Title: Sing me a song

Author: paws_bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi

Type: One-shot (Complete)

Genre: Romance/Angst/General

Word Count: 4067

Theme: LJ Community, 50-shinobi theme #38, Sing me a song

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

Summary: Non-Massacre AU. Seven years down the road, their marriage is falling apart.

Created on: 31/05/13

Completed on: 05/06/13

Chapter Last Revised on: 19/06/13

It seemed like all they ever did nowadays was argue.

Or rather, she was the one always raging like a madwoman against his unshakable, implacable calm, the frustration and stress culminating in her often boiling over in resentment and the desperate need for him to acknowledge and respond to her distress. It was a vicious cycle; he had never been the most demonstrative or effusive individual in the first place, and even after seven years of marriage, there were times when she still could not tell what he was thinking, and it both bothered and saddened her.

He was the leader of his clan and the current Supreme Commander of Konoha's ANBU forces. He was an amazing warrior and an even better tactician, an unstoppable war machine the likes of which Konoha had not had for the last few generations. He had been trained from a very tender age to fulfill the roles and expectations that his clan and his village had expected of him, and part of that obligation had entailed marriage to her. His clan was a noble one with centuries of proud history behind it, but had suffered a harsh fall from grace in recent decades due to rogue traitors who had wanted nothing more than to see the ruin of Konoha. She had been the price to pay for his clan's treachery – part of the political penalty enforced by the Godaime Hokage, to ensure the continued loyalty of the Uchiha clan to the village.

It had been seven years since she married into the disgraced Uchiha House, and she had never felt more isolated and lonely than now.

Despite being the wife of the clan head, she was not the most well-liked individual amongst her in-laws. To the clan, she was and would always be an outsider, a spy of Konoha's ruling administration that they were forced to accept into their midst or face complete annihilation, and it showed in the way she was always regarded by the clan members with barely-veiled hostility and icy politeness. It was something that she had learned to live with over the years, and if she was actively shunned by the clan, then her husband –the Hokage's dog, Konoha no Shinkirou Karasu, blood traitor, S-Ranked battle genius, kin slayer, Uchiha Itachi – was absolutely reviled and hated by the members of his own family.

At the age of thirteen, he had turned against his own blood and exposed the details of their planned coup d'état of the village to the Sandaime Hokage. Then, with the Third's permission, he had returned to his clan and singlehandedly quelled the rebellion by evoking an ancient law of Konoha – challenging his own father for the right to lead by trial of combat, under the assertion that the current head and his council were unfit for their positions at the helm of the Uchiha bloodline. In the span of a single night, he had wrested control of the clan by sheer brute force, and as his first act as clan head, had quickly culled by his own hands the entire group of dissenters who had intended to stand against Konoha, resolutely fulfilling his duties to his village and country. Blood had flowed freely that evening, and in the end, more than half of the clan was lost, entire families wiped out, children orphaned, aged parents left to bury their dead offspring. It was the worst day in the history of the Uchiha, as the deadly weapon whose blade they had painstakingly honed to perfection to pierce the hearts of their enemies had turned on them instead.

Uchiha Fugaku was so severely injured from the encounter that he had been forced to retire as a ninja with immediate effect. The brutal battle with his firstborn had left him permanently paralyzed from the neck down, and he never forgave his son for the betrayal. The heads of his fellow conspirators were presented to the Hokage and the Council of Elders as proof of the Uchiha clan's loyalty and commitment to the internal security of the village, and as the newest and youngest clan leader in the entirety of Konoha, Itachi had lowered his head and submitted to the various demands of Konoha's ruling faction as penance for his clan's treachery.

The price for sedition had been unbearably steep. The traditionally Uchiha-controlled Konoha Military Police was immediately disbanded and all Uchiha on the active ninja roster were taken off duty for psych evaluation by Konoha's Torture and Interrogation division. Those who failed had their chakra pathways sealed and were subjected to permanent house arrest within the Uchiha Compound. The rest were returned to duty eventually, but were prohibited from ranking promotions and village sensitive missions, and were obligated to perform their assignments under supervision until told otherwise. The news of the Uchiha's failed coup quickly spread to the entire village, seemingly overnight, and the backlash was terrible. The sterling reputation that the Uchiha had once enjoyed amongst the Konoha populace quickly turned bad as the name of the once esteemed ninja clan was dragged through the mud, and in a military village like theirs, treason was not a crime that was regarded lightly by its citizens.

Even now, seventeen years after the incident, the stigma of treachery still stuck to the Uchiha name like a foul blight that would never be completely removed.

And now, by way of marriage, that shame was extended to her as well.

Her parents had been aghast when she had decided to agree to the marriage offer seven years ago, but when Itachi had come to her personally with his proposal, she could not turn him down. With an Uchiha teammate in her cell unit, she knew better than most just how difficult it was for members of that clan to be reintegrated back into the village community. Like with Naruto and his demonic burden, it was a constant struggle for Sasuke just to be acknowledged by the villagers alone, to convince them to see beyond the tainted name and focus on individual merit instead. She could only imagine how hard it was for the young clan head of the Uchiha, who not only had to battle the prejudices set against himself, but to also shoulder the responsibility of cleaning the tainted name of his disgraced clan.

An alliance with the favored and well-respected student of the Godaime Hokage would help greatly in the latter endeavor.

She had worked with Uchiha Itachi in passing before, and even though he seemed very distant and was extremely, intimidatingly, proficient in his duties, never stepping a toe out of line and always fulfilling his mission objectives with awe inspiring speed and efficiency, he felt like a good person to her, if only a bit standoffish and…lonely, if that was the right way to describe him. Not surprisingly, he was a very good mission leader, and she never had any trouble working alongside him. And when Sasuke himself had pleaded on his brother's behalf, she really could no longer refuse Itachi's proposal.

Help my nii-san, the young man had urged his best friend and battle sister, he's alone in that clan. He needs someone to guard his back. Please be his support.

It had pained Sasuke to make that request of her when he should be the one to do it instead, but there was no other way. The younger brother of the current clan head was no longer an official member of the Uchiha clan, and he had not been so for years. From the very moment he made Genin, Itachi had had him informally emancipated from the clan. Long story short, Sasuke had been summarily kicked out of the clan holdings and forced to survive on his own merits without the shadows of his clan's disgrace hanging over him, and it had been both the best and worst thing that had ever happened to the younger Uchiha. It had taken years before he finally realized and acknowledged the magnitude of his older brother's sacrifice, and by then, he was so far removed from the internal strife of his clan that there was little he could do to assist Itachi on that front – it was the price that the older Uchiha had paid in order to secure Sasuke's freedom.

Itachi had martyred himself so that his younger sibling would not have to suffer like he did.

Sakura found that she could not ignore that, just like she could not ignore Sasuke's heartfelt request. And so, at the age of eighteen, she had consented to marriage to Uchiha Itachi, eventually becoming the wife of the Eighth Clan Leader of the Uchiha on a quiet spring day that year.

It had been seven years since then, seven years of ups and downs and living the usual dramatic and adrenaline-filled existence of a ninja lifestyle, and time had flown. She had not regretted her decision to marry Itachi in the least; like Sasuke had explained a long time ago – his brother was a good man who had been forced into a bad situation.

Now though, he was more than just someone whom she had felt compelled to help out years ago. After all this time living with him, she had also gained a deep understanding of the man whom she had married. They lived in the same house, ate at the same table, and shared the same futon, and she had grown…affectionate towards him. She wanted to believe that he saw her as a reliable ally at the very least, someone whom he could depend on in a pinch and a partner he could trust not to sink a blade between his ribs the moment his back was turned. They were in this together for better or for worse, and she was determined to do her duty and be a good wife and steady support for Itachi.

That was why recent events were upsetting her so much.

"Sakura."

The pink-haired kunoichi turned her head and saw the lean, rangy form of her husband at the doorway. It was the dead of the night, and he was barefoot, his long raven hair tousled and flowing unbound around his broad shoulders, clad in a sleeping yukata that was loosely belted around his waist. It was obvious that he had just emerged from their bedroom, and even though he must have been sleeping just moments before, his dark eyes were sharp and watchful as he met hers.

"What are you doing?"

He had found her sitting on the wooden walkway that bordered the edge of the house, her legs dangling over the roka platform as she stared out at the darkened courtyard outside. It was a warm summer evening and the song of a lone cicada in the distance lent a peaceful, tranquil air to the atmosphere.

Sakura just shook her head wordlessly, then drew up her legs and hugged her knees to herself. The quiet, introspective melancholy that surrounded her made her look small and fragile, nothing like her usual self-possessed, assertive self.

All he could see at the moment was his young wife sitting alone outside the house in the middle of the night, a painfully poignant expression of desperate loneliness and desolate yearning on her face as she stared up at the night sky, looking as if she was on the verge of bolting.

And he just knew, that if she left, then she would surely never look back, would never return again.

So he called out to her, compelled to do so by the instincts that had never guided him wrong. Padding quietly towards her, he only came to a stop by her seated form, and when she tensed imperceptibly in response to his proximity, something in his gut twisted. He closed his eyes briefly.

A bird of paradise was not a creature that belonged here, in this dark, gloomy place.

She was the bright, beautiful songbird that was well loved and especially adored by the people around her, and even from afar, her fiery spirit and vivacity were something that he had noticed for a long time – how could he not, when she was the teammate of his younger brother, was always nearby, lingering at the edge of his peripheral vision? With her unique blossom pink hair and distinct, gem green eyes, she was an unforgettable presence in the ranks of Konoha's ninja forces, a formidable kunoichi of her own right, the most famous disciple of the Godaime Hokage, and rapidly growing into a legend alongside her equally remarkable teammates.

When he made his offer of marriage to her, his only intention was to use her and the undeniable influence she held amongst the village to repair the dismal reputation of his clan, to put her in the gilded cage of the Uchiha and flaunt the fact that this powerful, well-respected and strong female - the right hand of the Godaime and the close friend and confidante of Uzumaki Naruto, the Sixth Hokage Candidate – was now allied to his House. It was around the time where he was expected to take a wife, and she had come heavily recommended by Sasuke. Even then, he had not expected for her to accept his proposal – there was nothing he could offer her in return that she did not already have, after all.

As such, there was no one more surprised than he when she agreed to wed him. It was purely a marriage of convenience, but this songbird had willingly allowed her wings to be clipped, docilely accepting him as her mate, no longer free to fly anywhere she wanted to, and tying herself down to his clan as surely as he was. He was under no illusion that she had done it for him; it was likely for the sake of Sasuke that she had considered and accepted his suit, that she had chosen to share her life with him.

Like his younger brother predicted, she made a good addition to the clan. Her experience as the Fifth's aide ensured that she knew how to deal with and respond accordingly to the less forthcoming members of his family. She was independent and persistent, intelligent and cunning, all the traits that allowed her to constantly butt heads with the Uchiha elders and still come out the victor. She was every inch the Lady Uchiha that his mother was not, her head held high with pride and never compromising on her personal beliefs no matter how his clan tried to strangle her spirit, to force her to conform to their ideals. Unlike Mikoto, she had never folded under the pressure of the majority, always using her senses and fair judgment to make her own decision, doing her best to integrate the Uchiha clan back into the good graces of the village.

Her loyalty was both fierce and absolute, and as her husband, he commanded it unconditionally.

The beautiful and brave bird of paradise came to roost willingly beside the dull and despised raven.

And as time passed, she even started to sing for him as well, seeming to flourish even in the hostile, austere environment that was now her home.

She was absolutely mesmerizing, and like the bird that his infamous moniker was dubbed after, he could not resist her, could not look away from that sheer brilliance. With her presence, the Uchiha Main House seemed to come alive, becoming something more than just a sheltered place to eat at and sleep in. She had swept in and turned it into her palace, seeming to imbue her very essence into it, from the floorboards to the rafters.

It became a home. A warm, welcoming nest for him to return to, safe from the machinations of the clan, free from the cumulative pressure of his duties as clan leader and ANBU Commander. It was both wonderful and peculiar at the same time, and sometimes he still did not know what to make of it. Of her.

It was easy to forget, or rather, to pretend not to remember, that she was not really his to begin with. She did not truly belong to him, even though they were married, and he had no right to ask anything more of her beyond what she had already sacrificed for the sake of him and his clan.

He did not deserve her.

He was long due for a reminder of that harsh truth, and recently, something had changed. She was frequently agitated, distracted, and easily upset. He was not used to her outbursts of irrationality, and he did not know how to handle her when she was lashing out like that. She was moody and growing increasingly distant, and he was…concerned.

And then there were nights like this, where he would wake up and find her missing from their bed, only to discover her outside the house, looking so sad as she sat there all alone and staring up at the vast skies, and something akin to desperate, clawing anxiety grew a little more in him.

It was only a matter of time now, he acknowledged grimly. There was no point in pretending anymore, in trying to feign ignorance. Seven years was a long time to endure living with someone you cared little for, and he was surprised that she had lasted this long.

It wasn't long enough. The time had passed too quickly.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her silently, his stoic expression betraying none of his thoughts. He was too well trained, too seasoned, to show such openings anymore.

"Are you unhappy here?"

Sakura lifted her head to stare at him, inwardly surprised by his question. There was a resolute air that surrounded him, a quiet stillness that made her look at him sharply, trying to discern his thoughts but failing. That impenetrable mask of his was something that she had always hated, and now was no different. She could not figure out what he was trying to say, and so at last, she simply replied.

"…don't worry, Itachi," the beautiful pink-haired woman murmured softly. "I'm an Uchiha too; this is my home now."

She had not responded to his question, but perhaps that was already answer enough.

A pairing between a raven and a songbird was unnatural, a match never meant to be.

He had tried to ignore the signs – but it was impossible to pretend not to see how she was slowly wilting in his domain, withering away bit by bit, her dazzling luster starting to wane. She was quieter now, her songs lesser and lesser, and perhaps his parents were right – he brought nothing but misfortune to everything he loved and cared for.

Even then, he was still unable to loosen his hold on her and set her free.

"…Come back to bed. You will catch a cold," he told her after a pause. She did not reply. The weight of his gaze rested on her hunched shoulders for a long time. There was nothing else to say. After a while, he turned and slowly started back into the house.

"Itachi." Her voice was soft, and he paused in his steps. He did not look back, and therefore did not see her stand up soundlessly behind him and face his retreating form. She was hugging herself tightly, and looked as if she was gathering up all of her courage to continue to speak. Her eyes were centered on his back, and those deep verdant depths were dark with tumultuous longing and distress.

"What am I to you?"

"You are my wife." The Uchiha did not hesitate to reply. "You are my Lady Uchiha."

Sakura deflated slightly. "Is that all?" she whispered quietly.

He stiffened imperceptibly and finally turned around to face her. Her large green eyes stared straight into his own. "Is that all I am to you, Itachi?" she repeated shakily. It was too late to back down, after all. They were going to get this straightened out right now. She was already so tired of this – she did not want to spend the rest of her life second guessing herself and deluding herself with false hopes.

He looked at her and said nothing.

Her gaze visibly saddened. She shook her head. "No, that's not really what I want to ask."

"Itachi."

He tensed at the finality of her tone. There was the sudden irrational urge to distract her, to keep her from saying the things that she was about to say. He knew what was going to happen next, could guess what she was going to say. This was it.

I have had enough.

I don't want to be here anymore.

Let me go, Itachi.

Please, let me go.

The disquieting anxiety roiling in him grew to the point where he almost could not breathe. She was like the sweet air after an eternity spent drowning underwater. If she left now, then he would be forced under once more, deprived of what he so desperately needed. He briefly wondered which was more cruel; to never know the freedom that came with his little songbird, or to briefly know and experience true bliss and happiness, only to have it taken away shortly. He opened his mouth to speak, an attempt to circumvent her request, but the words died on his tongue when he looked at her expression.

She was wearing the most heartbreaking, bravest smile on her face as she continued.

"Can I love you?"

He froze, so shocked by her confession that for a split second, he momentarily lost the ironclad composure that he was so well known for. Sakura did not notice. She was too busy staring at the ground, already prepared for the worse.

"I know that you married me out of convenience and necessity," she rushed out. "I know that this is not part of what we agreed on when we signed the papers, but I'm sorry, I cannot help my feelings for you. I love you."

He was still visibly stunned by her admission, and could not seem to form a proper response towards her. His pink-haired wife took his lack of reaction as an answer itself, and she wilted visibly.

"You probably don't want to hear this at all," she spoke slowly, heavily. "I'm sorry," she apologized again, her heart squeezing and aching. "This will be the last time-"

Her acute distress snapped him out of his brief stupor, and then he purely reacted. He was standing before her in an instant, his hand made to reach out towards her, then paused briefly – as if he was unused to such gestures – before he carefully, tentatively cupped her chin and raised her face to look at him. Her mouth was trembling, her eyes bright with unshed tears, brimming with the depths of her affection for him, and for some reason, the realization that she meant every word made him feel completely uplifted.

Filled with light.

Saved.

She loved him.

He had the most unusual compulsion to smile.

"You have had my attention for a very long time, Sakura," he told her softly and very seriously. "I wouldn't have asked you to marry me otherwise, no matter what Sasuke said."

Her mouth fell open at his frankly honest reply. The tears quickly overflowed, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to stop them.

Itachi looked at his shaking, overwhelmed wife, mildly alarmed by her reaction. "Does my reply displease you?"

She shook her head quickly in denial, looking down in a vain attempt to conceal her tearstained face. A small, wet laugh escaped her, filled with so much happiness and relief. Without hesitation, she stepped up and wordlessly wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his shoulder as she continued to cry quietly.

"I love you, Itachi."

His hands came up to rest against the back of her shoulders. Then, he pulled her trembling frame closer, and slowly lowered his head, brushing his lips lightly, gently, against her dampened cheek. The pure affection in the simple act took her breath away, and it spoke volumes for all the words he did not say.

"I know."

.

.

.

In the end, the bird of paradise sang the sweetest song for her raven mate, and even though he could not sing like she could, it was alright.

She was the song of his heart, too.

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

So, this is my first one shot written after my super long ItaSaku hiatus. I have no idea where the plot came from – it sneaked up on me when I was itching to write something and when I was listening to Fun's We Are Young on repeat. Er, somehow, the inspiration source does not exactly equate to the results, and don't ask me – I don't really know why either.

My mind is weird.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this.

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Well, the storyline behind this plot is quite obvious, I feel. It's a non-massacre AU, but it's not exactly completely non-massacre at the same time. Partial massacre? Ahahaha.

I was trying to picture different alternatives to circumvent the entire Uchiha Massacre event, and this was one of the more realistic outcomes. The result is pretty bittersweet and grim, and after exploring this scenario, I felt that canon!Itachi's complete destruction of the Uchiha was so much kinder to the clan overall – nobody knew of their disgrace, and with the exception of Sasuke (and Itachi), none of the other members had to suffer for it as well.

In Song-verse, a good portion of the clan survived the purge, but as you can see, the backlash was horrible. The surviving members had to live with the repercussion of their damaging actions and it was bad. And poor Itachi is stuck in the middle as always; the clan head of the Uchiha, but who had chosen to betray his kin for his village, a loyal and important member of Konoha's ANBU forces, but hailing from a family of traitors.

No matter what he does, he would never be fully accepted by either side.

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Canon!Itachi does not really have any impressive moniker attached to his name other than the usual 'deranged clan murderer,' 'S-class missing-nin,' 'Akatsuki', etc, so I sort of took the liberty of thinking one up for him.

FYI, 'Konoha no Shinkirou Karasu' loosely translates to 'Konoha's Mirage Crow,' in reference to Itachi's flawless prowess with his Genjutsu techniques and his preference for incorporating crows into his fighting style.

Of course, it's also pretty sweet that the nickname makes a nice counterpoint to Sakura's 'bird of paradise' persona in this fic.

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I specifically chose 'bird of paradise' to represent Sakura, actually. Did you know that some species of birds of paradise have very elaborate courtship rituals and practices? One can say that they give a lot of their energy up for love. If that isn't classic Sakura, I don't know what is.

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I can't promise if there will be a sequel (or prequel) for this fic, but I am quite interested in exploring more of Song-verse. Also, I have no idea if this sort of plot is often done in ItaSaku fics - I haven't read ItaSaku for what seem like forever, so let me know if there's anything similar out there.

Tell me what you guys think, and as always, thanks for reading!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws