more to say to him—nothing at all. Her gratitude transcended what she was able to show, and her surprise was unprecedented, yet she could only stare at him dumbly while he rose to his feet.

"Goodbye," he whispered, turning towards the door.

"Wait," Sakura cut in quickly.

Slowly, he turned the view of his profile towards her, and the breath was sucked from her lungs. Pursing her lips, she swallowed and opened her mouth, as if searching for the proper words. "Um… Thank you—thank you very much for visiting me."

The words sent a surprising tremor of happiness through him, but he did not show it. He only offered her a mellow smile—but a genuine one nonetheless. "It was not a problem."

The feeling of uneasiness was new and ruthless. He shut the door behind him, his mind rushing with a whirl of what he could have done and said… This new flurry of emotions as of late was perturbing—and the fear he experienced was unlike anything he had experienced before.

Numbly, he walked through the room, and as he slid open the door, he jumped slightly at the sight of an equally fluster young woman, whose hand was curled into a fist and poised, as if to knock.

She cringed back, the hand shrinking to her bosom. "Oh, Lord Itachi," she managed out, her voice strained. The urgency glittered in the depths of her brown eyes. "You are needed in the infirmary at once."

Itachi swore his heart stopped, and the blood stilled and went cold in his veins. "Who is there?" he asked darkly, his voice low and hushed while he moved out into the hallway.

Reality slowed in that brief moment and he already began walking down the hallway, his robes billowing out behind him while he, with a practiced step, was mindful not to stumble.

"Your brother, Sasuke."

His knees buckled for a moment, and he swore his heart would burst at the pace it stuttered along at. "Is he all right?" The pain was carved into his expression as if it was stone, and he felt a crippling wave of nausea. Countless, incomprehensible thoughts tore through his psyche.

"Yes," the young servant replied quickly, her feet moving swiftly as she struggled to keep up with the Uchiha's heir. "He is stable, they said; he just wishes to see you."

She opened her mouth, as if to say something else, but she could only let out a meek, stifled sound when the dark-haired man took off towards the infirmary without preamble. Itachi pushed his way through the hallways and dodged through the people that walked by. It was a state of unconscious panic that drove his every action and the fear that the one person he cared so deeply for would be gone if he hesitated a moment.

His manners were atrocious at present, but he could not bring himself to care as he burst through the door, winded but still composed on the exterior. However, the sight that met him was enough to make his carefully crafted façade to crumble.

The room was dim and silent—a sobriety that descended upon even one guest he had not seen in quite some time. Yet, his eye remained fixated on the bed laid out in the corner of the small room, past the shelves of herbs and the desk tucked along the opposite wall. The candle beside the futon cast a circle of orange light around it, bathing everything in a brighter glow and casting the haunting shadow of the downed warrior upon the wall.

His brother, Sasuke, lay bruised and lacerated, with his companion, Uzumaki Naruto at his side, and the fact he was injured was enough to pull violently at his heartstrings. His only relief was that he was, indeed, conscious and stable. The head of the Haruno home, Tamaki, had already left, as well as his assistants, but tea and some herbs still lay abandoned at the bedside, as well as a roll of bandages that was partially unraveled—the only indications he still needed care at all.

From what he could see, his entire arm was bandaged, and there were a few lighter scratches upon his face, while Naruto had only a single square of cloth placed upon his left cheek, concealing the three lines that cut across his cheeks. The blonde's hair was severely disheveled, and the familiar, wild glow in his eyes spoke of their travels and battles.

Finally, reality crashed around him, and he hurried forward to crouch at the side of his brother. Just how many more times would he be in this position today? Surely, he would not be able to withstand the toll it took on his emotions, to gaze down at people he cared about while they suffered...

"Sasuke," Itachi choked out at last. "What happened?"

The dark-haired boy looked up tiredly, his face still stark with the rage at being defeated. His pride smarted more than any injury he had sustained. "We were attacked by Tanaka soldiers on the way here."

"It's really bad out there," Naruto muttered gravely, and Itachi was startled with the tone of voice on the boy. "Some of the things…"

"Battles are already starting," Sasuke added in. "I've seen people being killed in all sorts of ways… And perhaps even more are being lost by taking their own lives. Kidnapping, plundering… "

Itachi already felt the stabs of fear prickling at the back of his subconscious. No, this could not be happening—not twice in his lifetime. His face, however, was purely business, while he knelt intrepidly before the two warriors. "Where are they?"

"Closing in on the border," the younger brother replied and shook his head. Angrily, he pounded the fist of his good arm into the ground, his teeth set fiercely. Itachi's eyes softened but he could say nothing to console the boy. "Damn… I should have been able to fend them off."

"You are alive; that is what matters for now." Itachi knew such news would not please him—he was far too much like the rest of their Clan in his ego. He would sooner die— Itachi knew very well they probably had taken him here with a struggle.

"It doesn't matter," he growled lowly and reached out to grab his brother's collar. "Listen to me, Itachi… I don't care what lies they're feeding you in the council or about your own morals, but things are bad. We don't have time for negotiations or stalling; we need action."

Itachi's brow pinched in agony. "Come with me to the meeting tomorrow…" He could not answer him—not now, not like this. He could present his own point, his own beliefs. And while he trusted his brother more than anything, the thought of sending people to their deaths…

He carefully disentangled Sasuke's fingers from his collar and pulled himself to stand once more while his cool composure took precedence.

"Fine," the samurai muttered and rolled onto his back. His eyes were dark and blank while he bore holes into the white ceiling overhead with only his eyes. "I'll be asleep."

Itachi's thoughts were troubled, and he could scarcely find it within himself for not behaving more favorably towards his brother's suggestions. He turned away slightly and began to head for the door, but the sound of Sasuke's voice made him stiffen once more.

"I will tell you now, though, brother. There will be war."

Itachi's jaw clenched firmly, and he nodded curtly. "We shall deal with it when it comes." The Uchiha heir slid open the door and stepped into the hallway, but the sound of footsteps behind him made him pause in the hallway.

"Hey, hey, wait!"

His lips twitched into a frown when Naruto tagged along and shut the door tightly behind him.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind me coming along," the young man said lightly, scratching the back of his head. "I want to talk to you."

"No, that is fine Naruto…" Itachi replied slowly. A small twinge of exasperation meandered through him. The boy was nice—almost impossibly so. But with his mind taxed from his subconscious and his body automatically craving sleep as the night approached, he did not believe he could deal with the loudness…

However, he conceded when the blonde cracked a wide smile and attempted a jab of humor.

Naruto leaned over, his blue eyes darting about, and he cupped his hand across his mouth, as if to project his voice. "Besides… I can't take too much more of your brother's brooding. He's driving me crazy."

Itachi smirked despite himself. "Very well… Come along."

While his servant was out of commission for the evening, other members of their workforce respected him and their guest well enough to bring them a kettle of tea. Each knelt comfortably on opposite ends of the low-lying table in Itachi's room, and despite the pillows situated beneath them, Itachi could see Naruto fidgeting from discomfort or anxiousness—or perhaps a combination of both.

He knew the blonde long enough he had trouble remaining inactive, especially when there was something on his mind, and he merely waited patiently for him to bring it up of his own accord. He brought the cup to his lips and contentedly drank down its contents.

Itachi set down his ceramic cup upon the smooth wood of the table and absently watched as the thin curl of diaphanous steam snaked upwards towards his ceiling. The blonde squirmed slightly while he eyed the Uchiha across him with narrowed eyes, nearly closed in his focus.

At last, it grew too much for him to hold in, and he startled the heir by slamming his hand upon the table. Itachi hissed a hushed 'careful' at the loud sound, as well as how the teacups precariously quivered from the blow.

"All right," Naruto began at last, his tone rough and loud while he crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes opened wide at last to scrutinize the man across from him, and he nodded a bit to himself, as if in thought. "I know you don't really want to hear it right now, but if you have to get involved, you've got me and my group to support you."

Itachi sighed patiently and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It is very generous of you…"

"Hey, hey," Naruto cut in quickly, holding up his hand. His face was alight with determination and firmness. He possessed a fierce attitude that the Uchiha silently admired, despite how it made him naïve at times. He rested his palm flat on the table and met his eyes evenly, clearly not intimidated. It seemed his brother had accustomed him to it—or he simply was too bold to be dominated. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Like your brother said, it's bad out there… And not only are your old rivals a threat, but they've got allies too. Normally, I wouldn't bother so much to recruit and stuff, as much as I like you guys… But it's personal now." Naruto grit his teeth tightly together to withhold any sudden flaring out of his anger, but his volume and resoluteness only grew.

Itachi genuinely felt pity, and Naruto kept his body in check despite the excited tremors that gripped him and the adrenaline that rushed through him.

"Those bastards… They attacked our home—they killed my father, and I was too weak to do anything. And now because of that, they've usurped him." His fist clenched almost audibly into a fist. "But, they better watch out because Uzumaki Naruto is coming to take back the title!"

Itachi's lips parted, and he was filled with a fleeting sense of awe at the passionate words and the fire in his blue eyes.

"I'm going to get back in power with or without your help and fix this whole mess—the conflict between you two Clans, the unrest in the people, any other threats… I'm going to make this the best rule yet—with me, Naruto, the best Shogun who ever lived!"

"Excuse me."

"Eh?"

Both men snapped their heads back towards the source of the sound, and Itachi, though surprised by her sudden interruption, was immensely relieved to see that she was on her feet again and well. However, what he did not expect was the wanton sight she presented that sent a faint shiver up his spine. No, he could not be thinking of such things…

Her arm was braced against the doorframe and supported her entire, lithe body that was covered barely by the thin sleeping robe she donned. It revealed just a bit of her legs, a surprising sight when she was always covered from head to toe, and her long, pink hair fell down to her elbows in slightly mussed rivulets.

Itachi had never seen her look so raw… And so very alluring.

Carefully, she lowered her arm and folded her hands at her thighs to present herself more appropriately; however, her smile was fake and her manners perhaps even more so. The noise had disrupted her slumber, and she hadn't time to pin up her hair and change, especially when this… This strange man was spouting off nonsense.

She was tired, and she was achy; her eyes, still hazy from sleep, glinted dangerously while she spoke coolly but politely.

"Your dreams are foolish," Sakura remarked placidly, uncaring of how it would affect him. "I've heard of you—you're that Uzumaki boy. You think you've been the only one usurped over the years? Men greater than yourself have lost everything in war, but that's just how it is. Let me tell you about society. The moment you're down to my level you stay down here, unless you've got power and military. A rag-team of wannabe warriors could never think to fix years of oppression and strife." The years of suppression had made her only slightly bitter, and her green eyes narrowed to slits. "You should save yourself disappointment and just give up. Am I supposed to believe a mere boy like you can make my life—make anybody's life better?"

Sakura did not know what to expect—anger, a retort… Perhaps even him being crushed by the reality crashing around him. But she could regret nothing while she stared calmly at the two men. Itachi was surprised that such a bright-looking woman could potentially be so… icy. Uneasily, he looked at Naruto, who only stared at Sakura for a few moments with his mouth agape.

At last, he spoke. His whisker marks creased while his face stretched into a wide, toothy smile. "Hey, hey, Itachi…" His eyes were childishly lecherous, and he nearly giggled. "I didn't know you had such a sexy lady… You're telling me that was behind that screen the whole time?"

Appalled, Itachi could only stare wordlessly back at the man, while Sakura's face became lethal. An artery throbbed at her temple, and she felt a surge of rage grip her…

"E-excuse me?!"

Was this man stupid? He rose suddenly from his seat with the most captivated expression upon his face. Sakura could only sputter dumbly while he sidled up very close to her—too close for comfort. Her ire simmered within her body, and she nearly growled when he extended a finger to poke her cheek.

Her eyes widening, she batted away his hand, and she, slow in reaction time from just waking up, was surprised to have her hand locked in a fierce grip by the boy who had seized it all the in span of a split second. First, he had talked so boldly and stupidly, had roused her from sleep with his banging and yelling, and now this?

Finally, her wits came about her when he smiled at her with a victorious laugh. "Don't you dare touch me!"

Sakura promptly drew back her arm, and with alarming speed, cracked her open palm against the side of his cheek with a resounding slap. The force of the impact sent Naruto staggering back, and he collapsed against the ground with a whine while he nursed the red mark against his cheek with loud complaints and moans.

Itachi could only stare with widened eyes at his servant, who shook both from her anger and in utter shock of what she had done. She looked in a panic from him, down to the late shogun's son on the ground. Terror and mortification overtook her while she stammered incoherently for a few moments.

"O-oh, m-master… I, um…" Her neck heated up, and she turned on her heel to stand in the doorway. At last, she resorted only to her natural emotion. "It's not part of my job to be harassed by strange men!"

"Jeez, that really hurt!" Naruto griped while rubbing his sore face. "Damn, Itachi, what are you dealing with here?"

Itachi could only look past him at the door to his servant's room when she slammed it shut. Her temper was deplorable, especially for a woman of her status, yet somehow, he found it all the more fascinating… He cursed everything within him that drew him to the girl, and he merely raised the glass to his lips and drank down the last of his tea.

"I have no idea."