Sighing to herself, Sakura took one last look in the mirror. Checking that her hitai-ate was secure on the crown of her head and that her red dress was wrinkle-free was important, considering the mission she was just assigned. Her first year as Tsunade's apprentice was finally complete, and she was fully trusted by her shishou to carry out missions as a medic, and this was to be her first. Sakura had quickly learned everything she had to know about medical ninjutsu, being the smartest from her class.

Sakura had been given a long term mission, and it was probably only C-ranked. She was to make antibiotics for hemoptysis and then deliverer a new batch every other week to the mystery client. Apparently, he had been getting the medicine from Tsunade for six years as it was, and as soon as Shizune had been sufficient enough to give people medications, she had taken over. Now it was Sakura's turn to give him his medication every other week.

He was still considered a mystery client because, for the past six years, the man had always worn an ANBU mask at every meeting. Sakura wanted to be the one to crack the case on who the mysterious man was, but she knew better than to do that. If he had an ANBU mask in his possession, he must have been strong, and besides that, Sakura had not even met him yet. For all she knew he was some old, retired shinobi who wanted privacy and was not really worth finding out more about.

Slipping the paper bag with the medicine into her traveling pouch, Sakura left the apartment she was renting. Konoha's streets were still empty in the early morning light, the only one up and about besides herself being Lee, who was on his daily jog. She couldn't understand why anyone in their right mind would set a meeting time so early in the day. If there was one thing about Sakura, it was that she was not a morning person. At least she would be meeting him at a tea shop that wasn't too far from the village's outskirts.

Sakura stopped at the entrance into the village, allowing herself to remember the last time she had walked through the gateway. It had been when Sasuke and Naruto had still been there, when team seven had still existed. Now Sasuke was gone without any intention in returning, and Naruto was off training under Jiraya. Her sense of loneliness growing stronger, she continued on her way, not looking back at the village as she left. It took all of her strength to hold back the tears threatening to spill, until she remembered what she had promised herself. Sasuke was no longer going to affect her like this, he meant nothing to her now. He had left her to fend for herself, and she was not going to let him weaselhis way back into her heart, especially since he was not even there to do it himself.

She kept up a good pace, and found she had given herself too much time, so she had to wait at the tea shop. It was just as well, she decided, if she had those twenty minutes to herself, then she could order some tea to wake herself up. She did not want to be a complete bitch when the client arrived. He was probably going to be expecting the ever calm and collected Shizune (except when she caught Tsunade drinking on the job), and not a grumpy chunin.

The tea house was inviting, and Sakura lost track of the time after having ordered a cup of green tea and dango as a little perk-up. If she hadn't been enjoying her breakfast outside, the man she was to meet would probably not have noticed her. Her ostentatious pink hair and blazing green eyes stood out, but once she had entered her own world, she almost shrank into invisibility.

Itachi grimaced under his mask, the taste of blood burning on his tongue. The sooner he got the cursed antibiotics, the sooner that awful flavor would leave his mouth, he told himself, walking to meet his medic. He knew it was stupid to rely on Konoha shinobi for his medications, but Tsunade and Shizune were the only ones he could trust to not make a mistake that would result with his death. Of course, if they knew it was the infamous Uchiha Itachi, murderer of the Uchiha clan hiding behind the ANBU mask, he would die anyway. Thankfully, they had never really tried to find out who he was.

The strong aroma of green tea mixed with sweets reached Itachi's nose as he neared the rendezvous location, making his mouth water and stomach growl noiselessly. He had skipped out on breakfast again, and the smells coming from the tea shop were tantalizing. His medicine was more important though, and thoughts of eating were put out of his mind as he caught sight of the designated meeting place.

As he finally reached the tea shop, there was no Shizune to meet him, but instead a young, pink haired kunoichi who could be no more than thirteen. Itachi stood in the brush for a couple minutes more, waiting to see if she would arrive, but after a complete ten, realized Shizune was not coming at all. The new kunoichi sitting outside on the bench with an empty cup and plate was waiting for him. She seemed lost in thought, and Itachi had to wonder if she was competent or not. He had to force himself to walk towards the girl.

Sakura's eyes flashed up at the sound of someone's approach, and found it was her mystery client. She quickly decided the man was worth finding out about, after taking in his well built appearance. He wore a slightly tight navy blue shirt that had sleeves that went to his elbow and a standard issue pair of ninja pants. The only way she could tell it was him was because of the expected ANBU mask.

"Are you my client?" Sakura asked, trying to read into the man's reactions to her without seeing his face.

"Yes. Might I ask where Shizune is?" Itachi asked in his unemotional, smooth voice. He sounded so much like a robot that Sakura could read nothing.

"This is no longer Shizune's assignment. Tsunade-shishou has given me this mission now. My name is Haruno Sakura." She replied carefully, not sure if she should just offer him the medicine, get payed, and leave. Delivering medications was not exactly a normal mission, and so there was nothing for her to refer to as protocol.

"Then it is you that will be making my medication from here on out." Itachi stated crisply. He did not like the idea of having a new medic again, he had been skeptical of even Shizune in the beginning too. Three kunoichi from Konoha having a connection with him could make things more dangerous, there could be a higher chance of them figuring out who he was now.

"That would be correct, ANBU-san." Sakura replied. Itachi couldn't help but to smirk at the name he was given, though he should not have been surprised. The mask hid his upturned lips though, and Sakura took out the paper bag, oblivious to his humor.

"Can I trust that this medicine will not kill me?" He asked himself quietly. Being the trained kunoichi she was, Sakura still managed to hear his question clearly.

"I assure you, Tsunade-shishou would not have sent me if I could not be trusted." She told him, unable to hide the anger in her voice. Sakura was tired of people always assuming she was a weak, one-trick ninja who could not be relied on.

"You are rather young for a medic." He told her blandly.

"I am fourteen. That is old enough to be an accomplished ninja medic." Sakura scoffed cooly. Itachi did not respond, but instead opened the paper bag to inspect it. It had his prescription and nothing else, just like every other time.

"I expect to see you in a week." Itachi finally said, deciding the contents to be safe, and not really caring that he had injured her pride as a medic. He tossed her forty ryo and then left to return to the Akatsuki base, and hopefully, some sort of breakfast. It was still too early in the morning, at least in his opinion, and Itachi was not a morning person.

Sakura watched his retreating back as the ANBU-masked man left with his prescription. He had been a mystery, that much she was certain. He was much younger than she had been expecting, he was probably only five or six years older than her. Tsunade had been getting him his prescription for nearly five years, at least that was what Shizune-nee had told her. How long had that boy, because based on his voice alone, that was what he still was, been alone?

Alone. Like Sasuke had been, and how she felt most of the time. It hurt to think about him, and half of the time, she was infuriated with the boy she had fallen for, and then been abandoned by. She had offered him her everything, but he had left her behind and went for Orochimaru anyway. Sometimes even the slightest thing would set her off. She was not sure if she even loved him anymore. He did not deserve her love, even if he ever did bother to seek it out, that she was certain of.

Sakura knew herself well enough to know that if he ever did return home, she would let him take her heart again. It was simply how it was. He was like the medicine her spirit required to survive, to move on. He was her everything, and he knew that. That was why he was able to get control of her so easily. It was cruel, in reality, but the world was not a beautiful place. It was twisted and evil, shrouded in crime and darkness. Her being possessed by Sasuke was not the most disturbed occurrence in the world she lived in.

There was Uchiha Itachi. She had never met him, never even seen his face in a photograph. His infamy was widely known though, for the sick crimes he had committed. Itachi had killed everyone who loved him, everyone who had trusted, and all for the macabre foundation of seeking power. What was power for, if not to protect those whom you loved? It was for nothing at all.

He was the reason for the fall of team seven. Sasuke had run away to destroy him, Naruto had to leave to train under Jiraya so that he could protect himself, and where was she left? All alone, left by her supposed teammates to bring everything back together. Which was why she needed so desperately to become stronger while they were gone. Sakura was the support beams of team seven; without her everything was consumed with chaos. She, if anyone did, needed the training to become more powerful. No, she was cast aside instead.

Itachi did not like change. He liked things to stay the same, he liked things to last. Things never did though, his ideal life in Konoha being a prime example. That had only lasted a short thirteen years, until being ended abruptly in violence and death. No, he hated change. He had not liked it when Tsunade had stopped meeting him personally, and sent Shizune instead. That had started three years ago, and once again, it had changed. Now he was being given medicine by a girl of fourteen. Haruno Sakura. That had been her name. Very standardized, if you had asked him. Yet, for some reason, it was very fitting for her. Perhaps it had something to do with her obnoxiously pink hair.

Itachi hated change, but he hated women almost as much. Women cling, never considering the feelings of others. He had always been a heartthrob, and even been teased about it. Shisui had thought it to be quite hilarious, and now Hoshigaki Kisame poked fun at him for all the women that seemed to be drawn to him. He could not care less if the women he met wanted his attention. Kisame thought it to be foolish, saying that even he would have to lose his dashing good looks one day. Itachi did not care. All he hoped was that the new medic kept things on a professional level. He did not need another girl pining after him, just medicine to keep his heart condition in check.

He sighed quietly to himself, entering the subtly hidden Akatsuki base, taking off the ANBU mask from his past, Sakura's medicine in hand. He put the bag into a pocket; the bottle small enough to fit without being crushed. It was vital that no one found out about his condition, or it would be used against him as his one weakness. He had survived for six something years without anyone discovering his handicap, and that would not change now.

The headquarters was shrouded in silence, it seemed that everyone else was still deeply asleep; no normal Akatsuki member ever woke up before ten o'clock. Which was precisely why Itachi had the tendency to wake up before then, even if he was not a morning person. If it meant having an hour of peace each morning, then he would wake up at five if need be. He liked to be able to drink his daily cup of green tea in solitude.

The only member even close to his age, Deidara, seemed to find this highly amusing. In his apparent immaturity, he would make poor imitations of him; sitting up-straight, and sipping from an invisible cup of tea. If this was not reason enough for Itachi to hate Deidara with a burning passion, then it was because of how he was always telling him to find a woman. The dolt was deluded into thinking that if he 'had a woman,' then his attitude would somehow improve. He did not see why he needed to change anything; he was perfectly oriented with outstanding manners and a perfectly high intelligence quotient. If anyone needed any sort of improvement, it was that daft fool.

Itachi shook his head to clear his disturbing thoughts, entering the small, slightly disorderly and grungy kitchen to get a pot of water on the stove. Waiting for the water to boil for his tea, Itachi pulled the medicine for his hemoptysis from his pocket. What he really required was surgical resection, the removal of his abnormal lung tissue, but that would interfere with his ultimate plans. Sasuke would need all the help he could get if he was ever going to defeat him.

He opened the bottle and popped a pill into his mouth, swallowing it dry. The bottle went back into his pants pocket, and he slumped down to sit at the lowered table standing next to the kitchen. In one of the rare showings of emotion, Itachi covered his face with both hands and propped up both elbows on the table. He was going to die.

Itachi already was slowly dying, had been since long before. When he was diagnosed with an irregular type of hemoptysis; one that was not healed just with antibiotics. If he did not eventually have the damaged and festering tissue of his lungs surgically removed, then he was going to die. He knew that Tsunade could probably heal him in the span of a few hours, but it could not be. Not only would the sannin then discover his identity and do away with him, but it would obstruct his vision of Sasuke's future. One that he was not alive in.

Sasuke had to kill him, or at least think he had, or he would never move on, never be happy. Itachi did not want to die, even if he deserved it, but he would die for his younger brother any day. He was everything he was living for then, the only thing that could ever matter. Sasuke would have his revenge.

The teapot whistled from the stove, pulling him from his musings. Itachi poured himself a cup of tea, and settled back down at the table. It was so hard to be strong, to wait all alone for his impending death. He wished partially to get the ordeal over with, and end it himself. Sasuke would not be as satisfied, but he would have been pleased nonetheless. He would not need to suffer for these long, lonely years, no matter how much he had earned it from his disgusting crimes.

He sipped slowly at the green tea, letting the hot liquid sooth his burning throat and cover the distinguished flavor of blood. How he wished he was brother; Sasuke had always had it so much easier. Alas, Itachi was Itachi, and Sasuke was Sasuke. He was always going to have to make all the hardest decisions, and he was going to have to suffer for them all. It was sick, twisted even, but Itachi had himself looking forward to his death, that being his only means of escape from everything.

Sakura began her walk back to Konoha, feeling irritated with herself, and her new client. He thought himself so high and mighty, hiding behind that mask. He was such a miscreant, thinking her incapable of making him such a simple antibiotic. She could have done it in her sleep, if she had so wished.

ANBU-san. How she wanted to give him a well deserved, chakra enhanced punch to the gut. He may have thought her unworthy of being his medic, but she would quickly prove him wrong. He would see how she was warrant to be a medic of anyone; she was first-rate, and he would find out soon enough.

By the time Sakura walked back through Konoha's entrance gates, the sun was already a quarter way up into the sky, and the morning bustle of people were all making their way to work or to the market to get deals of the day. She smiled to the civilians she saw on a regular basis around the village, and waved to the occasional familiar shinobi. Her temperament was as light as it always was, the frustration she held for ANBU-san staying in the back of her mind.

Nearing her small apartment, she began to cross the small bridge that overpassed the Nakano River, only to be stopped in the middle by Kakashi. She smiled up at the silver haired man, sadly remembering all the times she had met team seven there. He ruffled his hair teasingly, just as he had for the past two years of knowing each other.

"I have not seen you in quite some time, Sakura-chan." He stated, pulling his face away from the ever-present orange book in his hands. It may have been months since the teacher and student had last seen one another.

"It has been a while, Kakashi-sensei." She started. "Do you have any idea when-"

"I do not know when he will be back, Sakura." He cut her off, knowing the question before she could finish asking it. She always started their conversations by asking when Naruto would return. Kakashi never knew the answer though, and she knew as much. She would ask anyway.

"I suppose not." She murmured, looking down in shame. She should not be always pestering Kakashi about the remaining members of their team. It was hard for him to acknowledge that he had make a mistake again.

"How has your training been going with Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi asked, changing the subject. Sakura smirked up at him.

"I already finished my training, Kakashi-sensei. I just returned from a medical related mission." She said matter of fact, turning up her nose in pride. He chuckled, which told Sakura that he had already known that himself, he just had wanted to hear it from her in person.

"Really now? Perhaps that is why you look so irritated? Had a run in with a bad client?" He questioned with a taunting glint in his eye. It never ceased to amaze Sakura how much Kakashi could read into her.

"I swear, he was the most infuriating boy I have ever met! He thought that just because I am only fourteen, that I am not a good enough medic for him to treat his stupid hemoptysis. How I want to kick his self-righteous ass! He could use a good punch to the stomach!" She ranted. He chuckled again in good humor.

"Do you want me to hunt him down for you, Sakura-chan? Give me his name, and he will be dealt with by the week's end." He joked in turn.

"I do not know his name. I just called him ANBU-san, because of the mask he was wearing." She sighed tiredly. Kakashi ruffled her hair again.

"Well, good luck with that. I have to go though, I have a-"

"Mission. I figured as much." Sakura smiled in utter exhaustion. They nodded a short goodbye to each other, and both turned to go their separate ways. Sakura made her way into the apartment in which hers was located. Pulling her keys out from the small konoha symbol keychain they were connected to, Sakura unlocked the apartment.

It was empty feeling, just as it always was when she entered the establishment. With both of her parents gone, she was left to fend for herself, and so it had been necessary to find her own place to live. The house she used to live in held too many memories, too many ghosts of her past. Lonely as she was, she did not want Sasuke back so that the bastard could control her again. Never again would she welcome him, he had done enough damage to last a lifetime.

Sakura sighed, then decided she should report to Tsunade. Dropping off her medical supplies and weapons pouch, Sakura decided to stick with the kunai holster for her only precaution. In Konoha, she was relatively safe, from everyone besides the occasional troublemaking rookie. Once she left the village, however, it was absolutely necessary to carry all the weapons she could.

Tsunade was, as to be expected, already sipping at what looked to be her first glass of sake, though it was still before noon. Sakura had gotten used to the Hokage's usual state of partial drunkenness, and so was unperturbed by the sight. She bowed in respect to her teacher, and then stood in attention. Tsunade looked up from her mountain load of paperwork.

"How was the client?" She asked, taking another sip of sake. Sakura sighed, guessing that Tsunade must have already known about ANBU-san's quirky personality. Sakura had to think before answering.

"He was reluctant to take the antibiotics from me. He did not seem to like that I am only fourteen." Sakura replied dryly. Tsunade chuckled a few times, remembering how the allusive client had acted towards Shizune on her first meeting.

"He does not seem to like change, because he acted the same towards Shizune. I have been giving him antibiotics for quite some time, and he still does not trust me enough to reveal his identity." Tsunade mused.

"Perhaps he does not want to reveal his identity because he is wanted for something." Shikamaru drawled, entering the office. Sakura turned to wave hello, which he returned in his own, lazy manner. Tsunade clicked her tongue in disapproval. She supposed she could not scold him for entering though; the door had been open.

"Shikamaru, just who I wanted to see. Do some paperwork." Tsunade grunted, handing the youth a thick file. He frowned, wishing he was sitting on top of some roof, gazing at the clouds. He should never have allowed Ino into getting the team a mission, and instead made her do it herself. Now he was going to be stuck in Tsunade's office for hours on end, wishing he was somewhere else.

"How troublesome." He muttered. Sakura giggled; Shikamaru had become infamous for his always saying that phrase. He rolled his eyes at her, mumbled something about 'pushy women,' and then took a seat on the chair next to Tsunade's desk. He always complained about having to work, but at the same time, never refused to do as he was told.

"Anyway, Sakura, do you think you can handle this mission? It is not the sort that you can blow off for other, more exciting operations, or the patient will die. Even if you do discover his identity, you must keep up your job to get him his antibiotics." Tsunade said, scrutinizing her pupil. Sakura stood tall, with her arms straight on either side.

"I will complete this mission at whatever cost, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura said, bowing again. Tsunade nodded her head, seeing she was serious about the task at hand, and took another sip of sake.

"Good. Now that is out of the way, I am moving your hospital shift so you can meet him in the mornings. It starts today, at fourteen-hundred sharp, and ends at twenty-hundred. Rest yourself, and be on time. Shizune is already working on an ANBU team, and you will most likely have to take over for her."

Sakura nodded her head in affirmation, and then left the office to return home, and ultimately, to bed. If she was going to be dealing with full, injured team, she was going to need a few good hours of sleep, and no distractions. Her irritation with ANBU-san's strange character was going to have to wait, at least for the meantime. Next week, and she would give him her undivided attention.

This mission was going to take a lot from her, she realized, but her duty as a medic demanded that she complete it, even if the patient was the most self-righteous boy she had ever met.

...

AN: Well, here is the first chapter to my newest story! Hooray! I have had this idea in my head for months, and I can finally write it, now that I finished my other fics. I decided that I will not work on more than one/two multi-chapter stories at once. Otherwise, it would be suicide, trying to update regularly. Please review, tell me if this is worth following! :D